7. A Family Moment

7

Somewhere in the mansion, Griff was singing again.

Quinlan groaned and blew a raspberry against Annie's stomach. "That's Griff," he told her. "He sings terribly."

Annie giggled, blowing spit bubbles at him.

Quinlan had sneaked off to the pantry again to steal a few boxes of table salt. It had helped. He'd given Annie a second soak in a third bathroom—they were starting to run out of bathrooms with unbroken doors—and already, her scales were starting to look healthier.

He sagged with relief now, rolling across the bed he'd slept in last night.

"What's it like to be this rich?" Quinlan said to Annie, who stuck her fingers into his nose.

The bed had been made sometime during the bathroom chaos. In fact, everything in this room looked more pristine than any space Quinlan had occupied in his life. It felt... weird. Kind of impersonal.

He pulled the covers onto the floor to make a nest for Annie, so she wouldn't crawl off the edge of the bed and hurt herself.

Except Annie tripped on a fold in the blanket and pitched forward, her little head crashing into the duvet. She scrunched up her face and began to cry.

"Aww, hon. It's okay." Quinlan scooped Annie into his arms, but she wailed anyway, refusing to be comforted.

Quinlan kissed the top of her head and began to sing.

"Hush little baby you don't have to cry

Daddy will make your hurts go bye-bye"

Footsteps thumped hurriedly behind the guestroom door. Except they slowed down when Quinlan began another verse.

"Sometimes things are scary

And sometimes things are sad

But Daddy will always make you feel so glad"

Annie's wailing quieted into little hiccups.

The door creaked open, a red reptilian eye peeking into the room.

Then Griff tried to shuffle in, except he got stuck against the human-sized doorway.

Quinlan suppressed a smile.

"Dammit," Griff-the-dragon muttered. He shifted back into a man for half a second, before returning to his dragon shape on this side of the doorway. Then he hunkered down next to Quinlan and Annie, all concerned. "Lil flame? Why'd you cry?"

"She face-planted on the covers," Quinlan said dryly. "Nothing's hurt."

"Awww, poor baby." Griff craned his neck to study her; she snuffled and reached out with her fingers as though she wanted to grab one of his teeth.

"No, don't grab his teeth." Quinlan caught her hand just in time.

Annie made a loud, unhappy sound and tried harder. "Ehh!"

"You're going to hurt yourself," Quinlan chided.

"My teeth aren't that sharp," Griff said. "Touch them."

"They look plenty sharp to me."

Griff snorted and bumped his snout against Quinlan's hand. "Touch."

Quinlan had never received an invitation to touch a dragon's teeth. But Griff seemed hell-bent on courting him, so he figured his fingers were probably safe.

When he pressed his fingertip against the flat part of Griff's fang, nothing happened. It felt warm and smooth. So Quinlan ran his finger carefully to the pointy end of the fang.

Huh.

Griff was right. His teeth weren't actually all that sharp. Their ends were slightly blunt, enough that they didn't pierce skin when Quinlan dragged his fingertip over them.

"How?" Quinlan whispered. "I thought you can rip things apart with your teeth."

Griff waited until Quinlan had pulled his hand away. "It's science," the dragon said excitedly. "My teeth won't hurt unless I bite hard, or you punch your fist down on them. Like how blunt knives won't cut unless you start hacking away. The greater the force, the more lethal my teeth will be."

Quinlan nodded slowly. "I can't believe a dragon is teaching me science. With teeth."

"I was there when Pascal figured it out," Griff said proudly.

"Not Newton?"

Griff shook his head. "Newton discovered gravity, but we're talking about pressure. Pressure is the force applied over a certain area."

Quinlan blinked. Maybe it wasn't so strange that a dragon who loved cringey love songs was also secretly a nerd at heart. "Didn't Pascal live a long time ago?"

"Yes! He and Isaac Newton were alive roughly the same time. I wrote all the songs about their sciencey discoveries, but no one wanted to hear them. So I started writing love songs. People paid me for those!"

"They paid you?"

"Yes! They even paid me to sing!"

"And you're singing the same way you did hundreds of years ago?"

"Yes!"

"Wow." Quinlan tried to wrap his mind around it. People had paid Griff to sing terrible songs. It wasn't just that Griff's lyrics were bad; his everything was out of tune.

But it makes him happy, Hex had said.

"I'm glad people enjoyed your singing," Quinlan said truthfully. Not many people could create bad art and still be so appreciated.

Griff puffed out his chest. Then he sighed and shook his head. "The songs people sing now are not as good. But it's all that plays on the radio! They're terrible."

"You know," Quinlan said slowly. "That's what my parents said, too. That the songs of their time were the best ever, and kids these days don't appreciate music."

"Exactly," Griff enthused.

"Twenty years from now, I'm going to tell Annie the exact same thing. That kids her age don't appreciate good music."

"Unless you teach her what the good songs are," Griff said slyly. "Then she'll definitely appreciate your favorite songs."

Quinlan stared at him for a long moment. Begrudgingly, he said, "I guess you could be a good parent."

Griff beamed.

Somehow, Quinlan wanted Griff to be in his human shape when he smiled like that again. "Why are you always in your dragon form?"

"Because I feel strong like this!"

"You don't like being human?"

Griff hummed and eyed Quinlan thoughtfully. "My human shape is good for some things. But it's also weak." Griff paused. "Do you like my human shape better?"

"Maybe," Quinlan admitted begrudgingly. "But you'll have to put on some clothes if you're walking around as a human."

Griff rumbled in delight. "Of course, fireheart."

He scurried out of the guestroom, changing back into a man so he could slip through the door. It'd probably take him a while to return; his nest was on the far side of the mansion-cavern complex.

Before Quinlan could get distracted by how eager the dragon was to make him happy, his phone buzzed.

Suddenly, he felt guilty for completely forgetting about it ever since he'd gotten kidnapped. He'd missed a lot of messages.

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Quin!!! Are you okay???

ScaredyWren

Please reply soon, I know you're airborne right now and you can't look at your phone.

HotMess69

What happened to Quinlan?

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Blade's brother kidnapped him.

HotMess69

?????

WHAT

YesToFangs77

Omg

WolfCubDad

Blade's brOTHER???

ScaredyWren

Um, Griff kidnapped Quinlan to be his mate... apparently

WolfCubDad

Where are they headed? We'll intercept

YesToFangs77

We can go, too

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Blade's already called his and Griff's parents. They're going to talk to Griff about the kidnapping.

Griff's property is warded, anyhow. We figured we'll wait and see what Griff does before trying to break through the barrier

According to Blade, Griff isn't BAD. Just.... very weird

He wants a mate

HotMess69

... But we don't leave our friend in the lurch like that

ScaredyWren

We received word from Griff's butler, Hex. Hex is going to keep an eye on the situation. He also promised that he'll keep Quin's phone working so Quin can tell us if he really wants to be rescued

WolfCubDad

You think Quinlan might end up going for some dragon cock?

ScaredyWren

Quin's been needing to get laid for a while

Quinlan paused his scrolling through the old messages. "What the hell, Wren? You think I need to get laid?"

Then again... maybe he did.

WolfCubDad

Okay, we'll hold off on the rescue for now. But we'll be keeping a real close watch on this situation

HotMess69

I never thought I'd be glad that our butlers know each other.

YesToFangs77

No kidding

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Anyway, it's getting late. We're going to sleep but we'll keep an ear out

HotMess69

Thanks, Joey

YesToFangs77

It's morning now, has anyone heard from Quinlan?

JoeyNotAKangaroo

We've checked in with Hex. Quin doesn't seem stressed.

HotMess69

Okay...

ScaredyWren

We think Quin and Hex are becoming friends...

HotMess69

So, Stockholm Syndrome?

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Is it really Stockholm if no one's stopping him from leaving the property?

ScaredyWren

It IS in the middle of the forest...

WolfCubDad

Anyway, Quinlan, if you're seeing this, tell us if you're okay.

QuinCukesXXX

I'm here, I'm alive

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Quin!!!!

ScaredyWren

Omg you're alive!!!!

QuinCukesXXX

I thought you already knew that

Seeing as you have spies in the mansion

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Just Hex

YesToFangs77

Oh phew, we were worried about you

QuinCukesXXX

There I was wondering why no one had come to rescue me yet.

ScaredyWren

Should we come to rescue you then??

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Just say the word, and we'll be there

QuinCukesXXX

No, not yet. But thank you

WolfCubDad

Good to hear from you, Quinlan. Onyx and I were discussing how we're getting you out of there.

HotMess69

Did Griff do anything bad to you?

QuinCukesXXX

Nothing real bad, I guess. Aside from the kidnapping. I mean, he's... really weird. But not enough for me to scream for a rescue

WolfCubDad

You've decided to stay?

QuinCukesXXX

I need transport back to my old apartment. Griff agreed to take me there on Thurs

After Thurs... I'm not sure

ScaredyWren

I'll try to get to the apt too. I'm not sure how but you don't have to grab all my stuff, there's a lot

QuinCukesXXX

If there's anything in particular you need, tell me. I'll make sure it's safe

ScaredyWren

Thank you

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Did Griff's parents talk to him? We kind of thought maybe you'd be free by now

QuinCukesXXX

Not sure. I haven't heard from them at all

JoeyNotAKangaroo

They're keeping tabs on the situation, too. Through their butler.

Just FYI

HotMess69

Omg, is there a household that HASN'T been invaded by the butler bros???

QuinCukesXXX

How many of these butlers are there, anyway?! Are they seriously all blood brothers?

WolfCubDad

Dunno. I don't think even THEY have an actual number.

YesToFangs77

They're like a virus

JoeyNotAKangaroo

A cringey-pickup-line-spreading virus

HotMess69

Shudder

WolfCubDad

Shudder

YesToFangs77

Shudder

QuinCukesXXX

Well, Griff has been singing me cringey love songs. Every half hour. And he wants to read me pickup lines every night like a bedtime story

ScaredyWren

Omg

JoeyNotAKangaroo

And you're not screaming for help?

QuinCukesXXX

It's... It's not the end of the world

JoeyNotAKangaroo

Is this you admitting that you might like him!??!?!?!

QuinCukesXXX

I'm saying nothing

ScaredyWren

Omg

HotMess69

(eyes emoji)

WolfCubDad

Don't worry, we're not judging you

YesToFangs77

Even if cringey love songs turn you on

ScaredyWren

We just want you to be happy, Quin

Before Quinlan could ask how they thought he could live the rest of his life being inundated by terrible love songs, Griff returned, strutting into the guestroom in a soft, long-sleeved shirt and pants that outlined his muscular legs.

"Fireheart! How do I look?" He smiled brightly, spinning around to show off his new clothes.

Quinlan swallowed. No one was supposed to look this attractive. "Um. Good. Definitely doesn't scream ‘I am a kidnapper.'"

"You're the first person I've ever kidnapped," Griff whispered, leaning in. "I think it's the best decision I ever made."

"First? Really?"

"I got tired of waiting for a mate to come to me." Griff sat himself in front of Annie and blew lightly in her face. She gave a tiny sneeze, and Griff's eyes went soft.

How was Quinlan supposed to hate him?

"Where're your sparks, lil flame?" Griff lowered his head so he was eye-level with Annie, beaming at her. "Sometimes it helps when you cough. Like this."

Griff coughed, and some sparks fell out of his mouth. Annie followed the spots of light with her gaze, trying to touch them, but they extinguished before she could.

"Um, I don't think she's ready for any fire demonstrations yet," Quinlan said nervously. He'd seen Blade cover Joey's baby with fire, and that was not something Annie could handle. "I think she's... slow. Please don't breathe fire on her."

Griff looked like he was about to protest. But he glanced up at Quinlan, and his entire body sagged. "Aww, fireheart. I won't hurt her."

"I know you don't intend to. But just... don't. Please."

"All right. I'll go slow with our dragonet."

"‘Our'?" Quinlan squawked.

Griff smiled. To Annie, he whispered, "Your first fireball will be great. I can't wait to see it."

Quinlan swallowed his guilt.

Why should he even feel guilty? It wasn't as though he'd agreed that Griff could be Annie's other dad.

Annie babbled and smacked Griff in the eye, but Griff only laughed.

"Don't encourage her to smack you in the face," Quinlan grumbled, scooping Annie onto his lap.

Except Griff slid his strong arms around Quinlan, and scooped both of them onto his lap.

Annie squealed.

"What," Quinlan yelped.

"A happy family," Griff murmured in his ear. "It could be like this."

Quinlan looked down and tried not to imagine it. Instead, he focused on the way Griff's warmth surrounded him—solid muscle pressed against his back, thick thighs under his own. Griff's nose buried in Quinlan's hair, his breath rushing across Quinlan's scalp.

It felt... safe. Like all the other times Griff had held him.

"Is this okay?" Griff whispered.

Quinlan's insides melted. "Y-yeah."

"Good." Griff brushed a kiss over the back of Quinlan's neck, his fingertips trailing lightly across Quinlan's hips. He began nuzzling Quinlan, rubbing his face against Quinlan's nape, all lips and nose and stubble, until Quinlan realized maybe Griff was trying to leave his marking there.

"Are you... trying to claim me?" Quinlan yelped.

Griff took a moment too long to answer. "No?"

It wasn't the truth.

And maybe Quinlan didn't mind letting it slide, just this once.

Griff went back to nuzzling Quinlan's neck. It was intimate in a different way, different from the times Griff had raked his gaze down Quinlan's bare body. But it sent tingles across Quinlan's skin all the same; it made him ever so aware of Griff's breath on his neck, his soft lips catching and pulling away.

No one had touched Quinlan so gently before.

And he didn't want to move, didn't want to give Griff a reason to stop.

Annie broke the silence, wriggling and kicking in Quinlan's lap. "Beh beh!"

Quinlan sighed and set her down on the covers so she could crawl all over them. "She needs some solid food."

"Want me to help you make some?" Griff asked against his neck.

Quinlan's heart skipped. "You would?"

"Of course."

"But you have a cook!"

Barely an inch away, Griff's eyes flashed red. "I'll cook for you."

And there went Quinlan's heart, fluttering again. "Oh. She, um. She needs some tuna, some pasta. Maybe bananas or egg. Nothing spicy."

Griff frowned, hooking his chin against Quinlan's shoulder. "None?"

"I think she's allergic," Quinlan lied.

"That's a lie," Griff said immediately. "Your heart skipped."

Quinlan winced. "Sorry. I just—I don't want you feeding her all the peppers. Just—normal human food. Please."

"But dragonets need a healthy supply of peppers, fireheart."

"Just... not yet," Quinlan pleaded. "Maybe next month."

Griff tightened his arms around Quinlan's waist. "You're staying for another month?"

"I don't know," Quinlan said. That was the most honest answer he could come up with.