Page 69 of The Dragon at the End of This Pregnancy

I stopped short of growling at them. The babies were already awake, blinking their eyes at each other before turning as one to study their grand paragon.

"Oh, look at you. You are the perfect pair. And your grand paragon brought snacks!"

They pulled a satchel from under their arm. "Your sweet kobold baby can't digest this, but I believe your dragonet has something for her."

Mac unpacked the supplies from Rapture's packs. There were soft plush toys for both babies and a salad container with a note on top.

"Clementine's favorites," Mac said. "Lark says she helped him pack."

My eyes stung as unexpected tears welled up. I missed our friends. I couldn't wait to be home, where the children would continue their class visits to see us, and we would make trips to the village for supplies. For now, we relied on these sweet gestures.

Mac tried to get Rapture to return to the dragonet barn, but he refused. He hunkered down near the doorway, wrapped in his wings, and stared at us as though daring us to make him leave.

"That's normal," Paragon said. "They were our pets before the kobolds put them to work." They glared at Mac. “He has already bonded with your little girl, which means the curse is well and truly broken."

Mac frowned. "How does that prove anything?"

"Dragonets only bond with powerful life forces from such an early age." Paragon paused. "Do my little grandchildren have names?" They held the bovinji organs just out of reach over our little dragon's head.

"Our dragon is Slate."

"That's a strong name. Slate," they said. "Remember who gives you treats." They shook the container, and the smell of fresh organs was strong in the air. "Can you follow me? We don't want to dirty your nest."

Slate followed my paragon off the blankets. They still had difficulty with their claws sticking in the fabric, but their eagerness to taste the goodies in Paragon's hands drew them forward. Soon, they reached the stone floor, another learning curve, but much faster this time since their claws didn't get stuck in the stone.

"Here you go, my dear." They placed the bowl of organs on the stone floor, and Slate knocked it over in their haste. They slurped it off the floor, blood and all, much like I had done with my share of bovinji organs before I'd laid their egg. That had been ages ago.

Mac tried to feed Opal her bowl of salad, but she scampered after Slate, showing no interest in the food. She plastered herself against Slate's flank and watched with interest as they ate.

"I forgot," Mac said. "They should stay together."

Paragon nodded. "Yes. They will always be close, but the first week is critical."

Mac moved the salad bowl within her reach by Slate's side. She glanced at Slate, as though testing whether they would steal it from her. When they showed no interest, she dipped her snout in the bowl and began to eat.

Paragon reached down and patted her head. "What's her name?"

"Opal," I shared.

"It's beautiful. She's beautiful." They played with the white tuft of hair at the top of her head while she ate. "I'm certain she will break the curse."

"We're staying here until she molts," I said. "There's less trouble to get into here."

"We kept you here until your first molt," Paragon shared. "You were such a curious baby. The drop-off scared you enough to keep you in the cave, at least."

I'd continued to live in our family home after they left. The gradual slope, large landing at the cave entrance, and steep chute to the bone pile were unmatched by any other caves in the area. I would probably need to fish Slate out of the bone pile a time or two before their first molt, but they would learn.

The babies finished eating. Instead of returning to the nest, they curled up on the stone, Slate on their side and Opal curled around their head.

"They'll get cold." Mac picked Opal up, and I grabbed Slate under their wings and lugged them back to the nest. They returned to the same positions, and we covered them with the blankets to keep them warm, leaving a large vent above both their heads so they could breathe.

"Your siblings will be angry if I stay too long," Paragon said. "They wanted to come, but we'll wait a day before we overwhelm you."

"Thank you." At the cave entrance, we both returned to our dragon forms and twisted our necks together in a farewell hug. "Thank you for staying." My whisper echoed on the mountaintop.

"This is still my home, little Galen."

I snorted at "little." I was larger than they.

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