There was a spark of light and heat washed through me. I tried not to scream, fearing I'd bother the others staying there. Or worse, I'd bring someone running to check on me.
I landed on the ground, the egg beside me. An enormous crack ran up one side of it and I pressed my hands to it, trying to push it closed. A clear liquid leaked from it and I realized I'd been wrong; no one had ever blown the egg; they'd just sent it along whole.
Expecting the long-rotten contents to make the room reek, I picked it up and carried it to the bathroom. Maybe I could wash it down the drain. Yet, another fissure appeared and a third. I sat it in the sink and gasped when the shell shattered off, leaving only a small, crumpled lizard lying on the porcelain.
The tiny dragon, as red as a coal in a fire, slowly lifted its head and looked around the room. Then its gaze focused on me and it chirped happily and flung itself at my chest.
Chapter 7
Nariti
Eskal needed to be stopped, but I didn't know if I was the dragon to do it. I leaned my head back as we drove home, Iyadre and Vadriq together on Vadriq's bike. "You have to leave her alone."
"I'll do as I wish. The girl is our only chance-"
"I realize that. You realize that. She has no desire to help us nor is there any way that we can purchase her services. We are stuck, simple as that. Perhaps, if you apologize to the Fontaines-"
He snorted. "The Fontaines don't know any mages. We've had more experience with the human witchcraft circle than they have."
"Then reach out to the unicorns or the phoenixes. Each community owes us a good turn. They know plenty of witches that would surely-"
Eskal cut in and whipped the car out of traffic, pulling into a parallel parking spot that made me flinch. We were inches from the bumper of another vehicle. "I have no interest in what they turn up, if they could find anyone. We have a witch in front of us. We should make use of her."
"But why her?" I sighed. "If you'd just listen for five minutes-"
"She's meant for us," he said.
His voice quivered when he said it, too. And I had to find some way to let him down gently.
No one would have suspected Eskal as a romantic. He didn't have the typical trappings, but all he wanted was someone to woo and care for. Vadriq covered some of that, but it wasn't the same as it would be with an omega. I smoothed my hair back and collected my thoughts, trying my best to be kind. "I know you dream of an omega for the flight, but you know the odds and so do I."
"She is meant to help us, nothing more. I wasn't talking about a mate for us," he said, but his heart wasn't in it.
I reached out to touch him but he turned away. My phone went off and I sighed, grabbing it instead. "Yes?"
"Nariti, Leo. How y'doin'?"
My gaze drifted to Eskal, who had gotten very stiff and very still. I turned down my phone's volume a bit. "Busy. Do you need our help with something?"
"Yeah, tomorrow. They need someone from your company over here full-time. Looks like the eggs are going to be an issue. Too bad about Eskal being a jackass. Hudson won't let any of us lift a finger to give you a hand with it."
I sighed through my nose and felt a headache coming on. "What do you mean by 'an issue'?"
"None of the jewelers believe they're opals. The color's wrong, they're supposedly raw but look like they've been tumbled; all that kind of bullshit. You guys really fucked up."
"I know," I gritted.
Leo's tone was as bright as ever. "Anyhow, I suggest you get down there bright and early. I'm sure you've got other deals or whatever, but you're just gonna have to put them off."
"Don't tell me how to do business," I snapped and hung up.
I tossed the phone into the passenger footwell and leaned forward until I could rest my head against the glove compartment. "If Mother wasn't already dead, I'd kill her."
Without an answer, Eskal pulled back into traffic. The rest of the trip home was inconsequential. I knew why Mother had hidden those eggs. I understood it. Everything had been a mess when she'd last laid. World War 2 had been in full swing and we had been busy trying to help our side win. The government was well aware of our existence, though I wasn't certain if they knew about the rest of the supernatural world.
We were simply too large, too hard to hide from government surveillance. So, we'd brokered a deal when the satellites started to point us out; we helped when they needed it and they left us alone.
It had worked for a little while. Then they'd come with their bombs and their guns and-
Vadriq and Iyadre had beaten us home. Though we typically lived apart, it felt right for the flight to stay together for now. Maybe it was the rising threat to our only nest. Or maybe we all just felt lonelier than we wanted to admit.
Eskal said nothing to me as he left the car. I pulled the keys from the ignition and followed him. The moment we were inside, the door shut, he fell into the
