Gone was my claim against her skin.
She belonged to the dragons now.
I chuckled, nudging her off. “Go on. See your dragons.”
She needed no further encouragement. With a grateful smile, she launched from my lap and darted through the graveyard of a nest. I flinched when shestumbled, heart seizing. One misstep and she’d be skewered on those ivory spikes—but this was her world.
Kalepsi lowered her snout, nostrils flaring as she sniffed the eggs. Her pupils flared, then constricted to slits. When Nienna leaned against a claw thick as her torso, the great dragon let out a soft croon.
A pale egg cracked. A jagged line split the shell, and a muffled squeal tore through the lair. The thing inside thrashed, venting its fury. I drew a knee up, leaning forward, watching.
The top burst open. A smoky blue head pushed through, blinking eyes gleaming like wet river rock. Slitted pupils narrowed as it studied the world, then it ducked back into the shell.
I smiled at its retreat.
The egg exploded. Fragments flew, rattling across the stone. The creature surged out, hissing as it shook off the confines of its prison. It wasn’t afraid—it wasenraged.
Slick wings sagged under their own weight. It staggered, crumpling sideways. Kalepsi answered with a gentle warble, the tone coaxing. The hatchling blinked up at her.
Then it turned and locked eyes with Nienna.
My smile faded.
It bared tiny teeth and snapped. I tensed, palm flat on my thigh, resisting the urge to yank her back. Her voice drifted through the air, soft and steady. She didn’t flinch. It cocked its head, predator-like. Her lips curled into a quiet grin as she murmured something I couldn’t hear.
Clumsily, it rose. Wings tucked tight, it stood, swaying on legs too new to trust.
It struck.
Its muzzle slammed into her palm—teeth closed harmlessly.
Her laughter rang out, clear and sweet, and relief dropped from my chest like a stone. The little beast, slick with egg and trembling with life, stumbled into her. Kalepsi hissed, batting it aside with a casual flick. It tumbled, huffed, then settled its head on Nienna’s lap.
Pride hit me so hard I had to exhale. Dragons adored her. She could have ruled an empire with them and still, she chose to love me. This was her palace, surrounded by beasts and bone, danger and fire. She belonged in the heart of it.
Eggs split, one by one, like oversized chicks clawing into daylight. Only, these chicks could swallow a man whole.
I remained by the wall, spine stiff, as the hatchlings clawed free beneath Kalepsi’s vigilant stare. Argos never moved. Whenever I shifted to ease the ache in my back, she hissed as if I’d threatened her clutch.
Even after the last egg cracked, Nienna stayed among them. The firstborn blue clutched her shawl in its teeth, snarling as siblings fought over the torn fabric. They stalked among the bone-pile, sniffing for movement.
Restless.
Argos rose and leapt from the Spire’s ledge.
One of the red hatchlings, hide the color of dried blood, nosed at Nienna’s dress and nipped the hem.
“No.” She batted it away with her finger pointed to its snout, voice firm.
Kalepsi backed the command with a hiss, teeth bared behind Nienna. The redling flinched, twisting to growl at its siblings instead.
Moments later, Argos returned, clutching a thrashing shark in his jaws. The sea-beast dangled like a toy. Compared to the dragon, it barely counted as a meal. Still, it would feed the hatchlings.
Argos landed near the Nest’s edge, posture cautious, scarlet dripping from his fangs.
Kalepsi’s lip curled in warning, then she returned her attention back to her young.
Apparently, that was permission.
