Page 17 of The Baby Dragon Cafe (The Baby Dragon #1)

Chapter 17

A s May came to an end, things were going remarkably well.

Sparky was well trained now, and there was not much else left to teach him except flying, which should have made Aiden happy, but instead caused him a great deal of stress.

The baby dragon was learning a bit on his own as he grew, just like toddlers learned to stand and take steps on their own, even if it resulted in stumbles and falls. Sparky was keen to climb up high onto things and jump off, fluttering and flying a little farther each time, but as yet he had not properly taken his first flight.

Saphira seemed excited by the prospect, but Aiden was simply scared.

They were at their latest family dinner, which Saphira was attending—she had been to a couple since her first visit, and everyone always liked having her around. Aiden especially did, perhaps a bit too much. At dinner, his father asked how things were going with Sparky.

“They’re going well,” Aiden replied, cutting into his steak.

“Lovely. When are you going to Mount Echo?” Edward asked, and Aiden paused, a pit in his stomach. It was precisely the question he had been dreading. Saphira turned to him, confused.

Aiden faced his father, clearing his throat. “Soon,” he said, shifting uncomfortably. He didn’t want to talk about it then, in front of everybody.

Luckily, Emmeline could tell. She changed the subject, and the conversation moved on.

Saphira didn’t ask Aiden about it after dinner, though he could sense that perhaps she wanted to. He wanted to discuss it with her as well, but not yet—not before he could understand exactly what it was he wanted to say. Sometimes he needed to hold onto thoughts or emotions in his head for a bit before letting them out into the world.

He appreciated that she didn’t push him, not even the next day. He was still trying to figure out how to talk to her about it and had anxiety regarding the entire subject, which resulted in him getting hardly any sleep all night.

Mount Echo was where baby dragons went for their first flight. There was a kind of priory up there, of those who held the ancient knowledge and rituals pertaining to dragons. There were rituals involved with a baby dragon’s first flight—very important customs that his mother called him specifically to remind him about.

He didn’t tell his mother this, but Aiden didn’t want to do it. It would help Sparky with flying, yes, but he feared what that would entail for Sparky’s future as a Sterling dragon, the inevitable dangers of racing.

At the same time, Aiden couldn’t stunt Sparky’s growth, either.

Hence the dilemma.

The next evening, when Aiden met Saphira in the garden for Sparky’s training, he was fidgeting, the underlying worry distracting him. They sat on the grass in the sunlight, basking in the warm weather.

Her idea of a playpen was brilliant, and now that the garden was cleaned up and refurbished, he was just designing the space to have different sections for the baby dragons to play in and socialize.

At the moment, their baby dragon was attempting to climb the fence he’d set up along the perimeter of the garden, and Saphira chased after him, pulling him back.

“Sparky, no,” she ordered, giving him a piece of wood to play with to distract him away from the fence. She turned back to rejoin Aiden on the grass.

“I didn’t think about this when I had the idea for the playpen,” she said to Aiden. “Maybe we need a higher fence?”

He made a thoughtful sound as she sat down across from him.

“I’ll think on a solution,” he said, though he could hardly come up with anything at the moment, he was so preoccupied. That spoke to the level of tension he was feeling, for usually when he was around Saphira she was all he could focus on.

“Hm.” She was looking at him whilst contemplating something, twirling blades of grass between her fingers. Saphira pulled her knees up, bumping hers against his.

“What’s wrong?” Saphira asked. She had noticed, of course she had. He was always startled to find how well she could read him, yet also relieved, as if he no longer needed to pretend, as if he could just be.

He hesitated, and she cocked her head. “You know you can talk to me about anything, right?” she said, somehow knowing that he needed a little push to get out of his head.

He was in constant awe of her. Even now, she looked radiant, resplendent, sitting in the sunlight, her dark hair pulled back in a loose braid, tendrils framing her face. She had such positive energy. It was mind-boggling.

“How are you so happy?” he asked, curious. “You have no one.”

The words stumbled out before he could stop them. Her face flashed with hurt, eyes welling with tears. Guilt knifed through him. God, he was the worst!

“I’m sorry, that was terribly put,” he said, grimacing. “I meant it in a good way, I promise.”

“It’s good … that I’m alone?”

“No! Of course not. That’s out of your control. But how you react to it all, that is in your control, and I’m astonished by it. How you choose to be happy, despite, despite.”

She processed what he’d said, no longer looking hurt, which was a relief. “One of my favorite poems,” she told him, “says to love life, to love it even if you don’t have the heart for it. It’s something Nani-Ma would say to me, and I think it’s true. You have to make the active decision to be content.”

“That’s beautiful.” Again, he was awestruck. She never ceased to amaze him.

Saphira gave him a peculiar look. “Is that what’s been bothering you?”

“Ah … no.” He took a deep breath. “Do you remember my father mentioning something about Mount Echo at dinner the other night?”

“Yes,” she replied. “I figured all the brooding lately had something to do with that.” But she wasn’t complaining, only teasing. He smiled.

“It’s where some of the older Drakkon families take their baby dragons for their first flight,” he explained. “It’s this really ancient tradition.”

“Oh, interesting,” she said. “What’s up there?”

“It’s a kind of monastery? I don’t know how to explain it properly, but it’s a very spiritual place, and the people who live there live in seclusion and devote their lives to taking care of dragons and learning about them. It’s run by these novices who we call Sister or Brother out of respect for their knowledge and dedication.”

“Fascinating. I’ve never heard of it, so I didn’t know anything about it.”

“It’s one of those Drakkon family things.”

“Oh.” Something dark crossed her face for a moment, but it was so quick he thought he had imagined it. Before he could question it, she asked, “So what were you saying about the dragon’s first flight?”

“Right. There’s a ritual that is meant to help the baby dragon be a stronger flier, which is why my father asked when we would be going to Mount Echo. My mother called me about it as well, to remind me how important this developmental stage was for Sparky, and I know I need to do it for his sake but … well, I suppose it’s just a daunting prospect, one I’m not keen on undertaking, especially not alone.”

“I can go with you,” she said, as if it was the simplest thing. He blinked, taken aback. Her words filled him with comfort.

“That would be … perfect,” he replied, his stress ebbing away immediately. With Saphira by his side, he reckoned he could do anything. “But are you sure?” he asked. “It would be a two-day trip, since Mount Echo is a bit hard to get to.”

“That should be fine,” she said breezily. “I have more staff now, and they’re trained enough that I trust them to hold down the fort while I’m gone, under the supervision of Lavinia, of course.”

Aiden exhaled a sigh of relief. “Okay, amazing. This is great!” He smiled, but the joy only lasted a moment. Instead, dread washed over him again as he remembered one key detail. His smile disappeared, and she frowned.

“What is it?” she asked, concerned.

“Oh, um … I forgot but, the sage, Mireya—she lives up on Mount Echo and is the one in charge of the ritual—is very traditional.” He cringed. “She’s really conservative.”

“What do you mean?” Saphira asked, furrowing her brows.

“In the olden days, raising a baby dragon together was only done by couples because the bond is so sacred,” Aiden explained.

“Oh,” Saphira said. “So you … want me to go? Alone?”

“No, no, of course I want to go as well, and I wouldn’t leave you alone, nor would I miss such an integral moment for Sparky …” He trailed off, awkward. “Unless you want to go alone?”

“No! I’d love for you to come. I thought maybe you wouldn’t want to because you seem so stressed about it, but we’ve been training Sparky together, so of course we should both be there.” She laughed, a little nervous as well. “But how would that work? Would this sage lady be offended that we aren’t a couple?”

He scratched the stubble on his cheek. “Yes, actually. I don’t think she would do the ritual because she would consider it a mockery of the sacred bond.”

Saphira’s face fell. He was afraid she would back out, but she was right—they were training Sparky together, so it was important for both of them to go. Before she could say something, an insane idea popped into his head, but it was so crazy, it might actually work.

“What if we pretend?” he blurted out. His heart hammered with fear to have said the words out loud, but he wanted her to be there, for Sparky, and for herself. She deserved to be.

“Pretend?” She blinked. “Like … pretend to be married?” She looked shocked.

He was embarrassed to even suggest it. She was the one who said they were friends , so maybe she didn’t think of him that way, but he felt like they had this connection, this special connection. It was undeniable.

Perhaps they simply needed some time away from everything to see if it was true. What better opportunity than a little getaway to the mountains?

Aiden had been to Mount Echo before, and the place was gorgeous: secluded and serene.

But maybe she didn’t want that? She was currently quiet, thinking. Aiden second-guessed himself. He contemplated retracting the offer, acting like he hadn’t said anything, but then a determined look crossed her face.

“Okay, yes.”

Aiden’s heart completely stopped. Oh my god . He wanted to ask her if she was sure, but was also afraid she would change her mind.

“If you think it’s best?” he asked gently.

“Yes.” She cleared her throat, and he noticed her cheeks were a little pink. “I mean, it’s for Sparky’s sake, right? He needs both of us there.”

“Definitely,” Aiden agreed. “No, absolutely. Yes.”

Why was he still speaking? Aiden closed his mouth.

“Right. And if the sage—Mireya—won’t do the ritual unless we’re married, I don’t think we have any choice, really,” she continued.

“Exactly.” He was still in shock, mind reeling. “I’ll get everything in order, and we can go next week?”

“Sounds good,” she said, nodding. “I’ll block the days off.”

He felt like throwing up. Even after he said goodbye for the evening, he could not get over the jitters running through his body. Aiden went home and headed straight for the kitchen, where he stress-cooked for over an hour, resulting in an inordinate amount of food that he had no idea what to do with.

In crisis, Aiden called Emmeline, asking her if she wanted to come over for dinner.

“I’ve just made a lot of pasta,” he told her. He wondered if this sounded strange because Emmeline paused for a moment. But her voice was normal when she replied, “Yes, sure. I’ll be over in ten.”

“Perfect.”

After Aiden hung up, he stared at his phone. Inviting Emmeline was dangerous; she was only going to harass him the moment she figured out something strange was going on, which would be immediately. He paced around his living room, plucking mint leaves from a plant and inhaling the fresh scent.

Aiden reached for his phone again, this time calling Genevieve. It rang twice, and he thought she wouldn’t pick up, but then she did.

“Hello?’

“What are you doing?”

“Homework. Why?”

“Oh. Emmy’s coming over for dinner so I thought you could come too if you wanted. But if you’re studying …”

“Oh my god, yes. I’ll tell Em to pick me up. I was about to throw my textbook to the dragons.”

He smiled. “Okay. See you soon, Gin.”

“See ya.”

The girls arrived shortly thereafter on Emmeline’s dragon, Torch. Sparky went outside to play with the basalta dragon, who he adored from their meetings at the Sterling estate, leaving Aiden alone with his sister and cousin.

Which was fine. Emmeline and Genevieve were their usually chatty selves, more involved with each other than interested in him, which he was used to. He simply enjoyed being around them, listening to their stories.

“I’m so glad you made these plans for dinner,” Genevieve told Aiden.

“You need any excuse to not study,” Emmeline said, laughing.

“No, literally. Dragon History is cool, but my professors this term are so boring. Like, hello, can we focus on the important things?”

They sat down and ate, continuing to chat, and Aiden felt better, less like throwing up. He relaxed, enjoying the girls’ company, and made it through dinner.

It wasn’t until he sat down on the couch afterwards and they sat down on either side of him that he felt locked in all of a sudden. As if he’d fallen into a trap.

“So what’s going on?” Genevieve asked, inspecting his face.

“What do you mean? Nothing.” His voice was high.

“Oh come on,” Emmeline said, hitting his arm. “You are a stress-cooker. As in, you only ever make this much food when you’re stressed. So clearly something is up.”

“Something to do with Saphira, I’ll bet,” Ginny sang, looking pleased. Aiden scowled. They were both right, of course, but that didn’t mean he needed to be happy about it.

“If you must know, I am taking Sparky to Mount Echo for his first flight,” he said, sitting up straight. “So I am simply a touch nervous about that, since it is a big moment and all.”

“But that’s wonderful!” Emmeline said, overjoyed. “You have nothing to worry about.”

“Seriously, you’ll be great,” Ginny affirmed. She sat back, disappointed at the lack of juicy gossip. “You’re such a big baby. I can’t believe that’s what made you stress-cook.”

“Honestly,” Emmy agreed, equally disappointed. “Oliver’s baby dragon just had his first flight a few months ago, and if Ollie can handle it, you surely can.”

He appreciated the votes of confidence.

“Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “I’m just worried that if Sparky learns to fly, Father will try and force me into racing, since there’s no one else to defend the Sterling name.”

“Give me a few years, I’ll do it,” Ginny said breezily.

He gave her a dirty look. “Funny.”

He didn’t want her getting involved in all that dangerous business, and was sure his father felt the same way about his little girl. Genevieve glared at him, though Aiden didn’t know what she had to be irritated about when she wasn’t being serious. He felt as if perhaps he was missing something, and distantly wished that Danny was here so they could both discuss their enigmatic little sister.

“Don’t worry about your father,” Emmeline said, changing the subject back to the original point of discussion. “Focus on Sparky.”

“True.” He paused, scratching the back of his neck. “There is another thing. Saphira is coming with me to Mount Echo.”

Emmeline and Genevieve sat up, alert. They exchanged an incredulous glance.

“What about Mireya?” Emmeline asked. “You know how old-school she is.”

“Yeah,” Genevieve agreed. “She’s not going to do the ritual if you’ve been living in sin .” Her voice went solemn.

Aiden squirmed at his little sister’s words. “Please do not say that.” Though he could not deny that his thoughts lately regarding Saphira had indeed been quite sinful.

He cleared his throat. “Well, that’s the thing … Saphira and I are going to pretend to be married.”

The girls went deadly silent.

“Whose idea was this?” Genevieve asked.

“Mine,” Aiden replied.

Genevieve exchanged a long glance with Emmeline. Aiden frowned. He hated when they did this, had an entire quiet conversation he was not privy to from the micro-changes in their facial expressions.

“And Saphira agreed?” Emmeline asked, as if needing confirmation.

“Yes.”

“I think that’s a … good plan,” Emmeline said, choosing her words carefully.

“I agree,” Genevieve said, equally careful with her tone.

They were both being purposefully nice, as if trying not to scare him off, and he didn’t like it.

“Be honest,” he sighed.

They both looked at each other and burst into laughter, giggling.

“You really like her!” Emmeline cried, grabbing his arm.

“This is an insane idea—you do realize that, right?” Genevieve said, grabbing his other arm. At the same time, they both shook him until his head rattled.

Ah, here were the annoying sisters he knew and adored.

“It’s not even that crazy!” Aiden protested, though it definitely was. He wiggled his arms out of their grasp.

“It is batshit insane!” Emmeline said. “A fake marriage? Who even comes up with that?”

“This is top secret information,” Aiden warned. “Don’t tell anyone.”

“We won’t, we won’t, but I need you to be so serious right now,” Genevieve said. “You absolutely cannot act like you don’t like her now.”

“Truly,” Emmeline agreed. “Please, just admit it.”

“Okay fine! Yes, I really like her! Sue me!”

The angry confession only made Emmy and Ginny even happier; they shrieked, hitting him.

“Ow!” he cried, not that they cared.

“This is amazing,” Genevieve said. “I love it.”

“Sparks are flying,” Emmeline said, too pleased with herself by the joke. “Get it … because Sparky is … literally flying.”

She and Ginny cackled. Aiden was not amused.

“You’re hilarious,” he said drily. Then it hit him all over again, the insanity of this plan. “I’m going to throw up.”

“Don’t be a baby,” Genevieve said, rolling her eyes.

“What if she doesn’t think about me that way?” Aiden asked, sinking deep into his couch. “And what about the complications with Sparky involved? Maybe this is a bad idea.”

“ Booo ,” Emmeline cried. “Don’t be lame.”

“You big scaredy-cat!” Genevieve said, hitting his arm.

“Ow?”

“Be brave! Make a move!”

“Yeah! Maybe Saphira is waiting for you to take the lead!”

“You know, Lavinia was saying …” Genevieve started, then trailed off, shaking her head. “No, I can’t say.”

But it was too late—Aiden was hyper-alert. He sat up, fully facing his younger sister.

“What was she saying?” He knew Saphira told Lavinia practically everything. “Was it about me?”

He was sweating, and Genevieve was laughing. Laughing .

“Maybe,” she said, being coy. “Maybe not. Either way, you need to do something.”

He slit his eyes at her, but maybe she was right.

Maybe it was time for him to just go for it.