Page 14 of The Monster at the End of This Molt (The Monster at the End of His Pregnancy #4)

Chapter Fourteen

Weld

The moment I saw Lemon, I had to get away. With a thought, I teleported to my own personal purgatory.

The cavern I'd stolen from Coz had long ago been emptied. No outward signs of my shame remained. Only damp walls and bitter cold greeted me. Any kobolds living down here had long since moved aboveground. The tunnels were eerily silent, absent the usual scurrying of rodents.

I swallowed hard as fear threatened to overtake me. The light from the steam vent was all but extinguished. Only the barest hint of reflection sparkled on the condensation. I couldn't stay here.

With another thought, I bounced to the next best place to wallow in self-pity. The cathedral was as magnificent and imposing as I remembered, with the giant dragon skeleton curled around the dais and the imposing statue of the dragon god keeping watch over the votive candles. I lit two out of habit and kneeled before their five heads.

The calming scent of vanilla warred with my inner thoughts about Lemon's arrival. If he'd come closer to the time of the dragon reunion, I would have understood. Now, he seemed to be following me.

He'd had a crush on me since I offered him a seat at my table when he was a teenager and his brothers were being complete assholes. One display of kindness, and I'd gotten stares across the dining area for years.

I should have talked to him before we left, but words had never been my strength. Action was easier, so we left without saying goodbye to most of the village. Tim received a farewell because he was the dragonet wrangler. The rest of my acquaintances knew I was leaving, and none of them came to the dragonet barn to say goodbye, not even Lemon. Instead, the newly adult omega had followed us here.

Only one reason came to mind. He planned to accuse me of inappropriate behavior toward an omega before my friends and my mate's family. Dragons of old had overseen trials for their kobold worshipers. Since the revival of the dragon reunions and the disbanding of the priestesses, some had petitioned for Galen and the other dragons to resume the practice.

I could only imagine how a trial would go. Lemon would state his case, that I had led him on at a young age by being kind to him. Lark would follow up as a character witness, showing everyone how I had notched his ear like a barbarian. Punky would tell everyone how I'd tried to steal him from his mate at his first meetup. By the time they finished, I'd have lost all I'd gained from my absence, and then some.

I hadn't bowed my head to gather my thoughts for more than a minute before I felt a tentative hand on my shoulder.

"Welcome home, Weld." Alma's voice was still clear as a bell and took me back to my classroom days. "I assumed you were back when I saw Robin this morning."

Word traveled fast. If Galen had already sent Alma to detain me … I choked on a sob. I would go without a fight.

"Hello, Alma." I turned at the sound of scampering hatchlings. "I suppose you've already heard."

She blinked. "Heard?"

"Has Lemon asked for a dragon trial?"

"Lemon? You mean Ernie's mate?"

He had been walking with Ernie … If they were mates, it was only a matter of time before Lemon poisoned Robin's entire family against me.

I had the worst luck. Why couldn't I catch a break?

"There you are." Robin leaned against the doorway from the main hallway, one hand on the frame as he sucked in deep breaths. Even in his winded state, he lit up the room and made my heart soar.

“It’s good to see you.” Alma patted my shoulder again and slipped past me to light a candle.

Robin motioned for me to join him in the hallway, so I went, careful not to trip over the adorable hatchlings scampering between the kneelers. All three had white hair and stripes like their mother.

I leaned up against the wall beside Robin. "Hey."

"Thanks for leaving the grotto," he said between breaths. "That place freaks me out."

"It freaked me out, too," I admitted. "I can't believe I lived down there." I waited for his breath to calm before asking, "How did you find me?"

He pushed off the wall and stumbled the few steps to me, kicking my feet apart so he could stand between my legs. He planted his palm over my heart and squinted at me. "Our bond."

It was my turn to inhale a deep breath. I'd fled to give myself space to figure out my own shit. In my haste, I’d ignored the barrage of feelings through our bond. Examining them now, I didn't sense any animosity.

"You're not angry."

"Should I be?"

"Lemon's here."

He nodded. "I invited him to the dragon reunion, and he came early."

I sagged against the wall with relief. "He's not following me? He had a crush, and I didn't say goodbye."

Robin shook his head. "No. I talked to him the day he hugged you and ran away. As soon as he saw we were fated mates, he knew he'd been harboring an unrequited crush. I invited him here to find his mate, and he already has."

"Alma told me. Ernie?"

"What are the odds?" He laughed. "Papa broke up a little betting pool this morning. Clem and Ernie have been taking bets on which of us will get pregnant first. My money would have been on Grover, since he's been courting Cook for six months."

I sensed only family mischief and love through our bond, but I had to be sure. I pulled Robin to my chest and kissed his forehead. "You won't be devastated if we lose that bet?"

"Not at all." He gazed up at me with far more love than I deserved. "It will only be a win when we're both ready." He ran his thumb over the fresh bite mark on his neck. "This is the only prize I need."

"You're the real trophy." I nuzzled his neck and nipped at his thumb. He dropped his hands to my waist, laughing as I licked and sucked on the mark I'd placed on his neck.

The moment my tongue connected, our bond surged. Robin's intense feelings of love and fierce protectiveness made my head spin.

We heard echoing footsteps in the long hallway, and Robin stepped away from me, laughing. "We should find somewhere else to make out, besides the entrance to the cathedral."

"Pretty sure we're not the first."

He grabbed my hand and tugged me away from the wall. Then, he laced our fingers together and pulled me down the hallway. Soon, we reached the fortress's main entrance with bright sunlight shining through the enormous glass doors. "I know somewhere we could be the first."

* * *

It didn't take us long to fuck in every room in our cabin. Afterward, we took a breather on the couch, discussing which piece of furniture we should try next when someone knocked on our door.

Robin groaned and lifted his head from my shoulder. "We should probably get dressed and go see who that is."

We'd used a towel to protect the couch from his slick. He wrapped it around his waist and waddled to the bathroom. I took full responsibility for the hitch in his step. Tonight, I planned on filling him and fucking him through as many orgasms as he could stand before my knot deflated.

My ass was also sore from the hard pounding Robin had given me earlier. The ache made me smile as I pulled my boxers into place and slipped into a pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

Another knock at the door hastened my steps.

"Come on! The party's about to start and we won't have any decorations!"

"Party?" I asked as I opened the door.

Clementine rushed in with a stack of hats, party streamers, and more confetti than I'd ever seen in one place. In a flash of magic, the streamers covered our ceiling, and the air filled with floating confetti.

Clementine motioned for me to lean down, and she stuck a pointed hat on my head. "Perfect."

Robin stalked out of the bedroom in a pair of denim shorts. "What the hell happened in here?"

"Remember the party our parents wanted to throw you?" Clementine waved her hands in the air. "Surprise!"

"That was at breakfast." Robin frowned at the ceiling.

"Yes, and you've lived here a full day now. It's time for the housewarming party."

Robin cast a spell that made my nostrils tingle. The scent of sex greatly diminished, replaced by a fresh, citrusy smell.

And not a moment too soon. Another knock at the door made me jump. I jostled several pieces of floating confetti out of stasis, and they tumbled to the floor.

"Hey! I heard there was a party!" Tuft came in the already open door carrying a folding table by the handle. In a flash, he had it set up behind the couch and stocked with every finger food imaginable. I reached for the bowl of pistachios, my favorite, and he smacked my hand away. "Not until the party starts!"

"You're here," I teased. "The party don't start 'til you?—"

Heat bloomed along Tuft's cheeks, and he shook his head, grinning. "You always were the biggest flirt. Stop it. This is a family affair."

As though on cue, Axel entered with their four little ones in tow, the little girl clasping his hand and the boys in a conga line behind her. They were so precious. The corners of my eyes stung to look at them.

Robin and I could have that someday, too, I reminded myself, if I ever got over my need for complete control. There were too many unknowns in our future. Would my sperm take, after so many years? Would Robin produce enough slick to nourish them? Did the sunlight really improve our eggs' chances, or was that a myth everyone wanted to believe now that the grotto had gone cold?

All around me, I studied the evidence. Robin and his siblings. Tuft's second and third clutches. Galen and Mac's kobold daughter, when she arrived. I couldn't believe she had been born after I left and already reached her final molt.

Their dragon child came, too, but they were far too big to fit inside our cabin. I worried they would be left out, but the children all cheered when they arrived and rushed outside to play with them.

I sucked in a breath when the small dragon took off with four children on their back, but Galen patted my arm. "Slate uses the same magic I do."

It still shocked me whenever they changed into another form. Today, they looked more human than I'd ever seen them, though their horns still marked them a dragon.

"I've never experienced dragon magic. You've never given me a ride." I didn't mean for it to sound so wistful.

"There's never as good a time as the present." They latched onto my elbow and led me to the snack table, where Mac, Tuft, and Robin talked over their tiny plates heaped high with goodies. "We're going for a flight."

"Have fun!" Mac waved his plate at me.

Robin smirked, and I felt a surge of excitement pass between us. He'd taken many dragon flights over the years.

"Are you happy to be back?" Galen asked as they led me to a wide-open field.

"Yes and no." Yes, I was happy to be here with Robin, but fresh bouts of uncertainty attacked me at every turn. I'd been happy with my routines in The Meadows. Here, I felt adrift.

"If anyone gives you grief, they will have to answer to me. Even my friends. You'll let me know, yes?"

Before I could answer, Galen grabbed me and lifted me onto their muscular shoulders. In one swift move, human became dragon, and I was on their back.

"Yes," I hissed as the ground vanished beneath us.

We rose high into the evening sky, the golds of early twilight lighting up the surrounding clouds. The larger of our suns hovered near the horizon, while the smaller was still an hour or so from sunset. I would miss watching them set in The Meadows, but our sunsets had their own special beauty, especially from the back of a dragon.

Galen's magic wrapped around me like a warm blanket, holding me in place on their back. "You have neglected your dragon bond," they said as we glided along an air current. "Robin's is much stronger."

"He hasn't spent the last twenty-odd years ignoring its pull."

"Stop ignoring it." Galen's rumbling laugh rolled through me like thunder. It rattled around in my chest, loosening the block I'd formed all those years ago to keep Robin's emotions from distracting me at every waking moment.

I laughed with him, and the block shattered like plate glass. Instead of the bursts of emotion I'd felt since we'd reunited, I could now feel all Robin's emotions at once.

I braced for impact but was surprised when they crested and settled to a low hum at the back of my consciousness. Not only was it not as bad as I'd expected, it was pleasant, even relaxing, to know what my fated mate was thinking at this very moment. Right now, he eyed the pistachios and wondered if he needed to hide them before his papa arrived.

"Punky and Lark are on their way." Galen turned sharply and nosed downward toward the house. Even the dragon understood my deep desire to build a strong relationship with my in-laws, if that's even what I should call them.

I didn't want to worry about semantics. We landed in time for me to fix my windblown hair and offer my hand to welcome them to our home.