Page 6 of A Dragon's Miracle (Fires of Fate)

My phone rangearly that evening, and I had to smile when I saw Finn’s name on the screen. I’d expected his call a little later, but apparently he couldn’t wait any longer. Patience had never been my friend’s strong suit. Not that I minded. Jin was eating and I had a few minutes to myself, since I was lacking any and all appetite.

“Hey, everything okay with you?” Finn asked. “How’s your family?”

“They’re great,” I lied, although I hoped it was the truth. I had no way of knowing.

“Good, and you? Are you happy to be home?”

“Home’s not bad,” I said, not even lying because I didn’t consider this place home. My home was on the Island of Dragons now, and I was mostly happy there when I wasn’t being plagued by my conscience.

“Great, I—”

I didn’t hear what Finn said next because I had to cough.

“Are you okay?” Finn asked when I was done. “You do that a lot lately.”

“Just a persistent cold that won’t go away.” Jin wouldn’t give me my medicine until I’d stayed with him for a few days. I’d just have to put up with the coughing until then.

“Take care of yourself, okay? If you were here, I’d make you some soup.”

I smiled. “You mean you would heat up some soup that your mom made.”

“But I would do it with love!”

I had to laugh. “You’re so silly.”

“I made you laugh, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, you did.” Quite the feat too, considering my circumstances. But that was Finn’s super-power, making me laugh even while staying with my asshole of a boyfriend. “So how are things on your end?”

“Oh, not too bad. I visited Zed today. He was taking care of Allory and one time when he changed her diaper she peed all over him. It was hilarious.”

The image made me chuckle. God, I wanted to be home.

“You ever think about having kids some day?” Finn asked.

The question came so unexpectedly that I couldn’t respond immediately. “I… used to,” I said eventually. It had been a dream of mine long before my life had changed direction so drastically. These days I feared I wasn’t capable of having children, and even if I was, I couldn’t bring them into the life I was leading. Really, when I thought of possibly getting pregnant from my current boyfriend, my infertility was a blessing rather than a curse.

“You used to, but not anymore? What turned you off? The diaper story?”

“No, it’s not that.” I was about to say something else when Jin called my name from the other room.

“That a relative?” Finn asked.

“Yeah,” I said and sighed with dread before I could stop myself. “I gotta go.”

“Okay. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Alright,” I said, clutching the phone just a bit harder before hanging up. Roughly twenty-four hours before I’d hear from him again. A few days before I could get back to the island to be with him again. I could make it through anything Jin could throw at me just for that.