Curtis sniffed again. “Maybe.” Never had a more noncommittal answer been spoken.
Time to change the subject. “Did you see any other dragons there?” Now definitely wasn’t the time to talk about moving out.
Curtis wiped his damp cheeks with the back of his hand. “A few. I found out something. Some dragon couples have hoped for young the human way, but it never works out. Even those with human mates are disappointed. I’m the only human-dragon hybrid that any of Dad’s friends know of. Plus, we lost three more dragons in the past six months, two from age and one from an accident. No one knows how to return to Adrakus.” He turned sorrowful eyes to Elouan. “We’re dying out.”
Icy shards of fear filled Elouan’s belly. Such would be his own fate if Sakaris didn’t come for him.
His cellphone vibrated in his pocket. He removed the phone just enough to discreetly peek at the screen. Jules. He’d have to answer later. Right now, he needed to support his friend.
“Are you hungry? I bought food.”
Curtis nodded. “I could eat.”
“Then find us a movie. I’ll fix dinner.” Elouan pulled frozen rolls from the freezer to bake, and the fried chicken came from the deli, as did the potato salad, but he opened the can of green beans himself.
They spent the evening on the couch watching comedies and eating to lift Curtis’s mood. Afterward, Curtis hoisted his laptop onto his lap, turning the screen so Elouan couldn’t see. That was strange. Maybe he’d found a boyfriend he wasn’t ready to talk about.
Curtis’s face paled. “You didn’t…you didn’t read my messages, did you?”
What? “Of course not.” Just one asking if Curtis was there.
Still, Curtis’s shoulders remained stiff. Though Elouan waited, Curtis said nothing more.
I think we found them.
Elouan responded to Jules’s text after midnight but still hadn’t found the right words to question Curtis without distressing him further.
I’ve been thinking of you, Jules had texted.Moira asked me to stay home today.
Elouan needed more details about Jules’s guardianship. Other men he knew would say Jules wasn’t worth the effort and walk away. Elouan wasn’t like other men. In fact, he wasn’t a man at all, at least not full-time. Jules was worth the effort.
They guarded many royal omegas back home closely, preventing them from imprinting on the wrong dragon before their mate arrived—a barbaric practice Father didn't allow for Anrai. Also, a fallacy few still believed in.
Elouan admitted to Jules,I’ve been thinking of you too.
Jules replied,I’ve been thinking about being in your room. I’d love to be there again. With you. Naked.
That sounded promising.How about this coming weekend?
I’m sorry, but we’re going out of town.
Where?
A cabin in the mountains we go to sometimes.
Not vague at all. Had Jules figured out Elouan was on to him? Were Moira and Ray taking him and running?
I’ll miss you.That was all Elouan could think of to say. He left unsaid,Please don’t run. Please talk to me. Tell Moira I’m not a threat.
What if he never came back?
Though the thought came more as a feeling than words, Elouan’s dragon clearly communicated,Then we’ll find him.
It took Elouan all morning to finally get Leon alone during break, away from potential eavesdroppers. “Curtis told me he didn’t shift.”
The smile left Leon’s face. “Every time we go somewhere remote, I get my hopes up. So does he. But he’s not going to shift, is he?” He gazed into Elouan’s eyes, looking for…confirmation?
“I’ve never met a half-human before. I don’t know.” Sakaris might.
