Page 55 of The Platinum Dragon's Courageous Mate

“Ah. Would you like a bacon sandwich? Some cinnamon toast?” He was pretty sure there were savory and sweet goodies.

“Oh, I don’t want you to put yourself out.”

“Bah. I have an Alban, who has all manner of things ready to go for me in a moment’s notice.”

“I understand. His twin brother is equally amazing. Cinnamon toast sounds glorious.”

“Perfect.” Kieran hugged Lars. “So what you needed was company more than food…”

“Yes.” Lars smiled a little. “Sympathetic company.”

“Well, goddess knows you have that with me.” He started cutting bread. “I tell you, when Wiver there came, I thought for sure somebody was coming to get us. I had a total panic attack.”

Lars nodded. “I’m so glad you were here, though, to keep Kaden. My job is to guard the school and the children. I never thought about the fact of what happens when I have a little one too, or two little ones.”

Lars motioned down at his belly, which was still flat.

“You know that you just bring them here, or I come to you, but I think I’m more on your way. Drop them off until yours are in school—ours are in school.” He chuckled at himself. “And I guess my job is to protect the guardian children.”

“Thanks. Seriously.” Lars gave him a grin. “It’s scary, and I know that you understand.”

“Well, not only is it scary, but it’s stupid.” Kieran started buttering the bread, with a touch too much force. “I mean, seriously. Lachlan was attacked, but it had been a couple of years, and suddenly I’m being punished and hurt because of some harm that somehow Lachlan impregnated me? I mean, it’s just dumb! The timing doesn’t work.”

Lars nodded, chewing his bottom lip before going to cut another couple of slices of bread.

He glanced down and, yeah. Whoa. “These can be for the little ones.”

“Perfect. You know, the timing doesn’t make sense, and it doesn’t really have anything to do with any of us. At least I don’t think so. It’s not like Lachlan was some big alpha out there attacking or anything like that, right?”

Kieran snorted and grinned. “God, no, this is Lachlan we’re talking about. He’s like a golden retriever. He can totally snap when he needs to, but really he’d much rather just have fun with the kids.” Kieran shook his head. “I think I’m meaner than he is.”

“I think you are too, which is kind of awesome when you ponder that.” Lars beamed at him. “So I do have to wonder what that was all about. Why you and why Lachlan? Was it all some weird ploy to get inside the wing wherever they were before Lachlan and Bryant?”

Kieran tilted his head. “I wonder if anybody has ever thought about it that way. I’m sure they have. We can’t be the first ones.”

“So…can I ask what happened?”

Kieran shrugged. “I literally had a love affair with a guy in college and ended up pregnant. He was from a powerful family and couldn’t face telling them the truth. He disappeared, and I had Kaden. I had only been home a few days when that… thing picked us up.”

“That’s awful. Be abandoned by your baby daddy, but then also to be picked up by somebody with such nefarious intentions…” Lars trailed off, shaking his head, looking like tears were gathering in his eyes. He was a giant ball of hormones, the poor guy.

“Yes, but he brought us home. I have to be grateful for that. We have Lachlan. We have a family now.”

“I love that for you. I love that for me.” Lars sniffled. “I love that for all of us.”

Kieran grinned at his friend. “You really are not feeling great.”

“I know. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be a downer.”

“You are absolutely not a downer.” Kieran finally got the bread in the toaster oven with everything on it without mutilating it, and he did sprinkle the shredded buttered pieces of bread with cinnamon sugar and toast those up too for the kids. They would have some finger food. He went a lot lighter on the cinnamon for the stuff for the kids.

“Thanks, I love that you’re here. Not that I didn’t have friends before. Obviously I get along with everybody, but I feel like you get how weird it can be here. For me, I mean.”

Kieran pondered that. “I think I do get it a little bit mainly because I wasn’t born here. I mean it has to be weird for you to be an omega and a guardian, right? It makes you war with your instincts. But since that’s how everybody knew you from the get-go, it never occurs to them.”

“Exactly, and I love everybody for it. They don’t treat me any differently, but at the same time I kind of feel like sometimes maybe I should get a little bit of a free pass to have a breakdown.”

They grinned at each other, and they started giggling, and that was the end of the discussion. They were both howling with laughter not long after, and Wiver and the two boys giggled and rolled on the floor and laughed with them even though none of them had any idea why.