Page 35 of The Dragon at the End of This Pregnancy

Finally, they spoke. "Humans leave each other when they don't like how their children are being raised?"

"That's correct," Lark said. "There's a fifty percent divorce rate."

"That's only for couples who get married," Punky added.

"I'm glad I have a fated mate," Galen said. "I feel bad for these humans who do not."

Punky nodded. "I feel bad for that one, that's for sure."

"They're not all bad," Lark said. "My parents are happy together."

"But if they are unhappy, they can leave," Galen said.

"Men can leave," Punky huffed. "It's harder for women. She was terrified her husband would find and kill her and her kids."

"Kill?" I tried to imagine an alpha, or an omega for that matter, so angry with their mate that they'd murder them and their children. I couldn't do it. The most violence I'd ever seen between two kobolds had been when Weld bit Lark's ear in a tournament.

"Dragons kill each other sometimes," Galen said, "but never the children. Why would they kill their own children?"

"If they can't be controlled, some parents think death is better for them." Punky shrugged. "I'm not saying that's good or right, I'm just saying what I heard growing up."

"Is it societal?" Galen asked. "Or genetic?"

"If it's genetic, it hasn't passed to us," Lark said.

"That kid learned the vitriol he spouted at Clementine today," Punky said. "It's not genetic."

"You don't know that for certain," I said. "What if we're only a few generations away from kobolds murdering each other?"

Punky shook his head again. "I was downright murderous before I came to Ignitas. Our culture is so different."

"The endless classes on how to be a kobold focus on sex for a reason." Lark laughed. "They keep you entertained and wanting to know more, and then at the end of six weeks, most of that human rage has refined itself into seeking your fated mate."

"Priestess Alma was worried about aggression, though," I reminded them. "That's one reason she approved the sports pavilion."

"Humans are competitive by nature," Punky said. "I thought kobolds were, too."

"Dragons compete with each other," Galen said. "We passed that on to kobolds long before you forged hybrid genes with humans."

I couldn't hide my excitement. Galen was making my case for me. Dragons, kobolds, and humans weren't all that different at their core. It was our culture that seemed to define us more than our genes.

My joy faded as Galen continued.

"I will be expected to challenge my paragon when they return to my lands. If I don't, I forfeit my right to them. The only caveat is pregnancy. If I were pregnant, they couldn't challenge me."

"What does a dragon challenge look like?" I asked.

"Fight to first major burn. If the burn is bad enough, the injured dragon might die."

"I won't let you die." I couldn't keep the growl from my voice. I was only one kobold, but I would stand against an army of dragons for Galen.

"We'll do everything we can to help," Lark said. "Your parent tried to kill us all, while you've been nothing but kind to us. You've helped us in more ways than you know. We owe everything to you, Galen."

They blushed so prettily in their human form, though most of it was hidden by their beard. "I can take care of myself. Thank you, though."

The children rushed us for dessert, and Galen broke open the plastic container full of cookies. They were fresh, at least. The frosting was still moist, and the cookies were soft enough to fold without breaking. I turned mine into a frosting sandwich and gobbled it down.

"Do kobolds need to wait a half-hour before swimming?" Punky asked Lark when the kids finished their second cookie each.

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