Waking up was a bit awkward.

  It was by no means Alys’ fault. My unease stemmed from the same part of me that had dredged up all sorts of questionable ideas the day prior. That part now expected some kind of hurtful gesture or reminder of what I’d done, to drive home the point of my mistake.

  Instead, my dragoness was obviously willing to leave the matter behind us and move on.

  I appreciated that more than I could possibly express, and gave her an extra deep kiss once we were done dressing for the day. That put an adorable little smile on her face. We headed downstairs hand in hand, her tail wrapped firmly around my waist.

  We were greeted with smiles and breakfast, just like we had been the last few days. No mention of my blunder was forthcoming from her parents, either. If anything, they looked genuinely pleased to see us in a good mood, clearly having worked things through.

  Maybe none of that should have surprised me after my chat with Aesa the night before, but it did. It was so very not fae-like that I couldn’t help smiling.

  Breakfast slipped by me quickly, lost in the glow of that same happiness. It was only when Amara excitedly asked Alys what was planned for the day and how she could help, only for Aesa to cut in with an ‘ahem’, that some tension appeared in the atmosphere.

  “I will need both Alys and Thorn for a while before they can turn their attention to their daily tasks. As I said yesterday, I have something I want to show them. There is also a conversation we need to have.”

  “And this can’t wait?” Amara asked sharply. Aesa shook her head. The draconian huffed and turned away from her mother, but she did nod. “Fine. But I expect to have my daughter returned to me soon.”

  “I will do my best,” was Grandmother’s dry response as she stood up, motioning for us to follow even while Soren was still collecting empty dishes.

  I caught a warning glare from Amara, clearly meant to remind me to keep my word, before she huffed again and went to help her mate. Even so, Alys and I followed Aesa with only mild trepidation.

  I actually didn’t feel like Amara’s worry was warranted. Certainly, convincing us to go back to her lair had been Aesa’s original plan. But I simply couldn’t believe that the woman with whom I’d shared that sincere conversation mere hours ago would push the issue now.

  Even as I mused on the subject, I was entertained to find us heading in a familiar direction. I had no proof, seeing as we’d only just left our home, but the route Aesa was taking made me guess our final destination was the grove where the special manchineel trees grew, grafted with the mildly suspicious flowers.

  It certainly seemed to be the most popular place to have difficult conversations around these parts, lately.

  Aesa then broke the pattern by speaking long before we arrived.

  “Would you like to come with me back to my lair? I promise I will provide whatever you need or desire, be it for your pursuits, leisure, or simple whims.”

  The offer rang out, clear and simple. While I wish I could say it held no appeal at all, that would be a lie. Still, I was not about to trade the happiness of my dragoness for safety and comfort, even without my promise to Amara.

  “No.” Alys’ answer was simpler still, and rather absolute. I, naturally, said nothing to undermine it.

  The sigh that escaped Grandmother was, surprisingly, equal parts relief and frustration. There was a beat of silence. Then, “Very well. I will not press, or attempt to change your mind.”

  The speed at which Alys’ head whipped around would have snapped the neck of a mortal. “What? Really? But…”

  “But nothing.” Grandmother chortled, weary amusement shining through the sound. “I’ve had some things pointed out to me recently, and… I do not want you to be unhappy, my sweetling. I would prefer it if you were safe under my wing, but if that is not what you wish, then I will… adjust my plans.”

  That sounded vaguely ominous. But I couldn’t find it in me to worry about Aesa, of all people, scheming against us.

  “I do have a request, however,” she went on, which made me grin.

  I should have expected something like this. It was a classic strategy to surrender a major point in order to make a ‘lesser’ request sound more reasonable.

  “Go on,” my dragoness prompted. I gave her hand a gentle squeeze of support.

  Grandmother’s next words confused me, simply because I had no reference for who she was talking about.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  “I would like to have Lilly come here.”

  “Lilly?!” Alys squawked, eyes going wide. “You can’t possibly mean that! She has a family of her own and a proper life in your lair!”

  “She has a mate, yes, but I don’t believe you would object to him accompanying her, hrrrmm? As for her children, they are grown already. Really, she has been rather restless of late, with no one to fuss over.”

  “But —”

  Grandmother cut Alys off. “I do believe we are confusing your mate with our chatter. He has no idea who Lilly is, does he?”

  “Well, no. I haven’t talked a lot about our — your — kobolds,” my dragoness admitted with a faint flush.

  “And this has nothing to do with the fact that he keeps teasing you when the subject is brought up?” Aesa drawled.

  My grin widened. “Oh, I would never! I serve my mistress with all my heart, so such behavior would be unbecoming of me,” I purred, getting a swat on the nose for my troubles as Alys glared at me.

  “Thorn, not now.”

  I stifled laughter, but nodded.

  “Anyway!” my dragoness continued. “Lilly is… well, she was there every step of the way throughout my childhood, helping my mother raise me. She’s the one who taught me how to cook, actually. I went to her for all sorts of other stuff as well, once Mother… well, never mind. Lilly even helped me pack when I decided to leave.”

  “Yes, that little kobold loves you like her own,” Aesa mused softly, sadly, before shaking off whatever morose thoughts threatened to grip her. “As I said, her nest is currently empty, and she has been trying to overcompensate. You, meanwhile, will need all the help and support you can get soon enough. Having a child is more terrifying than you can imagine.”

  She sounded utterly sincere. Not that I had a reason to doubt her, considering how far the dragoness had spiraled in her need to ensure her daughter’s safety. I even noticed a small shudder running down to the tip of her tail, making the appendage lash out behind her uncontrollably.

  “Even small things, like making sure your child is fed, can be frightening until you are used to them. Let alone the first time they manage to injure themselves somehow, or they fall ill.” The scowl these memories provoked was a fearsome thing. “We are fortunate in that we do not get sick easily, but there is a minor fever all dragons and draconians go through when their flames first roar to life properly.” She cleared her throat and looked away. “I will admit I panicked when it happened to your mother.”

  No matter how at odds the idea of a panicky parent should have been with The Molten Expanse, I definitely had no trouble imagining that.

  “What I am trying to say is that having an experienced kobold around, who has both helped raise you and has raised children of her own, will be helpful. I wish I could also provide you with a skilled helper who was experienced with fae children, in case your hatchling shows more of their father’s parentage than expected, but I do not think I can do so subtly or quietly.”

  That was a bit of an understatement. The servants fae trusted around their children were the sort of staff held close by the family in question. As for getting an actual fae to provide their expertise in childcare, I wouldn’t accept such help, even if Aesa somehow managed to find it.

  There was absolutely no chance I was letting any member of my kind anywhere close to our child, with the sole exception of Kiri.

  “Maybe Kiri will know something?” I mused aloud, drawing their attention. “She has many siblings, so she probably picked up a few things. It wouldn’t hurt to ask for advice.”

  Alys immediately nodded, some relief showing in her eyes.

  Aesa frowned at us. “The Winter fae, correct? Hyel did inform me of her presence in town, and Amara told me about meeting her yesterday.”

  At the mention of Hyel, Alys stiffened next to me and narrowed her eyes slightly at her grandmother.

  “Yes. Kiri is a good friend. I would trust her around our child,” my dragoness snapped, her voice somewhat colder than usual.

  Aesa arched a brow at that, but did not comment. “Hrrrm. Well, if both of you trust her, then I shall not protest. Despite the experience I have with the Winter Court.”

  “Kiri is unusually sweet and kind, even for a regular fae, let alone a member of her Court. More so than I am,” I admitted with a sigh. “She looked thoroughly terrified on our behalf when Alys announced her pregnancy. Happy for us, yes, but terrified. I genuinely wish there was something we could do for her. I know for a fact that so much of her life is ruled by fear.”

  What went unsaid was the absolute legitimacy of that fear.

  I was nearly paralyzed at the thought of my Court catching up to me, and even at his worst, I didn’t think Autumn would quite match up to what Winter would do to a ‘traitor.’ Likewise, it was possible that Kiri’s punishment would be all the worse for being Winter’s own daughter.

  “Hrm. I do hope we will start laying defenses soon. I would like both of you to be involved in that. It is always best to know what security measures are protecting your lair. If you can contribute at all, grandson, it would be helpful to know how you plan to do so before integrating your own work into mine. Perhaps we can start off by establishing some defenses for the Winter fae in question, as practice? This can pay for the favor of having her assist you with your child.”

  I blinked, not having expected the offer at all. Then again, it made sense that The Molten Expanse was aware of how fae games were played. Were either Kiri or I more traditional in that regard, this would have been an amazing avenue to sidestep debt or the accrual of favors.

  Yet I didn’t even have to obey that particular song and dance. Offering my Winter fae friend some peace of mind was a worthy endeavor all on its own.

  I nodded. “I will ask Kiri for her opinion, but I do believe that is an excellent idea.”

  “How exactly are you planning to improve our home’s security, anyway?” Alys asked, sounding a little suspicious. “Also, we got sidetracked. I…”

  She chewed on her lip before a sigh escaped her. I couldn’t fully untangle the emotions tied up in it. “Fine. You can have Lilly come here, if she wants to. I don’t want you to pressure her into doing so! Promise me that, Grandmother.”

  “Very well, you have my word that I will not,” Aesa agreed easily. Too easily, especially when paired with that small, self-satisfied smile.

  I noted, with some amusement, that bargaining with creatures of her power nearly always meant said creatures got what they wanted.

  I could only be thankful that Aesa no longer seemed to want to tuck us away into her lair. If she tried to force us, I doubted I could ever mount a sufficiently stiff defense to ward her off.

  get a free ebook copy of the first book over on Patreon!