Page 111 of Horn in My Side
She placed a hand on her hip.“Which means I can keep her.”
“As per consumer laws, yes.We wouldn’t have a leg to stand on if we tried to sue you back for the hatchling or the cost of the egg.And it would cost so much more time and money in legal fees if we tried.”He raised an eyebrow.“We have this saying in the industry: the only thing more expensive than a dragon egg is a lawyer.In fact, you could sue us for sending you a dangerous animal.”
“Like you said, it wouldn’t be worth it.”But this meant Clawdia was hers—free and clear.That knot of worry she’d beencarrying around in her chest this whole time disappeared.“Then what are you doing here?And why have you been calling me?”
Serious green eyes fixed on her.“Dragons are heavily regulated and for good reason, Ms.Gonzalez.We don’t sell them at a premium because they’re rare.It’s because they need a lot of care and training.We can’t just let any Joe off the street take a fire-breathing creature home.It’s too dangerous.Every potential dragon owner goes through a rigorous background check and must attend mandatory pre-hatching training with us before we even consider selling to them.”
“That’s actually smart.”Vrig would have approved.
Housen continued.“They know what they’re getting and we don’t sugarcoat it for them.And we conduct regular checks on owners up to two years after hatching.And if we find that they’ve been mishandling or mistreating the dragon or if the dragon poses a danger to others, then we’d have to get the Department of Magical Enforcement and the Bureau of Animal and Plant Health involved.”
She winced.“That doesn’t sound fun.”
“It’s not, believe me.You don’t want the feds coming after you.”
“So, what do we do now?”
Housen pursed his lips, his silvery mustache twitching.“Like I said, your shop legally owns—Clawdia, is it?—but if you want to keep her and for everyone’s safety, you’ll have to get the necessary licenses and insurance policies.”
“Of course,” she said.“The shop is fully insured.”
He glanced around at the rows of cages and pens.“And if you want to sell her, that’s a whole different ballgame, I’m afraid.I hope you like paperwork.There’s a reason it’s easier to sell them as eggs.”
“Actually, Mr.Housen, my boss gave her to me.”
“Gave her to you?”he echoed.“Just like that?He does know how much a dragon egg costs, right?”
“Yeah.But, it’s kinda complicated.”She didn’t want to go over her business—and personal—relationship with Mal at the moment.“But I have my boss’s verbal agreement that she’s mine, and soon, I’ll be the owner of Fantastic Tails as well.”
“Oh good,” he said with a sigh of relief.“Paperwork’ll be simple, just a signed and notarized affidavit.By the way, you should consider joining our training classes.We have a few sessions online, but most people find that face to face is better.When Clawdia’s ready, you can take her to my ranch for more advanced courses too.”
“Sounds good.I’ll definitely look into it.However, I’ve already been training her.”
“You have?”he asked.“How?”
“I watched some online videos.She’s very responsive to food and loves to play.I’ve already taught her sit, wait, lie down, spin, and fetch and drop it.”
“Really?”He rubbed at his chin.“Interesting.Say, Ms.Gonzalez—”
“Jasmine, please.”
“Then call me Harry.Anyway, Jasmine, do you think I can see your Clawdia?To check on her, see if she’s developing properly.I don’t just sell dragon eggs.I’ve been breeding and training them at my ranch for thirty years.”
“Sure.I’d love your expert opinion.”
Jasmine led Harry to the back office, which had been expanded to twice its size now.Clawdia’s crate was also three times larger than it originally was and now took up an entire corner of the room.
“Good spell work here.”Rubbing at his chin, Harry examined his surroundings.“Orc handiwork, I bet?”
“Yes,” she confirmed.“Mal—the current owner—is an orc.”
“Ah, that means you already have the best fireproofing magic on the market.I don’t need to send my warlocks over.I trust orcwork.You know you need to keep her away from other creatures and the general public for at least a year, right?To build her immune system.”She nodded.“Good.May I see her now?”
“One moment.”As soon as Jasmine approached the pen, Clawdia got up on her back legs and started scratching at the bars.She did her usual routine of telling the hatchling to wait before she opened the gate.Clawdia leapt out, and sniffed at her, accepting a few scratches on the chin and head before she turned her attention to Harry.Cautiously, she approached the stranger, sniffing at his feet.He, in turn, crouched low to the ground and held out his palm.Three small nuts, a little larger than almonds, lay on top, which Clawdia swiftly scarfed down.
“Spicy Arcane nuts,” he explained.“Dragons love ’em.I’ll send you a bag.”
“That would be lovely, Harry.”
