Page 23 of Dragon My Crazy

“Isn’t most of this land owned by the government?”

“Sure. Part of the territory is private; the rest is crown land. But that was before they knew a dragon had been living on it. Theland was bestowed upon me centuries ago by the native tribes that had once called it home. It’s mine. And besides, are they going to fight a dragon over it?”

“Good point.”

We made our way over to the toy store, which from the outside didn’t look open at all. There were no signs and no lights, just a plain wooden door. But when Emmett turned the handle, a cheerful bell chimed, and the door swung open to reveal a riot of color. Shelves overflowed with toys, from plush animals to wooden blocks to miniature tea sets. The air smelled of fresh paint and crayons. This was more like it.

A peppy woman with warm dark skin and a bright smile poked her head out from behind a shelf, her hands full of stuffed animals. “Oh! We aren’t open yet. I didn’t expect…” Her words trailed off as her gaze landed on Emmett, her eyes widening just a fraction before she recovered. “Come on in. How can I help you?”

“We’re looking for some children’s books,” I said. “And maybe a toy or two.”

The woman’s smile widened, and she set down the armful of plushies. “Books and toys? You’ve come to the right place. I’m Natasha, by the way.” She wiped her hands on her apron, which was covered in tiny, embroidered stars.

“I’m Elana, and this is Emmett.”

It seemed Emmett was letting me take the lead now. I’d noticed how his expression had changed since finding out that most of the town knew him. Was he worried?

“What kind of books are you thinking of? Board books? Bath books? Story books for bedtime?”

“All of the above,” I said, stepping forward. “She’s… energetic. So we need things that can handle a little rough play.”

“Ah, say no more. We’ve got some durable options.” She led us to a corner of the store where a small display of sturdy, fabric-covered books sat. “These are great for little ones—they’re chew-proof, tear-proof, and easy to clean. And over here…” She gestured to a bin of chunky board books with bright, simple illustrations. “These are perfect for tiny hands and paws. Some even have textures for sensory play.”

Emmett picked up a book with a dragon on the cover. He flipped through the pages, looking amused.

“And for bath time,” Natasha continued, pointing to a shelf of waterproof books with floating pages, “these are a hit with the little ones. They stick to the tub walls when wet.”

She handed me a pastel-colored basket, and I started loading it up.

“Now, for toys. Any particular interests?”

“She loves stuffed animals,” Emmett said.

Which surprised me because I hadn’t seen any stuffed animals in the playroom at all.

“We have stuffed animals of all sorts, real and ‘mythical.’” She put air quotes around the last word. “The kids here like seeing representation. It’s why our dolls come in every skin, fur, and scale color imaginable.” She picked at an adorable-looking dragon with green scales and held it out to Emmett.

He hesitated, like he thought taking it would confirm his dragonhood and put Melantha at risk. Then, as if deciding that it wouldn’t matter since all this was out of his control anyway, he took the dragon. As he turned it over in his hands, his expression softened. “She’ll love this.”

“You should bring her over sometime. We are doing story time every Friday afternoon. It’s good for them to spend time with other kids.”

“She likes to be in her other form,” I said, hoping that didn’t give too much away. I didn’t want to air Emmett’s dirty laundry inadvertently.

“That’s no problem. So many of the kids here have animal sides, they wouldn’t mind. There’s a kid named Reese, who has a habit of turning bear in public just to get out of wearing clothes.”

That had me grinning and remembering Seth’s no-pants phase.

Just then, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw the name Howl & Honey flashing on the screen. “It’s the brunch place,” I said, answering the call. “Hello?”

“Hi there! This is Howl & Honey. We’ve got a table ready for you if you can make it in the next ten minutes.”

I glanced at Emmett, who raised an eyebrow. “We’ve got a table,” I told him.

“Great,” he said, grabbing a few more plushies and stuffing them into the basket. “We’ll be right there.”

I hung up and turned back to Natasha. “Looks like we’ve got to run, but this is perfect. Thank you.”

She grinned. “Anytime. And if you need anything else, don’t hesitate to ask. We’re here to help.”