4. Serenaded By Terrible Love Songs

4

Quinlan sneaked Annie into the closest bathroom the next morning.

The bathrooms in Griff's mansion were all remarkably fancy: beautiful marble walls, soft recessed lighting, shower heads that mimicked rain... And the towel racks were heated.

"Aaaaah!" Annie grinned and kicked her legs when Quinlan ran the bath.

He double-checked that the door was locked. When the water in the tub was deep enough, Quinlan gently placed Annie in the water, watching as her legs became a shimmering pink tail.

Annie promptly dove underwater, twisting around gracefully as she swam from one end of the tub to the other.

It wasn't her swimming tub back home. And it most certainly wasn't the vast ocean. But it was definitely better than a cramped plastic bucket—just that she really needed her salts and sparkling kelp powder, because her tail was starting to lose its shine.

Quinlan tamped down the worry in his chest. How likely was it that Griff would take them to an apothecary for mermaid bath salts, when he'd been so set on Annie being a baby dragon?

Quinlan couldn't take any chances.

He peed and washed his face, ignoring the urge to join her in the tub. It was too small for his tail, anyway.

Scarcely had he sat on the edge of the tub, when an odd noise came from outside the bathroom door.

"What the hell is that?" he muttered.

The closer he got to the door, the louder the sound grew.

"My special mate

My mate with the wriggly toes

He screams so high

He squirts so far

He makes me feel so complete"

When Quinlan pressed his ear to the doorjamb, he realized it was the sound of someone singing.

Horribly.

"Quinlannn," Griff purred, his voice muffling like he'd pressed his mouth to the other side of the door jamb. Just a few inches above Quinlan's ear. "Are you in there?"

Quinlan leaped back in surprise, half-expecting Griff to tear the door down. "What the hell?"

"I have come to serenade you," Griff said. "Did you enjoy my song?"

"No," Quinlan said, flabbergasted. "That was a terrible song."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Shall I sing another?"

"No!"

"I'll make it better!" Griff said. "You will love it with all your heart."

He cleared his throat.

"I have special places on my body for my mate to be

Special places on my belly and behind my knees

Oh Quinlan you sound so sweet

I will tickle your tonsils and lick your feet"

"Oh, dear gods," Quinlan whispered. "You're insane."

"And you're beautiful!"

"That last line doesn't even sound remotely good," Quinlan blurted. "Tickle my tonsils? Really? With what?"

"With my tongue," Griff said so proudly that Quinlan buried his face in his hands.

"I have Annie in here with me! Don't make the songs weird!"

Griff cooed. "Can I see her?"

"No!"

But just in case Griff broke the door lock, Quinlan scooped Annie out of the tub, wrapping her in a warm, fluffy towel.

"Ehh!" Annie squirmed and flipped her tail unhappily.

"You'll get to play again later," Quinlan whispered, gritting his teeth when he reached into the bathtub to pull the plug. Splashes of water were fine, but submerging any part of himself in pure water made his instincts want to shift.

He patted Annie dry and bobbed her in his arms, waiting for her tail to change back into little legs.

He waited. And waited.

"Fireheart!" Griff boomed, making Quinlan jump. "I have acquired some instruments to serenade you!"

"What instruments?" Quinlan asked warily.

Something crashed, like a wooden spoon on a pot.

"Musical instruments!" Griff began banging on the pot. "I will sing you another song!"

"No," Quinlan begged.

He would've asked how the dark-eyed man from last night had become this, but... Griff had been crazy from the start. Maybe he was just crazy some hours of the day, or maybe he was crazy whenever he decided to be.

The worst part was, why wasn't Quinlan mad at him anymore?

"Once upon a time there was a hole in my chest

I looked at your chest and your chest has a bulge

Your chest bulge fits inside my chest hole

And my love fits inside your other hole

Together we shall become one"

Quinlan cringed, embarrassed on Griff's behalf. "What on Earth is wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Griff said. "I just like singing songs for my intended!"

"It's not working," Quinlan said, aghast. "They're all terrible. They don't make any sense."

"Songs don't have to make sense!"

"They do if you're trying to serenade me."

The moment those words left his lips, Quinlan could've smacked his forehead. He did not want Griff thinking he had a chance!

There was a pause. Then, Griff sighed. "Hex thinks my songs are not good enough for you, too."

"Hex?"

"My butler."

Quinlan hid his face against Annie, who giggled and squirmed. Of course there had to be witnesses. Of course.

Griff knocked on the door. "Can I see you now?"

Annie still had a pink, scaly tail with a fin at the end. Quinlan's stomach squeezed. "No!"

On the other side of the door, Griff sighed again.

Then the door creaked loudly, and burst open without warning.

A sapphire dragon tumbled into the bathroom.

Quinlan had the presence of mind to cover up every bit of Annie's tail, backing away in case Griff saw it wriggling.

Griff turned to the door in betrayal. "What's wrong with that door? I was just leaning on it! And it broke!"

It was as good an opportunity as any.

Quinlan grabbed the lighter in his pocket and flicked the metal wheel, pressing the yellow flame to the TP on the wall.

It caught fire.

He shoved the lighter back into his pocket and yelped, anxious now because he didn't like having a fire so close to the wall. The flames spread all over the TP, devouring it. "Annie!"

"What's wrong?" Griff spun around. "Oh!"

He lumbered forward, grinning.

"Why're you smiling?" Quinlan asked, aghast. "The TP is burning! It's going to burn down the mansion!"

His plan only involved a small fire. But the way Griff took so long to get there, it felt like the fire would spread to the bathroom walls.

With a scaly paw, Griff plucked the TP off its holder, dropping it into the sink.

Then he arched his neck and lowered his head so he was at eye-level with Annie, grinning delightedly. "Lil dragonet! Was that your first fireball?"

"Um, not a fireball," Quinlan said uncomfortably. "She's never breathed a fireball before."

Griff missed his squirming somehow; he was so happy. "Sparks, then. A dragonet in the family!"

"I didn't say she's yours," Quinlan grumbled. "And that TP is still burning!"

It was releasing plumes of smoke into the bathroom. Griff barely glanced at it, flicking on the faucet so the fire went out with a hiss.

"Why aren't you more concerned about the mansion burning down?" Quinlan asked suspiciously.

"It's spelled to be fireproof. All but the consumables, since there's no point spelling every single sheet of TP." Griff gave Annie a silly grin. "Who's an amazing dragonet?"

Annie had been chewing on her fist. She stuck it forward, saliva and all, straight into Griff's nostril.

Apparently, a dragon's nostril could fit an infant's fist.

Quinlan squawked and pulled Annie back, afraid that Griff would get mad somehow. But Griff only laughed and leaned closer. Annie grabbed his nostril and yanked.

"Annie," Quinlan yelped, gently prying her fists away.

"You're a feisty lil one, aren't ya?" Griff snorted a gust of hot air on Annie's face; she shrieked with laughter. "I can't wait to see you breathe your first fireball."

And suddenly Quinlan felt bad for starting the fire, for faking Annie's ‘dragon' identity.

"Look, can you just take me home? I really need my things from there."

Griff wrinkled his snout, looking at Annie so his eyes crossed. "It's still a few days before your landlord throws your things out."

"I want my things, sooner than later!" Besides, his roommate and friend Wren also had things in the apartment. Quinlan had to help salvage Wren's belongings somehow; neither of them had money to replace their possessions.

"Friday," Griff rumbled.

"Wednesday," Quinlan argued.

"Friday." Griff gently bumped his snout against Annie's forehead. It shouldn't make Quinlan's insides gooey.

"Thursday is the latest I'll agree to," Quinlan said. "Or I won't consider being your mate at all."

"Fine, Thursday."

It was Monday, so they still had a long, long time before then. Quinlan sighed.

Except Annie wriggled, and a corner of her tail poked out of the towel.

Quinlan's heart stopped. He yanked his gaze away from the traitorous tail so Griff wouldn't see what had caught his attention. Then, he carefully shifted his arm to cover her up.

"What's wrong?" Griff murmured, leaning closer.

"Nothing."

"Your pulse went up. Something happened." Griff shimmered, shifting back into a human.

He was still towering over Quinlan, large hands cupping Quinlan's cheeks, forcing him to look up.

The concern in Griff's hazel eyes took him by surprise. Quinlan's heart stuttered. "Wh-why are you so serious all of a sudden? What happened to your horrible songs?"

Griff gave him a distracted smile. "You're not feeling good. I want to know why."

"You weren't asking that when you kidnapped me yesterday!"

"Yesterday you were angry. But right now you seem... scared." Griff frowned. "Do I scare you?"

"No." Mostly true.

"What made you scared, then?"

Quinlan frowned. "Can't I have some secrets?"

Griff licked his lips, looking thoughtful. "I guess I should save some secrets for later. Open you up like a present, a bit at a time. But I don't want you to be scared of me."

"I'm not that easily scared." Quinlan rolled his eyes. "But whatever lets you sleep at night."

Griff grinned. "You know what lets me sleep at night? You in my nest. Curled up between my paws."

Quinlan imagined the warmth of Griff's body surrounding his own, and his skin flushed with an awareness he couldn't ignore. "I need to sleep close to Annie."

"She has her choice of cots. She can sleep next to my nest."

"You don't even know me, and you trust me to sleep in your arms?" Quinlan asked doubtfully.

Griff leaned in, burying his face in Quinlan's hair. "Mine. You smell good."

Quinlan knew he didn't look like much. He hadn't been eating well for a while now, ever since rent went up and both he and Wren couldn't afford to pay. Worse, he'd lost his job two months ago when his company had decided to replace half its staff with AI technology. When Quinlan tried looking for another job, none of the openings had allowed him to bring Annie to work.

So he was jobless, with only a few coins left in his wallet after the trip he and Wren had taken to search for their friend Joey, and he desperately needed to get the travel dirt out of his hair.

"I need a shower," Quinlan blurted.

Griff waved toward the large glass-walled shower in the bathroom. "Feel free to use it."

"Not in front of you!"

Griff's lips curved in a slow smile. "By all means, shower in front of me. I've seen everything anyway."

In the bright light of day, Quinlan looked down at himself. He'd lost weight, and he was exhausted with worry. His belly had been wrinkled ever since he'd given birth to Annie. He had dark circles under his sky-blue eyes; he'd run his fingers several times through his curly walnut-brown hair. "I don't get what you see in me."

Griff's eyebrows went up. "Really?"

"I'm not someone gorgeous, Griff," Quinlan said hopelessly. "Just tired and stretched thin."

At that, Griff frowned deeply. He curled his fingers around Quinlan's shoulders and squeezed. "You are beautiful."

Quinlan opened his mouth, trying to find something he could say.

Griff pulled him close and hugged him gently, Annie cradled between them.

"You are going to rest, and I am going to feed you," Griff said. "I want your ribs to stop showing. I want you to not be tired anymore."

"Is this because you want to put a baby inside me?" Quinlan blurted.

Griff huffed. "Not only that. But also because I want you to be my mate. A mate is so much more than babies, fireheart. A mate is someone who stands beside me through everything."

"I'm not convinced I should," Quinlan said.

A quiet, excited smile lit up Griff's face. "I will prove it to you. I will make you want to be my mate."

"Through terrible love songs?"

"They are good songs," Griff said indignantly. Then he cocked his head as though he was listening to something. "Hex says he knows something even better that I can convince you with."

"Is he—" Quinlan sighed with slow-dawning horror. "Hex is a shapeshifter, isn't he? He heard everything we said. And... and last night, too. Oh gods."

Griff grinned. "He hears everything! He is my home security system."

Quinlan tried not to wince. He'd thought about running out the front door last night, but didn't because it had been dark out there, and he didn't know how to get home. He couldn't risk taking Annie through unknown territory.

In hindsight, he'd probably have gotten caught even before he'd taken ten steps out of the mansion.

"Apparently Hex knows the best pickup lines," Griff whispered, excitement pouring out of him. "Real good ones that'll make you melt."

If those were the same lines from the book that Blade's butler had been singing praises of, then no.

They were absolutely cringe-worthy lines.

But who was Quinlan to kill Griff's dreams?

"I'm going to feed Annie and let her go back to sleep, and then I'm going to shower," Quinlan said firmly. "And you're not allowed to watch!"

"I think you'll change your mind." Griff grinned.

Quinlan's cheeks grew hot. He pretended to scowl and turn away, but his thoughts were already racing.

Griff had plenty of food here. He had shelter, and safety.

What if... Quinlan stayed long enough to recuperate? So he had strength again? So he had a full belly?

And when he was ready to leave, maybe he could steal one or two gold coins from Griff's mountain of coins, just enough to tide him over until he could pay for his own food and shelter.

It seemed like a good plan.