Chapter Two

Tritus

“Hello?” Someone called in accented draconic from close to the front of the building.

I blinked.

Where was I?

Face down in a pile of scrolls and papers on the floor near the front desk.

Where else would I be?

Things had been extra slow around the Star Room recently. Before the Moonys landed their ship on our world that’s the way it was most days. Being a guide usually consisted of waiting around for something to happen. Now, we were trying to make things happen.

“No, we’re not. We’re looking for something that may or may not have happened,” my dragon yawned.

“Hello?” The visitor whose voice I didn’t recognize called out again. “I’m from the ship. Castor asked me to bring some stuff by and to check up on the progress of your research. He would’ve come himself but he’s a bit caught up being a dad right now.”

“In here!” I called out, blinking away the nap from my brain. At least, I tried to. “Straight ahead.”

I sniffed the crook of my arm. My pheromone blocker spray was waning, but the Moonys had proven themselves to be gentlemen. My dragon sniffed again. I tried imagining myself shoving his head away but instead he ‘imagined’ back at me and the back of my hand slapped against the floor. He sniffed again as the stranger’s footsteps grew closer. I pushed myself upright, gathering the scrolls and papers as I rose. Star Room Guide was a respected position within the flight, and I didn’t want to tarnish the whole flight by appearing to be a messy teenager. Those days were long gone.

At least, I thought they were until I woke up on the floor asleep on my work homework.

My dragon sniffed again and a second later another sound reached my ears. He wasn’t the only one sniffing around.

Strange.

It was all strange.

Perhaps the Moony sniffed everywhere he went. Perhaps he was sniffing out the same thing that captured my dragon’s attention. Probably a mouse running through the walls or some bird up on the roof.

“Hello?” the stranger called out again as if he hadn’t heard me. I hoped the sign language was the same on Earthside just in case I had to use it.

“Anyone here?” He called out again before I could answer.

“In here!” I called out louder this time. “Are you Casimir? I think you’re the only one from the ship I haven’t met. Castor mentions you a lot.”

“Which one are you?” he called, appearing in the doorway.

He stopped there – tall, broad, and smelling too familiar. For a second, I wondered if he had cuddled Castor. That would’ve made him smell familiar. I had more meetings with him than anyone else except maybe Elio.

Then it hit me.

Well, first it slapped my dragon who reared back and let go of a stream of fire. I dropped the scrolls and papers to save them from burning to cinders. The fire died short of reaching the visitor. I opened my mouth to apologize but nothing came out.

“Yeah. Me too,” he nodded, looking as if he had received a terminal diagnosis instead of smelling me.

“You too what?” I asked, squatting down to scoop up the papers without taking my eyes off him.

My dragon breathed in deeply, sending my head spinning. He smelled so manly – so alpha – so fucking hot. Under that was something else – something moody or maybe broody was the word my rattled brain searched for. Something was hidden there. I searched his face trying to discern what he might hide. When the Moonys first landed a lot of people wondered what secrets they were running away from, but I figured most of that was hogwash. There were probably plenty of good places to hide from your past on Earthside. No one needed to traverse galaxies to find a new home.

“This,” he said, gesturing at the air between us.

“Can you even smell me?” I sniffed my elbow again.

“Your scent is everywhere. Place is practically coated in it. This is for you.”

My heart skipped a beat. How did he know to bring something for me?

“Castor sent it. I think it’s more bits and bobs that he’s gathered up from dragons and other folks back on Earthside.”

My heart dropped into my belly. It was silly to be disappointed, but nothing made sense while I stood in the same room with him.

“Ummm… Tell him thanks? Look, I’m not sure what to say. As a guide, I’m supposed to know what to say or at least how to make up the right thing to say. Most dragons just need to hear that it’s all going to work out and honestly, most of the problems they bring to the Star Room actually do work themselves out. But this ---” I pointed to the same empty space he had, “I don’t know what to say about it. You’re too chill.”

“Too chill, huh?” he grunted, leaning one palm against the doorway. “I think you’re the first person to ever have called me that.”

“Really? Most people who talk about you say that.”

“That’s what they’re calling it these days, huh?”

“What?” I blinked at him. “Are we even talking about the same thing?”

“I’m not sure. What are you talking about?”

The Moonys were all on the flight link now. They’d all had star scales grow in on their chests after the Medwin 2 landed on Starscale 1. The newcomers were on the flight link, but they didn’t navigate it the way we did. My dragon sniffed the air again and my nose twitched before I could stop it. Casimir might not’ve understood how vast our flight link was but more than that, he was a closed book – a locked door – a padlock without a key.

“Is it that distressing that a stranger might want privacy?” he quirked a brow.

“So you do use the flight link?”

“Not exactly,” he shrugged. “I can feel when someone’s poking at my thoughts, though. Those are mine.”

“I was – We are – Tell me you feel it too. No dragon likes to think he’s lost his mind.”

He opened his mouth and shut it again. I almost asked him if he could smell me, but he could. It was written all over his face and etched into the way his gaze dragged up and down my body. The guide robes hide a lot and the sudden need to strip naked and show off came over me. Nudity wasn’t new on Starscale 1 but I kept my clothes on because he smelled like he smelled me too, but his eyes told a different story.

“Any news on the nameless vision lady?” Casimir asked, changing the subject as if we were actually perfect strangers.

“No. Nothing promising so far. I’m Tritus by the way,” I said and started to cross the room.

“I’ve heard of you,” he nodded at me. “Didn’t know this. Sorta surprised that I didn’t know this. Castor and Elio spend a lot of time here. Never smelled you on them.”

“Blocker spray,” I shrugged.

“Did you hear something about me you didn’t like?” I arched a brow.

“Not particularly.”

Confusion turned to rage under my skin and my dragon reared his head back, ready to let loose another blast of flame. He stopped short and swallowed down his fire.

“The egg! He has an egg! We’re morons!” he roared into my thoughts. “He has an egg with that lady! Melon! That’s her name!”

“I’m not mad about the egg,” I blurted out, feeling like an idiot as soon as the sentence escaped my tongue.

“Good because I don’t think she’d let me shove it back in,” he flashed me a strange look I couldn’t read.

“I’d never suggest---” I sighed. “Sarcasm does escape me at the moment.”

I wanted to roar at him and ask what the hell his problem was. It wasn’t a Moony thing. Castor met Axilin while he was in the middle of a stripping gig that had to be cut short for them to mate. The ship’s doctor ran off to live with his wild born mate in the middle of nowhere. They did not react with poise and dignity or whatever charade Casimir was fronting with now.

“Are you going to the ball?” he asked.

“Huh?” I blinked.

“The whole masked ball thing?” he arched a brow. “You look like it would be your sort of vibe.”

“You think I need a mask?”

Casimir sighed. I didn’t make a habit of missing the point. I just couldn’t stop staring at his lips long enough to hear what he was saying. Every atom of my body stood on edge as I awaited his answer.

“Are you going to the party tonight?” he asked, speaking slowly as if I had trouble speaking my native tongue.

“Oh, that. Probably,” I shrugged. “Are you?”

He shrugged back at me. What a fine fucking pair we made. Couldn’t even decide if we were going to a party or not.

“Before this? Probably. Yeah. I mean, everyone’s going more or less. Who doesn’t want to celebrate a good harvest?” I rambled on, trying to find something – anything – to make him talk so I could shut up.

“Now you want to hide?” he asked.

“With you,” I said and stepped closer to him.

He tensed. For a second, I thought he might back away but he didn’t.

“He’d never back down from a challenge,” my dragon chimed into my thoughts. “Our mate would never be a coward.”

Greater dragons had fled from their true-mates. History, lore, and personal antidotes were full of stories of dragons running from fate. Casimir shrugged as if the pink star on his chest itched. I raised my hand and traced its outline with a single finger. He held his breath as I touched him and I fought back the urge to roar. Did he have to be so damn unshakable?

“Do you keep everyone out or is that just a me thing?” I asked, pulling my hand away.

Casimir met my gaze but didn’t answer right away. I pushed closer to him, hoping to pick up something over the flight link. He was closed and sealed watertight.

“I’ll see you at the ball,” Casimir said before turning to leave.

I almost pounced on him. No, correction. My dragon almost tackled him. I dug my heels in to keep my inner beast from breaking free and taking over. What did this Moony mate of mine have to hide? We knew the bodies weren’t buried here and I didn’t have a friend on Earthside to help dig them up. Then again, some bodies needed to stay buried but that seemed like information best shared with your true-mate.