Page 40 of Grumpy Dragon Christmas

“Breathe, Drekkan,” Jade says softly in my ear.

“He is perfect.” I tear my eyes away from our son. “Look what you made.” I rasp through a sob. “Our son.”

Water runs down Jade’s face. “You really mean that?”

“That he’s perfect? Yes.”

“I mean that he’s your son,” she says.

“How could he be anyone else’s? You are my mate, Jade. My heartsfire. My reason for being.” I pull her into me. “Did I tell you I loved you, that you are my breath, my fire, my shift?”

“You said something like that just before you passed out and I gave birth.” Jade laughs, snuggling into my side as she checks on our sarkarnling. “And I told you I loved you too.”

“Then I am complete,” I say as our bundle wriggles and out pops a wing.

Not a Sarkarnii wing. This one has feathers.

“Turns out, he’s part Gryn,” Jade says quietly. “They’re a winged species who’ve had to battle hard in the galaxy for recognition.”

A warmth spreads through me. “My son is a warrior, then.” I kiss her and tuck the wing away. “You’ve made me the happiest, proudest Sarkarnii in the entire galaxy, the entire universe, heartsfire.”

EPILOGUE

JADE

Drekkan practically glows in the evening light. His scales have never looked so luminous, and I wonder if he’s been polishing them. He rocks slightly from foot to foot, glancing occasionally in my direction nervously.

Baby Dalox is stuffed full from his last meal, and when he sleeps, he sleeps hard. Drekkan positively dotes on him, and I’m pretty sure if he could breastfeed too, he would. The number of times over the last few days I’ve come into the bedroom to find the pair of them flaked out on the bed has been impressive and possibly the cutest thing I’ve ever encountered.

Plus, when Drekkan asked me if I was prepared to give our baby his brother’s name, the hesitancy in his voice, the look in his eyes—I told him I was honored he’d offered. So Dalox became Dalox, and it suits my little man to a tee.

“Ah, the human who tamed the Sarkarnii.” The mayor approaches me with a smile on his face. “And now he’s going to dance for you. A fitting end for our solstice celebrations.”

I check Drekkan again and see Qrow has captured his attention with something suitably Qrow-related.

“No thanks to you,” I reply. “I thought you agreed with Draco I was under your protection while on Kitchik. But instead you disable the one creature who was looking after me.”

The smile on the mayor’s face drops. “Drekkan was…a threat…” he says, stumbling over his words.

“Drekkan was never a threat. The rest of Kitchik knew that.” I wave my free hand around at the huge number of residents who have gathered. “Only you decided he needed to be collared.”

I approach the mayor who, to his credit, stands his ground. “You will never, ever do something like that to my mate again. Or I will make sure Draco and theGolden Orionknow what you did.”

“I…I didn’t mean anything by it. I only wanted to protect the celebrations,” the mayor says.

“I know, and it’s the reason I’m not saying anything to Draco or my friends on the ship. The celebrations mean everything to Kitchik, and I’m pleased to be part of them.”

The mayor visibly relaxes. “Are we getting a visit from Draco at all?” he asks, with feigned nonchalance.

“Not today.” I sigh, thinking about the grainy cross-galaxy comm I had with Coral and the others who all squealed when they saw Dalox. “Not for a long time, I don’t think.”

Amber promised to let Draco know about Drekkan, as it is so important to the Sarkarnii to find their kin, but the distance between us means they won’t be able to make it back for the dance.

Because Drekkan wants to dance for me, a tradition I saw time and again in the Kirakos, something I thought I didn’t want for myself because I was prepared to do whatever it took to make my own way.

But now, it’s something I do want. I want it because Drekkan wants to do it, because it’s important to him. As I look at my sleeping baby, what I want is as important as what they wantbecause ultimately it is all the same. We want to be safe, warm, fed, and loved. To deny any of these things is a snub to those who do not have them.

I denied them for far too long.

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