He didn’t look nearly as shocked as I felt. “Well, yes, certainly. We had unprotected sex, didn’t we?”
“Yes...”
“We even talked about it, remember? I said, ‘I want to breed you, Taylor.’ And you said, ‘Put an egg in me.’”
My face turned hotter than the sun. Ididsay that. I’d been caught up in the heat of the moment, the sultry dirty talk.
But that wasn’t all it was. In my heart, everything I’d said was true.
There was a distinct possibility that our intercourse had resulted in pregnancy. Of course I knew that. I was a grown man who knew how biology worked. But this whole experience felt so surreal, so dreamlike, that I hadn’t considered that fact. It was like I was untouchable here on Chromatimaeus Island.
I slowly looked down at my body, seeing it with a new perspective. I placed my hands on my belly. It felt the same as ever, so maybe it was my imagination kicking in when I thought it seemed different than before.
But a whole new world opened up in my mind. A vision of me, pregnant. Crimson as the father. And a beautiful baby between us...
Tears sprung to my eyes.
“Taylor, are you all right?” Crimson asked softly.
“Yeah.” I was so choked up I could barely talk. My voice was thick with emotion.
Crimson hesitated. When he spoke, he sounded worried. “You’re not upset, are you?”
“No, you overgrown lizard,” I half-snapped, half-sobbed. “I’m happy!”
Instantly relieved, Crimson wrapped his long neck around me, cuddling close with a grin. “Aww, look at you. Underneath that prickly exterior, you’re a big softie, aren’t you?”
I sniffled loudly. “I’m going to claw your face off.”
Crimson beamed like I’d complimented him. “Yes, yes. Now come on, let’s have our celebration somewhere a little more luxurious.”
* * *
It turnedout I was too distracted to be scared of heights. The whole time Crimson flew us back to his family’s castle, my mind raced with thoughts of our potential baby. I’d been so busy with my rivalry-turned-sort-of-friendship with Alaric, the challenges, and the chaos of reality TV, that the unprotected sex had slipped my mind.
Was there a dragon egg forming inside of me right now?
My heart skipped a beat. I hoped so. And if there wasn’t, nothing stopped me and Crimson from trying over and over again.
“There it is,” Crimson said.
Since he clutched me securely in his paws against his chest, I felt the deep rumble of his voice against my back.
It wasn’t hard to miss the castle, but that didn’t stop my sense of wonder. I was a city boy, whether I liked it or not, so the sight of a beautiful, edgy castle on a forested island took my breath away. It was like a visual out of a film.
I couldn’t voice my awe, so instead I said, “I don’t envy your house cleaner.”
That earned me a cackle from Crimson.
He touched down by the looming front doors on a cobblestone walkway. The area looked both well-manicured and untamed, like the castle was a natural extension of the wilderness. It was a fitting home for dragons—creatures who were noble and smart, yet harbored a ferocious feral side.
After placing me gently on the ground, Crimson shifted back to human form and adjusted his suit. “Here we are. Home.”
My chest felt warm. Was this to be my home, too?
“Is this what you wanted to show me?” I asked.
“Not quite. Follow me.”
