“Look at our egg,” Taylor said.
I did. It got even more beautiful every time I looked at it. I reached out a hand to stroke its smooth surface. Watching the red glow disappear under my hand, then reappear when I removed it was magical.
“I still can’t believe it wasinme,” Taylor murmured. “I’m surprised I didn’t start glowing.”
I chuckled. “Looks like we’re both learning new things about dragon eggs.”
Taylor flicked the tip of his tail curiously. “Crimson. What would you have done if you didn’t choose me to win the Games? Would you have kept searching for a different mate?”
I gave him a serious look. “I didn’t choose you, Taylor. Fate choseus. If you weren’t here, I would still be alone. I’d go the rest of my life without a mate or an egg.” I gave him a kiss on the tip of his tiger nose. “It’s you, or nobody. That’s all there is to it, my love.”
His purr deepened, and his amber feline eyes glittered with affection. I could tell that was exactly how he felt, too.
Then his affection overwhelmed him, and he licked my face with his rough, scratchy tongue, causing both of us to burst into laughter.
Twenty-Three
Taylor
My tiger soulhad never felt so at ease.
I closed my eyes as I basked in the sun’s rays. The white sand on the beach soaked up its warmth, each grain glittering like tiny diamonds under the bright blue sky. The sound of the ocean crashing gently on the shore was peaceful background noise.
It was interrupted once in a while by Crimson’s younger brothers laughing and splashing each other in the water, but that was a peaceful sound, too.
“Do you think they’ll drown each other, or is that too much to wish for?” Crimson teased.
I peeked an eye open and grinned at my mate. He lounged next to me on the beach towel. Our ruby egg, now a month old, sat nestled securely between us in its own personal towel. With the warmth of the sun, sand, and our body heat, I wasn’t concerned about it being cold.
“I dunno, that’s a big undertaking,” I replied. “Can’t lizards breathe underwater anyway?”
Crimson flicked a grain of sand at me while I chuckled.
Jade approached us, applying a new layer of sunscreen on his arms. “I know you’re teasing, but most reptiles can’t breathe underwater. So, yes, it’s a possibility that Aurum and Saffron could die out there.”
I snorted in amusement. “You don’t sound very concerned.”
He arched a brow. “Yes, well, a few of my books onintimacyhave gone missing lately, and I’m inclined to believe they’re the culprits...”
Crimson grinned. “Fratricide it is.”
As if summoned, the twins leapt out of the ocean to join us. When both their heads were damp and their hair darkened by water, it was impossible to tell them apart.
“Calling themintimacy booksis a really nice way of saying they were hardcore BDSM novels,” Aurum teased. At least, I thought it was Aurum.
“Yeah, and they were really nasty, too,” maybe-Saffron joined in, sneering playfully at Jade. “The kind with ropes and spanking and everything. Is that what you’re into, Jade?”
Jade shot them a glare so icy that the twins dropped the smug act, turning sheepish.
“We’ll, uh, go return those now...” they mumbled.
With that, the twins ran off.
As they flew off toward the castle, Thystle snorted. He sat fully shaded in his own personal umbrella. His sunglasses obscured his eyes, so I couldn’t tell if he wore his usual eyeliner underneath. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep those books. Y’know, forresearch. You might as well buy them their own copies.”
Jade pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed darkly, like he was plotting the twins’ demise. Then his frigid demeanor melted as he smiled at me. “How’s the egg?” he asked.
I put a hand on its smooth shell, feeling a pulse of warmth.
