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Of course, his beast was correct. At some point during her lessons, Percy had admitted she’d never seen a dragon up close. Ever since, Bronx had been thinking of ways to show her his and allow her to touch him anywhere, to fulfill her curiosity.
Percy dropped her hands. “Okay. When?”
“We could go now, if you want. If later is better, just tell me.”
“Now, before I lose my nerve.”
He didn’t miss how she hadn’t frowned or paused at him asking her a question, allowing her a choice. His dragonwoman was closer and closer to being who she was meant to be.
Not that Percy was his; she never would be. He was her teacher, and he’d be proud of her, no matter what. That’s it.
His dragon laughed, but Bronx ignored it. “Right, we’ll walk to Stonefire together, and then I’ll go on ahead to shift while you hang out with Violet. I’ll roar when I’m ready.”
She might be willing to see his dragon, but he didn’t know if she could handle watching anyone shift forms, let alone be okay with his nudity. Dragon-shifters didn’t really care about nakedness, but Percy was a special case.
She nodded. “Okay. Let me just change.”
Once she left the room, Violet asked him, “Do you still want me to walk by the tattoo design place while we wait for you to shift?”
He faced his daughter. “Yes. Although don’t force her to go in there. I just want her to warm up to the idea.”
So when he offered to let Percy take that important step, to get a tattoo of her own, she’d be ready for it.
* * *
Percy’s nervefaltered as they passed through the main gates and walked onto the clan lands proper. Yes, she’d stared at the dragons flying overhead every chance she had. But for some reason, she hadn’t thought about asking to see one up close, probably because she was so far from doing it herself and didn’t want to get discouraged.
But seeing a dragon form in person might help make some of her studies easier to understand. Her memories of her inner dragon were hazy, and maybe knowing more details could help her imagine her dragon, share memories, and get her to come out again.
Once they passed the main security building for Stonefire—Protector building, she reminded herself to use the dragon term—Bronx said, “I’ll dash off ahead. I’ll let you know when I’m ready. Okay?”
Percy nodded, and Bronx half-jogged down the path. Before she could stop herself, she stated, “How can he run with missing part of his leg?”
Violet threaded her arm through hers. Percy barely noticed at this point since the female did it so often. “Oh, the things they can do these days are brilliant. He has different prosthetics for different activities. He’s even going to try one out for the first time today in his dragon form.”
For some reason, Percy hadn’t put it together that he’d have the same missing part in his dragon form. “Oh. Can he fly?”
“I don’t know, really.” She lowered her voice. “He hasn’t shifted much since the incident. I was surprised he suggested it, but I’m definitely happy he did.”
She frowned. “Why would he do it for me, then?”
Violet replied, “I have my theories, but I’m keeping them to myself.”
Before Percy could probe further, Violet waved at someone in the distance. “There’s Melanie and Tristan.”
Percy looked up, and sure enough, the human female waved at them. Percy tentatively raised a hand in greeting. Melanie elbowed her mate. He rolled his eyes and then also waved. The interaction made her smile. They were clearly comfortable with each other, and their personalities also seemed to complement one another.
What, what the fuck?Why would I waste time on noticing such things?
Not wanting to think too closely on that, she took in the shops as they passed. Seeing so much food, clothing, or miscellaneous goods laid out for sale was still strange for her.
After all, she’d never purchased anything in her life to date.
Then they passed the silversmith shop. The case in the window displayed some rings, cuffs, and even necklaces. But in the upper half of the glass were various designs drawn in black ink, with notes such as “Celebrate a birthday” or “Give your new baby their welcoming present.”
Most of the ink drawings had thicker lines, although there were a few with thinner, daintier-looking ones.
Percy nearly touched her arm where hers should’ve been but wasn’t.
