Page 1 of The Dragon's Surprise
Chapter One
Alexis “Lexi” Sakamoto parked her car in front of a two-story building on a mountain in the Greater Lake Tahoe area, shut off the ignition, and took a deep breath.Remember, don’t yell at the dragonman as soon as you see him. That won’t help anyone, but especially not the boy.
“Lexi?”
She turned around until she could look at the child in the backseat. His big, green eyes were uncertain, and almost afraid.
Not that she could blame him. Ethan Jones had been abandoned by his mother two weeks ago, left at the dragon orphanage as soon as she’d given up any parental rights.
Apparently, she’d believed the child to be her husband’s and not the one-night stand she’d had during a short breakup seven years ago.
The one she’d had with a dragon-shifter.
As the young boy’s pupils flashed between round and slitted, he closed his eyes and held his head. “He’s so loud, Lexi. Tell him to stop.”
Her heart clenched at his confusion and pain. His inner dragon speaking to him for the first time—a kind of second personality inside his head—right before his mother hadabandoned him probably only reminded Ethan of why he was visiting a dragon-shifter clan today.
Lexi had no idea how his mother had been able to give him up since Ethan was an amazing little boy. However, cursing his mother would do nothing, so Lexi reached back to pat his leg and said, “I know he’s loud, Ethan. But the people here understand you and can help you learn how to talk with your dragon. And just wait. I bet you and your inner dragon will be best friends before you know it.”
He let go of his head, his pupils staying round, and frowned. “But Mommy said I need to ignore him and make him go away. Or, at least...”
He trailed off and stared out the window as he fidgeted with his seat belt. Lexi’s heart ached, knowing firsthand what it was like to be abandoned by a mother at a young age and to constantly wonder what you’d done wrong.
No.The boy had done nothing wrong. He was half dragon-shifter, and since the gene was always dominant, he’d had no choice in the matter.
And while the father had never known of his existence, she’d never heard back from any of the emails or messages she’d left. And usually if the Dragon Orphan Care System—or DOCS—left a message, most dragon-shifters would return the call or email.
However, not Dr. Kyle Baker.
Focusing on Ethan, she asked, “Are you finally ready to meet a dragon-shifter?”
He looked down, swinging his feet. “I guess.”
By all accounts, when Ethan had first been left at the orphanage, he’d thought his mother would be right back. He’d been friendly, cheerful, and interested in painting or coloring or anything artistic.
But as it sunk in that his mother wasn’t coming back, Lexi had tried her best to keep his spirits up. She wished she could take him home, give him some love, and help him adjust.
However, the inner dragon half started talking to their human halves around ages five or six. And without guidance, it could spell disaster later on with a rogue dragon, one that didn’t listen and could end up getting the dragon-shifter killed.
So she’d had no choice but to come here, to Clan MirrorPeak, and hope Ethan’s biological father would help him. Or if not him specifically, at least the clan as a whole, since all the long-term DOCS facilities were full.
Okay, time to finally meet with Ethan’s father and see why he’s been ignoring me.Lexi grabbed her purse, exited the car, and went around to take Ethan out of his booster seat. As soon as she shut the door, he took her hand. Lexi squeezed his fingers and smiled down at him. “Come on. Like I said, I’ll be here for at least a few weeks. I’m going to make sure you’re happy and settled before I leave. Okay?”
He bobbed his head even as his eyes were wary.
She wanted to hug the little boy, and yet, part of her job was to avoid getting overly attached.
Reminding herself that she couldn’t give every dragon-shifter orphan a home and that her job helped so many, she gently tugged Ethan’s hand and entered Clan MirrorPeak’s main security building.
Dr. Kyle Baker finished the last of his paperwork for the day and stretched his arms above his head.
His inner dragon spoke up.Does this mean we can go flying for a bit? It’s been days.
Sorry, dragon. After this morning, I’m too tired.
Eli is doing well, though.
He’ll live, yes. But the rest is going to take time…
