Page 57 of The Dragon at the End of This Pregnancy

"Pop, you will walk through the magic shell, making sure the area where you feel my presence passes directly through it."

Pain lanced through my chest, and I knew exactly where our little one perched behind my breastbone.

Galen helped me to my feet with their wing, and I walked toward the magical egg. It was no bigger than my fist, which surprised me. The circumference of pain was much larger than that.

I was awed to feel the hard eggshell against my palms when I cupped it over the area of shooting pain. How was I supposed to walk through something that solid? Wouldn't I push it with my body?

Once I had the egg lined up, I stepped forward, and it disappeared into my loose sleep shirt. Even if I lifted the shirt, I knew I wouldn't find the egg. It was inside me, stone shell and all, and our little girl was now inside it, as well.

"Keep walking,"she urged."I can't stay with you any longer."

I took another step forward, and Galen made a cooing sound I'd never heard before. I turned to find them with their wing claws wrapped around the tiny egg.

"She's beautiful," they said, lying her gently on the pile of blankets where I'd been sitting. "Come keep her warm."

I snuggled next to Galen once more, too stunned for words. One minute, I'd had chest pains. The next, we had an egg in our nest, and the area behind my sternum radiated with a new emotion. I loved this little baby who had helped us bring her into the world. I also loved Galen, somehow more than I had before our magic had combined to bring our egg into the world.

I'd expected to feel empty, or maybe a drain on my magic. Instead, I felt full to the brim with love for my dragon and our little ones. Someday, I would be able to tell them.

ChapterTwenty

Galen

Our baby girlwas already growing inside her crystal egg. That was the only way I could describe the beautiful eggshell. We couldn't see her in there, but her shell reflected light like the stone around us. When daylight filled the room, it also lit her egg like the sun in the sky. It was beautiful.

She was beautiful. Our little girl was going to be here in a few short months. I couldn't wait to meet her.

I was surprised how quickly she drained my magic, though. Already, I was too weak to hunt.

Mac was also too weak to use his magic for more than his dragonet bond. Thankfully, I'd packed Mac's cell phone along with his tablet. He emailed his coworkers to order supplies. Once they had filled Rapture's saddlebags with everything we needed and let us know they were ready, Mac called the dragonet to us through his bond.

Instead of waiting at the entrance, Rapture rushed our nest. I roared at him, and he cowered with his belly on the floor. Still, he snaked his neck forward to sniff our egg. He made a mewling sound in his throat, and I swore I heard our little girl answer him.

It shouldn't have been real, that strange child and adult voice coming from our egg, but none of it had seemed possible. I had whipped together an egg using my magic, and Mac had walked through something as strong as stone as though it were air. I couldn't explain any of that, so how could I explain a bond between my mate's dragonet and our unhatched egg?

"They already have a bond," Mac marveled once he'd unpacked the bags and sent Rapture home. For his part, the little dragonet seemed reluctant to leave her.

"It's like I passed Rapture's bond to her, but I still have a hold on him, too." He laughed. "I used to tell everyone dragonets aren't pets, but …" he trailed off.

"Our little girl already has a pet." I dipped my head lower so I could rest my head on top of her egg. At first, I'd worried my weight would crush it, but my magic buoyed me above the shell and absorbed my heat while counteracting the weight.

"Rapture is not a pet," Mac said. "He's her mount."

"She'll have a tail until she's mature," I reminded him. "Only adult kobolds have mounts."

"We'll make her a special harness so she won't fall off. Sunny's been wanting one, too."

I gave up trying to argue with my mate and laughed instead. I was sure our little girl would love to ride a dragonet to school. It would be a long way for her to walk to the fortress, as Mac called it, but I wanted her to attend school with the other kobolds.

Eventually, she and Clementine would be classmates, I hoped. They would be almost four years apart in age, but after the first five molts, Clementine's development would even out, giving our little one a chance to catch up. I hoped they would become friends.

It wasn't a guarantee, though. Clementine was very much her own person, and our little one would be, too. I didn't want to influence her. It would be hard for me to give her space to make her own decisions, but in the end, it was best for her.

I was already a better parent than my paragon, and I had my kobold friends and Mac to thank for that. Mac and I weren't alone on our parenting journey, either, unlike Olaf and Bane. Yes, we had my family waiting in the wings, but I trusted Punky, Lark, and the other kobolds to help me brainstorm solutions, while my paragon would simply tell me what to do without any explanation.

Above all, I had Mac to help me make better decisions. He was the best partner I could want. He knew he didn't know everything, which made me question my own beliefs. I loved our conversations, and the easy way we agreed on most things. I loved him so much my chest ached.

I loved him. I'd known it before, but now, fear entwined the ache in my chest. If anything happened to either of our babies or our friends, Mac would blame me. What if I couldn't be dragon enough for the village I'd sworn to protect? What if my paragon threatened the village again over some unforeseen break with tradition?

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