Chapter 8

Chapter

Eight

" S o what's for dinner?" Cosmo was going for cheery and bouncy, and he was not going to have a meltdown.

Not tonight.

Not again.

They'd already come to blows about Hawk and sex and leaving the house and heading into the veil and whether or not they should take Hawk out to Lunastra and all sorts of things that were none of their business.

But that didn't matter. Not tonight.

Tonight, they were just going to be gently social.

"Roast and potatoes."

It was obvious that they'd been over in the dragon veil side of the world because it was still snowing and bitter over there, and it didn't matter that it was like summer here and they should be having corn and tomatoes.

"Sounds perfect," Hawk said. "Is there anything I can do?"

Don't do it, he warned Corbin and Cullen.

What? We're nice . They both went wide-eyed, and then they shook their head in unison. "We're good. Have a seat."

"Thanks for offering," Cosmo told Hawk, and then went over to peer at the Yorkshire puddings in the oven and at the roast. It all smelled just fine.

Not poisoned.

All in all, it seemed like it was going to be just fine.

"Did the guys send their mail-in orders?" He was in charge of internet requests, and he would make an order this week.

"Orders?" Hawk asked.

Cosmo nodded and rubbed his hands together. "We are the provider of all things naughty. Doritos. Cheetos. Chips. Chocolate. Chewing gum." He counted all of the snacks off on his fingers. "Oh Combos. Pringles. Sour cherry balls. Oreos. Hostess Cupcakes." Cullen cracked up this time. "They all want different kinds of hot chocolate, and Pop Rocks."

Cosmo tilted his head. "Why do they want Pop Rocks in their hot chocolate? It's not like you could see it."

Corbin threw his hands wide and expansively. "Who knows the ways of dragons?" Then he shot Hawk a wicked grin. "I mean, they are mysterious, aren't they?"

"Some would say so, yes." Hawk smiled back, serene as a duck gliding along on top of a lake. He figured that had to be maddening for his brothers. Nothing seemed to ruffle Hawk. And honestly, if Hawk was old or as crazy as he said he was, then why should he get upset about a couple of upstart fae dragons?

That boggled his mind if he thought about it too much.

"Also, Sebby would like whatever the new Mario game is." Sebby, who was the oldest of the huge crop of kids from the Utah clutch, had a Nintendo Switch, and he managed somehow to keep it charged, but he couldn't get new games but through them.

"Don't his dads worry? I mean about them somehow making the games come to life or something?" Cullen always worried. "I think I'd be careful about that sort of thing."

Cosmo blinked over. "That couldn't happen."

"It might; you don't know." Well, Cullen did have a point.

That would be kind of cool though.

Corbin frowned. "You don't think…"

They all three looked at Hawk, because honestly, this could become a huge problem on a lot of different levels.

Hawk blinked at them. "What?"

Cosmo started. "So video games…"

"Will the magic make them come alive?"

"Is this something that the kids could do?"

"Because if this is something they could do, that would be bad."

"People eating mushrooms."

"Stars that make gold bars fall out of the sky."

"And then there's those weird gorilla things and that ghost thing with the hat."

"This is just bad."

"Are we perpetuating badness?"

"People don't eat mushrooms anymore?" Hawk looked at them like they'd lost their minds. "I think someone's going to have to explain."

"Which part?" Cosmo asked, even as Cullen blurted out,

"I mean, what are we going to do if all of a sudden there's a market that shows up that's being run by bears?"

"I'd be more concerned about the cars, guys. Sebby and Arielle racing each other with cars that can shoot things at each other. This is the problem." Corbin's eyes were big as saucers.

Hawk held up his hands. "You're all very confusing. And… Don't talk. One at a time. Cosmo, you start. I do know what cars are."

"Oh fuck." Cosmo stared at his brothers. He didn't even know how to process someone whose life experience ended with "I know what cars are". "Maybe we should start with supper."

Corbin nodded. "That's smart. Let's start with supper. Then I think we're going to have to have show-and-tell."

Cullen tilted his head. "Do they have a last hundred-year wrap-up thing on the History Channel?"

"Do we get the History Channel?" Cosmo wasn't sure…

"We can get a free two-week subscription. Surely he can learn everything he needs to know in that time."

Cosmo thought Corbin had a great idea. However, he was going to hold off on getting anybody the last anything game until they figured this whole thing out, because surely this was sort of like introducing scary frogs to Australia.

Or possibly like introducing dragons into the Land of Summer.

It seemed like a good idea at the time, but it caused so many problems.

Cullen shook his head. "Roast and potatoes and I made Yorkshire puddings."

"Yum." Cosmo winked at Hawk. "Do you know what those are?"

Hawk drew himself up with mock pride, he thought. "I do indeed. They are the perfect vehicle for gravy."

They all sat, and he was super proud of Corbin when he handed the knife to Hawk to carve.

Hawk beamed. "Thank you, Corbin." He carved perfect slices of roast beef, and Cosmo thought everyone was impressed. "Now, explain to me video games."

"Okay…this is a challenge. Let's see." Cosmo frowned. "So, they're like movies and games all smooshed together."

Cullen nodded. "And you get to tell the people in the game what to do, but it's all done in the computer, so you can only do what you can do. Like you can invent stuff, but you're playing a game."

Hawk tilted his head. "What kind of game?"

Corbin held his hands open wide. "Man, there are millions of them. All sorts. Puzzles, strategy, first-person shooters. Time management. Old-school. Driving. All sorts."

"And people like them?"

Cosmo nodded to his lover. "Yeah, they're fun. And some of them can even be challenging, but for the most part, they're just fun. You can do them together. You can do them separately. It's very social."

Hawk pursed his lips. "And you're worried about dragon magic manifesting these fake things into reality?"

"Yes. Yes, exactly."

Hawk really was incredibly smart for all of the things he didn't know.

"Well, I can tell you that manifestation magic takes an enormous amount of energy. But I've never seen anyone manifest something into reality that wasn't already, well, in reality." Hawk pulled at his sweater. "This I manifested. I needed clothes. But clothes exist in this realm as a physical thing. I cannot manifest passion. I cannot manifest time. If you have the ability to manifest things, which many of us on the Lunastra can, in my experience, the only things that can be manifested are things that are in reality."

Cosmo stopped for a second. "But guns are real. So, they could manifest guns."

"Yes, if they wanted to," Hawk concurred. "There's precious little need for them, though. We heal from guns, and we manifest food and grow food so we don't need to hunt for food."

"Same with cars. Huh?" Corbin sounded so serious, eyebrows knitted. "I think, that the kids need to be very careful with the video games, Cosmo, don't you?"

"I think that's… I think." He closed his eyes, and he thought about it, hoping that some sort of a vision would come and tell them exactly what to say.

But it didn't.

"I think that their parents have to make this decision, but I think that we need to speak to them. And it is up to us whether we provide anything new."

Cullen blinked. "Can we do that?"

"They made us the guardians. We didn't ask for this job. Guardian doesn't just mean making sure that the bad people don't get in and ruin other lands. It means that human things can't get in to hurt it, and it means that dragon things don't change how it is here. What would happen here if all of a sudden everything started just appearing willy-nilly?"

The vision hit him like a freight train down at the base of his spine, and suddenly, he was transported.

He was thrust into this world where humans could just make things. Magic was rampant and sliding along the ground like thousands and millions of snakes that they couldn't control. These things that didn't belong in that universe. Dragon magic was wild and free and didn't understand constraints. Not like the humans did.

Humans were built to be these creative, exciting, imaginative beings, and to add magic in the mix?

Those in power would just grow and grow and grow with it, and those without would just shrink until they were nothing but minions.

It was an awful thought, and it broke his heart.

He didn't want to see this anymore.

He didn't want to do this anymore.

Hawk's hand touched his shoulder. "Cosmo. Sweet Rose, come back to us. I am here, your brothers are here, and you have supper waiting. All is well."

He could feel his brothers' panic, but Hawk's voice was calm. It was slow and easy and at peace.

The calm made it easier to open his eyes and come back to the dining room where there was Yorkshire pudding and gravy.

And Hawk.

Hawk was right there, those crazy golden eyes just staring into him, keeping him grounded in the now. "There's no way that we're going to let that happen," Hawk said. "We're going to keep magic like that right where it belongs."

"Are you sure? That was awful." Bile was still strong in his throat.

His brothers stared at him too. "What was it?"

"I can't even describe it, it just… It was—Well, it was like an Indiana Jones movie, you know, when the bad guys get a hold of the ark?"

"It's not going to happen, my love. That's why there are Guardians. That's why I'm here with you. I know. It's to be your mate, but it's also to help you guard this gateway. I understand now."

Hawk looked like he understood the universe or something. As if nothing bothered him. And it had to bother him, right? That was why Hawk went to sleep, and he didn't get up, and he didn't know anything beyond what cars were. Because it was overwhelming and because it made him worry. It had to.

But right now, in this place with Cosmo, he seemed so calm, and that made Cosmo feel the same way, as if they could deal with this. As if this was their job, and they were going to be really good at it.

And sometimes, Cosmo hadn't really felt like he was good at anything, so maybe this was his calling. Goddess, he didn't know.

He was just really confused.

"So are we saying that we're not gonna let video games in with the kids?" Cullen asked.

"I'm saying we need to be really careful about what we do let them have, and maybe we need to talk to Sebby and his folks about it. Like when he was living here in this world, it was one thing, but maybe he needs to learn to amuse himself with games and stuff that are from the dragon world, and that way there's no danger."

"I bet once he goes down to school, and he finds more friends, it'll be easier," Cullen suggested.

Corbin shook his head. "I don't know. It could be that it's so much easier to be different, to be the fascinating new kid." They knew from fascinating new kids.

They had been the only half-dragons in their sanctuary. They'd had each other, of course. And, honestly, barring a few assholes, it hadn't been terrible.

Cosmo had to admit that Cullen had especially caught the brunt of the teasing.

Then when they'd left, it had been weirdly like they were never even there.

They were welcome to come home, of course, but only their parents really wanted them. The others seemed confused and suspicious of the fact that they could walk into the human world.

Now that they could walk into the dragonland and back as well? It was this strange situation.

"I didn't think it would be so complicated," Cosmo admitted. "I thought we'd be getting Amazon packages and periodically welcoming the lost dragon in to make sure he was all right before we let him through. Has it always been this hard?"

Hawk shook his head. "Of course not. The last time the veil opened, technology wasn't a thing. We're talking kings and round tables and swords. Knights on horseback. Awful tales of us capturing princesses. Who do you think the guardians were then? When the veil opened that time?"

Cosmo tilted his head. "Was it you?"

Hawk snorted. "Me? No. No, and I wasn't here. I was in the Old Lands back then. The guardians in that time were women. Three mermaid fae crossed. They were triplets called Nimue, Nimnian, and Vivian. They were beautiful, and they were fierce, and they did not allow the evil ones to cross into our home."

Cullen tore apart a Yorkshire pudding and dipped it in his gravy. "How did you get here?"

"I flew. I was bored, and then I was lost. Then when I arrived, I found I enjoyed it here. The seas, the deserts, the mountains—there was so much to see. And no one seemed to mind me. So I stayed. And then I couldn't get back. How about you?"

"Oh, that's an easy one!" Cosmo clapped his hands. "Our father sent us to find his old friend, Gavin, and give him some book that he was searching for. Then Gavin asked us to stay and work for him, and it was so much fun that we did."

It wasn't a fancy story, but it was their story, and it was the truth, so he told it that way.

He seems like he has seen a lot. Corbin murmured, just between them. I didn't want to like him, but I do.

He's an old dragon. He's my dragon. He says he doesn't want to go across the veil. He says he wants to stay here with me, and I want to stay here with you.

Corbin nodded, just barely moving his head. We're glad.

Maybe that was all his brothers had been worried about. Maybe all the hostility had been because they had been scared he was going to leave them.

Sure, he understood. Hawk was new and different, and he was old. They had assumed that Cosmo would want to go with Hawk, see where Hawk was from. But they were his brothers.

He couldn't leave them anymore than he could stay away from Hawk. Now he was glad he didn't have to do either. His brothers were beginning to understand.

"So what do we do about all this?"

Hawk just smiled. "Well, what we do is we figure out what needs doing."

"Is it really that easy?" Cullen asked.

"Oh, no. It's probably going to be quite difficult, but that's okay. That's what keeps life interesting. When it gets boring, you go to sleep. Or sometimes, it just gets to be too much." That made Hawk frown.

"How do you mean?" Cosmo wanted to reach out and smooth the frown away.

"Things got very loud." Hawk rolled his eyes up toward the ceiling, as if searching for answers. "Things became completely crazy. Everything started moving too fast. I wasn't sure how to keep up, and so I went to sleep. But now? But now I have you. And you understand this new world better than I ever could. Together, we can make this work."

"Do you think that we can keep bad magic from crossing in either direction?" He wanted that vision wiped from his mind.

"I think we can certainly try. I mean, I do have the example of those fierce mermaids, don't I?"

"Yeah, and we have Google."