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“And the griffin?” He picked up the stuffed toy. “How difficult was it to win?”
“Oh…” Korinnae’s eyes lit up. “You had to throw rings onto bottles.”
“How many?”
“Three!”
“And you landed all of them?”
“Every single one.” She puffed out her chest proudly.
As if sensing her gaze, Asterion looked up to meet Ria’s eyes across the coffee table. A small, almost sheepish smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. A feeling stirred in her heart as she smiled back at him, but before she could make sense of it, Asterion turned his attention back to Korinnae.
“So,” he said, picking up the dragon once more. “Tell me exactly how you made this.”
Korinnae launched into an animated explanation of the clay collapsing twice before she finally got it right. When she reached the point where she insisted that the final creation was a masterpiece, she looked to Maldenis for confirmation. The basilisk immediately nodded along while Liora joined in with an encouraging smile, both of them supporting the little calf’s version of events without hesitation.
The opening notes of a familiar song filled the air, and Hektor was on his feet before anyone could say a word.
“Oh no,” Zara groaned, already hiding her face behind one hand.
“Oh yes,” Hektor declared. He grabbed the microphone with the confidence of someone about to perform before a sold-out arena rather than a living room full of friends.
“I dedicate this song,” he announced dramatically, pointing toward his mate, “to the woman who still hasn’t admitted I hit every note.”
“No chance of that happening,” Zara called back, her cheeks already pink.
Hektor pressed a hand to his heart as though deeply wounded. “I sing only with love.”
“You sing only with enthusiasm.”
The room erupted in laughter as music swelled through the speakers, and Hektor launched into the song with unwavering confidence. Whether or not he was actually in tune seemed beside the point. Everyone clapped along anyway.
“Come on, Hektor!”
“You’ve got this!”
“Hit the high note!”
“I cannot believe I’m mated to him.” Zara buried her face in her hands, laughing so hard she could barely breathe.
“You absolutely can,” Liora said dryly.
Hektor spun dramatically toward Zara and dropped to one knee during the chorus while the room exploded with whistles and cheers.
Zara rolled her eyes. “I am never leaving the house with you again.”
“You said that last time.”
“And I meant it then, too!”
Ria found herself laughing until tears gathered in her eyes. She hadn’t expected Vale Crossing to have karaoke nights, and she hadn’t expected Hektor to embrace them with such theatrical commitment.
“What are we going to sing?” Korinnae said before pulling Ria to sit next to them.
“You mean,” Asterion corrected, “what are you going to sing.”
“No.” She shook her head.
