by
Once upon a time, there were three dragons…
No, this is not a fairy tale, but rather a story about three dragons who were fated to each other, and who now lived among humans in the hopes of finding their fourth – their Treasure.
Mabon was the money man, Urien loved to garden, and Rux…well, Rux had a lot of energy and could cook amazing meals. The three dragons had been together for a hundred years, and were settled, accepting that they were one of many triads who hadn’t found their Treasure yet. Until one day when Rux was grocery shopping in town and his heart stone appeared.
Sam, a twenty-seven year old barista, spent his days tempting locals into trying unusual coffees and his evenings tending to his cat, Basil. When he had spare time, he wrote fantastical stories about amazing paranormals who found love with ordinary humans. It was pure escapism, and Sam never intended to publish his stories, but it was fun to have a hobby when his dating life was non-existent.
If this had been one of Sam’s story, everything would’ve been fine. The suave paranormals would’ve swept their clueless human off his feet and the HEA would be guaranteed. But our dragons don’t know anything about dating in the modern world, and definitely nothing about dating humans. Rux, Mabon and Urien are keen to learn, but will Sam be patient enough to wait for them to finally state their intentions?
Cover Artists:
Genres:
Pairings: 4+ or Other
Heat Level: 1
Romantic Content: 5
Ending: Click here to reveal
Character Identities: Gay
Protagonist 1 Age: 26-35
Protagonist 2 Age: Ageless/Immortal
Protagonist 3 Age: Ageless/Immortal
Tropes: Fated Mates / Soul Mates
Series Type: Continuous / Same Characters
“How do humans do this?” Urien asked quietly. “How do they court each other without looking insane?”
“I don’t think humans usually start with vehicular surveillance.”
“Then what do they start with?”
“Talking, presumably.”
“What do we say? ‘Hello, we’re dragons and you’re our fated mate, please don’t call the police’?”
Rux’s head popped up between the front seats. “We could send him a gift. Humans like gifts.”
“What kind of gift says, ‘we’re centuries-old dragons who’ve been searching for you for a century but we’re not threatening’?”
“Flowers?”
“Too romantic. He doesn’t know us yet.”
“Coffee?”
“He works in a coffee shop, Rux. That’s like giving a blacksmith a horseshoe.”
“What about…”
A sharp knock on the window made all three of them jump.
READ MOREA police officer peered through the glass, expression professional but suspicious. She made a rolling motion with her hand.
Urien fumbled for the window control. It lowered with a soft whir.
“Afternoon, gentlemen.” Her gaze tracked over all three of them - Mabon with his upside-down newspaper, Urien covered in dirt and scorch marks, Rux with his face still pressed against the back window. “Everything alright here?”
“Fine!” Mabon’s voice came out an octave too high. “Definitely fine. Just... reading the paper.”
“In a parked car.”
“Yes.”
“Outside a coffee shop.”
“Yes.”
“For twenty-five minutes.”
Damn. She’d been timing them.
“We’re deciding if we want coffee,” Urien said.
The officer’s eyebrow rose. “For twenty-five minutes.”
“It’s a very important decision,” Rux added helpfully from the back. “Life-changing, really.”
Inside the Daily Bean, their mate glanced toward the window, attracted by the commotion. His gaze landed on the Range Rover, the police officer, and three full-grown men clearly having some kind of crisis.
He smiled - uncertain, a little concerned - and gave a little wave.
All three heart stones glowed in unison, and Mabon’s newspaper caught fire.
“Oh, hell,” Urien muttered.
The officer took a step back. “Sir, your newspaper is…”
Mabon threw the flaming financial section out the window and the officer stomped on it. “Spontaneous combustion! Very common with newsprint! Nothing to worry about!”
“I’m going to need you all to move along.”
“Absolutely. Yes. Moving along. Right away.” Urien started the engine with hands that trembled slightly.
Through the window, their Treasure still watched, now looking significantly more alarmed.
The Range Rover pulled away from the curb with as much dignity as three dragons could muster after being rousted by local law enforcement for stalking their own mate.
“Well,” Rux said into the silence. “That went well.”
“I’m going to set you on fire,” Mabon said.
“You already set yourself on fire.”
“That was the newspaper!”
“Same principle.”
Urien drove exactly the speed limit, hands carefully positioned at ten and two on the scorched steering wheel. “We need a better plan.”
“Any plan that doesn’t involve the police would be an improvement.”
COLLAPSE
