The dragon never expressed himself with words, only feelings, but one impression filled Elouan’s mind:Want!
Elouan woke to find bright blue eyes regarding him thoughtfully and couldn’t help a smile. “Hey, handsome.”
“Hey, yourself.” Jules lifted his head, staring over Elouan’s head. He bolted upright. “Shit! I need to get home.”
“Shower first?”
Jules glanced down at his body. “Might be a good idea.”
Elouan wiped himself down and dressed while Jules showered and got ready to leave.
As much as he didn’t want to, he bundled Jules into the truck, the evening having turned decidedly cool. He rounded the truck toward the driver’s side, peering in through the window.
For one brief second, he swore he saw a dragon’s aura around Jules’s head.
Chapter Ten
Jules had borrowed Elouan’s shower, hoping to wash the lingering traces of sex from his skin, though he’d prefer to revel in the scent. Best not to let Moira and Radomir know how he’d spent his day. He’d texted earlier to let them know he’d be late.
Moira had replied with a heart emoji. Someone learned quickly.
As he sat in the truck waiting for Elouan to get in, something tightened in his gut, an unfamiliar feeling. An image came to mind of an older version of himself that disappeared in an instant. Donovan? Had he just glimpsed his brother?
No time to dwell, as the feeling disappeared as quickly as it had arrived.
Elouan navigated down darkened streets, allowing Jules to nestle against his side. Had Donovan tried to contact him? That shouldn’t be possible as long as Moira maintained the concealing spell, right?
As much as he’d love to continue his date, the overwhelming need to get home and check on Moira twisted Jules’s insides.
Once or twice while driving, Elouan lowered his head, seeming to sniff Jules’s hair. Weird, but not unwelcome. Neither was the muscular arm draped over Jules’s shoulder.
“I’d like this to become a regular thing for us,” Elouan said, gaze locked with Jules’s when he stopped a few houses down from Jules’s. “Us going out, I mean.”
Really?“Nothing would make me happier.”
They parted with a quick kiss and a smile. Jules swore he could’ve flown from the truck to the front door without wings. Elouan waited until Jules opened the front door before driving away.
Only the living room light remained on when he crept into the house. He found a note on the kitchen counter:Dinner is in the refrigerator.
NotWake me up, no Moira waiting, but the understanding that Jules could take care of himself. So, he wasn’t the only one who could be taught.
He warmed a small bowl of potato and ham casserole and helped himself, sitting at the kitchen counter to eat. Moira usually insisted that the three of them sit down together at the dining room table. While Moira’s trust thrilled him in a way, he missed his two surrogate parents. How he’d love to tell them about today—well, some of it anyway—and even invite Elouan over to meet them. He’d have to take small steps because of their suspicious nature.
He finished his meal, washed the dishes, and started toward his bedroom.
The sound of soft sobs stopped him short. “Moira?” He backtracked to her and Radomir’s bedroom.
“It’s okay,” Radomir called out, which only seemed to make Moira cry harder. An invisible fist gripped Jules’s throat. Whatthe hell was wrong with Moira? And Radomir’s “okay” needed work.
One never entered a dragon’s lair without invitation, but he’d never heard Moira cry before. Alarm bells sounded in his head. “Please. Can I come in?”
Radomir paused before saying, “Yes.”
Jules threw open the door, standing in the doorway for a few moments while his eyes adjusted to the dimness of a bedside lamp. Moira sat on the fake fur that made up their bed, still dressed in the clothes she’d worn earlier, hair askew, eyes puffy and red.
Radomir sat next to her, an arm wrapped around her shoulders, crooning. Jules recognized the tune of the lullaby Moira used to sing, particularly when Jules was distraught.
“Moira!” Jules hurried over to her side, dropping to his knees.
