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The grass was a few feet under her, and she finally maneuvered her wings and slowly placed her rear limbs on the ground. She did wobble a bit as she folded her wings against her back, but she managed to stay in place. She roared her success, and both of the males in human form smiled at her.
Tristan spoke first. “Yes, you did well, Percy. You have the green light from me.”
Kai nodded. “As long as you stay close to Stonefire, you have permission to fly whenever you wish. Although you need to pass a few more tests before you can attempt longer flights, such as to Lochguard.”
While the longer flights were her next goal, she didn’t care if she could only fly close to home for now—because shecouldfly whenever she wished.
The two males gave their goodbyes and headed over the crest before the two jumped into the air—one black dragon and one golden one.
Once they were gone, Percy closed her eyes and imagined her wings melting into her back, her snout shrinking into a nose, and her limbs becoming arms and legs again. Once she finished, she opened her eyes and saw that Bronx and Violet were already in their human forms—Bronx in trousers and Violet wearing a loose dress.
Violet rushed over with something for Percy, and she put on her own dress. Once she was done, Violet hugged her. “You were brilliant, Percy. I told you that you’d pass on the first try.”
After squeezing her stepdaughter one last time, she pulled back and nodded. “You were definitely one of my biggest cheerleaders. I’m glad I didn’t disappoint you.”
Bronx grunted, right behind his daughter. “You’d never disappoint us.”
She jumped into his arms, and Bronx held her close a beat before taking her lips in a deep kiss. Once he finally allowed her up for air, he studied her face. “But you’re sure you feel okay?”
Rolling her eyes, she took his hand and placed it over her belly. “I’m fine. I’m still allowed to shift, as Dr. Sid told you about a million times.”
His hand lightly rubbed her abdomen. His voice was soft, for her ears only, as he said, “I know. But I still worry.”
She cupped his cheek with her free hand. “If I feel ill or unwell, I’ll tell you. I always do.”
He smiled, kissed her gently, and nodded. “I know. I just love you so much.”
“And I love you. But it doesn’t mean I’ll let you coddle me whenever you feel like it.”
“I know, love. And I’ll keep trying not to worry so much.”
She was about to kiss him again when Violet’s voice broke through. “Come on, you two, or I might eat the entire picnic Tristan and Kai brought for us.”
Bronx frowned. “You know Percy needs to keep up her strength.”
Violet raised her brows. “She eats plenty. After all, who’s been teaching her to cook more and more?”
Percy bit her lip to keep from smiling. The pair always argued about who would teach her something next. It was adorable, really, to watch Bronx and his teenage daughter stand toe-to-toe.
Her mate pulled her to his side and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Let’s just eat and not argue. I’m starving.”
Violet shook her head then raced ahead to the basket filled with sandwiches, biscuits, fruit, and drinks. After she’d laid out the blanket and then unpacked the food, Percy turned to face Bronx and wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s okay to share duties with Violet. It doesn’t mean you love me any less.”
He grunted. “I should do it. You’re my mate.”
“As long as I’m taught by a dragon I trust, that’s good enough. Besides, I like spending some of my time with you in an entirely different way.”
He pulled her closer. “Hm, and what could that be?”
She lightly ran her fingers through the hair at his nape. “The kind where I stay naked and try not to wake your daughter.”
He laughed and then kissed her. As he explored her mouth, his familiar taste comforting and hot at the same time, she sighed and enjoyed what her life had become.
As they finally sat down to eat lunch, they laughed and shared stories about the area or just chatted about things that didn’t really matter.
Surrounded by love, Percy couldn’t believe this had become her life. Never in a million years had she envisioned being happy, let alone with not only her inner dragon, but also Bronx, Violet, his family, and even all of Stonefire by her side.
She finally belonged somewhere. More than that, she was loved in return.
All it’d taken was the male at her side to teach her how to trust herself, her dragon, and him. His daughter hadn’t taken long to earn the same.
And most importantly, she was no longer alone. As she laughed at Bronx and Violet’s latest teasing argument, Percy placed a hand over the small bump of her belly and felt whole. She’d found her family and her place, and she was going to hold on to it tightly and never let go.
* * *
