“Don’t give Rux ideas,” Urien muttered.
Rux had been considering it.
They walked Sam to the door together, Rux’s dragon tracking every movement, memorizing the way Sam looked in their home. He fit even if he didn’t realize it yet. The cottage was too compact for someone who should be surrounded by comfort, beauty, and everything they could possibly provide.
But they’d agreed to go slow, to proper courtship and to letting Sam set the pace, so Rux swallowed downthe invitation for Sam to stay the night. Basil wouldn’t like that, and Sam had been adamant that somehow Rux and his mates were meant to make their peace with the furry menace.
At the door, Sam turned to face them. “Thank you,” he said. “For telling me the truth, giving me a choice, and for...for wanting me.”
“Always,” Rux said, his voice rough.
Sam took a breath, then stepped toward Rux. “Can I...?”
Rux opened his arms before Sam finished the question.
Sam fit against him perfectly. His head tucked beneath Rux’s chin, his shoulders exactly the right height for Rux to wrap around. He felt amazing in Rux’s arms, and his dragon settled in a way it never had before.
“You smell like cinnamon,” Sam mumbled against Rux’s chest.
“I bake a lot.”
“I noticed.”
Too soon, Sam pulled back. He moved to Mabon next, who hugged him carefully. Mabon’s eyes drifted closed, his heart stone glowing visible through his shirt. When Sam stepped away, Mabon looked like he’d been given the greatest gift.
Urien held Sam with the same care he gave his most precious plants, as if Sam was a rare being that needed protecting. Sam sighed into the embrace, and Rux watched Urien’s tender expression, loving that look on his mate’s face.
When Sam finally stepped back from all of them, he was smiling. “I’ll call you,” he said. “Tomorrow, or probably later today… After I’d had some sleep and processed a few things.”
“We’ll be waiting,” Mabon assured him.
Sam opened the door, then paused on the threshold. He looked back at them, and Rux knew what he would see - three dragons trying desperately to appear calm andhuman while their heart stones blazed in their chests.
“This is real,” Sam said softly. “You’re real. This whole impossible thing is real.”
“Yes,” they said together.
“Okay.” Sam nodded, like he was convincing himself. “Okay. I can do this. We can do this.”
“Together,” Rux reminded him.
Sam’s smile widened. “Together.”
He walked to his car - a sensible thing that Rux’s dragon immediately wanted to replace with something safer, more reliable, more worthy of carrying their Treasure. But that would be another grand gesture that Sam had already said no to. So Rux watched Sam climb in, start the engine, and pull away down the long drive toward the gates.
They stood in the doorway until his taillights disappeared.
“He didn’t refuse us,” Mabon said quietly.
“He wants to try,” Urien added.
“He let us hold him,” Rux finished. His arms still felt warm from where Sam had been. His dragon was purring so loudly he could barely hear his own thoughts. “He fits like he was made for us.”
“Of course he does,” Mabon said. “He’s our fourth.”
Rux’s heart stone glowed in rhythm with Mabon’s and Urien’s - proof that everything had changed, and that nothing would ever be the same. Their Treasure knew the truth, wanted them, and had said yes to trying.
“We need another plan,” Mabon said suddenly. “For proper courting. To help him understand what this means. A way to introduce him to dragon culture without overwhelming him. For dealing with that demon cat…”
