Would he and Elouan actually go on dates? Like going to the movies and dinner, as shown in books, instead of sneaking off to the lake to be alone? Not that Jules minded the alone at the lake premise, his new favorite thing ever.
“Jules?” The way Radomir said the name suggested he’d spoken more than once.
Jules snapped out of his daydream.
“You’re quiet this evening. Is everything okay? How was your day?” How odd for Radomir to be the one asking instead of Moira, gray brows knit together over his hawklike nose and a concerned frown on his face.
The Goddess of Fire herself couldn’t have made Jules’s cheeks any hotter. “Fine. I’m just a little tired. Studying, you know.”
“Studying.” How could someone put so much disbelief into one word? The raised eyebrow also dared Jules to continue lying so Radomir could catch him in the act.
What was Jules thinking? Moira and Radomir weren’t plotting against him. They merely came from a world without TV, where humans kept themselves separate from dragons so much that they mistrusted each other. If Moira ever sat down and talked to a human or two…well, depending on the human. Those bullies in the alley would only raise her suspicions all the more. She and Radomir promised Donovan to keep Jules safe and prepare him to be a good little alpha’s mate one day, and she barely said two words to the human housekeeper during her visits. Jules usually relayed instructions to Mrs. Tracy.
Well, what about the alpha destined to one day claim Jules? Was someone teaching him or her how to be a suitable mate? Or did society in Adrakus only concern itself with preparing omegas for the roles they never got to choose?
Screw that. Jules was equally important to his intended mate. Elouan seemed to think Jules important. Important enough to spend a day with. He’d kissed and caressed, and though Julescould see the rather remarkable bulge in Elouan’s jeans, he hadn’t tried to take things further.
Hell, guys Jules merely looked at for too long tried to take things further. Another reason to avoid some of his classmates.
He’d wanted to continue. Or thought he did. He’d read books, like the romantic suspense he’d told Elouan about, but the reality of someone inside him would be far different. Or what would it be like to be inside Elouan? And…there Jules went, thinking inappropriate thoughts at the dinner table.
“Moira, Radomir. I’m not very hungry tonight.” He’d never admit to eating two hotdogs and an order of fries from a vending truck near the lake, having heard enough lectures about the garbage humans called food. Not like the quarter pound of steak currently lying on Jules’s plate. “I think I’ll go to my room. Get to bed early.” He forced a yawn to reinforce his story.
Moira and Radomir exchanged unreadable glances. Moira nodded. “I’ll put your dinner away. I can reheat it if you get hungry later.”
“I can take care of that myself if I need to.” On top of everything, Moira unknowingly or knowingly piled on the guilt. At his age, Jules should live independently, seeing to his own cooking, cleaning, and whatever. He’d learned much simply by listening to his classmates, most of whom lived with roommates or partners. Some were even married with children at his age. Yet here Moira, essentially his mother, promised to reheat his dinner later. When later? In the middle of the night? She undoubtedly would if Jules asked.
Mrs. Tracy came twice per week, but Moira mostly pushed her aside and handled the cleaning. Kind of a control freak, Moira. Mrs. Tracy mostly handled shopping or dealing with other humans.
Jules paused, taking in his guardians. Their once wheat-colored hair now contained more gray than he recalled amere few years ago, and their cheeks appeared hollower. He’d never thought to ask how old they were. Dragons aged slower than humans, sure, but were Moira and Radomir old even for dragons? They still shifted occasionally, but not as often as ten years ago.
They’d sacrificed so much to be here with him, for what they likely thought was only a few months' assignment, and had been here as long as Jules could remember. Away from family, friends, their children. There could be no greater loyalty. Guilt further stole Jules’s appetite. They’d given him so much. He could at least be grateful.
“I’ll see you two in the morning.” Jules dashed to his room before either of his guardians could speak, closing the door with a decisive click. He looked around his sanctuary, which didn’t offer its normal comfort.
Moira disapproved of the furniture, but Jules enjoyed the very human-style room with furnishings picked out by Mrs. Tracy. Or rather, human for this realm. According to Moira and Radomir, things like electricity and cars didn’t exist “back home,” as they insisted on calling Adrakus. They slept on a pile of fake fur in a room forbidden to the housekeeper. Sleeping on the floor couldn’t be good for their old bones, could it?
How could Jules call a place he’d never seen home? In the books he’d read, people kept pictures of loved ones or even a lovely image they liked on their walls. His fellow students were constantly showing thousands of photos from their cellphones. Nothing hung on Jules’s walls, and he had no cellphone. He’d had to borrow one from a classmate to contact Elouan under the guise of having lost his.
Whose picture would he hang on the wall if given the opportunity? Moira and Radomir, for sure, and he’d love a photo of Donovan to know what his brother looked like. Moira said Jules and Donovan favored each other in looks, but how so?How about Jules’s parents? Or maybe a photo of Elouan taken by the lake?
How depressing. Jules owned not one single picture. The guys at school sometimes got goofy grins while talking about their girlfriends or boyfriends and showing pictures. Jules’s heart ached with loss each time for something he’d never had and might never find.
He emptied his pockets into the bowl on his dresser, smiling as he took the quartz he’d found today to the shelves on the other side of the room to join his collection. His hoard never failed to elevate his mood.
He’d arranged most of the stones by color. Semiprecious stones shared space with rocks he’d found on the ground, an arrowhead—a discovery that sent him researching for weeks about the human history of this region—a couple of geodes he’d bought at a gift shop, a relatively tiny diamond that must’ve fallen from someone’s jewelry, four marbles, and a gold nugget.
Most of his collection formed a river of blue. The rose quartz component made an interesting contrast. Lastly came the pebble spelled to alert Radomir of emergencies, though Jules never invoked its power.
His hoard, the reason Radomir and Moira never came into his room unless invited. Although his upbringing wasn't in Adrakus, he clearly possessed ingrained characteristics, such as the instinct to collect.
Moira had been so proud the first time Jules growled when she cleaned under his bed, coming too close to the box where he’d kept his then-meager findings.
Her hoard contained colorful glass bottles, while Radomir collected carved wooden figures. Some he’d created himself. If humans hoarded, what would Elouan tuck away? Motorcycle parts?
Jules flopped down onto the bed, relatively safe from his guardians and distressing thoughts.
Here, he could think of Elouan at leisure, body so firm under Jules’s hands, how his rounded buttocks pressed against Jules’s groin on the bike. The feel of his fingers lightly stroking Jules’s skin. The mere thought of Elouan calmed fears, putting Jules instantly at ease. Why? Even Jules’s normally suspicious dragon calmed in Elouan’s company.
