Thea Harrison: Dragos Takes A Holiday

One evening after a particularly brutal day at work, Dragos leaned against the refrigerator and watched Pia cook dinner.

They had personal chefs. They could order takeout from any restaurant in New York, but these days, more often than not, Pia chose to cook. Although she was a lifelong dedicated vegan, she had overcome her revulsion for handling meat for his sake. He loved to watch her pore over recipes with her tongue between her teeth, and he enjoyed every meal she cooked for him, which she often set in front of him with an air of triumph and relief.

After preparing a sirloin roast with carrots and potatoes in one pan, she placed a strange-looking lump in a smaller, separate pan and set vegetables around that too.

Dragos asked, “What on earth is that?”

“It’s a vegan harvest roast.”

He shook his head. “I’m sorry, lover, someone should have taught you this by now. The words ‘vegan’ and ‘roast’ do not go together in the same sentence.” He eyed the unappetizing lump with skepticism. “What’s it made of?”

Pia glanced at him, amused. “Seitan, different kinds of flour, seeds, soy sauce, seasonings, sometimes nuts…”

He lost interest after the first ingredient. “In other words, nothing edible.”

“You might not think it’s edible, but I think it’s delicious.” She wiped her hands on a towel and gave him a cheerful grin. “You’re welcome to try it after it’s cooked.”

He grinned back. “No thanks, I’ll pass.”

His grin faded again almost immediately. He’d had a bitch of a day, but every workday was a bitch these days. It had started last year when Dragos had lost two of his seven sentinels to mating with women who lived outside the Wyr demesne.

This year had not gone any easier. He had finally replaced Rune and Tiago with two new sentinels, but now all the older sentinels needed vacations. As Dragos’s First, Graydon had insisted on going last. By the time Graydon came back from his vacation, Dragos would have been operating short-staffed for more than a year.

Dragos had a short temper at the best of times. Now he was liable to bite somebody’s head off if they looked at him funny.

For now, he was glad the day was over. He leaned back against the kitchen counter, still wearing the suit he had put on for work at six thirty that morning.

Liam had awakened from his nap, and Dragos held him against his shoulder. Even though the baby was three months old, he was growing at an inhumanly quick rate and exhibiting abilities far beyond most babies his age. At his last checkup, Pia’s physician, Dr. Medina, said he had grown twice the size of a three-month-old human baby.

He could already sit up easily. A few days ago, he had gotten to his hands and knees and rocked. Soon he would be crawling, and he understood far more of what people said than most realized. He was the first ever dragon child, and he was so full of magic his small body glowed with it. Nobody knew what to expect from him, not even Dragos.

Both father and son watched Pia move around the kitchen. She had used a hot iron and pinned up her hair so that it fell in loose, soft curls of pale gold. Dragos itched to sink his hands into the shining, luxurious mass.

Post pregnancy, her body had returned to its slim runner’s build, except now her breasts and her hips were slightly fuller. After the first month or so of startled indecision, she had taken to wearing form fitting clothing that accentuated her new curves and drove Dragos wild.

Tonight she wore a saucy red-and-white halter dress with a tucked-in waist and a flaring, knee-length skirt. Large strawberries splashed bright circles of red on the soft material, accented with a touch of green at the stem. She had painted her toes the same shade of cheerful red and walked around the kitchen barefoot, and Dragos wanted to eat her all up.

Later, he promised himself. After they put Liam to bed, and the penthouse was shadowed and quiet, Dragos would carry Pia out to the terrace, lay her down on one of the cushioned lounge chairs underneath the stars, and feast on every inch of her delectable body. He would raise that sexy skirt of hers and ease her gorgeous legs apart…

Liam fussed and knuckled his round little face. Dragos considered the baby with a frown. Normally Liam had a sunny disposition. It was unlike him to be so fussy. His silky tufts of white-blond hair wafted in the air around his head, and his dark violet eyes looked puffy and tired.

Pia opened the convection-oven door, set in the two roast pans and glanced at Liam too. “I think he’s already teething. He’s had a tough couple of days. He keeps wanting to nurse, and today he’s been fussing and rubbing his face. When I coaxed him to open his mouth earlier, I could see white lines at his gums.”

“Good.” Dragos patted Liam’s diapered bottom gently. “A dragon needs a healthy set of teeth.”

Pia widened her eyes at him and grinned. “Yes, of course he needs them, but he’s only three months old!”

He shrugged. “He’s got quite a bit of growing to do, and he’s going to need a lot of meat. It’s possible his dragon form will end up as big as mine.”

“He’s not developing so much as he’s exploding into reality.” Pia shook his head. “I guess he’s creating his own definition of normal. We just have to figure out a way to keep up with him.”

Dragos smiled at her over the baby’s head. “We defeated the Dark Fae King. We can cope with one precocious child.”

“You always sound so confident.” She walked over to the stainless-steel island where a bottle of red wine stood alongside two wineglasses. Dragos noted with pleasure that she had opened one of his favorites, a Chateau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac that had once in Versailles been dubbed “the King’s wine.”

“That’s because I am confident.”

“No doubt you’re right.” She concentrated on pouring the rich ruby liquid into the glasses. “I think his bunny is in the living room. It might make him feel better. Would you mind getting it?”

“Of course.” He took the baby down the hall.

Liam’s bunny was one of those things Dragos didn’t understand. The stuffed toy was floppy, super soft and had big, dark eyes. Liam adored it, although Dragos wasn’t quite sure why. In real life, a bunny that size would barely make an appetizer.

His iPhone buzzed in his suit pocket. He checked it. Graydon’s name lit up the display. He could leave a message. Dragos pressed the ignore button as he scanned the living room. Most of the spacious area lay in shadows, but a few accent lights remained on. Liam’s bunny lay on one end of the couch. As he strode over to it, a flash of gold caught his eye.

He turned, his attention sharpening.

The flash of gold came from the front jacket of a hardcover book. It sat atop a pile of several books on one of the end tables. Absently, Dragos scooped up the soft toy and presented it to Liam. Liam snatched at the bunny and hugged it while he laid his head on Dragos’s chest. Dragos cupped the back of the baby’s soft head, cuddling him, as he strolled over to get a proper look at the cover.

The book was lavishly decorated in rich, eye-catching colors. A treasure chest sat on a bronze background, underneath the title Missing Treasures of the Seventeenth Century . Old, gold doubloons spilled out of the open lid.

Dragos flipped open the book. It was from the public library. He read the inside of the jacket. The narrative focused on several European ships that had gone missing on voyages of exploration.