“No scales before school,” I called out the window.
Other shifters, specifically mammals, didn't meet their beast until adolescence, but dragons were different. Of course they were, and I had three of them. And living in a small town, there were no shifter-specific preschools, so today they would be in class with humans.
Dray scooped up Malinda, and she giggled as her tail disappeared. “You heard Papa. There can be no dragons at school.”
Our youngest, Kaida, tugged on my pant leg. “Papa, I don't wanna go.”
I crouched down and kissed her on the nose. Like her sister, she had Dray's green eyes.
“It’s going to be fun, and you'll make new friends.”
“But what if I sneeze fire?” Her bottom lip trembled.
Gods, I hadn't thought about that. I glanced at Dray who was bringing the other two inside. He must have heard Kaida because he knelt beside her.
“Remember what Pops taught you? When you feel the tickle in your throat, breathe out slowly through your nose. Your dragon will understand you need to keep the fire inside.”
“But what if I forget?”
“You won’t.” He kissed her forehead. “And if you do, Papa or Pops or Grandpa or I will be there to help.”
Except we wouldn’t. One of us would be volunteering in the classroom every day but starting next week. The school thought we were just overly involved parents. What they didn’t know was that we’d be on fire safety duty.
Brenton zoomed past us heading for the stairs. “I’m gonna wear my dragon costume.”
"Not today,” I yelled after him.
Over the next twenty minutes, Malinda insisted on wearing the sparkly shoes that pinched her toes. Brenton couldn't find his backpack even though it was where we'd left it last night. And Kaida sat on the bottom step, refusing to put on her jacket.
“I’ll stay home with you, Papa. You don't like being alone.”
My heart did flip-flops. “I’ll be fine, sweetheart. And you'll be home before you know it.”
“Promise?”
“Pinky promise.” I hooked our crooked little fingers around the other’s.
Dray loaded the kids into the car while I stood on the porch, wishing I could wind back time. This was harder than laying eggs and waiting for them to hatch. They were going out into the world where I couldn't protect them.
My mate appeared at my side and took my hand. “They'll be okay.”
“What if someone's mean to them or they’re scared?”
“They'll learn they're strong enough to handle it.” He squeezed my fingers. “Just like you did when I showed you who I was.”
But I’d been an adult when I was confronted by a dragon.
The drive to the elementary school took five minutes. Other parents were dropping off their kids, and I watched them hug their children and send them off with smiles. How were they so calm and not sobbing?
We walked the triplets to their classroom that had a colorful alphabet on the wall and beanbags and cushions in the reading corner. Mrs. Anthony had agreed to take all three together after we'd begged. She greeted us at the door. She had twenty years of teaching experience, and Aunt Raine had assured us she was kind and patient and our kids would love her.
“Good morning! Are we excited for our first day?”
Malinda nodded. Brenton was already eyeing the blocks in the play area, while Kaida clutched my hand.
“Your dads have to go now.” Mrs. Anthony told my three. “But they’ll be back at pickup time.”
“I could stay.” I so wanted to. “Just today.”
