with sharp teeth. Bastian stumbled back, afraid it would blow fire. Connor stroked the dragon’s nose, cooing and coaxing it out of the cracked shell. With a final crack, the dragon burst out of the egg.
Connor laughed and held out his arms. The little dragon stumbled into them and nuzzled its head into Connor’s shoulder. A contented puff of air wafted from its gaping nostrils. “Come closer,” Conner said. “Meet her.”
“Her?” Bastian asked. He swept his eyes over her, but couldn’t figure out how Connor knew it was a female. He reached out with a quivering hand. The dragon snapped at his fingers. Heart pounding, Bastian yanked back his hand. “How do you know it’s a girl?”
“I just do.” Connor tickled it — her— under the chin. He placed the dragon down on the ground. Her legs splayed wide and she fell on her tummy.
Bastian couldn’t help himself and laughed. She was cute, if he didn’t think about the destruction she would eventually wreak on unsuspecting humans. He looked at Connor again. His friend’s eyes were still wide in amazement. Connor had that same adoring look he’d given his two boys back in Hutton’s Bridge.
“It will be some time before the others hatch.” Connor walked around, patting and rubbing the remaining twelve eggs.
He stopped at the one farthest back in the cave. Though it was the same size as the others, this egg had a more subdued appearance. Its blue shell had a more sandy tone. It didn’t have the raised markings. Smooth and speckled, it stood out as a stranger, but there was no mistaking: it was a dragon egg like the rest. Connor’s hand rested lightly on the top. “This one will be the last to hatch.”
He spoke with such authority. Bastian wondered how his friend could have learned so much about dragon eggs in only a few short months, all while forgetting his previous life.
Bastian knew from Connor’s determined gaze that he couldn’t drag his friend away from these eggs without brute force. It was the same expression the day they’d entered the fog. Connor loved his family more than life itself, which was why he was willing to risk his to save them all.
What had changed? Why was he so determined to stay with these dragons?
“How do you know it’ll be the last to crack its shell?” They all looked the same size to Bastian. Or maybe they weren’t like human babies. Maybe you couldn’t tell from the outside like with a pregnant woman.
Connor smiled. “Because this one is my offspring.”
Chapter Thirteen
Offspring. Connor believed a dragon was his child. And he was claiming the other eggs as his too. Now Bastian knew for sure that his friend had sustained a head injury. Maybe it had happened in the forest when they were separated. Maybe it was after the dragon’s claws had dragged his body from the platform where Bastian thought Stacia killed him.
Whatever it was, Connor wasn’t right in the head.
“How long will it take to hatch?” Bastian didn’t want to be trapped in the cave waiting on baby dragons. But he wouldn’t leave without Connor either.
“I’m not sure. It might be months. Years.” Connor didn’t seem perturbed, the smile firmly etched on his face.
“Years?” Bastian repeated. “We can’t stay here for years.”
“Of course we can.” Connor walked away from his precious eggs and the baby dragon. “I’ll do whatever it takes to protect them.” His eyes narrowed. “Even from you. But if you are who you say, if we truly are friends, then perhaps you’ll respect my wishes.”
Bastian’s lips pressed together. He considered a myriad of responses, none of them appropriate for a man who didn’t remember how close they’d once been. Connor was tough and if Bastian said what he was truly thinking, they’d probably end up with their fists in each other’s faces. Bastian would win, he always did, but he didn’t want to fight.
His best friend was now a stranger. Still, he wouldn’t leave him behind, especially when he so obviously needed healing of the mind.
“Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to feed my little hatchling.” Connor motioned to the dragon. She scuttled across the dirt to Connor’s side, just like a puppy. With adoring eyes, she looked up at him, her forked tongue hanging out. “I think I'll name you Fotia. Come on, let's go find you something yummy.”
The two of them trotted out of the cave together. Bastian looked back at the eggs, then decided to follow Connor. He