Page 25 of The Monster at the End of This Courtship

Axel shifted me so I was sitting across his lap with my legs stretched out to his left. I wiggled my toes, long talons and all, and he twisted so he could rub my ankles.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"You've been on your knees for a while. Do you still have feeling in your feet?"

I laughed. "Yes. I can walk home, I swear."

"I'm going to walk you home."

He met my gaze, and I couldn't look away. That was the sweetest thing anyone had ever said to me. "Thank you. I can walk alone, but it would be more fun with you."

He kissed me again and helped me back to my feet. "We can't have dragons swooping out of the darkness to steal you away."

"Neither of us could stop a dragon." I rewarded his silliness with another kiss. It was another half-hour before we finally left his cabin.

It was the first time since my arrival on Ignitas that I'd been outside after our two suns had gone down. The sky sparkled with galaxy dust and more stars than I'd ever seen from Earth. "Beautiful."

"It's even better than looking through the window," Axel agreed.

"They all look so much closer than they were on Earth."

I was still staring up at the sky when Axel took my hand and slid his fingers between mine. Too soon, we were back inside the fortress, and he was kissing me goodnight at my door.

"I had a great time tonight," I said.

"You know what we forgot?" He flashed a wicked grin at me. "We still haven't eaten the caramels."

"We haven't!" Actual dessert had slipped my mind, he kissed me so perfectly.

"That means you have to come back to mine for dinner, another movie, and dessert. Tomorrow night?"

Too fast. We were moving too fast, and I needed to put on the brakes. "Let's wait until we meet with Mac again. I have plans tomorrow." I didn't until that very moment, when I decided I needed to visit Weld in the grotto.

"Until then," Axel drawled in that slow, sweet Texas accent that managed to come through even with all the language adjustments.

Until then, I would think about everything I wanted to do to my fated mate.

The grotto was as cold and sulfury-smelling as ever. Even the extra application of cologne wouldn't hide the smell. I made my way through the steam vents and narrow tunnels to the cavern I'd shared with Weld. He wasn't there, so I made myself at home.

I sat in the comfy chair Weld had moved down here for me. I'd spent hours in it, cradling our eggs in my lap, and watching them refuse nourishment before Priestess Alma declared them a lost cause. We hadn't even named them.

Afterward, I'd lit candles and whispered prayers for Statler and Waldorf in the cathedral. Priestess Alma had suggested it to work through my grief. My twice-a-day trips progressed to once a day, and then once a week while my body and mind healed. I hadn't been to the cathedral since Reemergence Day. Guilt surged through me as I rolled the chair forward and grabbed an old blanket we'd used to line the nest. It was damp and musty, but I didn't care. It offered a little comfort while I lost myself in memories.

Eventually, I heard footsteps in the cave outside. Weld appeared in the doorway. "I thought I smelled you. You smell different, though. Like him." He grinned. "How's mated life treating you?"

Something in my expression made him rush to my chair and kneel at my side, taking my hand in his. "What is it? Did he hurt you?"

"No. Nothing like that. I just …" I sighed. "I'm an idiot."

Weld smirked and shook his head. "You're many things, but not an idiot. What's the problem?"

I shared the details of my wonderful date with Axel, from our trip to the dragonet farm to making out like teenagers on the couch. "He smells divine."

Weld nodded. "I know what you mean. It's hard to wait when you know your person is right in front of you."

Gods, I really was an idiot. Here I was, telling my troubles to someone whose fated mate was still a toddler.

"I'm so sorry."

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