Dragon's Baby

By ELLA HART

What happens when a man who has gone so long without a family finds that he has one again?

Cobalt and Paulina have spent the last two blissfully uneventful years as a married couple. Together they are the Leventhorpe family, a wonderful combination. They've even managed to keep a stable income, to Cobalt's continued surprise.

If life had taught him anything, it was that one should never settle into a routine too quickly. Yet for the first time, he allows himself to believe that this will last, that they will be able to live in the hotel long enough to figure out what their next step will be, and that nothing will change unless they initiate the change themselves.

When he learns that Paulina is pregnant, everything changes. Living in a hotel is no longer an option. Not with a baby on the way.

Can Cobalt keep his pregnant wife safe from the harm that could come to her and the baby? Is this even a world that they should be bringing a child into?

• Language: English
• Publisher: SSPATEL Publishing
• Release date: Feb 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393419822

Book preview

Dragon's Baby

Last Dragon Series Book 2

By:

Ella Hart

Table of Contents:

Chapter One: The New Normal

Chapter Two: Good News Jitters

Chapter Three: The New Neighbor

Chapter Four: A Short Storm

Chapter Five: Going Downhill

Chapter Six: Extra Trying

Chapter Seven: Arrival

Chapter Eight: A New Territory

Chapter Nine: Panic Attack

Chapter Ten: New Father Worries

Copyright © 2017 by Ella Hart

All rights reserved.

In no way is it legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or in printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited, and any storage of this document is not allowed unless with written permission from the publisher. All rights reserved.

Respective authors own all copyrights not held by the publisher.

Chapter One: The New Normal

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Cobalt looked over to Paulina with a smile. For two years, they had lived in peace. No one had come to bother them. No one had uncovered his secret. For two years, it had been absolute bliss, and nothing could have put a damper on his happiness.

They had been out by the pool today, and enjoyed having it all to themselves. With Fall fast approaching, few people used the pool anymore – they’d rather be in the hot tub.

The cold water was never an issue for Cobalt. As a dragon, he kept warm easily. A dip in the cool water helped him stay at an optimal temperature in the summer, a habit that he carried into the early Fall. The one time he’d gotten into a hot tub, he hadn’t enjoyed it at all. It had made him feel ill. Too warm. Just too warm.

How are you feeling today, love? Paulina broke the hour-long silence they had been enjoying together. The hotel had had a lull of customers for a couple of days, leaving them and the remaining guests to enjoy all of the amenities with some left to spare.

Much better than I have been lately. A dip was what I needed. Due to his odd body temperature, they used air conditioning much more than they did heaters. They didn’t need heat when he was in the room. His warmth radiated through it, and she had even noticed the difference when he had begun to feel ill. It had been much too warm in the room. Even for her.

She smiled. He couldn’t help but feel elated. They had gotten married the year before, a blissful event he’d never expected to have so close to puberty. Most dragons didn’t mate until they were 5,000 years old – maybe 4,500 if they were lucky. To mate at just 4,027 years old... and to a human at that, it simply amazed him. If his family were alive, they would be laughing at him.

Then again, mainly his father would be laughing at him. When the humans had first come across them, they had wanted to eat them. His father never thought they’d amount to the society that they had become today. To be a part of the future he had never thought possible blew Cobalt’s mind away.

Do you think you’ll be able to take up a job soon? A better job, I mean? Paulina changed the topic as he hoisted himself out of the pool. With the deep end only reaching seven feet, it wasn’t that hard.

He bit his lip. That was something he’d not thought about. He wouldn’t be able to do so until long after Paulina passed away. She was already twenty-four. While that wasn’t incredibly old for a dragon, it was over a fifth of the life expectancy of a human. At twenty-four, Cobalt had been no bigger than the palm of his mother’s paw when in dragon size –.

He cast a quick glance around the pool yard to see if there was anyone to overhear him. The only other person was the janitor, and he had his headphones on as he swept the little terrace by the hot tub.

The truth is, honey, that... that you’ll be dead before I can take on a steady job. It’s the way dragons age; there’s nothing I can do about it. He kept his voice quiet anyway. He couldn’t risk the chance that the janitor may overhear him. Two years of blissful peace hadn’t done anything to calm his nerves about being found out.

You know I shift once a month, honey. There would be no way I could take a week off work every month and still keep a job.

Oh... She sounded disappointed. Shortly after they had moved to the hotel, she had gotten a job as a bellhop and a cook. She was overworked, but it meant that they were able to have free meals and a lower rent every month If he was honest with himself, he knew that she only kept the jobs to have those benefits, since he couldn’t get a steady job to support them. Sometimes he sold lemonade or cookies in front of the lobby when they needed extra money – which was all the time – but he couldn’t do more than that.

I know. I’m sorry, Paulina, but that’s how it is. I wish I could do something more for us. He habitually scratched at his ever-present patch of scales. After she had caught him doing it the first time, he’d had to explain why he did it. Scales itched when he was in human form.

Cobalt. You’re doing it again. She took his hand gently to stop his scratching. You’re going to hurt yourself doing that so often. She took his other hand in hers as well. Her grip was light and soft, but it helped.

I know, he sighed. It’s a habit. You know that. He made no excuses. She laughed a little and kissed his nose. She always knew how to elicit a blush when he felt least like blushing. At least she knew him well enough to do that.

"I’m aware it’s a habit, but wasn’t it because of this habit that we had to take you to the hospital last year?" She gave him a look. He knew this look well; he got it a lot from her. It meant that he was in trouble. Again. Or she was reminding him of trouble he’d gotten into in the past, as it was in this case.

Yes... He sheepishly admitted. He knew she was right.

Before the topic could progress any further, the janitor came over to them.

I hate to interrupt your conversation, but I’m getting ready to give the pool deck a good clean-down. Could you two wrap up, if you don’t mind? His tone was friendly. They had grown accustomed to seeing one another around the premises. Cobalt couldn’t remember his name, but a quick glance at his name tag quickly fixed that.

Of course, Joshua. We were getting ready to leave anyway. Right, Cobalt? Paulina spoke up before he could say anything. He nodded, not ready to give her the satisfaction of correcting him in public. She’d done that multiple times already that day.

Well, all right then. Have a good day. The