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I wasn’t sure if I needed to nip this in the bud or let it lie while he worked through his trauma, but whatever the answer I decided to leave it for another day. I was healing faster now, but still not at a hundred percent and the small walk had close to exhausted me.

Dom gave me a tour of the place when we arrived, and I got through it slowly. It was a lot of space, but Conan’s vault was closer to our bedroom here, and I was farther from The Grove so I was happy with the new conditions in general.

I only realized along the tour that Yinlong had a room in the compound as well and then only when I saw it, the little girl already settled into a reading nook in the corner of her giant lavender princess room. She was a gorgeous little thing with light brown hair and violet eyes.

She rushed to Dom and threw herself into his arms. He hugged her with familiar affection. They must have spent some time together while I was recovering. They acted like old friends.

“Daddy,” she called him.

I raised my brows.

She turned to me next, giving me almost the same treatment. We’d only met once before, but it had made an impression, and she was very happy to see me, hugging me like I was a long lost relative. I hugged her back, sending Dom a warm look over her shoulder, and let her talk my ear off about Conan.

“I take it we’re adopting her?” I asked Dom later, not at all displeased with the notion. Just the opposite. I’d badly wanted children for most of my long life, and Dom knew it well.

“Conan already has. I just made it more convenient for him. I meant to tell you, but it was hard to keep you conscious long enough to relay the information. I knew you wouldn’t mind adding to the family when it meant rescuing a baby half-dragon. She’s a darling and she and Conan are hopelessly attached.”

“Is there any chance Tianlong will try to get her back?”

“Not unless he wants a war.”

“Thank you for taking care of that, for taking care of them, for handling everything while I was indisposed.”

“Of course,” he said like it was his job and I knew he saw it as such. He had for far longer than I’d ever been willing to acknowledge before now.

It was later and we were ensconced in our new bed when I said, “Quite the little family we’ve developed all of a sudden.”

He stroked my hair. He was still handling me like I was made of glass, but I’d managed to coax him into letting me use him as a pillow. It was progress.

“About that.” He cleared his throat, sounding suddenly nervous, which was a very new Dom to witness. “I’d like to make things official. Legally and spiritually. I want every vow from you before our child is born. I’m old-fashioned, as you know.”

I wasn’t expecting that and I reeled for a bit, taking it in. “You knocked me up so now you have to marry me?” I finally asked. Making light was my coping mechanism when I didn’t know what to say.

“The opposite. You’re the mother of my child so you have to marry me. It’s not a question. I was informing you.”

A rush of joy straight through my body surprised me. I’d wanted this, somehow wanted a thing I’d never even let myself consider before. “Well, I guess I won’t answer you since it wasn’t a question.”

He made a sound like a big cat purring and squeezed me tight. “It’s settled then. I’ll make the arrangements.”

I did end up helping Lynn look for houses close by. Even though she still couldn’t see well, she didn’t like anything.

“I don’t like the aura on this one,” she said at the fourth house.

I couldn’t tell if she was messing with me. Was this some new blind trick she’d learned in her time with Drake? “What’s its aura doing?” I asked her in the tone you’d use with someone less than sane.

“It’s hard to explain but it’s like it’s playing music I don’t like. Something like that but nothing you can hear or see.”

“You’re fucking with me, aren’t you?”

“Like I have time to go house to house just messing with you.”

“Now I know you’re fucking with me,” I told her.

“Next house, please!”

Christian threw a pool party at our new place pretty much the second he could.

We were all settled in, and I was finally healed and that was all the excuse he needed to invite everyone over like it was one of his houses.