I want to be a Greg again!

  Gregs got to go outside and see the flowers in the day. Gregs could go outside and fly whenever they wanted, and Gregs got all the interesting smelling food…except ranch dressing.

  Leo rifled through the trash once and found a ranch dressing packet and chewed on it. It was several days old and spoiled. It exploded in his mouth and Leo retched up a perfectly good rat. He hid in the corner with his tail tucked for hours, with Greg trying to soothe him.

  How? People food smells so good!

  “It’s okay, Leo. I hate ranch dressing, too,” Greg said back then, and Leo would remember that.

  Ranch bad.

  Gregs got to go outside. Ranch dressing was not food, and rats were delicious. Leo knew these facts.

  Later that evening when his Greg went downstairs, Leo looked up at him with eager eyes. He so very much wanted to play. He ran in circles and bounced around until his Greg got his little harness on him, specially fit around for his wings.

  “Alright, Leo! Oof, boy, you’re getting big.” Greg checked the loops and connections before hefting Leo up off the ground with a grunt.

  “Mrap!” Leo licked the side of Greg’s head and thumped his tail happily.

  “Wanna play fetch, too?”

  Leo squirmed excitedly and flailed as Greg carried him through the store and out the back door. He nudged the door closed with his hip and slid Leo into his kennel cage in the back. He could see the sky through the window, the setting sun and the first few stars glaring back at him before his Greg covered Leo’s cage with a blanket.

  Leo loved the woods outside the park. He gallivanted through the leaves, dashing around, and pouncing off leash, playing fetch with big sticks. Leo enjoyed bringing his Greg the biggest sticks he could. It made his Greg very happy when he brought bigger sticks.

  When he’d found all the sticks and chased them, and it got too dark for sticks, Leo got to fly! He flapped his wings and went up but not too far. His Greg got sad when he went too high, but as long as he didn’t go over the tree line, and occasionally swooped down, he stayed happy. When his Greg was happy, Leo got to go out more.

  With all his zoomies and shpilkes spent, Leo trotted around his Greg’s feet, bouncing and panting until he hefted Leo up and carried him back toward the park to slide into his car’s kennel.

  “Boy, you’re too heavy now.”

  Leo whined and flailed a little as his Greg closed the door to the cage. Leo adjusted himself and glanced around in his cage. He didn’t want to ride in the cage anymore. Gregs didn’t have to ride in cages. Leos did. Leo squirmed and scrabbled around, and in a strange blink, there he was, his scrawny freckled arms and legs, so much pink. Leo looked up happily to grin at his Greg, bending over at the end of the car, tying his bootlaces. As bad as any cat, he found immense joy in playing with shoestrings.

  A Ma’am gasped sharply, her hand latched onto a little Greg’s hand. Leo canted his head and stared.

  “You monster!” the woman squeaked.

  Greg glanced over at her, his skin going pale as a sheet. “No, no! He’s just my dog. He has a skin condition.”

  “Mommy, why is that naked girl in a cage?” The girl pointed at Leo. Greg turned his head toward the cage and Leo beamed up at him, happy with himself.

  Greg screamed.

  “Leo? Leo! How the hell did you get in there? Where’s Leo?”

  Leo gave a giggling shout of happiness. He couldn’t make Greg noises yet. Gregs had strange mouth shapes, and he chewed on his tongue, finding his flat teeth. He giggled happily. In his scales, if he was happy, he purred. In his skin…he giggled!

  “Leo!” Greg took off running around and Leo whined from in the cage, slotting an arm through the cage’s bars. The woman and the little girl rushed over to his open car and pulled a very naked Leo from the car.

  He was dirty, hair long and unkempt. “Oh, princess, come here, sweetie.” She glanced him over and blinked in surprise.

  “What’s your name, buddy?” She carried him hurriedly to her car and worked him into a seat belt.

  He giggled and mouthed a few noises. He tried to think really hard at her, to let her hear his thoughts, but it didn’t work.

  “The crazy man at the park just had him in a cage and… He kept shouting ‘Leo.’ I guess that’s his name?” The ma’am spoke to another ma’am in a crisp uniform.

  “Come on, Leo,” the new ma’am said, and he took her hand cautiously to follow.

  “Weo,” Leo agreed, nodding sagely until they dragged him from home to home for the next fifteen years of his life.

  He got to see a lot more Gregs that night that poked and prodded him. He didn’t have to ride in the cage! He got to sleep in a Greg bed, and they held him, keeping him warm. His Greg never let him have people food, but these Gregs gave him all the people food he wanted, even until he got sick. At barely three years old, that’s when he decided that being a Greg was far better than being a Leo.

  Chapter Four

  Sacha

  Present Day

  “So… The story we got from this Greg guy is that you ran away at the park when a kid crawled into his cage and let you go. He wasn’t charged with anything because he legitimately didn’t know and, thankfully, kept the whole ‘dragon’ thing secret. He still might have a parental bond with you, Leo. I’m waiting for permission for him to meet you and be brought into the loop.”

  Hallr rubbed over his chin, fidgeting nervously. With Leo in his delicate state, he could take this pretty hard. Fortunately, Leo’s face screwed up, and he handled the information with tears.

  “He still has one of your tug toys.” Sacha averted his eyes.

  “Greg,” Leo said quietly, his eyes spanning the air, lost in deep thought. He shook his head. “I don’t know if I remember bits and pieces, or I do just because you told me the story, but I… It’s next to a flower shop! My dragon remembers some.”

  “Was. The flower shop shut down in 2005. He still has the pet store. Once we get the permission to talk to him, I’d like to get your brother’s remains, if possible.” Sacha hung his head in shame. “Had just one of us known, he’d have lived.” Sacha rubbed the heel of his palm into his eyes. “I can’t blame Gabe, though. The doctor said he only had blanks. They’d look like blanks if Cinder is any sign. Marc is the only doctor that checks the blanks…”

  Leo grumbled. “I was as small as Cinder… Cinder could have been thrown away if we didn’t have Marc… But I felt Cinder…” Tears rolled down Leo’s face.

  “Gabe had never held a live egg to know the difference.” Sacha rubbed his neck and swore. Great, he’s bawling. Again.

  Hallr promised Sacha this was new, that during his last eggnancy that he didn’t get nearly this emotional.

  “Just two more weeks and you can get the brooding over with.” Hallr nudged Leo, who ceased his sniffles to glare up at Hallr.

  “Do you have any idea how big this egg might get? I might as well have had another whole clutch than one overdeveloped egg! Horny asshole.” Leo clutched his small belly protectively.

  “To be fair, Annie, it was an effort on both our parts.” Hallr narrowed his eyes at Leo. He scowled back at Hallr and the soppy fool grinned, plainly deep in love and easily amused as ever.

  “My fear is that we have another Cinder, and half the council comes down on us and says we’re not allowed to breed anymore.” Leo crossed his arms and grumbled.

  “If we had another Cinder, I would say we weren’t allowed to breed anymore.” Hallr shook his head.

  Sacha stifled a laugh, holding back the snickers until he couldn’t contain it. “I’d take Cinder from you guys in a heartbeat! He’s all Gabe with Hallr’s mean streak.”

  Leo glanced up at Hallr and huffed, drawing the Drake in for a tender and innocent kiss. “Mean streak, huh?”

  “You’ll never see my bad side, Annie.” Hallr kissed Leo’s head and sighed happily.

  Yawning, Leo leaned into the affections. “I don’t think you have one. You’re just a big playful pup, yourself.”

  But Leo was very wrong. Sacha had seen Hallr’s mean streak back in the seventies when he was on the cusp of being banished to the wildlands. The only thing that kept him from his banishment was the utter lack of proof anyone could give of his philandering ways. Hallr always seemed to find himself in the company of Dettes, and there were accusations, always accusations, but never proof. The Dettes themselves fought to keep Hallr in their territory. Hallr was a man deprived with nothing to lose and no time to suffer any Drake that would challenge him. Though he’d defeated many Drakes with horrific consequences, he never took a single Dette, even if by challenge he had that right.

  “Well, I’m supposed to hear a response sometime today or tomorrow. Can we arrange for this man to come visit before you lay? If not, it’ll be another six months or better before you’re okay with a strange human being around.”

  Though the pups were almost four, Leo still got territorial with them, and only recently relented fully when Sacha interjected himself into their lives.

  “Depends on what Hallr says. He’s the voice of reason, here.” Leo shrugged.

  Hallr, the voice of reason?

  “Hallr, I need to talk to you a minute before I head out.” Sacha looked up at Hallr pleadingly and Leo shot him a dirty look.

  “Whatever it is, you say it in front of me. Just because I’m a Dette doesn’t make me incompetent.” Leo glowered, but he was right. The boy had a shrewd head on his shoulders.

  Sacha cleared his throat. “It wasn’t about anything that affected you. But if you want to stick around and hear the details about how I’m going to go about hunting Gabriel down, which may or may not include nestblossoms and it is spring.”

  “Okay, I’m out!” Leo stood, stretching his back, and a quiet Ryan followed him as they went off elsewhere to check on the pups.

  “Are you sure you need another pup? I can take one off your hands.” Sacha grinned.

  “You can’t have Cinder.” Hallr leered at Sacha, and they both laughed.

  “No, I’m already taking him and Storm when he lays if things go right. They’ll come back unharmed.”

  “Thank you again for that. They’re bundles of energy.” Hallr nodded but stared moonily once more in Leo’s direction. He still hadn’t gotten out of his honeymoon stage, and Sacha couldn’t blame him. Hallr was a dragon in love, real love. The more Sacha saw, the more envious he became. Hallr was made for Leo.

  “So, down to brass tacks. I have three million dollars I can spare at the moment, liquid. I can get more if I need. How much will that get me in dried nestblossom?” Sacha stared Hallr down.

  “One million, and you put it in the kids’ accounts as Grandpa’s contributions to their future hordes and I’ll get you a kilo of the dried flowers. They’re vacuum sealed from last season, but they’re still good.

  “Bless you, Hallr. You’re a better dragon than I.”

  “I’d just give them to you for free because I’ve had an enormous crop this year, but I know you’d not take it. If it’s for Gabe, then it’s worth it.” Hallr patted Sacha’s shoulder. “You didn’t do right by your Dette and it’s time you go make up for it.”

  “I’ve changed my mind about you, Hallr.”

  “And I give precisely two craps about how you think about me. As long as my Dette is happy and my children are safe, I couldn’t care less.”

  “Crap? Since when do you not swear?”

  “Since Cinder mastered the f bomb and started quoting Leicester’s omegaverse novels.”

  “Good gods.” Sacha shook his head. “Are they at least the good ones?”

  “Bring the human over and I’ll give you the nestblossoms,” Hallr grumbled and swatted his hand about in the air to send Sacha on his way.

  Chapter Five

  Sacha

  As luck would have it, on the way out to his car the next afternoon, Sacha’s phone rang. Sile Long responded to his greeting with an amused noise.

  “I was reviewing your request, and I have to say, this human and whole scenario is—”

  “It is ridiculous!” Shui shouted in the background, adding in a litany of Chinese that Sacha only caught one or two words of. Both of which were swears.

  “So, no contact, then?” Sacha rubbed his temple and rested his head against his car.

  “No, of course you let him see Leo! Bring him into the fold!” Shui spoke over Sile in the background. Hanging out with Leo had made the Dette very outspoken and given him ideas that Sile didn’t seem to mind. The Dette had been so subservient and submissive until the past few years. The challenge had Sile acting like a young dragon again.

  “Shui, am I head of the council, or are you?” Sile asked, exasperation transparent in his voice.

  “I might as well be!” Shui bleated. “Anything that has anything to do with Dettes should have a Dette council involved. I’m sincerely disgusted with all you…you…fuckheads, yes, fuckheads! I’m disgusted with you and how you seem to just be regressing back into the old ways the second you get a little more chance of siring pups.”

  Sacha blinked at his phone in surprise. Sile sighed with exasperation. “Okay, my love, we will discuss this at the next meeting. Yes, I will take this seriously. I promise.”

  “Shui, I will vote for there to be a Dette council. Rest assured,” Sacha added helpfully.

  “Thank you!” With a huff, it sounded as if Shui retreated.

  “Everything okay at home?” Sacha asked quietly.

  “I need a drink. His blanks are coming any day now and he’s testy.” Sile sighed heavily.

  “Nestblossoms aren’t just for breeding, you know. I’m stopping by Hallr’s this evening. You want me to pick you up a little to smooth things over with the nester? I don’t mind having a late-night meeting.”

  Sile hesitated for a moment. “A dozen if he’s got them, dried if he doesn’t. I’ll make sure Hallr gets paid. Bless you, boy.”

  “No problem, and thank you for approving this.”

  Sile made a scoffing noise and hung up.

  Sacha jumped into his car and checked the time. It was still early in the day and Sacha sped over to Greg’s pet shop.

  That area of town had seen better days. So had Greg, it seemed. Twenty-three years hadn’t been kind to him nor had the past few months.

  “Sacha, was it?” Greg called from the counter. The dark circles under his eyes sagged heavily, and he looked back down at his desk, rolling a pen about absentmindedly.

  Sacha leafed through his wallet and laid a few hundred-dollar bills on the counter. “Close shop for the day. We need to talk.”

  Greg stared at him scrupulously and shuffled to the door, flipping the sign. “Don’t really sell much these days, save for online anyway.” He dragged himself back and sat on the stool. “You had more questions about them eggs I found?”

  “I wanted to tell you that we’ve found Leo.” Sacha leaned into the counter and stared at the man whose eyes brightened and posture straightened as he sat up.

  “Really?” Greg swallowed hard.

  “Yes. I was hoping you might want to see him this afternoon, after I tell you everything. It’s not really an easy thing to talk about.”

  Greg held his breath, holding back years of pain that Sacha somewhat shared with him. It was obvious the man loved Leo as he broke down into silent tears.

  Chapter Six

  Greg Morrison

  Greg sat in his backyard, leaning on a shovel as Sacha Dior, who claimed to be a dragon, clung to the Tupperware he’d buried all those years ago. He dared not look inside, wrapping his jacket around it as he blinked quiet tears away.

  “I’d advise not to look at him for your own peace of mind,” Greg mumbled. Sacha shook his head and gestured for Greg to follow him to his car.

  “Thank you for returning my pup to me.” Sacha cleared his throat and swallowed hard, thinking back on his last heat with Gabriel. How the other Drakes had given up, but Sacha had agreed for one more attempt. He loved Gabriel, but the pressure and urgency to have a clutch made a fool of him.

  “I wish there was more I could have done. I’d have brought them to you if I’d have known.”

  “Leo lived, and that’s more than would have happened otherwise.” Sacha opened the back of his vehicle and reverently laid the jacket-wrapped container within. They would cremate his remains with dragon’s fire and the ashes would join the family urn, from Dior to dust, to return to them someday.

  “How’s he holding up?” Greg asked quietly as Sacha shot off a few text messages and settled into his expensive SUV, a sleek black Land Rover.

  “He’s got a clutch of his own now and another egg on the way.” Sacha swallowed. “Didn’t know what he was and stumbled upon a Drake and formed a good bond with him. They’re mates for life.”

  “Wow, a whole litter of little Leos.” Greg grinned wide and clutched to a ragged chew toy in his lap. “Can we stop by the flower shop on the way there? I want to get Leo’s favorite. I don’t know if he’ll remember.”

  “Snapdragon?” Sacha smirked.

  Greg nodded sagely. “It’s the only flower shop in town. Seems to be doing good. I go there all the time and get flowers for my mother’s grave. The boy that works there is so sweet.”

  “Sure, and we’ll pick up someone while we’re there.” Sacha checked his phone again and took the route to Snapdragon.

  When they arrived at the shop, the newly painted old Honda, Phyllis, sat out front, her new paint job making her less of an eyesore. The owner of the shop had several vehicles, all new and expensive, but liked to drive that one the most.

  Sacha slipped in and leaned his long frame up against a wall near the counters. The cute little ginger who owned the place sat hunched over a counter on a stool, thumbing through an inventory and swearing under his breath. “Be right with ya. Gotta finish this order, or I’m not going to have any damn daffodils for a month.”