Page 63 of Bound By Honey

Sage nodded and smiled proudly. "This is them."

"It's so cute," Will said, trying to reach out and pet it, but the dragonling hissed at him, and he quickly drew back his hand.

Sage laughed. “It's still a bit skittish around people it doesn't know."

"It's understandable," Piper said. "It's still so young."

Will laid a bright blue blanket on the park's green grass, and Piper placed a large basket in the center. They all sat and began pulling the food and drinks from it, carefully keeping it away from the dragonling.

"So," Piper said finally, "we've wanted to ask you… Are you coming back to work at the library anytime soon?"

Sage shook her head. "No," she said softly. "It's not something I can do right now." She tossed a stick for the dragonling to catch, careful not to throw it too close to any others in the park. “We are bonded, and as far as I can tell, it can't leave my side. I'm unsure what element the dragonling is; I'm guessing fire, and a library is no place for that."

Piper pulled Sage’s favorite blue and white cup from the basket along with a sealed bottle. "I was afraid of that. Keep this, I paid for it, so it wasn't stolen or anything."

The smell of white chocolate and lavender filled Sage's nose as Piper opened the bottle and poured it into her cup.

"Piper, you are the best friend a girl could have. Thank you."

The dragonling returned, a stick between its long sharp teeth with its tail wagging behind it like a scaled puppy. It promptly dropped its prize beside Sage and sniffed at the cup of coffee, flicking its tongue to sneak a taste.

"Excuse you?!" Sage laughed. "You are much too young to have coffee already." She tossed the stick again and turned her attention back to her friends as the dragonling happily chased it once again.

Will and Piper exchanged glances, and Sage knew what they were thinking.

"So…" Piper said slowly. "Is it… Are you … happy?"

Sage looked away, a blush rising to her cheeks. "Yes," she said, meeting her friends' gaze. "I am happy."

Piper and Will smiled at her, clearly relieved.

"That's great," Piper said. "We're so happy for you."

Will nodded. "Yeah. We just want you to be happy."

Sage smiled, feeling a warmth spread through her.

"So," Will said, looking at the dragonling, "does it have a name?"

Sage shook her head. "Not yet. I'm still waiting for it to tell me its name. I don't even know what gender it is. I haven't had a chance to find a book that could tell me how to identify that."

Will grinned. "Well, I've got a suggestion. How about … Merp?"

The dragonling returned with the stick and let out a little huff. Sage laughed.

"I don't think it likes that one," she said.

"Maybe we should let the dragonling choose its name,” Piper suggested.

Sage nodded. "Yes, that's what I was planning on doing. Once it's ready, I'm sure it'll tell me."

Paige and Will smiled, though Sage could see Piper held a look of concern.

"So…" Piper said carefully. "You leave tomorrow?"

Sage nodded. "Yes, the dragonling will soon be too big to be in the city, so we’ll have to move. But we’ll keep the house here so we can visit."

Will smiled. "That sounds great. We'll miss you, but seeing you visit will be good."

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