Sky.
The closer we got the bluer it was. The clouds growing more translucent.
Clouds.
Holy shit!
We were flying!
Joy was too soft a word for what we felt when we looked down and spotted the others far below us. And this time, we didn’t forget to flap.
Colors danced over our scales, tones constantly changing as the light struck them from different angles, the same as Opal’s shell. Then ruby hues twinkled at the edge of my vision, as Odem joined me. Our eggs certainly took after their parents.
More colors came into view, and as we banked into a turn I saw that the sky was filled with dragons now.
My mate shimmers like the moon, but with many more colors.
And my mate has a silver tongue,I replied.
Yup, and I know how to use it too.
You’re pretty proud of that, aren’t you?I asked, though I already knew the answer.
You know it.
Our family had joined us, and we could feel how proud they were of this accomplishment. We circled the compound, flying over our home and yard, always sticking close to our precious eggs, safely tucked inside with my brother.
The look on his face, startled at first, until he realized that it was me peering into the nursery window, and he gave me a bright smile and a thumbs up, was one that would be burned into my memory forever.
We were dragons.
My landing wasn’t graceful and resulted in yet another large dent in the earth. Maybe we could turn them into fountains to commemorate the moment. The butterflies and bees would certainly appreciate that. An idea took hold, of assigning each one a specific theme and crafting special play spaces for the girls, where they could read or play or just lay back and daydream. The tree I’d crash-landed at the base of could use a swing, and pretty flowers around the edge of the dent, and fairy lights that twinkled.
There was a mini-earth quake as dragons landed one after the other, but in my head it sounded like applause. Preening, I basked in the moment, the quick peek at my eggs I’d gotten through the nursery window the only thing that kept me from rushing back the moment my feet touched the ground.
Now though, I was more than ready to cuddle back up with them again and see if my mate could whip up a batch of scallops and deviled eggs. The pregnancy might be over, but some of those cravings had become my new favorite foods, and right now, I was starving.
Holy shit flying was exhausting.
Shifting back made me rearrange my priorities. Nap with the girls first, delicious treats later.
“You were stunning up there, mate,” Odem said, engulfing me in a hug when we stepped back inside.
It didn’t matter that we were naked in our kitchen, my mate never missed an opportunity to hold me.
“Let’s get you tucked back into the nest,” he said, and just like when I was still carrying the eggs, he carried me up the stairs andpaused in our bedroom to sit me on the bed, so he could dress me in sleep shorts and a top.
“Thank you,” I said, stroking his cheek after he’d tugged the top over my head. “You were so amazing the whole time I was waddling around here, constantly bugging you for deviled eggs and seafood.”
“You want deviled eggs, don’t you?” Odem asked, nuzzling my hand.
Giggling, I cupped his cheek and drew him closer. “Perhaps.”
Turns out it’s impossible to silence your mate’s answer with a kiss when they can speak in your mind.
No perhaps. They’ll be waiting for you after your nap.
You are the sweetest, most considerate dragon in the world.
