Page 33 of Wedding the Werepanther

Dewdrop holds out another for Shadow. “They’re apricots!”

“Purple apricots?” I share a glance with Shadow.

“ThisisFaerie.” He gives a fluid shrug and grins.

“It’s good.” The dragonet digs into his apricot and smacks his mouth together with relish. “Try it.”

The dark-purple skin splits under my teeth, and the juice floods my mouth. The sweet and tangy taste reminds me of an apricot, if an apricot went through a hundred flavor power-ups, that is. I hum in approval. “It’s fantastic!”

“I love it,” Shadow adds.

Dewdrop gives a happy chirp and finishes off his fruit, his little hands spinning it deftly until nothing remains but the pit. He launches from my arms to go and get more.

My eyes track him as worry strikes. “What am I going to do? I have to go back to Earth, but his food is here.” I gesture toward the other dragonets. “His friends. His family.”

“Why don’t you ask him what he wants?”

I nod jerkily. “Yeah, good idea.” The dragonet deserves the right to choose.

When Dewdrop lands on me again, I cuddle him close, enjoying his purr in case… well, in case things don’t turn out. “Hey, so I’m your witch, and you’re my familiar.” I swallow. “ButI have to go home, and it’s not near here—it’s not even in this realm. Do you want to come home with me?”

“Of course I want to come with you.” Dewdrop’s blue eyes sparkle. “You’re my witch.”

I quickly add, “There aren’t any purple apricots or dragonets there.”

“You don’t have fruit?”

“No, we do, just not these. We’ve got orange apricots, grapes, apples, berries, pineapple, mango, and lots more.”

“You havegotto try mango,” Shadow says. “It’s delicious.”

“I want to tryallthe new fruits.” The dragonet bumps his head against my cheek and starts to purr. “And I won’t be alone. I’ll be with you.”

I hug him close, my throat thickening with emotion. Oh, god. How can I love Dewdrop so much already? Is it the familiar bond or his sweetness? Or could it be a long-hidden longing from my childhood, when I constantly asked for a pet, but my father wouldn’t let me?

It doesn’t matter. We might have only just met, but I trust the tiny dragon already. It’s an absolute relief to care for him without having to second-guess if I should.

The werepanther stirs. “Ready to go home?”

“Yeah,” I say softly. Home to Victoria. Home to my witch besties. Home with Dewdrop and the little family I’m creating.

Home with Shadow.

Worried the dragonet might escape my hold on the shadow roads, I transfer him to Shadow, who takes off his shirt to fashion a sling he ties around Dewdrop.

There he goes, taking off his clothesagain. But he’s got a great reason to this time, so I don’t say anything. That doesn’t mean I’m going to let him win this round, though. When Shadow catches me staring at his chest, I reach out and pet Dewdrop’shead, making it seem like I was doing nothing more than checking on my familiar.

The werepanther’s smirk tells me I haven’t fooled him.

Hands clasped together, we run the shadow roads all the way home, only popping out whenever we need to pass through one of the doors of Faerie. Each time, Dewdrop looks around excitedly. “Are we there yet?”

I chuckle and rub his head. “Not yet.”

When we finally step out into Victoria’s entryway, I hurry to say, “We’re home.”

“Where were you? I couldn’tfeelyou!”The pictures swirl around the parchment.“I didn’t like it at all.”

“We visited the dragon realm,” Shadow says.