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“I guess you did okay,” Uriel said.

“Just okay, huh?” Bruiser smiled.

Uriel didn’t know what to feel about Bruiser feeding and changing Cassie. He hadn’t asked permission, but... he was her dad too. “Maybe you’ll get better with time.”

“I’m allowed to practice?” Bruiser’s gaze dropped to Uriel’s belly.

Fuck. If Uriel wasn’t already knocked up from that first load, he probably was now. His heart tripped. “I guess you may.”

What am I getting myself into?

Bruiser grinned. “Fit me into your schedule? How often can I visit, after... all of this?” He waved vaguely around them.

“Once a week,” Uriel said. “Or maybe twice. We’ll reevaluate after a few weeks.”

“Sounds good to me.”

The thought of Bruiser coming over to visit weekly... It made Uriel’s stomach flip, in a surprisingly good way.

He was about to head to the kitchen to see if Cassie wanted more food, when Cassie made a high squawking sound.

A tiny emerald wing popped out from her back, flapping awkwardly.

“Wah,” she said, and her eyes turned red.

16

NOT THE SNEEZE IN MY FACE!

Bruiser’s heart stopped.

He’d known that Cassie was his daughter. He’d known she was a dragonet.

But to see the color of his scales on her, to know that she was his... It was mind-blowing.

Uriel had frozen too, his gaze flicking up at Bruiser as though he was expecting Bruiser to react badly somehow.

Bruiser wanted to change that.

“She’s beautiful,” he croaked. “May I...?”

Uriel wet his lips, his pulse loud in Bruiser’s ears. “I-I guess you may.”

Carefully, he handed Cassie over, watching Bruiser’s hands like a hawk as though Bruiser might drop her. Then Cassie was in Bruiser’s arms, and she was tiny.

“Boo wah goo,” she said, flapping her little wings.

“You’re amazing,” Bruiser whispered, awed.

She sneezed in his face. It came out as a tiny fireball, and it tickled his skin. Uriel made a choking sound.

“I’m fine,” Bruiser said. “I’m fireproof and so is she, but you already know that.”

“It’s... It takes a while to get used to,” Uriel said.

“She enjoys fire. Watch.” Bruiser turned his head to the side, breathing out a steady plume of the coolest orange flames. Cassie lit up, all bright eyes. She plunged both her chubby hands into the flames.

“Urk,” Uriel said, twitching. But he held back, watching closely as Cassie continued to wriggle her unharmed fingers in the flames. “I... I guess I needed to see that. I’ve never let her sit in flames before.”