Page 22 of The Monster at the End of This Courtship

"Kobold babies are bigger than they are," Tuft said, voicing my concern aloud. "How do they get so big?"

"This is already their second molt." Mac grinned and patted the nearest one with purple scales. "They grow fast. Once they start catching rodents on their own, they molt quickly."

"That's what they eat?" I asked. "Rodents?"

Mac looked embarrassed for a moment, but then he recovered. "I wish I could say they stop at rats and rabbits. They tend to eat each other, or young dire weasels, when they get a little older than this. An unbonded dragonet or dire weasel won't last very long, even with our breeding practices. If they live toadulthood on their own, they either become a menace, or the dragon eats them."

"Wow," Tuft said. "I never knew that. If they don't bond with a kobold, they get eaten?"

Mac nodded. "We're very particular about breeding only when we have a group of alphas who want animals. This clutch of hatchlings was an accident. A wild dragonet mated with Smoke, and we didn't catch her pregnancy until she'd gone to roost."

"Wait," Tuft said. "Why only alphas?"

Mac blinked. "Before the deal with the dragon, they protected the fortress. These are working animals. They're not just pets."

Tuft sighed. "I guess that means we won't need them anymore, then."

Mac frowned. "Well, now that you mention it, dire weasels and dragonets could be trained to carry the children up the mountain to see the dragon." He leaned toward Tuft. "I don't suppose you'd want to bond with one who could carry your hatchlings to their lessons, would you?"

Tuft's smile rivaled the two suns in the sky. "Would I!" He latched onto Mac's arm and walked him over to the double doors that led to the back paddock. Outside, the older dragonets were being put through their paces by a handful of betas.

I watched Tuft while he watched them work. He was gorgeous, animated, and present. Rosanna had always acted like she'd wished she was somewhere else whenever she was with me. Tuft did his best to include me in the conversation, but I was happy to stand by and watch him in action.

He didn't see himself as charismatic, but everywhere we went, he made new friends and encouraged everyone to do his bidding. I had yet to meet his first alpha, Weld, but I wondered if Weld had encouraged Tuft to mate, or if he'd been overcomeby Tuft's eternal optimism and quick thinking. One well-placed question from Tuft, "Why can't we mate if we're not fated," and any kobold with a knot would ask the same question.

Still, Tuft was my omega. I resisted the overwhelming urge to growl at every alpha, or even beta, who approached him. He only had eyes for the dragonets, though. He especially liked the orange-scaled female named Sunset. She ate a piece of jerky from his outstretched palm, and he was in love.

By the time we left the barn, I was in awe of him. I'd never seen anyone not only talk to strangers without a second thought, but also know what questions to ask about the animals and their work to put them at ease.

"How do you do that?" I asked on our way back to the fortress to pick up our evening meals.

"Do what?" Tuft asked.

"You always know what to say to make people feel comfortable around you."

He shrugged. "I guess I just put myself in their shoes. If I worked in a dragonet barn, I'd want everyone to know about dragonets, and I'd want them to think what I do is valuable." He cleared his throat. "I failed to do that with Mac. He pissed me off when he said only alphas could have animals, so I reminded him his job might be in danger."

I laughed. "That was pure genius. He immediately changed his tune."

Tuft frowned. "You think so?"

"He showed you the dragonets, didn't he? He also shook our hands and invited us back after their final molt."

"Yeah, I guess he did." Tuft sounded as awed as I felt. "He's got a lot on his shoulders right now. I shouldn't have been so hard on him."

"Oh?" Mac had seemed a little rushed for time when he ushered us out of the barn, but I hadn't thought anything of it.

"The dragon's imprinting on him."

"Imprint?" I asked.

"Mac's color is starting to change," Tuft said. "His scales used to be the same brown as the other betas, but now, it's darker."

"How is that the dragon's fault?"

"The dragon wanted to take a beta for their own, and Mac volunteered. That's how he's become their spokesperson." Tuft shrugged. "I think the dragon wants more than that. Mac's scent is different from other betas, too."

The dragon was the color of the obsidian fortress, from what I could remember after the smoke cleared on Reemergence Day. "That dragon is huge," I said. "How could they be remotely compatible?"

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