Chapter Ten

Tritus

I dreamt that Casimir and I lay sunning in the back yard. We found the perfect sunbeam surrounded by fragrant purple flowers and took the perfect nap-not-nap in that sunbeam. Then the sun disappeared, blocked out by something big and bulky. Then something slapped into my very real body. Something soft and thick and---

“Huh?” I grunted, squinting.

Whoever covered us up wasn’t Casimir. He was still out cold, stretched out on his back with his legs spread wide now under the blanket.

“Morning,” Roary’s voice found my ears as I twisted around to sit up. “Was trying not to wake you two up. Came by to drop off your grocery delivery so you didn’t have to go out today and found you passed out.” They lowered their voice and said, “you smell like a liquor distillery.”

“I feel like one too,” I squinted. “Shit. Man. Fuck. What time is it?”

“A little after seven. Kids got us up early. They’re already ready for their celebration,” they yawned. “Thought I’d cover you two up, so you didn’t have a sunburnt ass. Might be cold out here but sun burn still sneaks up on you.”

“Thanks, Roary,” I yawned, squinting at the world.

“He is hot,” they nodded at Casimir. “Broody too still?”

“Eh,” I shrugged. “Complicated.”

“All the hot ones are. I don’t know how Breezie puts up with me.”

“Me neither,” I groaned, and they flashed me a mock offended expression. “I’ll eat your groceries.”

“Go ahead. They’ll just send out more. Eat the basket too while you’re at it,” I shrugged.

“Do you want me to call one of the healers to bring you by something?” they asked, their expression turning serious.

“No,” I shook my head. “I think I need coffee.”

“Want me to put it on?”

“Thanks but I’ll manage. Don’t want to keep you away from the kids too long.”

“They’ll survive. They’re excited to meet their new uncle.”

“Shit. I haven’t even told my parents yet. I suspect they already know but you know,” I shrugged.

“You’re momma was overbearing and overprotective when we were kids but like I said, I’d trade you any day.”

“No thanks. I’ll share but I’m not fucking trading,” I managed to huff out a sleepy laugh that escaped on the back of a smoke ring that Roary swiped away.

“Morning,” Casimir said and we both startled.

“Thought you were out cold,” I grunted at him.

“I was until everyone started talking about coffee,” he said without opening his eyes.

“You can open your eyes. I’m naked. You’re naked. Roary is dressed.”

“I’d hope so. It’s cold out here,” Casimir chuckled, opening one eye.

“Casimir, this is Roary. We work together and they lived on my street growing up too. Their mom is a nightmare. So don’t trade for her. It would be a bad deal.”

“Fair enough,” Casimir laughed, pushing himself up onto one elbow and reaching out to shake Roary’s hand.

“Nice to meet you,” Roary nodded.

“You too. Thanks for covering for him last night.”

“Any time. We go way back. I’ll leave you two to it then. Call me, Trit, if you all need anything and I do mean anything. I remember how hectic this time is.”

“Thanks, Roary. We should be okay but we’ll let you know.”

“Good,” they nodded and disappeared through the back garden gate.

“They seem nice.”

“They’re a good lizard,” I shrugged. “Probably my closest friend if I had to pick someone but most of my friends are guides too.”

“Coffee,” Casimir groaned.

“I’ll---” I started but he was already pushing himself upright and heading into the house.

I wrapped myself up in the yellow sunflower blanket Roary had thrown over us and followed him into the house. By the time I reached the kitchen he had found the coffee pot secreted away in one of the highest shelves of the pantry. I didn’t use it often. Usually, I reached for tea. I got a taste for it when I was younger and thought maybe it was more sophisticated than coffee. It wasn’t. Drinks were never sophisticated or not. They were drinks.

“I got the sugar too. Picked up an extra few pounds on my way home. I’ve seen how you Moonys drink coffee.”

“Okay,” he nodded, setting up the coffee pot before crossing the room and pulling me into a tight hug.

“I’ll toss your clothes in the washing machine soon if you want.”

“Most of that stuff is dry clean only,” he shrugged. “We have a place to do that back on the ship. I’ll have Izora send some of my stuff over before we need to go out. We don’t need to go out today, do we?”

“No,” I shook my head. “I almost said yes just to see you turn something into a toga.”

He kissed my forehead and only laughed a little at my joke. I wasn’t offended though. I wasn’t that funny before caffeine. No one was actually funny before caffeine in the morning. If they were they were a special sort of magic.

“You’re the one in a toga,” Casimir said a second later. “You’re rockin’ it too.”

I leaned my forehead against his arm. I needed to hydrate. My dragon’s fire had probably burnt away most of the alcohol in my system by now but without something to replace the lost electrolytes I’d stay in a sorry shape.

“Hold on. Do we have something for that?” Casimir asked, glancing around the kitchen. “Forgot we were here and not back at Izora’s or on the ship.”

“Probably,” I yawned. “I’ll look. You check on the coffee. There’s probably something in the basket. It was my normal pick-up day, but they add extra stuff when you meet your mate. I’m sure someone would’ve thought to toss some electrolyte powder or something in the basket.”

“You sure?”

“I don’t for sure—Yes, I’m okay. Don’t ask trick questions while I’m hungover,” I groaned at him.

Whoever packed the basket had indeed included several boxes full of those tiny electrolyte powders. I mixed up two bottles – one for me and one for Casimir. He wasn’t complaining as much as me, but he still smelled like whiskey. We met at the table, me bringing those glasses and him with two steaming mugs of coffee. He loaded his down with milk and sugar, and I sipped mine black, savoring the bitter brew on my tongue.

I thought about how coffee would move to the list of things I probably shouldn’t have while I carried. Most dragons could get by with tea and an occasional coffee, but I probably wouldn’t risk too much of that. Not my first time around. Carrying an egg changed the body’s hormones up and I wouldn’t know how they’d treat me until I’d underwent at least one time.

I grinned sheepishly, remembering all the knocking me up talk from the night before. We’d been drunk but I meant what I said. I did want a baby. I wanted a family, and I was pretty sure Casimir did too. He was a book with its pages glued together this morning, but I was learning to live with that.

“Do you have siblings?” I asked.

“Shit! I need to find my phone and call Castor and let him know what’s going on,” Casimir said, pushing his chair away from the table, nearly knocking over all the drinks. I grabbed them and a splash of coffee danced on my arm.

“Sorry, mate. Are you alright?” he asked, his eyes darting in all directions as if he were looking for an escape hatch.

“I’m fine,” I said, standing up. “Are you alright? We don’t have to talk about any of that. I just---”

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to find my phone.”

“I’ll help you look,” I followed him out of the kitchen.

His scent shifted to annoyed and I almost stopped following him. He wasn’t annoyed at me. He couldn’t be. He was annoyed at the magic tugging on us. He might even be annoyed with himself for misplacing his phone. It was on the floor in the living room, having fallen out of his pocket when I carried the clothes through the house after dinner the night before.

“I got it,” he said.

“I’ll give you a minute?” I said, a thousand other questions on the tip of my tongue.

“Thanks. I’ll go outside,” he said and nodded to the front door.

I opened my mouth to tell him he didn’t have to go that far away for privacy, but he was already opening the door.