The Tangled Web of Dragon Love

Emmanuel

My husband and I had a baby.

But my cousin Lloyd stole him from us.

Lloyd, the bastard, said he would return our baby to us in the forest.

My husband, Damon, was a dragon shifter. Though he wasn’t the largest dragon in the world, even he would have trouble moving through the dense forest. So he would go in his human form with me.

I used to be a dragon shifter, too. But I was born in the wrong body. I didn’t want to suffer from gender dysphoria and be trapped in a woman’s body forever.

A witch had made me an offer. She could turn my body into what I wanted, but I would have to give up my dragon abilities and live as a human male. I accepted her offer and have never regretted it.

We crept deeper into the forest. The crackling of the foliage was putting me on edge. I was conscious of how much noise we were making, that we might attract enemies.

And then I heard a cry. Was that our son?

Damon and I rushed towards the sound.

But I had a hunch that something was wrong.

Indeed, the small child gazing up at us was not a baby, but a toddler. And while his facial features were similar to Damon’s, he wasn’t ours. But I could tell he was a shifter in human form.

Damon crouched down till he was at eye level with the toddler. “Hi there, what’s your name? And where are your parents?”

The toddler wiped the tears from his cheeks. He mumbled, “Adonis.”

I would have laughed at the name if the situation wasn’t so serious. “Then where are your parents?” I asked.

Adonis’s eyes started to grow moist again. “I don’t know. Uncle Lloyd took me from my mom and put me here. I just want to go home.”

Despite my worry for my own son, my sympathy rose for him. “Who are your parents? Maybe we can help you find them.”

Damon shot me a glance, no doubt questioning why I would expect a toddler to already know his parents’ names. But I was in luck. The child uttered, “Agnes and Alexis.”

Something in me relaxed. I knew that my husband couldn’t have cheated on me, since he was by my side all the time. And I didn’t believe he would have sneaked away while I was sleeping, either.

Plus, we had heard rumors that Damon’s father, Alexis, had a child three years ago with a woman who was half-naid, half-human. Her name was Agnes, and she apparently wanted a baby to carry on her family lineage.

I didn’t like my father-in-law, but I was sure he wouldn’t have slept with a random woman for no reason. Alexis and his wife, Clarissa (Damon’s mother) were still married on paper but were separated in reality. They were still close friends, however; they just didn’t work out as lovers.

It seemed that Clarissa was okay with her husband sleeping with another woman. And Alexis didn’t mind Clarissa sleeping with other people, either. Damon’s parents were both bisexual.

I tugged my husband’s arm. “Why don’t we take Adonis with us while we look for Philo?” Philo was our son.

Damon nodded with a pensive expression. “Adonis, do you trust us? Alexis — is also my father.”

The toddler, with his blond hair that he must have inherited from his mother, blinked awkwardly. He repeated, “I just want to go home.” Then he got up and looked like he was ready to go anywhere with us.

I didn’t expect him to trust us this easily. Maybe he believed that his brother would be kind to him just because he was family. Not that the familial bond ever made Alexis treat his son well. Clarissa was only slightly better as a parent.

Damon picked up the child. Adonis looked sleepy. He stretched and soon began to doze in my husband’s arms.

I had the strange feeling that Damon, despite being the brother, would make a much better father to Adonis than Alexis would. I also realised that we were taking this toddler to find his nephew, our son Philo.

Damon

It felt bizarre, carrying my father’s child in my arms. This three-year-old child was my younger brother…

I already felt a connection with him. Whatever Alexis, Agnes, and Lloyd had done, I vowed that we would help Adonis as best as we could.

Emmanuel cast me worried glances from time to time. I asked, “What is it?”

My husband sighed. “So much has happened. We lost our son, only to find your illicit baby brother.”

I grimaced. I loved Emmanuel, but he could be a little blunt. I asked, “What if Philo isn’t in this forest? Maybe it was just a decoy?”

Emmanuel shuddered and made a face. “I wonder why my cousin has to be so brutal. At first, I thought he was just jealous that I have you. But now… If he’s involving someone else’s child, could it be for a bigger reason?”

We traipsed through the forest in silence, the autumn leaves swirling around us.

A yawn broke the silence. I winced when Adonis punched me in the jaw. The toddler widened his eyes and murmured, “I’m sorry. I promise I won’t do it again. I won’t be such a bad boy…”

It disturbed me how fearful the child seemed. I could only imagine how his parents treated him.

So I said in a gentle tone, “Don’t worry. Why don’t we take you back home? We want to find our baby, since he’s lost too. But we have no idea where he could be in this forest. Do you?”

Adonis shook his head.

My husband muttered, “Our son must be here somewhere.”

I sighed. “I know, but we can’t just carry someone else’s child — well, my brother — in the forest like this. His folks might miss him — ” When I said that, I realized how it might not be true. Were Agnes or her relatives abusive? Maybe, just maybe, we could keep him with us. An idea started forming in my head.

“Adonis,” I said carefully. “How are mommy and daddy like back home? Are you happy?”

My husband shot me an annoyed look, but I ignored him for now. Adonis took a while before he responded, “Mommy is okay. Sometimes she plays with me, but most of the time she’s gone out somewhere. Nina, the maid, takes care of me. Daddy sometimes drops by to visit, but I usually don’t know where he is.” The child shrugged, but I could tell that he was hiding a lot of sadness.

I wish I could just tell him that his father was not worth his love anyway. But I didn’t want to frighten him.

It sounded like his parents didn’t abuse him, but they neglected him. Still, I had to clarify this. So I took a more direct approach. “Does the maid or your parents ever hit or hurt you?”

Emmanuel tensed beside me, and Adonis avoided my eyes. “Only when I’m naughty. The maid slaps my hands. It’s okay, though. I’m a big boy.”

I couldn’t tell whether he was being honest, and I had never been good at seeing through lies, let alone from children. I persisted nonetheless, “Would you like to live with us sometimes? I’m your brother, after all.”

Adonis looked away again. “I’ll have to ask mommy and daddy first.”

Something deflated in me. Why was I once again fighting with my father? This time not over territory, my freedom, or my love life, but over my little brother.

“Adonis,” said Emmanuel. “Do you like your mom?”

The toddler stared at my husband for a moment, as if unsure. “Why not?”

My husband pressed his lips together with frustration. “How about your maid? Do you like her?”

The toddler stared off into the distance. “She’s okay. Sometimes she makes a lot of rules, but I’m fine.”

“How about your dad? Do you like him?” My husband’s voice rose a little in pitch and volume.

Adonis fell silent. Just when I thought he wasn’t going to answer, he replied, “Yes, but he’s almost never around. I don’t remember the last time I saw him.”

I didn’t expect my brother’s lack of bitterness. But there was a time when I had also looked up to my father and thought he could do no wrong. Too bad that time didn’t last long.

As we trudged through the forest, I soon heard a strange keening sound.

Something light blue flew past my face in a blur.

“Philo!” Emmanuel cried out our son’s name and dashed after the blue silhouette.

Adonis wailed in my arms, and he grew heavier and heavier.

My brother started sprouting wings, claws, and scales. Before long, Adonis became a small purple dragon. He blinked up with a bewildered face.

I whispered, “Come on, let’s get your nephew.”

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Originally published in The Kraken Lore on Nov 28, 2022