Tessa’s POV:

  We spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon exploring the new city. I was glad for the awnings overhead that shielded us from the sun. Even so, it was still warm.

  The parks were very different, and we didn’t stray far from Taureen and Aeria. Everything was strange, and we weren’t sure what kind of wild animals were around. There could easily be venomous snakes lurking about.

  I gave a quiet whistle and nudged Taureen’s cheek. He pulled a water bottle out of his pocket and unfolded the lid so it made a tiny bowl on the end. I greedily drank more of the cool water. Once I was done, he offered it to Mom as well.

  “We still haven’t reached the hottest part of the day,” Taureen observed as he passed Aeria the water bottle for Dad and Dirk.

  “They aren’t used to this climate,” she replied. “I don’t want them to overheat.”

  “I’ll call for a shuttle, I’d like to stop in that shop for a moment.”

  The air inside the store was much cooler, but the fruit lining the shelves caught my immediate attention. My mouth watered as I tried to figure out which one would taste the best. There were so many that I hadn’t seen before.

  “It’s been a long time since I had shia fruit,” Mom said longingly. “I know we originally agreed the children had to wait until they had handlers before tasting it, but since they both want to remain with the Kymari, I’m sure we can break that rule.”

  With a faint smile, Taureen walked over and picked up several of the blue and pale pink fruits. The name rang a bell, although I wasn’t sure why Mom wanted it so badly. Taureen picked out a few other things I hadn’t tasted yet. Aeria also selected some fruit before going to the counter and paying for it.

  The tempting fruit was put in bags, and we went back outside. The heat seemed worse after the reprieve, which was odd considering how much time we spent sunbathing and under heat lamps. The dry air was making my scales itch, and I was constantly thirsty.

  A shuttle landed beside us, and I was relieved to see that it was ours. Even a long boring ride home was better than the unyielding, dry heat. We got in and sat down as the shuttle began a long flight home.

  Taureen opened up the bag he was carrying and pulled out four small plates. As wrappers crinkled, a hard crystal was dropped on each one with a light thud. He passed two to Aeria and put the other two on the seat beside him.

  “Go here,” he said, tapping the seat.

  Mom and I both dropped down with wing assist. I sniffed one of the objects in confusion, although Mom promptly picked hers up and began chewing on it. The snapping, cracking, and crunching noises had me staring at her with wide eyes.

  Tentatively, I sniffed mine again. It smelled cold… and fruity. With a glance at Mom, I tentatively licked it. It was made from some sort of frozen fruit juice. I picked it up before cautiously gnawing on it.

  Only a few flakes of ice came free, but they tasted good, and—more importantly—they were cold. I could feel the chill radiating through the scales on my hand, although it didn’t overly bother me.

  With my next bite, I dug my teeth in harder, determined to break a piece off. With a snap, a section gave way beneath my sharp teeth, and I began chewing it. The frozen juice felt unpleasant against my teeth, although the cold fragments had a sweet taste.

  Dirk was also chewing his icy treat, still trying to get used to the shattering feeling of it breaking into pieces. Mom and Dad had also finished theirs already.

  I quickly ate the frozen treat before it completely melted and then licked the cold drops off the plate. With our unusual snack gone, I went back up to Taureen’s shoulder so I could look out the window. I was no longer too warm and felt much better now.

  The city we were leaving was not somewhere I had any desire to return to. I rested my chin on Taureen’s shoulder pad and watched the scenery below grow more distant.

  ***

  When the doorbell rang, I jumped into the air even as Taureen called out, “Come in.”

  I whizzed around the corner to greet Soranto, finding it amusing that Tkael had expected this and let his friend enter first. My landing on Soranto’s shoulder pad was a bit harder than usual, although it didn’t stop my whistle of greeting.

  I continued chattering at him excitedly while he walked into the living room. Soranto sat down and watched me in amusement as I continued to chirp, whistle, and chitter until I ran out of breath.

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  “Your day was that exciting, huh?” Soranto asked as he scratched me under the chin. I thrummed in agreement.

  Tkael asked Taureen, “How did the trip go? Did you find any crawlers?”

  “It went well. There were just some ktari,” Taureen replied.

  “At least it wasn’t a wasted trip. The ktari would have swiftly multiplied and made a nuisance of themselves.”

  “They handled the trip fairly well. If I have to go that far again, I’ll probably bring a toy or something to keep them from getting bored in the shuttle.”

  “That’s a long ride for them if they have nothing to do.”

  They continued discussing the trip and what they could do to make it less boring for us in the future. Soranto listened as he scratched behind my ear tuft.

  Once I grew tired of the scratching, I grabbed onto his hand and pretended to chew on his fingers. When he pulled away, I jumped onto his hand, not relinquishing my grip with my claws or my teeth.

  “I thought you guys were supposed to be vegetarians…” Soranto muttered as he began the long process of reclaiming his fingers.

  It took him a while to get his fingers out of my hands and mouth—then I promptly latched onto his other hand and wrapped my tail around his wrist.

  By the time Soranto finally managed to deposit me in his lap, I was breathing hard and baring my teeth in a grin. Judging by the smirk on his face, he had enjoyed the wrestling match as well, even if a few tiny scratches now adorned his hands. They weren’t deep enough to draw blood, but they had left faint marks on his skin.

  After I caught my breath, I continued tormenting him until he pulled a cleaning kit out of his belt pouch. Apparently, he had learned the secret to immobilizing us. I stretched out on his lap as he cleaned my already spotless scales and oiled them again.

  I murmured unhappily as he set me beneath the heat lamp. Mom glowered at him but didn’t even growl.

  “Have a good evening. I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” Soranto said cheerfully.

  I sat up, all traces of my sleepiness vanishing. He hadn’t been around most of the day—I didn’t want him to leave yet. Tkael also bid Taureen a good evening as he followed Soranto.

  Flying after them, I landed on the wall perch just as the door closed behind them. Folding my wings, I stared at the door, trying to understand why I wanted to go with Soranto so badly. It wasn’t my turn to stay at his place, but I really wished it had been—and I didn’t know why!

  With a hard shake of my head, I went back to the heat lamp. My emotions were all jumbled together, and I couldn’t straighten them out. My insides felt knotted at the thought of being left behind.

  “Is something wrong?” Mom asked, lifting her head to gaze at me.

  “I don’t know. It felt really strange when Soranto left.” I sent my confused emotions down the mindlink, hoping she might be able to understand them better than I could.

  She blinked slowly in understanding. “You really miss him when he’s not around, don’t you?”

  “I guess? I feel fidgety and weird. I’m not getting sick, am I?”

  “No, from what you showed me, you love him like I love Taureen. A love of friendship and loyalty. I feel something similar when I haven’t seen Taureen for a while or if I know he’s gone.”

  I blinked at her. “You do?”

  “Yes, even when we visit the main park, I occasionally fly back to make sure he’s still there.”

  “I was fine until he left. Then it just appeared.”

  “It’s the love a dragonet has for their handler,” Mom said quietly. “It calls to your heart and makes you want to be with them.”

  “But I love all of you too,” I said almost desperately, hoping she didn’t think my love for Soranto was overpowering my love for my family.

  “I know. And I’ll always love you too. I loved the park, but I left it for Taureen. Follow your heart—and know that you can always return.”

  I curled up against her, pushing my head against her chest as my heart pulled in both directions. I wanted to stay here, but part of me longed to be with Soranto, who I also considered to be family.

  Deep down, I had always known that Taureen was Mom’s, and Aeria was Dad’s. My parents had never minded sharing, but some deep part of me recognized their bond as theirs and wanted something like it for myself.

  This kind of bond wasn’t something that allowed two dragonets to share with one handler, unless they were mates like Serena and Tom. Even then, there was some friction. I knew it with the same certainty that I knew the sun would rise again. I could see it clearer now, not that it helped with my swirling emotions. Nor had I expected things to move this fast. Unable to come up with words, I shared my jumbled emotions with Mom.

  She draped her wing over me compassionately. “I’m here for you. If you ever need me, or even if you just want to talk you can call me. Not much can stop a direct mindlink between a parent and their child.”

  I rested my forehead against her shoulder, distantly aware the others were watching us but not hearing our private discussion. This felt like a turning point—one that I had to choose. It loomed over me as it waited for my decision.

  “Did you expect this to happen so soon?” I quietly asked Mom.

  “Not exactly, but you’ve been looking for him for weeks, so I knew it wasn’t going to be long. The turning point often sneaks up on us suddenly. All of those who chose to leave the forest felt exactly what you’re feeling now. You have the option of picking where to stay each night, but I think you just realized the power the bond can hold over our hearts.”

  Her words were gentle, but the warning was clear: this was my last chance to deny the bond. I definitely wanted Soranto as a handler, but my family was my current concern. “I’ll still get to see you every evening, right?”

  “If Soranto tries to skimp on the visits, I’ll send Taureen after him,” she promised.

  I finally raised my head to look into her eyes. She nudged her nose against my check before turning to face Taureen.

  After a few seconds, he asked, “Do you want me to call him back?”

  There it was. The question had been asked. My chance to go forward, or decline and stifle the bond that was growing between Soranto and me. I could postpone the decision for a while longer, but it came at the price of being torn emotionally. Mom’s words had reassured me that I could love my family and have a handler too.

  “Please.”