Page 33 of The Monster at the End of This Courtship

"Would you be willing to meet me for dinner every night?" I asked. "Not dates, just dinner."

He grinned. "I'd like that. We can meet in the cafeteria, and go from there?"

"Perfect." And it was. We were still taking it slow, but my inner mating drive calmed once I knew I would see him at least once a day for the foreseeable future.

Tuft met me at my classroom door the following afternoon. Together, we walked to Weld's classroom further in the labyrinth of fortress hallways. I'd never been down that way. We walked past the nursery rooms filled with alphas, betas, and omegas all around the same age, and then into shared classrooms with omegas and betas.

"They always separate the alphas from the rest?" I asked.

"The priestesses say it's to prevent aggression," Tuft whispered as we passed an open doorway where an alpha teacher explained the history of the fortress.

We reached a classroom of twenty or so alphas between the ages of fifteen and eighteen, and Tuft nodded to the closed door. "It's this one."

The room stank of sweat. "What have they been doing?"

"It's Friday, gym day."

We could hear Weld and Lark talking to each other in a way that sounded like they were reading lines from a script. The other classes let out around us, but Weld's door stayed shut for another fifteen minutes. Finally, Lark burst through the door and held it open for the youngsters to stream out.

"Hi," he said. "Sorry we took so long. Weld's script took longer to read than we expected."

"His script?" I had to tamp down my jealousy. Tuft and I had spoken of kobold movies only the day before, and already Weld was writing scripts.

Weld followed the last alpha teen out of the classroom and shut the door behind him. "I'm trying to make amends for being a dick," Weld said after sending the teen on his way. "Lark was a saint for putting up with my spelling mistakes."

"It was a good script," Lark said. "All about handling conflict with our words, not our teeth and claws." Lark tapped Weld's shoulder with a mock punch. "Stop beating yourself up. I think it made a difference, too."

Weld shoved his hands into his jean pockets and studied the floor. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Any time." Lark patted his shoulder. "Good luck with the dragon."

Weld nodded toward Lark's back as he walked away from us. "I told him, so someone knows where we went if we don't return."

We turned the opposite direction, toward the fortress's southern exit. Weld looked even more embarrassed than he had when Lark complimented him.

"Dragons are scary." I tried to put him at ease, but it didn't work. He sank in on himself more with each step.

"What if I'm doing the wrong thing?" Weld's words were almost too soft for me to catch them in the drafty hallway. "Lark's a good guy, and he and Punky are great parents. They keep Robin in line."

"It's all right to want space," Tuft said. "Robin will understand when he's older."

"What if something terrible happens, and he blames me for not being here when he needs me?"

"Nothing terrible is going to happen." Tuft rested his hand on Weld's shoulder. My jealous streak had already retreated, thankfully. My mate was being a good friend. I was proud of him for wanting to help.

Outside, the suns were overcast by high white clouds, and the grass was still wet from a day of rain. I liked the feel of it on my taloned feet, but it made it difficult to walk where there was no established path.

Weld stopped walking and turned to me. "You can bind your feet with magic for more traction." He let his own spell drop so I could watch him rebuild it. "Body magic is all I can manage with the little power I have," he said with a grin. "If I can do it, you can do it."

"Thanks." I crafted the spell with my own magic, and we were off again toward the edge of the tree line above us. The path switched back two or three times, but it was easy enough to walk.

When we reached the tree line below the cave entrance, what I had thought was a giant black wall moved, and a heap of bones tumbled off the ledge. The wall continued to bend and twist until two golden eyes stared out at us above giant nostrils puffing smoke in our direction.

"Mac said to expect you, so I cleaned the entrance to my cave," they called.

"Thank you." Tuft and Weld bowed, so I did the same and mumbled, "Well met, friend dragon," as an echo to their more joyful greeting.

It took us another fifteen minutes to reach the cave entrance. Once there, the dragon sniffed each of us, letting their hot breath soak into our clothes before moving on. "A pair not yet mated and a … third? No. Former mating." The dragon bared their teeth at Weld. "I should eat you for being too much like your ancestors."

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