Page 14 of The Sapphire Dragon's Missing Mate

I tried again.

It didn’t work.

Finally, I attempted one of the little tricks my grandmother taught me about staying out of people’s dreams, hoping that would keep me out of my own. It worked, and I was back in bed, eyes open, wondering what the heck that was about.

I climbed out of bed and padded toward the kitchen to get a drink.

“Where are you going?” Stone asked sleepily.

“I need a glass of water.” I walked to his side of the bed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “Go back to sleep.”

He didn’t say anything, and I went on my way. I got my water, but when I came back, he wasn’t asleep like I assumed he would be. Instead, he was sitting up looking far too serious. He had been in the dream too. There was no other explanation.

“Did you have a dream?” I sat on the bed beside him, intertwining our fingers.

“Yeah. Were you there—I mean you were, but was it you-you or imagination you?”

“I don’t know. I think I was there. In my dream, we had children.” And also I was pregnant, but he hadn’t been there for that part, so I was going to ease into it.

“Twins?”

“Twins.” Adorable twins. I’d been too scared to pick them up during the dream, afraid that if I did, I’d be holding a faceless baby or something equally disturbing.

“It’s weird. I don’t know if it was my dream or yours.” He pulled me into his arms.

“Does it matter?” I asked. In a way it sort of did, I supposed. But also, not really. We just had to come to an agreement on what we were or weren’t willing to do when it came to dream walking—you know, the ground rules.

“No, I suppose not.” He kissed the top of my head. “But the dream… I think it was more than just a dream.”

“Meaning?” Did dragons have some dream lore I hadn’t learned about yet? It was impossibly possible.

“What if...could you be pregnant?”

“Pregnant? Do you think?” I’d never considered dreams literal, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t be.

“There’s one way to find out.” Stone got out of bed, held his hand out for mine, took it, and led me outside. “My dragon is the best one here to ask.” He brushed his lips against mine and ran a few feet away before taking his scales.

Just like the other times I’d seen his beast, my breath was stolen. He was a magnificent creature.

His dragon sniffed me head to toe. I giggled nervously. Why would a dragon be smelling me up and down? But when he shifted back, Stone wrapped his arms around me and twirled me. I knew the answer before he even said the words. “We’re going to be parents!”

“ Are you sure?” I wanted it to be true more than I’d ever wanted anything. But I refused to get excited until there was no question about it, I was going to have a baby…possibly twice in this instance.

“My dragon is positive.”

“But it’s so soon.” I wasn’t born yesterday. I understood pregnancy could happen the very first time. But it was sooo fast. “I guess I should put my notice in. I don’t want to be traveling when I’m too far along.”

“You probably shouldn’t be leaving any time soon.” He at least had the decency to look uncomfortable saying it.

“Excuse me? I’m not a barefoot-in-the-house kinda guy.” Or maybe I was—I literally did not wear shoes in the house--socks if it was very cold—but that wasn’t what I meant and he had the kindness not to point that out. I hadn’t really figure that out yet…or any of this. “I mean I don’t know what I mean...ignore that outburst.” Understatement of the year.

“Never be sorry for sharing how you feel.” He cupped my cheek. “We’ll figure all this out, I promise you.”

“And I promise you the same respect for you you so graciously give me.” He deserved far more. He deserved everything.

“The eggs should arrive in only a few weeks. It’s best if we just stay here. We’ll find my brothers, we will, but our babies come first.”

“Did you just say eggs?” For some reason, it just now registered.

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