by Starla Night
Cheryl stumbled for him, a troubled expression on her face. “What was in that cake you made?”
“The normal ingredients,” Mal said. “Flour. Sugar. Eggs. Artisan-roasted Sumatran dark bean-infused milk.”
She shook her head as he recited the recipe. “Nothing unusual in the cake? Or the frosting?”
Oh.
He jerked his thumb at his sister. “Amber brought brimstone frosting.”
“Brimstone?” Her eyes suddenly widened. “Uh oh.”
“What?”
She scrambled for a trash basket and folded over with a groan.
Instead of normal sickness, flames poured out her throat.
“Excuse me.” Jasper poured a crystal bowl full of punch onto the basket, putting out the fire and soaking the floor. “Please use an inflammable metal bucket. I will bring you one in a moment. Also, congratulations on your second pregnancy. Art will soon have a sibling.”
“Oh my goodness.” Grandma Dee stared at Cheryl. “Morning sickness already?”
Cheryl wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes. “I just had a baby dragon!”
“Congratulations.” Darcy clapped Mal on the back again.
The rest of his siblings and extended family gathered around talking and laughing. Two dragonlets already! Mal was well on his way to making another big family of seven.
Mal’s mother moved her huge dragon head around the corner of the living room, easily tolerating the babies gnawing on her neck folds and pouncing on her switching tail. “Mal, you are an excellent son. I am very pleased. You selected a worthy wife and your fortunes will swell as you both deserve.”
Her heartfelt sentiment caught him by surprise.
“Thank you,” Cheryl told her, through the hand covering her mouth.
“You are the one who holds my gratitude,” his mother said.
With that blessing on their burgeoning family, she retreated into the living room to frolic with her young.
Art dove into Mal’s arms. “Aaahd! Aaahd! Aaahd!”
“I love you too.” He held his baby and also rubbed Cheryl’s back.
She burped smoke.
This day couldn’t hold any more rightness. Mal kissed his son’s forehead and then his wife’s.
“Cheryl, the inflammable waste basket is behind you.” Jasper held up a camera. “Okay, everyone. Say a word with a long-e.”
A chorus of eeee’s emerged from the group.
The photo they later printed showed Mal grinning boldly, Art’s tiny dragon mouth poised to bite Mal’s unguarded shoulder, and Cheryl bent over, erupting flames into the metal waste basket behind them.
A perfect memory of a perfect first human-dragon birthday party.
Thanks so much for reading! If you enjoyed this short story, please leave a review. See you in the next book!
STARLA
Also by Starla Night
Lords of Atlantis
Seduced by the Sea Lord
Sacrificed to the Sea Lord
Enslaved by the Sea Lord
Stolen by the Sea Lord
Surrendering to the Sea Lord (2018)
Spellbound by the Sea Lord (2019?)
Secrets of the Sea Lord (2019)
7 Virgin Brides for 7 Weredragon Billionaires
Dragon VIP: Malachite
Dragon VIP: Pyrochlore (March 2018)
Dragon VIP: Kyanite (April 2018)
Dragon VIP: Amber (2018)
Dragon VIP: Jasper (2018?)
Dragon VIP: Alexandrite (2019)
Dragon VIP: Flint (2019)
— Novella —
Dragon VIP: Syenite
Dragon VIP: Peridot (holiday novella)
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Starla Night was born on a hot July at midnight. She hikes, scuba dives, and swims naked in the ocean. She writes about hot, alpha merman shifters at StarlaNight.com.
She is a secret agent of the Mer-Human Alliance.
starlanight.com
