Page 33 of Flight Risk

“You’re doing it!”

“I am! This is so much harder than I thought it would be!”

He stopped flapping and his feet hit the ground. He launched himself into my arms, and I held him tight.

“I did it, Tav! I did it.”

“You did. Just wait. With a little more practice, you’ll be flying for real. And I’ll go with you.”

Kier beamed. “It felt amazing! I really need to get back to the eggs now, though.”

I could sympathize with that. Even though they were less than a hundred feet away, I didn’t like having them out of sight.

“You can practice bringing your wings out while you sit with the eggs. It will be good for both you and the dragonets,” Thorne suggested.

We went back into the house. Kier beaming widely the whole way.

“I did it!” he told my dad.

My dad smiled at him. “Great job! I’m proud of you.”

Kier knelt down next to the nest. “Did you hear that, kiddos? Daddy got his wings!”

Chapter 19

Kier

I hit save on the document I’d been reviewing for the past hour. With me going on paternity leave as soon as the eggs were hatched, Lord Malric insisted that I start having others assist with the front-desk responsibilities. For a few hours each day one of the administrative assistants has been sitting with me to learn the routine. They’d all been shocked at how much work I took on. Apparently, they had assumed they’d just have to check people in and out of the building. That was only a small piece of what I did. The rest of my tasks including a lot of coordination for the various events that were happening in the building, orother places. Essentially, I took care of whatever the dragons asked for.

It didn’t seem like a lot to me. It was just my everyday.

With how fantastic the daycare was at headquarters, I didn’t anticipate that I would need a lot of time off work. I’d at least take the first three months to hang out at home and get to know my children.

There would be three of them. A terrifying thought, but it was my reality.

A nanny would be in our future, which was common for dragons with larger clutches.

I crossed one item off my to-do list and added four more.

The door opened and the smoky scent of Gerald, the dragon who had given me a hard time, hit my nostrils. He had not visited headquarters while I was working since the incident. I didn’t know if my mate had seen him since then either.

I stiffened, but otherwise remained unfazed. He might be able to smell my fear, but he wouldn’t see it. I pasted on a smile.

“Good afternoon, how may I help you today?”

Gerald’s eyes remained downcast as he approached the desk.

The elevator doors opened, and Tav’s scent filled the air. My gaze was automatically drawn to where my mate stood. I relaxed now that he was near me. I didn’t expect trouble, not after the last interaction and especially since Tav was already here. Gerald would be really stupid to cause another fuss in the lobby of the clan headquarters.

Tav’s eyes narrowed when he caught sight of Gerald.

Before Tav could speak, Gerald placed an item on the desk, then lowered into a bow. “My sincerest apologies, Kier. I have been wrong in my behavior. Arrogant in my status as a dragon, and in doing so, I have insulted you, your mate, and this clan. I have seen the error of my ways and wish to make amends.”

I eyed the item on my desk. The shiny emerald shimmer of a single dragon scale, about the size of a silver dollar, had me gasping out loud. It was polished and it shone brightly, a stark contrast to the marble desk. I had never seen Gerald in dragon form, but the color matched that of a clan dragon. It had to be his.

“Gerald.” My mate’s voice was filled with respect.

“Is this yours?” I asked. I had no idea how to proceed. I’d never been gifted a dragon scale before. I’d never heard of any dragon doing so, and the protocol was unknown to me.

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