Page 41 of The Dragon at the End of This Pregnancy

"Clem, if you bring mosquitos back to Ignitas because you want to study them, I swear to god?—"

"I won't," she huffed. "It's fine. I'll learn about them online."

Galen walked ahead with her, taking her tiny hand and telling her about the different insect species she could find in other parts of Ignitas. "You can travel and study them when you're ready."

"Really?" She looked up at Galen as though seeing her freedom for the first time. "You don't want me to be your priestess? Alma's so old?—"

"She deserves a break, too. You all do. I don't require priestesses or worship. I'm a flesh-and-blood dragon. I want you all to be happy."

She glanced back at her parents, who heard them as well as I did.

Punky slid his arm around Lark's waist and grinned up at him. "I think we have a future entomologist in our midst."

"You can be whatever you want, my little friend," Galen said to Clementine. "If bugs bore you in a few years, you can change your mind. My only request is that you won't grow giant mosquitos like the ones in the dinosaur documentary Mac made me watch."

I laughed and jogged the few paces to catch up with them. "It's a movie, not a documentary. It's supposed to be funny."

"It wasn't funny," Galen insisted. "Bugs that big would bother me, and they almost killed that human."

Clementine slipped back to where her brothers walked beside their parents. Robin and Ernie dropped their hands to let her between them. I couldn't stop grinning at how cute they looked together.

I took Galen's hand as we walked. My mind wandered to a future trip, when we'd be bringing our own offspring. Once again, my cheeks ached from smiling so much.

A large billboard inside the park's gates displayed a map. I didn't see the dragon roller coaster I'd found online. Confused, I led Galen to the information kiosk a few hundred yards from the gates.

"Where's The Dragon?" I asked the attendant wearing a conductor's hat.

"Sorry. Tore it down to build another ride." They pointed to the tall rollercoaster behind us.

"Let's ride that instead," Galen said.

They loved the ride. To be fair, I loved it, too, but my stomach didn't. I called it quits on the bigger rides, and Galen stayed with me out of loyalty, even when they could have gone with the others.

It was late afternoon by the time we'd explored the park. Ernie and Grover wanted to go on the big rides again, but Lark reminded them they had dinner with their grandparents in an hour.

"One more meal before we leave tomorrow." Punky's smile looked more like a grimace.

"We can entertain ourselves," I reassured him over the kids' whines and cries.

We parted ways in the parking lot. On the freeway, they exited in the direction of Punky's parents, and we took the next exit for our hotel.

I had a hard time containing my excitement. If Galen was as ready as they said they were, we were going to have a wonderful night.

Still, I wanted the evening to be perfect. Instead of ordering room service, I ordered carry-out from the Italian restaurant down the road and drove to pick it up while Galen took a shower. On the road, I wondered if I was crazy. I was about to make love to my dragon, possibly to fertilize an egg that would grow into another dragon.

Was I even worthy to be a dragon's mate? I was nobody, a dragonet trainer, a beta. My life had been one of service to my village, and now to my dragon. I wasn't anything special, but Galen thought I was.

I felt warmth in that place beside my heart where my dragon bond lay. We would be parents to a dragon, and our shared efforts would keep them safe and loved. We wouldn't leave our child alone to navigate the tensions between our species. We would raise them together.

Once we bonded, I would live just as long as Galen. Our child would have the love and support of both parents, just as Galen would have all my love and support as their mate.

My fear shifted into excitement. We would bond tonight! Galen was my everything, and I intended to show them how much I loved them.

ChapterFourteen

Galen

I loved spendingtime with Punky and Lark's children, but it was even more fun riding the rollercoaster with Mac. Afterward, he looked like he was going to be sick. I took the occasional turns with the children so he could keep his feet on the ground.

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