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“Mm.” Finch closed his eyes again. “Too soon. Heat should last a week. No doubt I’ll succumb
to it again. You feel too good for it to end now, anyway.”
The compliment bolstered Hugh, who kissed the corner of Finch’s mouth while Finch made
pretty noises for him.
“There is a way for a heat to end prematurely,” Hugh said at last, kissing the words into Finch.
“Do you think maybe you’ve conceived?”
Finch laughed in exhaustion and found Hugh’s lips in full, kissing him soundly. “Impossible.”
“Why?”
“It’s just… outlandish. For reasons we’ve already discussed, I should add.”
“But my brothers’ mates have all conceived, and they’re more or less Disgraces, just like you.”
“Well, yes.”
“And I’ve taken your heat.” Hugh announced it with pride, his chest puffing up a little at the
accomplishment. On the inside, his dragon preened by fanning its wings. What it had wanted
all along was finally theirs. “I know that it’s a long shot, but what if Harrison is right? What if it’s
not all just a fluke, and Disgraces really are dragons? You would lay our eggs, and I would
shower you in gold as you bask with them in the sunlight, their pretty purple shells sparkling
like the jewels they are. Not even heaven could look half as beautiful.”
The tips of Finch’s ears pinkened. “Sir…”
“Hugh,” Hugh corrected with a smile. “I know I shouldn’t count my whelps before they hatch,
but imagine it, Finch. Imagine us curled in bed with young dragons snuggled between us, their
scales still soft and their wings not yet strong enough to lift them off the ground. I think they’d
be like you, you know. Or, rather, I hope they would be. Gentle, meticulous, and so incredibly
intelligent. Our little scholars. Not even Geoffrey’s whelps could compete.”
Finch’s ears pinkened further. “Sir, I think you’re getting ahead of yourself. If you keep
imagining scenarios like that, you’ll only end up disappointed. My heat will take hold again any
time now. It’s natural for it to wax and wane over the course of a week. It doesn’t mean I’ve
conceived.”
Hugh sighed. Finch, as always, was right. It was much too early to get his hopes up. Besides,
fantasizing about the future had only ever brought him heartache. Focusing on the present
was much more sustainable. With that in mind, Hugh asked, “Are you thirsty, Finch? Do you
