Page 42 of Her Dragon Daddy Disaster
A spike of something hot buried itself in my belly. My eyes went wide, and I sank deeper into the shelter of the stairwell as I realized what it was.
Jealousy.
For almost five years, Jakub had beenmyson. My world. I’d raised him. Countless sleepless nights, tantrums, and horrible days. But I’d been there, been through it.
Levi hadn’t, and now, there he was, swooping in, partaking in all the fun.
Glancing up at the sun, noting its height, I stifled a yawn, reminded of just how late I’d slept in.
Then again, having someone else around to help might not be all that bad? More mornings like this would be quite welcome. I haven’t slept in like this since …
I couldn’t remember.
My gaze returned to the pair just in time to see Levi call a trio of fist-sized fireballs into existence in front of him. One by one, he sent them into the air, juggling them from side to side as Jakub clapped.
Then a fourth ball appeared. And a fifth. They began to whirl so fast it formed a ring of fire.
Levi reared back and abruptly belched fire from his mouth, a stream of orange-yellow flame that burst through the middle. It shot over Jakub’s head before he could react, then looped up into the sky and raced back for the swirling circle. As it did, it morphed, taking the shape of a stooping hawk, claws outstretched.
The spinning ring of fire abruptly collapsed in on itself and exploded outward in a giant dragon maw that swallowed up the attacking bird with ease, much to Jakub’s screaming delight. Even I watched in awe at the control he exerted over the fire. I’d never seen or heard of anything like it. Could all dragons do such a thing?
I must have crept too far forward because Levi’s eyes darted over Jakub’s head, focusing on me suddenly. A flash of unease crossed his face, and hesitation slowed his motions.
He expected me to put a stop to their fun. For a long moment, I considered doing just that.
Then, I took that feeling, crumpled it up into a tiny ball, and squashed it under my mental foot. WhateverIwas feeling, Jakub was having fun. Not only that, he was learning about the other side of his heritage. A side he’d not known about for the first years of his live. Now, at five, he was finally getting to experience it.
Smiling, I shook my head at Levi, motioning with my chin for him to continue. A brief wave of relief flashed over his head.
The fire dancing returned, and Jakub was once more engaged. He hurried all over the roof as fire sprang up like fountains, trying to grab it all before it disappeared.
At one point, he noticed me.
“Mommy!” he shouted, the fire forgotten as he charged across the roof, arms outstretched.
“Hey, little buddy,” I said, scooping him up onto my hip as grubby little hands clung to my neck.
“Mommy, Mommy, did you see? I was so high!”
“I did see, baby. You went way, way up! So far up!”
“Yeah, I went up! Into the sky! Vrooom!”
I laughed. His enthusiasm at experiencing the world was one of the things I loved the most. Seeing him do new things and always enjoying it. He just loved to explore, tolearn. I tried my hardest to foster that sense of awe. Mostly it worked. Kids, right?
“Your hands are gross, man!”
“No bacon for you if you don’t wash up, little dude,” Levi said as he came over, flashing me a smile.
My stomach growled. “Bacon?” I asked just a little greedily.
“Heaps of it, coming right up,” Levi promised just as Jakub squirmed out of my grip to run down the stairs.
“He’s going to need help,” I said, moving to go after my son. “He can’t reach.”
A hand on my shoulder stilled me. “Yes, he can.”
I frowned. “I’ve seen your sinks. He’s too short. I don’t want him climbing up onto the counter. He’ll break something.”
