His eyes were focused on his son, wide with utter disbelief. My mouth couldn't help but dry in response to his reaction. My eyes followed his to find Jaxon placing a gold coin on top of the tablet. My browser furrowed, finding nothing of alarm. My heart was sure it would find him lunging in attack.
"You're paying with your scale?" His voice rose with the question, ending on a high note.
Scale?
My eyes focused on the coin again, looking closer at the details I had glanced over at first glance. Like how it wasn't perfectly circular. And how the gold faded to a translucent white towards one, slightly narrower, end.
"Yes," Jaxon's responded, his gruff voice level as he withdrew his hand and left the scale where he had set it down.
"B-but," the older man's mouth opened and closed in shock before he asked his son a seemingly simple question. "Why?"
His voice carried the weight of Jaxon's actions. I didn't know what exactly was happening, or why it shocked the older man so much. Aside from recalling his scales were worth a bit, a point proved seeing as one could pay for the entirety of our meal with one, I didn't know why that would elicit a reaction so severe from the man before us, another dragon.
"She's my mate, I'm feeding her."
"With a scale?" Exasperation had his voice rising. "Are you a fool? Do you know how valuable those are? One is worth more than hordes some dragons spend lifetimes building!"
My eyes widened. Maybe the scales were worth more than I could perceive. If the hordes the dragons in their world had were similar to the kind in fairytales told in mine, then Jaxon was seriously overpaying for the meal.
"They must have had pathetic lives if that was all they were able to collect."
"Yet you're throwing it away on a measly meal!" he nearly shouted.
Jaxon's hand slammed down on the table, causing me to jump in a similar manner to all the items that still littered the surface. The cups clanked back down sharply. His father's body copied their example and mine.
I flinched when Jaxon's arm fell over my shoulders, my eyes having been focused on the empty glass that had fallen on its side and was rolling across the table, nearing the edge. He paused in reaction for a moment before pulling me close to his ember-scented body. There was always a scent of smoke that clung to his clothes.
His father's audible swallow drew my attention in the silence.
He seemed to remember where he was and who he was sitting before. He straightened, his cheeks pulling up into a strained smile that left his unreached eyes looking glassy. Despite that, they couldn't hide his panic.
He had forgotten to stay in character and was now scrambling to put his mask back on.
My eyes narrowed on the man. How could Jaxon not see he was only playing daddy to save his ass?
Because he loved him.
I could feel it through the bond.
Shit. My hand tightened on Jaxon's as he answered, drawing a confused glance from him.
"I am feeding my mate."
His father gave a weak chuckle in response. His nerves overshadowed any humour he may have found in Jaxon's response.
"Haha, I remember how demanding your mother once was, always demanding the impossible. But I think you'll find it more satisfying to feed her, son, not overpaying to watch her eat. It's more satisfying feeding her food you have hunted, gathered, and prepared for her with your hands."
