Page 9 of The Monster at the End of This Molt

Galen had given me the best answer."Sometimes, we need more time to discover who we are on our own before we can provide for our mates,"they'd said.

Weld had been here for over two decades, working on machinery, vaccinating bovinji, and avoiding his friends and family back at The Pavilion. He'd been hiding, not growing.

"Fate brought us together to punish me," he said. "If you take this victory from me?—"

"You will fix it," I reassured him. "All I'm going to do is show you a better way."

"One week, and then you'll show me your way." He nodded. "In the meantime, you'll leave me alone to work, and you'll go wherever Tim needs you."

"I can help Tim, sure." The beta was friendly, and if the morning meal was any indication, the villagers lived in harmony. They gathered at the big tables, all laughing and joking when they weren't stuffing their faces with delicious food.

I didn't like Weld's warning tone, though. "Will I still see you in the evenings?"

"I'm not kicking you off my couch, if that's what you mean." His glare softened, and he reached across the table to take my hand. "I'm not the most romantic alpha, I know, but I will make you dinner each night, and we can go exploring this Saturday."

"I'd love that." I didn't know what exploring would entail, but it would beat any courtship gesture from my past, mostly because I'd turned down all romantic advances back on Earth.

If folks were down to fuck and let me top, I was there. If they wanted to get too close or started to catch feelings, I ghosted them without a second thought. I refused to lead anyone on. Weld was always at the back of my mind and pulsing through our dragon bond. No one else could ever compare, no matter how charming.

"What if it's not fixed in a week?" I asked.

"If not, I'll come to you for help."

Weld hated asking anyone for anything, so I counted that as a win. "And if I show you a better way to fix it … what happens then?"

"We'll see."

I'd hoped for more, but it was far too soon for a declaration of love or an offer to mark me. Last night, he'd been talking about waiting two years. One week was far more reasonable.

I had no doubt I could fix his wheel. If there was anything I'd learned from my family and mated friends, it was that mated kobolds' magic grew exponentially. All Weld needed to do was let me in. That alone would give him the power to fix his broken machinery, along with my overtaxed heart.

ChapterFour

Weld

Every morningfor at least six months, I'd completed my chores early so I could hammer on the wheel rim for an hour before lunch. Every afternoon, I returned to my post, pounding at the flat spots, trying to make the wheel round again.

It was my fault the tractor was in such bad shape and my job to fix it. I'd been daydreaming about Robin the day I dropped it sideways into a ravine and the wheel ripped off.

Now that Robin was here, nothing changed. I completed my chores early, ignoring the allure of his scent whenever his errands for Tim brought him into my vicinity. Until it got too dark, I hammered on the rim and tried to think of questions to ask him over dinner.

Robin returned as the sun set. He didn't try to kiss me this time, though I wished he would. I wanted to feel his lips on mine again.

"What would you like for dinner?" I asked to keep myself from kissing him. "I have enough bean curd to make a vegetable scramble, or I've got some fresh greens for a salad."

"They're having steak and salad at the big house tonight. I thought I would magic some?—"

"I don't eat meat." That was the excuse I'd given Tim for not spending every dinner surrounded by the happy couples and their adorable children, and it had stuck with me ever since.

"Oh. Well." Robin flicked his wrist. I knew he'd used magic, but I still wasn't strong enough to know what spell. "Sorry. I should have asked first."

He was incredibly sweet, but his actions reminded me I was far weaker. I could start my burner fires and douse a small kitchen fire with dampening magic, but I couldn't magically send an order to our cook in the big house, nor could I muster the skill to teleport food to and from my cabin.

"I'm the one who's sorry," I said. "I'll walk up there with you, if you'd prefer?—"

"No! I like tofu, and I love vegetables. Whatever you make will be fine."

I hated that he had to settle for me. He deserved someone young and full of magical prowess. Instead, he got me, a kobold with his best years behind him who couldn't produce enough magic for a tire change.

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