A Way to a Dragon’s Heart (11 page)

Chapter Fifteen

A burst of water and the rattle of the glass in the sliding door announced another water balloon had missed its mark as they battled on the deck. Bringing out the balloons in the junk drawer had been a tension breaking move on Xander’s part. He still didn’t know the exact details of the conference call to Tokyo that had eaten all of yesterday and part of the morning, but Kryssa skipping breakfast had been enough to confirm the need to blow off steam. Considering he and Caleb were getting pummeled, it seemed to be working well.

“I’m just saying that I won’t be mad if something happened that the two of you neglected to tell me about,” Xander repeated.

Caleb glanced at him. “In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re losing all dignity in this excursion. Stop fantasizing and focus. I didn’t sleep with Kryssa and then forget to tell you. So let it go.”

“Of course, of course.” Xander smiled. “I know bringing her things is a normal side effect of Awakening and all. So are there any other shiny objects you want to give her? I think I saw some loose change sparkling somewhere here in the grass.”

Caleb turned and burst a balloon against Xander’s chest. “I can’t help it, leave me alone.”

Xander held up his hands. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’ll stop teasing.” He watched Caleb creep around the corner of the patio to check Kryssa’s position. “I’m just saying it’s really cute the way you follow her like a new puppy.”

Xander dodged another balloon and let fly his own, and then all was chaos. It ended with him pinned to the ground, hands above his head in the grass. He tried to apologize, but he couldn’t stop laughing. He turned to surrender instead. “I give.”

Caleb looked down at him. “Is it really that bad?”

“Do you mean is her shadow getting jealous because you’re closer?” Xander smiled. Caleb smiled back, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and Xander immediately felt contrite. “Hey, I’m sorry, it’s not bad, I swear.”

Caleb sat back and snagged their remaining balloon, tossing it from one hand to the other. “Why do you keep harping on it then?”

The smile grew before Xander could stop it. “I can’t help it. It really is cute.” Caleb started to squeeze the balloon, and Xander backpedaled. “I didn’t mean cute. Erotic, I meant erotic.”

Nothing but truth lay in the statement. Caleb seemed unable to stop himself from hovering over Kryssa, touching her and taking in her scent. Even when she’d come back from the conference call tense and rushed, trying to sort out her department’s dilemma, he was drawn to do it, perhaps even more so. When he’d caught himself in the middle of it, Xander couldn’t help but to tease. It distracted him from the alternative.

“Has she said anything to you? Is this your way of snapping me out of it?” Caleb asked.

Xander’s face grew serious. “No, Kryssa’s taking it in stride. She moves around you like you’ve always been there.” Xander looked away. “She acts like the closeness is completely natural.”

“Hey.” Caleb took him by the chin. “Is it bothering you?”

Xander shook his head. “No, it’s been helpful actually. I’m not self-conscious about being close. I don’t feel like I’m pushing or expecting something so it’s been nice.”

“All right, then what?”

Xander pressed his lips together and shook his head. “I don’t know how to explain. I just keeping thinking, I keep wondering I guess.”

Caleb arched a brow and waited for more.

Xander sighed. “I wonder what it’s going to be like to be with both of you. The way you move around one another is almost choreographed. I want to see how that translates.” He closed his eyes. “And I know it’s selfish, but you both keep walking about half-dressed and cooing at each other and touching on me any time I’m in arm’s reach. It’s hard to keep perspective.” He looked up at Caleb and smiled. “Teasing you helps.”

“I see.” Caleb gave him a considering look and shrugged. “Fair enough I guess. I’d be doing the same in your place.” He glanced toward the patio. “I didn’t know how it would be when I stopped holding back. Now I react to her scent automatically. When the meeting had her upset, I couldn’t think about anything but helping her calm down. It was nice, moving on instinct, knowing exactly what to do and being able to do it. I never realized how much of my actions were tempered by appearances until I let go.”

Xander nodded. “You might not believe me, but I completely understand.” He opened his mouth to add more, but Caleb turned sharply toward the patio.

Kryssa popped up over the railing. “My, it looks like I’ve managed to divide and conquer without even trying. All the ones you used on each other still count as my points by the way.”

Caleb came to his feet and offered Xander a hand up. “We were already behind. There’s no way to come back from that kind of deficit.” He started around the railing. “Seems if we’re going down we should make this last bit count.” He tossed the balloon to Xander and picked up the hose used to fill them.

Kryssa shook her head but stood her ground. “Just put the hose down and back away nice and easy like. We can still walk away from this right now. But if you escalate, well, there’s no guarantee we’re all going home afterward.”

Xander laughed. Only Kryssa could make a water fight sound like a hostage negotiation. “Maybe you should put the hose down Caleb and surrender quietly.”

“Never. If I can get close enough for long enough, it very well might even the points out. We don’t win, but we take her down with us.”

Kryssa hefted a bright red water balloon, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “I’ve won. Buck up, accept it, and let’s move on. Because if you use that hose and drench me in cold water, this steps up from a battle to a war. You don’t want a water war with a Water Dragon.”

“Ooh.” Xander whistled. “That’s like getting into a land war in Asia; no good can come of it.”

“Probably not.” Caleb spared a look in Xander’s direction and lifted the hose. “But our last stand must be magnificent.” He looked at Kryssa. “You came over the roof at us for gods’ sake.”

“Hey, what kind of Avian doesn’t look at a battle in three dimensions?” she countered. “That’s entirely your fault.”

Xander slapped a hand over his mouth but not before laughter escaped. Caleb turned the hose towards him.

“Don’t start. I haven’t forgotten you got me into this. And now you want me to besmirch my honor and surrender.”

“I don’t know about any besmirching. I’m just trying to save you from yourself. If you turn that hose on, it’s all over, and I love you too much for that. I love you both too much to see this end badly.” Xander’s skin tingled as he spoke. It was so good to say it, to mean it, and not immediately wonder if it was a prelude to disappointment or disaster.

“Save me? I’m already drenched from head to toe. At this point the worst she could do is dump me in the lake.”

Xander crossed his arms over his chest and shook his head. “Actually, the worst she could do is decide to sleep in her own room for the rest of this trip and keep her door locked.”

Caleb dropped the hose and lifted his hands. “Based on this new intel, I surrender.” He walked onto the patio, knelt down and laced his fingers behind his head. “You win. The people beg mercy.”

Kryssa walked forward, hips swaying in the blue and black beaded boyshorts. The shorts and halter were so close to the color and visual texture of her scales that she seemed nude for a moment in the alternating shadows of the patio’s awning.

She stopped directly in front of Caleb and ran her hand over his hair. “What do I win?”

“Absolutely anything you wish.”

Kryssa smiled. “Surprise me.”

Caleb leaned forward and caught one end of the halter’s center tie with his teeth. It had been done in a bow rather than knotted, and a slight tug began to undo it. Xander hopped the patio railing hopeful until both of them suddenly stopped and looked toward the cabin. A second later the phone rang.

“It’s really freaky when the two of you do that.” He turned to go inside.

“I’ll get it,” Caleb offered. He got to his feet and grabbed a towel. “It’s not for me. Kathleen would have used my cell. I can blow them off without feeling guilty, and we can come back to my surprise.” He licked a drop of water from Kryssa’s shoulder, took a quick kiss from Xander, and disappeared inside.

“They always call just when things are getting interesting. I think it’s a conspiracy and all the other departments are in on it.” He shook his head and looked at Kryssa. “Are you going to use that?”

Kryssa looked down at the water balloon still in her hand. “I guess that depends. You first.” He dropped his balloon. She gave a predatory laugh. “Now are you still bringing me cupcakes?”

“They should be cool enough to frost now. It’ll just take a second.”

Kryssa tossed the balloon over her shoulder. “Let’s get to it.”

Xander stepped in front of her and pulled her into an embrace. “Caleb and I can do it. You spent a full thirty hours stressed and tense. Why don’t you get in the hot tub and just relax. We’ll have them right out.”

She kissed him and nodded. “Sounds like a plan.” Her arms circled his neck and pulled him down as she went up on her toes. “You really shouldn’t tease him,” she whispered. “It’s like this for the first little while. He’s going through a second puberty essentially.”

“And taking us both with him it seems. Wait…” He straightened to look at her. “Did you overhear us or did you guess what started the balloon mutiny?”

“It’s not a guess now that you’ve confirmed it.”

A laughing sigh slipped from him. “I don’t know what I’m going to do with both of you.”

Kryssa looked unbelieving. “Really, and here I thought you’d have a complete list of ideas by now.”

Caleb stepped out onto the patio. “Yes, sir, I understand. Of course, sir, yes, she’s right here. It’s was nice to speak with you again too.” He held the phone out to her. “Dominic wants to speak with you.”

She took the phone and walked to the hot tub at the end of the patio. Xander stepped inside, taking Caleb with him.

“I don’t know if I’ve ever heard you say ‘yes, sir’ to anyone but my dad,” Xander said.

Caleb shrugged. “Dominic’s voice and bearing require the use of sir. Not to mention, any bonded-sibling of a woman I was about to undress with my teeth immediately gets my respect. I like all of my vital organs exactly where they are, thank you very much.”

Xander washed his hands at the sink, keeping his eyes on the stream of water and the foaming of the soap.

Caleb pressed against him, overlapping their hands and spreading the rich lather between their fingers. “So, interrupted or not, that seemed headed directly where you wanted.”

“Don’t make it sound like I orchestrated it or something.”

Caleb brought their hands under the water, rinsing them with intense, sensuous care. “That’s going to be in my version of the story when we tell it years from now. How you maneuvered things on a hot summer day, taking advantage of the break between rainstorms to rile us up beneath the sun and then eased everything to a salacious display of flesh and hunger.” Xander warmed, and Caleb laughed against his skin. “You’re blushing like it’s true, meaning you would have if you had any idea where to begin. That’s so downright sexy I could take you right here at the sink.”

Xander reached out and turned the water off. “An idea I rather like, but first I promised her cupcakes., and I have no illusions she won’t pick up another balloon and come after me if I fail to deliver.”

Caleb nodded. They dried their hands and turned to the rack of cooling cupcakes. Xander took a small spatula and started applying frosting. Caleb joined him, and neither said anything for several minutes. When each dark chocolate masterpiece stood paperless and covered in cherry cream cheese frosting and milk chocolate sprinkles, Xander arranged them on a platter and said the first thing that came to mind.

“You called out Kryssa’s name in your sleep, the way you sometimes say mine. And you used the word
imprinted
back at the café. This is more than Awakening. It’s the first stages of falling in love, isn’t it?”

Caleb studied him and nodded. “Yes. It is.”

“So what are we going to do?”

“The only thing we can,” Caleb offered. “Nothing.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Nothing?”

Caleb leaned against the counter. “It doesn’t change anything. We have what we have right now, and when the time comes, we’ll let her go.”

“I don’t know how you can just do that.”

“It’s what needs to be done. We wait for her the way we waited for each other.” The moment the words left his mouth a deeper understanding struck Caleb. “This isn’t about Kryssa, is it? It’s about me because I got excited when she and I were discussing Tokyo.”

He watched Xander struggle for words and closed the distance between them, taking Xander’s face in his hands. “It’s all right, Xan. Letting Kryssa go isn’t the same as wanting to walk away. I’m not going anywhere.”

Xander reached up and held on to Caleb’s wrists. “I believe you. It’s just when you went off to Europe even after everything got started I thought…”

He trailed off and Caleb kissed him. “It’s all right. I know what you thought. I taught you to think it. You’re not going to be able to let that go overnight.” He held Xander close and kissed the side of his throat. “It’s not that I’ll never leave. The idea of a spice run to Morocco sounds wonderful—but only if you come with me. Only if we’re going because some new flavor or idea has thrilled us both and we can’t wait to seek it out and try it. I don’t want to go anywhere without you, and the times I don’t have a choice, I’ll always come right back home.”

“You really want this? You’re really ready for a permanent address?”

Caleb stared into Xander’s eyes, still holding him. “Yes, if you’re there, I’m ready for that permanent address.” He answered the unspoken implication. “And I don’t need Kryssa there to make it worth staying. You’re enough, you’ve always been enough. Leaving’s never been about you, but staying is about nothing else.”

Xander looked out the glass doors. “So Kryssa’s just a bonus?”

Caleb refused to lie. “I want a Sect. I want to build a family, and I’ve spent the last few months daring to think that family would include her in some way, but that came
after
building something for the two of us. So don’t put that pressure on things. We don’t need her to be in an emotional place that she’s simply not ready for in order for things to work between you and me. I don’t need the allure of two to make staying put worthwhile.”

Xander nodded. “Take it for what it is, where it is and let the rest be whatever it’s going to be.” He took a breath and repeated the mantra twice more and stepped out of Caleb’s arms to pick up the tray. “I’m ready.”

Caleb fought a smile, Xander was definitely not ready, but he was willing to try and that’s all they needed. Caleb would get him the rest of the way. He would help him cross from where he stood to where he wanted to be and help him enjoy the scenery along the way. That’s the purpose a bridge served, after all.