Page 75 of Mytho Investigations: Side Stories

He landed on the windowsill and clicked in Dragon, letting Jordan know they were on the roof, and that the trackers hadn’t lied. They were technically on the house if not in it.

Jordan ran his fingers through his hair. “At least they didn’t go far. Are you able to bring them in, or do you need me to get out the ladder and get up there?”

Edra tilted his head. “I’m going to wake them up so they can fly in.”

He watched as Jordan processed the clicks, and realization dawned on his face. “Okay.”

Edra gave a nod and launched back out the window. He didn’t land quietly on the roof. His claws scratched on the tiles, and both children woke, sitting up, their silvery scales shining in the moonlight. They looked so small and fragile. He wanted them to be bigger and stronger so they’d be safer, but for all the difficulties of raising lesser dragon hatchlings in the human world, he couldn’t imagine never knowing his children the way his parents had never known him.

“Come on back inside. Did you really think Santa was going to try and take a cookie while you were guarding them?” he clicked in Dragon.

“He might,” Snow replied.

“Because we’re dragons, not humans, and we know about magic,” Sky added.

Edra blew out a breath. He couldn’t fault their logic, but he really didn’t want a conversation about how to choose the right god to pray to depending on the situation, and that Santa was a human myth based on a Tarikian god. He needed to talk to Pan about this.

“It’s not polite to sneak up on magical beings. Would you like it if people tried to watch you shift?”

Snow grumbled.

Sky gave a tiny growl. “I’m cold. Can we have a hot chocolate and cookies? And then we will go to sleep.”

“Please,” Snow added.

They did not deserve more hot chocolate. “Fly down and put your pajamas back on.”

Snow picked the cookies up with one foot, and Sky picked the plate up in the same manner, then they dropped over the edge of the roof. Edra paused for a moment before following. They were safe and hadn’t gone far. According to Jordan, staying up late and watching for Santa was something all human children tried to do.

It was fine.

He took another breath to allow the panic and fear to subside. When he flew in through the window, Jordan was already helping the hatchlings, now in their human form, into their pajamas.

“You said they could have a hot chocolate?’

Edra snorted and locked the window. Tomorrow, they needed to discuss ways to make it dragon-proof until they were older.

“I didn’t agree.” But he hadn’t said no either. “How cold are they?”

“They are fine.”

Sky shook her head and shivered dramatically. “No, I’m so cold I won’t be able to sleep.”

Jordan smiled. “I’ll make the hot chocolate, but you need to stay in bed.” He glanced at Edra and spoke in Tarikian. “I wonder where they get it from?”

He was not dramatic, though he did feel the cold and a hot chocolate in bed would be nice… “I’ll get dressed and finish tucking them if you make me one.”

“Of course I was going to make you one.”

Edra clacked out of the room, shifted, and pulled his pajama pants on. When he returned, the hatchlings were in one bed, with the plate of cookies between them. Clearly, Santa was going to need another plate of cookies.

He looked at his children and sat on the end of the bed. “You can’t leave the house without your Dad or me.”

“We didn’t,” Snow said.

“We were on the house.” Sky nodded.

That was a technicality. “We’ve talked about this, okay? We could’ve sat up there together for a bit. With blankets and a hot chocolate.”

Sky frowned. “Dad would’ve missed out because he can’t fly.”

“Then we could’ve sat out in the treehouse. The point is, you can’t just fly off and not tell anyone. You don’t want me to ask the big dragons to guard the house, do you?”

They both shook their heads. While the greater dragons wouldn’t eat them, they were big enough to be terrifying.

“We didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Snow said. “We were going to come back.”

“I know. But things go wrong, even though you can fly. So please, tell one of us.” He heard Jordan coming up the stairs. “Right, have your hot drink, and then go to sleep. Some magic isn’t meant to be seen.”

“Here we go, three hot chocolates, for my dragons.” Jordan handed out the three cups, and Sinner jumped onto the bed.

Jordan scooped her up and sat next to Edra with Sinner in his lap. He leaned his head against Edra’s shoulder, and Edra put his arm around him.

Snow giggled, and Sky wriggled her legs beneath the blanket as she dropped cookie crumbs in the bed—that was a problem for later—not the least bit sleepy.

He was going to ask Jordan how long this belief in Santa persisted, and if they’d be dealing with mischievous hatchlings every year. But at the same time, it was moments like these when they were all together that made his heart full to bursting. It was a life he couldn’t have dreamed of before the collapse.

Now it felt like everything he’d ever wanted…and more.