Tessa’s POV:

  I sat up to examine the house we were approaching. What would the inside of Soranto’s home look like? Would it be roomy like Taureen’s place? Or full of narrow corridors and weapons like Aeria’s parents’ house?

  Taureen waved his hand in front of an elaborate pattern on the door frame, and a melodious tone sounded from inside.

  Moments later, the door opened as Adeline greeted us. “Welcome. Come inside.”

  The door led into a large living room with a high ceiling. Several closed doors were on the right side of the room. Massive windows on the far wall and beside the door allowed sunlight to stream in.

  “They have windows on the ceiling?” Dirk asked in disbelief.

  “Skylight,” Dad informed us, glancing up at the four big windows in the ceiling that showed us a clear view of the blue sky and a few clouds.

  “The thunderstorms must be fun to watch from in here,” I murmured in fascination.

  A side door opened, and Soranto and Maria came in. Before they closed the door, I caught sight of the kitchen behind them.

  “Huh. That’s new,” Dad said, looking to the left.

  I followed his gaze and saw a large rectangular tray of sand sitting on a shelf on the wall. There was some sort of long light fixture above it that I assumed was a heat lamp. Taureen noticed our distraction and walked over for a closer look. The shelf was secured to the wall at elbow height, which was quite a bit higher than the end tables back home.

  “Where did you find a long heat lamp?” Taureen asked. “I could only find circular ones that would work with the local power grid.”

  Soranto shrugged. “I couldn’t find one either, although I found enough components to build one. The hardest part was finding a power converter that would work properly, but the result was worth it. The left side is hotter than the right, so they can pick and choose the temperature they prefer.”

  With a curious expression, Taureen passed his hand beneath the light. “Very impressive. I might have to ask you to build me one.”

  “Sure. Just let me know the dimensions and temperature range.”

  Taureen nodded, still examining the unusual heat lamp. His finger brushed over the sand as he tested the temperature difference. Leaning forward on his shoulder pad, I trilled a question.

  He smiled. “Go on.”

  Both Mom and I jumped onto the shelf, using our wings to slow our fall. Dad and Dirk also flew over when Aeria gave them permission. All four of us walked back and forth under the light a few times. The left side was definitely hotter than the right!

  Mom and Dad picked the hottest end while Dirk opted for a spot in the middle. Not wanting to be lulled into a drowsy state by the heat, I sat at the cooler end and looked around the room.

  The Kymari were sitting on the couches and chairs that formed a loose square in the middle of the room. The low, round center table had a few decorations, a small tray with empty glasses, and a pitcher of what I assumed was water. A shelf underneath it held a variety of objects such as laptops and other things meant to pass the time.

  There wasn’t a single end table to be seen, although it looked like each chair and couch had a small glass holder just underneath the armrests. The walls were sparsely decorated with family pictures. Other than this shelf, the furniture, or the Kymari, there was nothing to perch on in this room.

  Somehow, the simple, clean layout and the windows made the room seem much larger than it was, although it wasn’t small to start with. It had to be almost twice as large as Taureen’s living room. The other doors were closed, which was disappointing since I would have liked to explore.

  Soranto began pouring glasses of water for everyone and sat down on his chair, glancing in our direction. “I’m glad that they seem to like it.”

  “I want one of these,” Mom murmured lazily, letting Taureen and Aeria listen in. “This even beats the heat lamp that Serena and Tom have.”

  “I find it interesting that they checked the entire tray and then chose different spots,” Adeline commented.

  “The adults usually prefer warmer temperatures,” Taureen said, “while the youngsters tend to overheat easier. They are slowly outgrowing their need for a more stable temperature, although they still feel the cold more noticeably and frequently return to the heat lamp for short periods.”

  “Then I’m even happier I built such a range into it. Once a few more parts come in, I can extend it on both sides. I’m experimenting with a cooling mat as well, but it needs a better casing. The one it came with won’t stand up to a fire lizard’s claws.”

  A cooling mat? That sounded neat, although it wasn’t often I got too warm, and if I did, a quick dip in the pool fixed that. After examining the room, I took to the air, gliding in a slow circle around the room.

  When I passed by one of the big windows facing the backyard, I hovered as I gazed out. There was no netting like back home, not that I had expected to see any. It looked far more formal and manicured than our semi-wild backyard.

  Fancy ornamental flowers stood proudly in planters around a sitting area near the house. Neatly trimmed green grass took up most of the space, bordered by bushes or raised flower beds, while flowering vines climbed up elaborate trellises as a sight barrier between neighboring yards. A few toys and a book made the backyard look inviting rather than imposing.

  My wings began aching—hovering was hard—but there wasn’t a windowsill to sit on. Banking away from the window, I glided over to land on Taureen’s shoulder since he was the closest.

  I had a good view of the room from here. Taking a closer look at the pictures, I realized that most of them were of Soranto, Adeline, and Maria.

  The other two showed two older couples, whom I could only assume were Adeline’s and Soranto’s parents. The Kymari in those two pictures looked rather serious, which was odd considering how happy and light-hearted the rest looked

  There was nothing else in the room to investigate, so I settled down on Taureen’s shoulder and asked Abby, “Hey, did you guys find me yet?”

  “Oh, yeah. We found you under a log and left you there to dig your way out.”

  “Someone is a bit sarcastic this evening. What bug bit your rump?”

  “The stupid red butterfly that can apparently outfly an eagle.”

  I managed to turn my laugh into a sneeze. “Oh! Don’t make me laugh like that! There are people watching me.”

  “How in the hell did you manage to disappear like that? I could see it if your scales were green or possibly blue, but you couldn’t hide those bright red scales of yours even when you plastered yourself with mud!”

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  “Umm… I flew away?” My attempt at sarcasm didn’t stop the unpleasant tang of an untruth from tainting the mindlink.

  It gave her pause. “You didn’t fly away. But we searched the undergrowth and never found you.”

  “I can run fast.”

  “We circled around quite a wide area before Dirk told me that you guys were leaving,” she stubbornly said. “A dragonet can’t run that far so quickly. We’re fliers, not runners.”

  “Well, then all I can say is that our Ply-Ball practice sure paid off.”

  Her disgruntlement hummed across the mindlink as she realized it was the truth. “Tomorrow, you are going to show me how you did that.”

  “Fly fast and hide quickly. Then get out of the area as soon as the coast is clear.”

  “I am going to go find Glen and plot revenge for tomorrow.”

  “Okay,” I said easily.

  My tone immediately made her suspicious. “What do you mean by ‘okay’?”

  “Plot all the revenge you wish for tomorrow.”

  “What are you up to?”

  “Nothing. Just make sure to get it all out of your system tomorrow.”

  “Do the Kymari have a scanner for insanity? Because I think you need a checkup.”

  “Not to my knowledge, but they do have very good weather forecasts.”

  “Ugh! Rain again?”

  “Yeah. It’s going to start in the afternoon and last almost until just before dawn. And another one of those huge storms will be coming in five days.”

  “I hate those big storms. The slow rainy days are bad enough, but those big winds are really dangerous. I’ll let the others know.”

  The mindlink faded, leaving me with my boredom once more. My attention turned back to the Kymari, although they were discussing different types of netting and fencing that could be used to enclose the backyard. The topic of locks and security was apparently an important subject.

  It was also very boring, especially since I didn’t understand a quarter of what they were saying. Maria was trying to look attentive, but there was a slightly vacant quality in her eyes. Perhaps she could help me alleviate this pesky boredom.

  I spotted a small ball on the shelf under the center table. Perfect. I glided down to the floor and trotted toward the object. It took me a moment to get it out of the neatly organized space. This rubbery toy was small enough that I could actually pick it up if I used both my hands. It fell on the floor and began rolling away.

  “It looks like I’m going to have to put doors on that,” Soranto observed.

  “You never did like it. It might be easier to find a better one instead of altering it,” Adeline said.

  He perked up. “I’m all for that idea. You get to explain its absence to your great-grandmother if she ever visits though.”

  She smirked slightly. “She never was one for heirlooms if they didn’t serve a purpose. If she asks, I’ll just tell her that it became impractical. No one else in the family wanted it, and I originally agreed to take it so she wouldn’t ask too many questions when we moved here. We’ll just have to pick its replacement with care.”

  Taureen and Aeria grinned slightly at the conversation, leaving me to wonder just who this great-grandmother was. Maria knelt on the floor beside me and rolled the ball across the floor. I bounded after it and used my nose to flick it over to her.

  After a few repetitions, it grew boring. I jumped back onto the cubby and began investigating the contents. Most of the stuff was electronics or other things I didn’t want to risk damaging, but that still left plenty of objects for me to torment.

  I stuck my head through a hoop twice the size of my neck and grabbed a string of shiny beads. Jumping out of the shelf, I flaunted the beads as I trotted toward Adeline’s chair. Nothing made Soranto more jealous than when I gave something to someone else.

  With a jump and a wingbeat, I landed carefully on her lap. I raised my head as the string of beads dangled from my jaws. She smiled and gently took them from me. Taking the hoop off, she pulled it between two fingers before letting one end go. With a metallic twang, it launched across the room.

  My jaw dropped as I gawked at it. I wanted to try that! I flew after the strange object. Tugging at it in my hands didn’t do anything, probably because I wasn’t strong enough. I rolled onto my side and held on with my hands while pulling with my feet. Regardless of how hard I tried, I couldn’t get it to bend.

  “They’re definitely quick learners,” Adeline murmured. “She wasn’t really paying attention when I did that, and she’s already trying to imitate it.”

  With an unimpressed snort, I grabbed it in my jaws and flew back to Adeline. This time, I watched her closely. Even she was using a fair bit of force to flex the hoop. A twang signaled its launch across the room.

  Soranto leaned over and managed to snag it out of the air. He whirled it around his finger as he grinned at me. I tried landing on his wrist, but the spinning made his arm move slightly, so I let go and dropped onto his lap instead of having my claws dig into his skin. He really needed to get those wrist guards that Taureen and Aeria always wore at home.

  He sent the ring flying, and I followed it once more. After a few more rounds, I had a different problem. I had to go to the bathroom and had no clue which door hid the proper room.

  Dropping the ring on the floor, I chittered in a high-pitched tone as I walked in a tight circle.

  Recognizing the signal, Aeria asked Maria, “Can you please open up the door to the bathroom and call her over? She’ll be fine once she knows where it is.”

  Maria immediately rose to her feet and walked to the third door. “Tessa, this way.”

  I flew through the doorway and circled the small room. Things seemed much fancier in here, but the facilities were the same. Landing on the floor, I nudged the door with my shoulder to mostly close it, glad that Maria was already walking away. I really didn’t need someone coming in while I was tinkling.

  Taureen and Aeria gave us the privacy that we gave them, but Soranto, Adeline, and Maria were still in the dark. Our handlers never went into the bathroom with us, so it was logical for Soranto and his family to assume dragonets were a species that preferred to do our business in private.

  Once I finished, I tilted my head in confusion when I went to flush it—there was no sensor on the wall. Normally, we flew in front of a sensor to activate the cleaning cycle. I had been in hundreds of different bathrooms so far, and this was the first time I didn’t see a sensor.

  Despite looking around, I couldn’t spot it. With a shake of my head, I gave up and flew over to the sink, hoping that these sensors were more obvious. A faint hum from behind made me circle back to see the facility flushing on its own accord.

  Confused, I landed on the sink and tapped the plug button, which sealed the drain. The water sensors were familiar, and I easily added a bit of water before walking through it and scuffing my feet. A second tap of the plug button let the water drain away as I pulled a small hand towel down from its hook.

  It would let them know which one I used, as well as making it easier for me to dry my feet. I winced as my claws dragged across the material. I hoped no one was really fond of this towel. It might not survive its day job.

  With my feet and hands clean, I glided down to the floor and pulled the door back open before squeezing through the gap. I snorted loudly and shook myself as hard as I could to express my opinion of their bathroom. The shake made my wings pop halfway open, so I jumped into the air and flew over to the heat lamp and sprawled out beside Dirk.

  “Forget about replacing the center table,” I muttered, letting my family, Taureen, and Aeria hear me. “They need to upgrade their bathroom.”

  To add to my confusion, Aeria started snickering, and even Taureen—who was quite practiced in keeping a straight face—looked mildly amused. Adeline sent her a puzzled look, trying to figure out what had prompted such amusement.

  Still chuckling, Aeria raised an eyebrow at Soranto and asked, “The heat lamp is an excellent forethought, but considering her reaction, did you think about the bathroom? She is trained to fly in front of regular sensors. Now that I think about it, I don’t think she’s ever used a bathroom with a proximity sensor.”

  He blinked slowly in surprise. “That didn’t occur to me. Tasha and Keegan never used the bathroom. I’ll rectify that before your next visit. Even just putting an unconnected sensor panel on the wall should ease some of the confusion.”

  “You will have a bit of brainstorming to do,” Adeline replied as a grin tugged at her lips. “I’m not sure how you’re going to manage all of these renovations and attend the numerous training sessions the Guard Captain scheduled for you.”

  “Hmmm… Perhaps I could call upon my dear wife?” His voice was halfway jesting, but the other half hinted at the deep bond of love and respect that they shared.

  “Perhaps,” she replied in a similar tone. “And perhaps, after our guests leave, we should check the storage room and discuss what I planned to do in my free time tomorrow morning.”

  “Ah, I knew I could always rely upon you.”

  Apparently, Adeline shared her husband’s sense of humor, which wasn’t something I had expected. They seemed more relaxed in their own home; their light bantering and slight display of affection wasn’t something I’d seen among the Kymari.

  Taureen and Aeria loved one another very much, but they tended to favor quiet, deep moments. Judging from Maria’s curious glance toward one of the far doorways, her parents’ behavior wasn’t uncommon enough to get a reaction out of her.

  I knew that I would learn things about Soranto from visiting his home, although this wasn’t quite what I had expected. It wasn’t bad. It would just take some getting used to.