Page 53 of Horn in My Side

“Yeah. But, it’s kinda complicated.” She didn’t want to go over her business—and personal—relationship with Mal at the moment. “But I have my boss’s verbal agreement that she’s mine, and soon, I’ll be the owner of Fantastic Tails as well.”

“Oh good,” he said with a sigh of relief.

“Paperwork’ll be simple, just a signed and notarized affidavit.

By the way, you should consider joining our training classes.

We have a few sessions online, but most people find that face to face is better.

When Clawdia’s ready, you can take her to my ranch for more advanced courses too. ”

“Sounds good. I’ll definitely look into it. However, I’ve already been training her.”

“You have?” he asked. “How?”

“I watched some online videos. She’s very responsive to food and loves to play. I’ve already taught her sit, wait, lie down, spin, and fetch and drop it.”

“Really?” He rubbed at his chin. “Interesting. Say, Ms. Gonzalez—”

“Jasmine, please.”

“Then call me Harry. Anyway, Jasmine, do you think I can see your Clawdia? To check on her, see if she’s developing properly. I don’t just sell dragon eggs. I’ve been breeding and training them at my ranch for thirty years.”

“Sure. I’d love your expert opinion.”

Jasmine led Harry to the back office, which had been expanded to twice its size now. Clawdia’s crate was also three times larger than it originally was and now took up an entire corner of the room.

“Good spell work here.” Rubbing at his chin, Harry examined his surroundings. “Orc handiwork, I bet?”

“Yes,” she confirmed. “Mal—the current owner—is an orc.”

“Ah, that means you already have the best fireproofing magic on the market. I don’t need to send my warlocks over.

I trust orc work. You know you need to keep her away from other creatures and the general public for at least a year, right?

To build her immune system.” She nodded. “Good. May I see her now?”

“One moment.” As soon as Jasmine approached the pen, Clawdia got up on her back legs and started scratching at the bars.

She did her usual routine of telling the hatchling to wait before she opened the gate.

Clawdia leapt out, and sniffed at her, accepting a few scratches on the chin and head before she turned her attention to Harry.

Cautiously, she approached the stranger, sniffing at his feet.

He, in turn, crouched low to the ground and held out his palm.

Three small nuts, a little larger than almonds, lay on top, which Clawdia swiftly scarfed down.

“Spicy Arcane nuts,” he explained. “Dragons love ’em. I’ll send you a bag.”

“That would be lovely, Harry.”

“You said you were training her. Can you show me some tricks?”

“Of course. Clawdia,” she called, and the dragon scurried toward her. “Let’s do some training, all right?”

Jasmine went through the various tricks she’d taught Claudia, plus a few new ones she’d been working on. “She’s still getting the hang of roll over.”

“Yeah, dragons don’t like squishing their wings much.” Harry laughed. “I think we’re all good here, Jasmine. Thank you for letting me meet her.” Bending down to Clawdia’s level, he gave her more scratches on the head, which made her purr in delight. “You’re a special one, I think.”

“I agree.”

“And now, I can tell you, that even if I wanted to take her away, I couldn’t. She’s obviously bonded to you.”

“Yeah, I feel like we do share a bond.”

Harry shook his head. “No, no, I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. Jasmine, you and Clawdia are actually bonded. On a metaphysical level.”

“B-bonded?” Her jaw nearly dropped to her feet. “We’re connected?”

“Yes, it’s rare, but dragons do bond with their caretakers, at least only those with strong magical ability themselves.” He narrowed his gaze at her. “Why do you seem so surprised?”

“My magic is something I’ve discovered only recently. I have an affinity with animals and can sense their wants and needs. I have a connection with all of them, so I didn’t think it was any different with Clawdia.”

“But your connection with her isn’t the same as with the others, right? It’s much deeper. More emotional.”

Bending down, she rubbed Clawdia’s head. A burst of contentment and joy rippled across her chest. “Yes.”

Harry tsked. “Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t be able to take Clawdia. It would be cruel to take a bonded dragon away from its caretaker. Well”—he placed his hands on his hips and inhaled a deep breath—“I think I’ve seen what I needed to see. I should head back. Thank you again, Jasmine.”

“Let me see you out.”

As soon as Harry Housen left, Jasmine blew out a big sigh of relief. Clawdia was truly hers and they were bonded. Her first thought was to tell Mal, which promptly deflated her jovial mood.

Was he still at home? Had he already left? The lights had been on last night, but she didn’t recall seeing them this morning.

Her mind drifted back to the bottle of champagne in the fridge, the contents of the note burned in her mind.

You deserve this. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Mal believed in her. He always had, maybe not right away, but once he threw his support behind her, he’d never wavered. He didn’t let anyone pull her down, not even Jasmine herself.

Her heart thumped in her chest.

Jasmine buried her face in her hands. Had she done the right thing, breaking up with him? She couldn’t let him abandon his dream. But at the same time, what if she had gotten it wrong? What if he did want to stay?

It was all too much, all too confusing.

Oh Mother Goddesss, ancestor spirits , she pleaded. Tell me what do. Give me a sign.

A sudden vibration from her pocket jolted her from her prayers. Checking the screen, her emotions did a full one-eighty when she saw the name on the caller ID . She tapped on the green button and slapped a smile on her face. “Hi, Dad.”

“Hi, anak.” Jed Gonzalez’s face filled the screen, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. “How are you?”

“I’m good, Dad.” Why was he calling? “So, what’s up? How are things at work? Busy?”

“Very. You won’t believe the shift I had last night.”

“Oh? What happened?” Jasmine prepared herself mentally. She had to, because the stories he shared about his work as a nurse could turn pretty graphic. But she supposed it would at least keep her mind busy.

“I’ll tell you later. I wanted to check on you.”

“Really? You called just to check on me?”

“Yes, I had this feeling . . .” He clucked his tongue. “Call it father’s intuition, but I wanted to hear your voice and see your face.”

“That’s nice, Dad. It’s good to see you too.”

Was it really intuition? Or perhaps something else at work. Had her prayers been heard and answered? Either way, her father was here. Maybe it was time for her to face her own truth. To address that shadow that loomed over their relationship.

“Dad . . . since you called, there’s actually something I’ve been meaning to tell you.” Her heart raced all the way up to her throat.

Jed’s brows furrowed. “What is it?”

“I discovered something. A-about myself.” Pushing her heart back down to her chest, she scrounged up the words she had been wanting to say. “Dad, I have magical abilities. I can communicate with animals. Sort of, anyway. I can sense what they feel and know what they want.”

For a moment, Jasmine thought the video had frozen because Jed went absolutely still. However, her father’s face soon broke into a smile. “Really? That’s amazing. How did you find out? When? And can you do anything else? Can you heal the animals like your lolo does with his patients?”

“No, it’s not like Lolo Joaquin’s abilities or anything like that and—Wait, Dad, are you happy for me?”

“Of course I am. I’m ecstatic,” he said. “Why wouldn’t I be? I can’t wait to call back home and tell everyone. My daughter, a magic wielder, who’d have thought?” he said, pride in his voice. “Your Tita Maritess will probably want to put a tarp up in front of their house to tell everyone.”

Jasmine couldn’t believe it. “Dad, there’s something else I wanted to talk to you about.”

“What? Wait, do you have a boyfriend already?”

“Er, no.” She took a deep breath. “Dad, back when . . . when Lolo died, I overheard you talking to Tito Carlo. About The Inheritance. That you deserved it and the only reason Lolo didn’t pass it to you was because I was girl.”

“What?” His face was a mask of shock. “Anak, I—” He shook his head. “I’m sorry. You shouldn’t have heard that—No, no, I shouldn’t have said that. I was grief-stricken and angry, losing your grandfather and The Inheritance. But that’s no excuse for what I said. And no, I don’t blame you.”

“It’s still my fault. You didn’t get The Inheritance because you wouldn’t have been able to pass it on to me because I’m a girl. And if you couldn’t pass it on, then the magic would disappear forever.”

“Jasmine, my father was never going to choose me.” Jed’s mouth pulled into a taut line.

“The only thing I ever wanted was to make a difference in other people’s lives.

I studied my whole life so I could do it.

First under your lolo, and then I took up nursing so I could help even more people and give them comfort.

But Papa said that was a waste of time. I’ve thought about it a lot and I think he resented me becoming a nurse because he didn’t like that I was learning modern medicine.

He was afraid I would waste The Inheritance.

That’s why he chose your tito instead of me. ”

Jasmine’s words got stuck in the thickness in her throat.

“Dad . . . I never knew.” All this time, she’d thought she was the reason he never received The Inheritance.

That cloud looming over their relationship had only ever been in her head.

“Dad, thank you for telling me this.” Her entire body lightened, the weight of years of imagined resentment lifting away.

“I’m really sorry for the misunderstanding, anak. But you know I love you, right?”

“O-of course.” Oh Mother Goddess, she was going to start crying again. She inhaled a deep breath. “I love you too, Dad.”

“And hey, I’m sorry if I keep nagging you about going back to nursing.

I just wanted to guarantee your future with a stable career.

I love you, so of course I want things to work out for you.

But I’m really happy for you, anak. Our ancestor spirits and the Mother Goddess guided you to where you are now.

If you didn’t find your way there, you might never have discovered your own magic. It’s your destiny to be there.”

She laughed to herself, thinking of how she’d ended up here. If her car hadn’t broken down, she would never have stopped in Dewberry Falls. Never would have taken the job at Fantastic Tails. Never would have met Mal.

Mal.

She should have listened to him about calling her dad. And now she would never be able to tell him, because he was leaving.

What if I did stay?

Jasmine covered her mouth, her chest squeezing tight as a realization spread through her.

Love, Mal , was how he’d signed the note. He’d laid it out for her to see, putting his heart in her hands, risking it without any guarantee.

He loved her.

And she’d pushed him away.

“Oh no.”

“Jasmine? What’s wrong?”

“Er . . . nothing. But I have to go, Dad.”

“Of course. I’ll talk to you soon, okay? Actually, I was thinking of coming for a visit.”

“That would be great, Dad. Please come anytime.”

“All right. Love you.”

“Love you too.” With shaking hands, she put her phone down.

Mal loved her, Jasmine was sure. And now she had to tell him that she loved him too. She wouldn’t ask him to stay in Dewberry Falls. But they could make it work. Lots of people did long distance. If he was willing to do it, then so would she.

But was he still in town? And was she too late or had she crushed his heart so that he could never want her?

Bolting upright, she grabbed her purse and dashed to the door.