Page 36 of The Monster at the End of This Molt

"Hello?"

I released Clementine's arm. "Stay here."

I strode the last few paces to them and pulled Ernie to my side with an arm around his neck. "This is my minutes-older brother, Ernie. Ernie, this is my friend Lemon from The Meadows."

"Friend?" Lemon puffed up at the word.

Ernie looked confused. "You weren't there long enough to make new friends."

"Lemon's my friend," I insisted.

Lemon leaned toward Ernie and sniffed. Then he pulled back with a worried frown. "Sorry! There aren't many eligible alphas where I'm from. If all the alphas here smell half as good as you …"

Ernie growled. I released him and took a step back. He hadn't bitten me since before our second molt, but I wasn't taking any chances.

Clem stepped up and took charge, as usual. "He thinks he's your fated mate."

Lemon blinked. "Wow? So soon? I haven't been here five minutes!"

She nodded. "He could smell you. Must be the pheromone chem trails from when your dragonet flew over our house."

That sounded like a conspiracy theory, but who was I to argue? "This is my sister, Clementine," I said instead.

She held out her hand to Lemon, who cocked his head at it.

"We shake hands here." She prodded me with her elbow and held her hand to me, and I shook it. Then she repeated the gesture to Lemon, and he tentatively extended his hand.

"Great job! You'll be doing that a lot at the dragon reunion."

Ernie growled again, like the thought of Lemon mingling with other kobolds offended him.

"Should we take him to the fortress?" I asked.

"Yes. They'll have a room for you while you two get acquainted."

"I won't be staying with him?" Lemon took a step toward Ernie and inhaled deeply.

"Our resident mating expert will walk you through your options." She nodded. "It's good to have options."

"Who is our resident mating expert?" I whispered.

"You'll see."

She offered her arm to Lemon, who shrugged. Once again, I demonstrated looping my arm through hers, and he did the same, though he had trouble keeping up with her quick strides.

Ernie fell into step beside me. "Is this a dream?" he asked me.

"No. We are all painfully wide awake and participating in another of Clementine's strange adventures."

The adventure took us to Alma's cabin. The former priestess no longer lived in the rooms behind the cathedral. Instead, she and her mate, Honor, had moved into the alpha cabin nearest the old dragon temple.

Alma answered the door with a serene smile and two football-sized kobolds on her shoulders. "Good morning, Clementine." She squinted at Lemon. "I don't think we've met, young omega. I'm Alma."

"Lemon." He still looked a little awkward when shaking her hand. "Nice to meet you," he said.

Clementine nodded and smiled at him when he looked to her for reassurance. "Ernie thinks Lemon is his fated mate."

"Oh!" Alma cranked up her smile a notch. "Come inside. I'll put on some music, and you can dance."

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