The Unexpected Yuletide Baby (Starscale Mates #3)

Chapter Two

Medwin

Once upon a time, I’d have at least peeked out the window to see who rang the bell or checked the camera before answering but these days I was a bit more trusting. Besides, anyone brave enough to try me at the moment deserved to be a pre-romping snack.

The music hit my ears before I heard the voices. I cocked my head and strained my ears as the singing grew louder. Clarence was going to be hanging for quite a while. I loved him – loved his body but this was the season dragons were born for. Give me the cold, the snow, and the way it all quieted the world. Give me hot tea or chocolate or a whole pot of coffee to sip from Clarence’s navel. And most of all, give me carolers. The ritual fell in and out of practice throughout the years, but I always cherished those seasons when it came back into style.

“Don’t be a jerk. Come listen to the tiny people sing,” I poked at Clarence over our mating link.

I didn’t have to ask twice. He did complain about leaving the egg alone, but a couple of songs never hurt anyone. I didn’t open the door until Clarence was by my side. Then like, we had a million times before, I smiled at him and slipped my hand onto his arm. My parents weren’t fond of all the pomp when we first met but I loved it. I loved all the little rituals that came along with being the first mate of the leader of the flight. For them it was more rules. For me, it was a million little ways of celebrating how much we loved each other.

I opened the door to two dozen smiling faces. Most of them were elementary school age children along with a few adults to keep all the little duckies in a row. They held tiny white candles in their gloved hands and sang a catchy tune about a dragon lost in the snow. My head buzzed with the season. Snow fell in big, fat, white flakes all around the little carolers. I hummed along with them until they switched to a much older song ‘Dragon Scales by an Open Fire.’ Even Clarence joined in that one. His happiness vibrated over our mating link. He might not have gotten the holiday treat he wanted but this was a nice runner up.

When the carolers finished their third song, we invited them in for hot chocolate as was customary. I led them through to the dining room we kept ready for our younger grandkids. Everything was unbreakable and hatchling friendly. They were from the elementary school in the East End of London. Upon hearing such, I opened my mouth ready to ramble on about how the East End was rebuilt after the war but realized the teachers and the students were too young to remember it from before the last war.

“Would you have that any other way?” Clarence teased me over our mating link, but he was right.

He knew he was right too. He winked at me as he helped a little ginger haired boy with freckles shaped like moons all over his nose stir more marshmallows into his hot chocolate. Across the table a dark eyed little girl stuffed fists full of the mini marshmallows into her mouth. She flashed me a sheepish smile when she spotted me looking. I shrugged. If her teacher wanted her to stop, she could ruin the hatchling’s fun. That’s what the holiday season was all about – indulgence together. We worked and fought hard for our empire. Why shouldn’t the young have as many marshmallows as they could eat? Our ancestors would’ve been proud.

The children left before eight as young hatchlings are wont to do. Most children needed to be in bed before nine after all. After cleaning up the dining room, we retired back to the nesting quarters. Clarence hit the shower and without meaning too, I hit the hay. The nest was just too Frost-damned comfortable. What could I say? Comfy and caffeine free. That was the perfect recipe for sleeping.