Page 70 of Guardian of the Cursed Egg
Mina takes the painting from my hands, her fingers brushing mine for a fleeting moment, cool yet steady. She moves it into place before the large group painting, the slight scrape of the canvas against the wall echoing softly in the quiet room. She steps back, tilting her head as she considers the arrangement. Then she shifts the painting of Klauth, her father’s image caught in the reflection of his eye, placing it after the split image she worked on today.
“I’m going to take Mina for a flight and dinner, like she wants,” Abraxis says, his deep voice cutting through the quiet as he moves closer to inspect the paintings. His sharp profile stands out againstthe moody backdrop of her work, and I catch the faintest flicker of longing in his expression.
“Anything you need me to do?” I ask, tilting my head toward him.
“Sleep with her tonight. She’s going to need you.” His eyes drop, and I see the weight he’s carrying. The strongest male in the nest, the one who should have all the answers, looks utterly powerless in this moment. That realization lands heavily between us.
We watch them leave, the soft rustle of Mina’s jacket fading as the door closes behind them. Only Balor and Ziggy remain. The room feels quieter now. The silence is broken only by the faint hum of the fridge and the distant drip of a leaky faucet.
“The pull is getting stronger,” I say, staring at the progression of images on the wall. The earlier ones are darker, sharper, but there’s something more intricate, more vulnerable in the painting she finished today.
“Looks-wise, he could give Abraxis a run for his money,” Ziggy says, his voice light as he leans against the wall, arms crossed, eyes sweeping over the paintings.
“I wish we knew what we were up against,” Balor mutters, his gaze heavy on the images.
“There’s a bigger issue no one is addressing.” I move to lean against the couch, the worn fabric pressing against my back. “Mina has said her dragoness wants to bring both of you in as mates.”
Ziggy’s reaction is immediate—a fist pump and a jump into the air, his grin wide and unapologetic. Balor, though, doesn’t move. His eyes drop to his feet, and I watch as he nudges at a stray piece of lint on the rug.
Ziggy, sensing the shift, leaves the room. I let the silence stretch before I move to the fridge, the cool metal handle familiar under my palm. I pull out two beers, the hiss of the caps breaking the quiet, and hold one out to Balor.
“Talk to me,” I say, my voice steady but low.
Balor takes the beer but doesn’t drink right away. “What’s there to talk about? It’s dangerous for us to have kids.” His tone is flat, his eyes distant as he stares at the rug again.
“I don’t even know if we can have kids,” I reply, shrugging. “Completely different species.” The words come out easier than I expect. Kids were never the point when it comes to Mina.
Balor glances at me, his brow furrowing. “Wait. I didn’t even think about that. How would that work? Your people have live births.” Concern flickers across his face, and I chuckle softly.
“It’s not a concern,” I say, my voice softening. “I love her. If we have kids, then we do. If not, there will still be kids in the nest. I’ll treat them all like mine because they’re hers.” My gaze drifts to the paintings again, lingering on the ones of our individual animals. Each one feels alive, charged with Mina’s energy.
“I never thought of it that way,” Balor says, finally taking a long swig of his beer. He stares at the bottle for a moment before speaking again. “Ziggy’s in the same boat as we are.”
“He’s in the same boat as I am,” I correct him. “We’re mammals that give live birth. Mina’s a dragon—we can’t change her biology. No matter what happens, she’ll always lay eggs.” The truth sits heavy in the air, butI’ve already come to terms with it.The odds of my mate giving me a child are next to nothing, but it doesn’t matter. I’d choose her a thousand times over, no matter what.
Balor slides down the back of the couch to sit on the floor, the worn leather creaking softly under his weight. “There’s a tiny chance our kid would anything other than dragon kin.” His voice is quiet, almost swallowed by the hum of the fridge in the kitchen. He stares down at his hands, fingers twitching slightly as if he could will the facts to rearrange themselves. The dim light overhead casts shadows across his face, but it can’t mask the sadness pooling in his eyes. It hits me hard, a dull ache spreading in my chest like the pressure of a storm rolling in.
“So, what do you want to do?” I ask, grabbing two fresh beers from the coffee table. The cold glass sweats against my palm as I sit beside him on the floor, the rough fibers of the carpet prickling against my legs.
“I was thinking about going and getting snipped,” he admits, voice heavy, his gaze fixed on the dark amber liquid in the bottle. “That way, there’s no chance of having dragon kin. Or…” He hesitates, the word hanging in the air like smoke. “The third option was getting a surrogate to lay my egg for me.” He pauses, the bitterness of his words mirrored in the sharp scent of hops wafting from the beer. “I don’t know how Mina would feel about using another female to give us a child.” His eyes close, and he leans back against the armchair, the leather groaning under the shift of his weight.
“It’s a big conversation to have,” I say, the cool lip of the bottle pressing against my mouth before I take a sip. The taste is sharp, almost bracing, as if it could cut through the weight of his words. “Let’s get through Klauth first and see what happens. But for now, getting the initial tethers in place would be a good way to strengthen the nest.” My voice is steady, but the truth behind my words feels fragile—delicate threads stretched tight.
“You think she definitely wants a bond with Ziggy and me?” Balor’s head tilts toward me, his gaze searching mine. There’s a flicker of hope there, faint but real.
I nod. “She loves you two and trusts you both with her life. I think, deep down, she brought us all with her because she loves us. She’s just afraid to say anything because of Abraxis.” Standing, I offer him a hand, the rough pads of my fingers brushing against his cool skin as he takes it. “Let’s get home and see what happens.”
Balor rises, his movements slow, as if the weight of the conversation lingers on his shoulders. The faint scent of Mina’s jasmine perfume clings to the room as we leave her apartment, a bittersweet reminder of everything we’re trying to hold together.Hopefully, I’m not wrong.
I watch Balor pacing the interior of the common room like a caged tiger, his boots scuffing the worn wooden floor with each sharp turn. The air carries the faint tang of leather from his jacket and the wood smoke still lingering from earlier in the hearth. Ziggy arches a brow at me, his sharp green gaze flicking from Balor to me. “He’s worried about Mina rejecting him,” I say, my voice low but not quiet enough.
The moment the words leave my mouth, Balor stops mid-stride. His glare cuts through me, sharp and venomous.
“Un-bury the bond, you dumbass, and let nature take its flipping course!” I snap, the frustration bubbling over. My voice echoes against the stone walls, and Ziggy’s head tilts, his expression unreadable.
“Bond?” he repeats, then vanishes in a blur of motion. In the next heartbeat, he’s in front of Balor, gripping the front of his leathers with both hands. The sound of fabric straining under Ziggy’s grip mingles with the low growl rising in his chest. “Youhavea bond with Mina and buried it?” He shakes Balor like a rag doll, his tone dripping with incredulity and fury.
Ziggy shoves him, and Balor stumbles back, his boots scraping loudly against the floor. “I would kill to find my mate,” Ziggy continues, his voice raw and unyielding, not noticing that Abraxis and Mina have returned. “To know what that bond feels like. The moon and stars would pale compared to my mate. I would be anything she needed me to be.”
