Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

"How do you like it?" Rowan asked, and Elowyn shrugged toward his brother.

They were rocking together, little Leilani on his shoulder, Rowan knitting a long, heavy scarf for one of his patients.

"The quarters are nice, brother, and the work isn't difficult. I end up watching the baby quite a bit. She's an angel." And she was. She was a bright little one, eyes lit up and dancing, so focused. She liked to be awake, which was a problem, but he'd learned to nap when she did. He kept the house running like a well-oiled machine.

"But what about the alphas? Are they kind?"

"I think Cerran would like to be, but the elder alpha does not wish me to be acknowledged often, and he discourages discussion."

That was fair, wasn't it?

It felt as if it were.

Rowan frowned. "Does he treat you badly?"

"Not at all." He had to be fair. Triton insisted he have good quarters, excellent food, and any entertainment he wished. He had a fine clothing budget, and everything he could need for the baby. "He simply prefers me to be out of the way."

"Are you unhappy?"

"No. I'm here with you. I'm well." He wasn't happy, but he didn't need to be. He wasn't unhappy, and he loved little Leilani. He enjoyed having a space to decorate—and decorate he did. With flowers and color, with an old cuckoo clock and amazing art and soft blankets.

"Mmm." That noncommittal noise was always alarming. It meant Rowan intended to meddle.

"Be good, brother. You know that I have an amazing life here. Look at my view out the balcony."

"It is lovely. I knew you would like it." Rowan shared a grin with him. "It is a unique situation, though. Two alphas in love."

"Yes, and there's no doubt about that. They are…very amorous." Often. And loud.

They roared.

Once on the balcony.

That had been eye-opening.

"Oh?" Rowan's grin took on a wicked glint.

"Mmm." He patted Leilani when she got a bit fussy. "They care for one another, very much. Carnally."

"Ah, yes. That is very open here. Unlike when we were at the keeps, hmm?"

Marriage, babies, mates…all of that was political in the keeps. Real affection was for behind very closed doors.

"Yes, but they both seem happy. They spend at least every afternoon and most mornings with the baby." He dealt with her every night and most evenings.

"That's amazing. But then, they're still settling in. I bet they end up with jobs about the place. All the alphas seem to."

"Yes." And then he would have Leilani most of the day and run of the house as well.

"I worry that you're not getting what you need out of this."

"Surely you're joking. I love being able to have meals and movies and times like this with you again." He and Rowan were both fairly quiet souls. "I've missed you so much. I missed having you close enough to make green chile stew with."

"I feel the same." Rowan beamed at him, picking up his second color of yarn. "And things are so much easier with you to consult with."

Elowyn wasn't a midwife like Rowan, but he was a soul healer, of sorts. He brought people comfort.

"I'm just glad to be back with you." Elowyn smiled as little Leilani finally burped in her sleep and went boneless, really relaxing. "Oh, there. Better."

He glanced over at Rowan with a smile. "How many pregnant omegas do you have now?"

He knew that the keep was mostly alpha dragons—by a huge margin, actually—but there had to be some omegas…

"Three." Rowan chuckled. "And a few that have sworn off ever having more kids. At least until the ones they have are grown."

"That's the young dragon with the five babies?"

"Six."

"Oh, my."

"Yes. He's very tired on occasion. Though he has more help now than he did to begin with." Rowan finished his row and turned. "Eyv—that's Durango's mate and they're next-door neighbor—is a huge help, and so is their nanny."

"Oh, they found a nanny? That's a blessing."

Rowan nodded. "Samantha's a feline, incredibly fastidious."

"Ah, yes. That's a lovely match." He'd known many a feline shifter who went into childcare.

There was a roar from the nursery, the sound loud and shocking. "Where is our baby?"

He closed his eyes. He had no intention of spending his nights in the nursery. She was safe right here.

The door that joined the two rooms began to shake with pounding, and little Leilani began to scream.

"She's right here, just let me?—"

The door slammed open, the frame shattering, Triton standing there, filling the space, lightning sliding on his skin. "What are you doing with her?"

"She had a gassy stomach."

"Alpha. My brother wanted to spend some time with me, and the baby needed him. My apologies." Rowan stood, his back very straight as he stared at Triton with disapproval.

"You do not remove this child to your room. Do you understand?"

"Triton, she's fine." Cerran pushed Triton aside.

"She's screaming."

"You scared her," Elowyn snapped back, stung by the idea that he would harm this child.

"What did you say to me?"

Oh, that was enough. He carefully handed Leilani to Cerran, then he swelled to his full height, meeting Triton's eyes. "I said, you and your roaring and your banging and breaking my door frightened the baby."

He was not going to put up with this. He had done nothing wrong.

Triton scowled at him, but Cerran nodded firmly. "Elowyn is right. I know it worried you when she was not in her crib, but that is no excuse to take it out on both Elowyn and the baby."

Electricity snapped and crackled around Triton, but Elowyn refused to back down.

He was not going to be cowed. He was a good dragon, a fair one.

A low growl sounded, and Triton turned on his heel before stomping away.

"Apologies, Elowyn," Cerran said, still standing in the doorway. "Of course no one expects you to stay in the nursery with the baby all night. Triton just…panics when he cannot find her."

"It will not happen again." He would have Cain replace this broken door with a wall.

Cerran bounced Leilani in his arms, making soothing noises. "No. No, it will not. I will speak to Triton. He had no call to treat you so. Apologies to you, as well, Rowan."

Rowan nodded to him once, and as soon as Cerran left, he stood. "You'll come stay with me. This is unsafe."

"I will, until they can put a wall up, yes." He packed a small bag. "At least no one would dare steal from me, yes?"

"No. No one will. Including these two. I will speak to Cain." Rowan's mouth was a tight line.

"Let's go. Maybe a glass of wine or three or four?" He would not cry. Not a single tear.

"Absolutely. I have a lovely chardonnay. Or that rose we liked from that Plum Creek place over on the Western Slope." Rowan came to give him a one-armed hug, the other hand clutching his knitting bag.

"There we go." Goddess, he was embarrassed. He needed to get out of here and hide until tomorrow.

When they got outside, Rowan shook his head. "How awful. You didn't tell me he was cruel, Elowyn."

"He's unhappy. I don't—I don't know what to say. I'll go back tomorrow and clean up, but I won't go back to stay until the wall is fixed." And he would stay away from little Leilani until her fathers were more stable.

"Yes. I—Goodness." Rowan led the way through the compound to where Rowan had his quarters. "Unhappy doesn't cover it."

"He's been through a lot."

"So?" Rowan raised a brow at him. "There are rules. No lightning in the house, for example."

That made him giggle for some reason.

"Elowyn!" Rowan chuckled too. "Stop laughing!"

"I can't." Everything was simply too much, too strange, too odd.

They had to stop and cling to each other in the hall, the laughter coming hard enough that they were having trouble breathing. He was sure it was the release of tension after days of creeping around and expecting to be yelled at, but once he started, he just couldn't figure out how to quit.

When they were done, they went into Rowan's rooms. Time to hide, drink a bit, and then figure out what to do tomorrow.