Page 58 of The Monster at the End of This Molt

He grinned. "I loved to play pirates versus navy when I was a kid. I figured they could take turns playing whenever the mood strikes them." He stood and raised his arms over his head, exposing his gorgeous midriff to me. I slid my hands under the hem of his shirt and pulled him to me for a kiss.

"Which is your favorite?" He asked.

I had to think for a minute. Each landscape brought to mind multiple fairytales, myths, and legends. "The meadow," I said. "It reminds me of the Shire, and fairy rings, and huntsmen."

Weld kissed my forehead. "I like that one, too."

"You like them all," I teased.

"Guilty." He nodded. "Couldn't pick a favorite if you begged me to."

"They will love it."

"I hope so." He leaned his chin on my shoulder and held me close.

"How could they not?" I asked. "You did all this for them." He didn't have to do any of it, though. "They'll love you for being you, the same way I do."

He lifted his head to stare down at me and squared his shoulders with a little shake. "You love me?"

"Gods, yes. I thought it was obvious." I grinned up at him and all the love I felt for him coursed through our bond. "I've loved you since the first time we met."

He tilted my chin up, and I knew it would be another of his mind-bending kisses, the ones that altered time and made the blood rush in my ears. The world seemed to tilt from that kiss. Nothing had changed, and yet, my chest felt lighter after I spoke my truth aloud. I had always loved him, it was true, but I loved him more each day.

Weld broke the kiss to nibble and lick from my jaw to the bite mark on my shoulder. "I love you so much. I can't wait to meet our hatchlings and raise them with you."

His sincere words brought tears to my eyes. I dashed them away with the back of my hand. I had no spare moments for crying. It was time to feed our eggs again.

* * *

With the way the days blended, it might have been the same day or maybe two weeks later when Clementine and Tim showed up on our doorstep. Weld delayed them just long enough for me to pull on a pair of pants before they barged into the bedroom.

"Don't tell Papa and Dad," she whispered as she sat down at the edge of our bed, tugging Tim to sit beside her. "They want to throw a party, or at the least, meet us at the dragonet barn before we leave the village. I hate that."

I laughed. "You fucking love parties." Whenever our family threw a party, she was always one of the first to arrive and last to leave. "You hate being the center of attention."

With each word, Tim looked more and more dejected. "You'll hate The Meadows. As someone new, and my mate, you'll be the most interesting person they've ever seen."

She sat up straight and squared her shoulders. "I'm expected to be the center of attention as your mate. I'm ready!"

While they argued, I dropped my tablet to the bed and leaned forward to coat our eggs with slick from the tarp. Satisfied our eggs were fed and warm enough, I separated Clementine and Tim by grabbing their elbows and dragged them to the living room. I had something to say, and I didn't want my little ones to get bad ideas from their auntie.

I sat on one side of the couch, and Clementine took the other, putting Tim in the middle. Weld came out of one of the baby's rooms. With a sigh, he sank into the gaming recliner beside me and patted my knee. We'd talked about how hard this day would be. My eyes were already misting over, and I hadn't said a fucking word yet.

"Tim, you have nothing to worry about," I started. "Clementine is fabulous with new people. The less they know about the foolish shit she's done, the better."

She stuck her tongue out at me. "Name one foolish thing."

"How many ways are there to suppress fire spells?" I asked instead.

"Ten."

"Then why did you almost burn down Papa and Dad's house while I was gone?"

She cleared her throat. "Well, that was … foolhardy, I'll admit."

"How many times has Axel had to repair fire or explosion damage?"

"You made your point."

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