Page 52 of To Mate A Dragon

“Me too!” Haime agrees. Her little tail catches in my hair.

Zaeyr hums. “You will have to find a dragon of your own, little one.”

“I will!”

“I’ll find one too,” Gullis announces.

The four of us adults share a concerned look.

“Not today,” Issa says, swallowing.

“Nope, not today. Or tomorrow,” I add.

“Or next week,” Issa continues.

“Maybe next year,” I laugh.

“Ugh.”

It’s something that’s been on my mind too. Are there others like us out there? Dragon and human, bonded? And if there are, how many? Where are they?

Zaeyr tugs me against him as a flock of eagles soar by. I lean into him again.It doesn’t matter.

We stay up on the ledge until the sun begins to set. We make camp and tell stories. The children play, wrestle, and fight. They eventually fall asleep, Haime’s tail curled around Gullis’s ankle.

I’ll never really know if there are others.

And that’s okay.

Venys is a big world, after all.

Zaeyr places his hand on my stomach, pulling my attention back to him. When our eyes meet, his flash, bold, bright, and blue. A dark, hungry look I know so well.

I don’t need to search for others, because this is mine, it’s everything I want. More than I could have ever hoped for.

My heart swells. I’m ready.