Page 26 of The Dragon at the End of This Pregnancy

I only hoped I could show him how cherished and safe he would be for the rest of our lives.

ChapterNine

Mac

We walked backto the main path, continuing our stroll around the lake until we arrived back at the parking lot where we'd left Rapture. He sniffed at me as I walked past. I'd given him a hefty roast beef sandwich for lunch, but he would need a full meal tonight. I hoped the restaurant boasting Iowa's best southern comfort food would have a rack of ribs or giant tenderloin.

When we finally found a place to park downtown and made our way inside the restaurant, Galen's nose wrinkled at the smell of grease. The greeter asked us if we'd like to sit on the back patio, and I jumped at the chance.

We sat in the shade of a tall building in an area cordoned off from the street by a black cast-iron fence. It reminded me of the cemetery near our hotel, and I shivered at the thought.

Galen sniffed the air and studied everything from the stone tile to the potted plants.

I was still lost in thought, mulling over what Galen had said about dragons' fated mates. Once Galen marked me, my lifespan would match theirs. I wanted that, of course, but dragons lived such a long time. I wished I'd known about Olaf and Bale when we last visited. I had so many questions for them.

I still wondered what I had to offer Galen. I hadn't questioned our compatibility for a single moment before I'd learned we were fated mates. We had fun together, both at their cave and traveling to other parts of Ignitas.

I suddenly felt unworthy, and I didn't know how to stop my negative thoughts.

A waitress dropped off two glasses of water for us and asked if we wanted anything else to drink.

"Two mint juleps," Galen said. "Please." They even remembered their manners.

"Sure thing. I'm going to need to see some ID from you, handsome." She patted Galen's shoulder, and a hint of smoke puffed from their nostrils. They pulled their wallet from their pants pocket and displayed the photo identification card they'd spelled to look like their human form.

"Thanks. And you?" she asked.

I pulled my driver's license free of the wallet and handed it to her.

"Perfect," she said, snapping it down on the table. "I'll be back with your drinks in a moment. Mint juleps are our specialty. You are in for a treat."

Galen shook their shoulders as she walked away. "That human touched me."

"Yes."

"No wonder they spread so many diseases." They pointed to my card, still sitting on the edge of the table. "You need to disinfect that before you put it back."

"Relax. We can't get human diseases." I hoped. Alphas and omegas didn't get human diseases, but betas didn't come to earth as often and didn't stay as long. I didn't want to be the first to bring home a horrible strain of kobold influenza. I touched only the edges of the card and slid it back in my wallet.

The server returned with two clear tumblers filled with ice, yellow liquid, and a sprig of mint. There was something green buried beneath the ice. More mint, I guessed, hence the name.

Galen lifted the glass to their nose and sniffed. "What is this?"

"It's a mint julep."

"It smells like the rock candy you gave me for Christmas." They wrinkled their nose. They hated rock candy. I'd tried to warn them they would hate mint juleps, too, but they'd had their heart set on watching horses and drinking mint juleps.

"It tastes worse," they said after a sip. "Sweet and sharp."

"Sharp?"

"Like it's stabbing my tongue."

I laughed and sipped at mine. It was a little too sweet, but the burn of the whiskey made it all better.

"I'll drink yours," I said. "Do you want to try something else?"

"Water is fine, thanks." They wiped the condensation from the water glass and downed it in two gulps. "Gods. That was awful. When we return to the hotel, we must find Punky and tell him he has horrible taste."

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