12. Gemma

Welp, it"s official. I"ve lost my marbles. That"s it, game over, thanks for playing. Please exit through the gift shop and don"t forget to tip your dragon on the way out.

As Sebastian and I make our way back to our swanky hospital suite, I keep expecting to snap out of this dream. Any second now, I"ll wake up in my crummy shoebox apartment covered in a cold sweat.

But nope. The strong, warm hand wrapped around mine is unmistakably real. This is my new reality.

"So, uh, thanks for that," I say as we step into the elevator, aiming for nonchalance and missing by a mile. "The whole magical dragon ride thing. That was...well, let"s just say you get major brownie points for Dad of the Year."

"Hey, anything for my girls." Sebastian chuckles, tugging me closer and slinging an arm around my shoulders and I burrow into his side, relishing his solid warmth.

My heart does a little fluttery thing at that. His girls. I like the sound of that.

"Seriously though, that was incredible," I murmur, tipping my head back to meet his gaze. "Seeing Jewel so happy, so carefree... I can"t remember the last time I heard her laugh like that."

He smiles down at me, his eyes crinkling at the corners, and dips his head to brush a kiss to my forehead.

As we enter our lush digs, I'm still super keyed-up and have a bajillion questions zinging around my brain.

"So..." I perch on the edge of the bed and pat the spot beside me. "I think it"s time for a little QA. I"ve got questions. Many, many questions."

Sebastian joins me, the mattress dipping under his weight. He takes a deep breath, as if steeling himself. "I figured as much."

"First off, wow, a dragon? I mean, you"d think that would maybe have been something to discuss before we tied the knot."

He winces, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, that"s the thing. Humans aren"t supposed to know about us. There are these ancient laws... But with the population issue, we've been forced to bend the rules a bit."

I tilt my head. "Population issue?"

He nods grimly. "There are no more female dragons. We"re a dying breed. Literally."

"Oh," I breathe. "That"s heavy." And then my eyes go wide as a thought occurs to me. "Wait, so is that why you entered into an arranged marriage? To make dragon babies?"

He just nods, but at least he has the grace to look a little ashamed. "The council was getting desperate, so they cooked up this marriage scheme."

I chew my lip, processing this. It"s a lot to take in. Dragons are real. My husband is one. There"s some kind of council playing dragon Tinder. And apparently I'm the golden ticket to their species" survival?

No pressure or anything.

I flop back on the bed, throwing an arm over my eyes. "That's messed up. You realize that, right? I mean, is my womb supposed to be the savior of the dragon race or something?"

The bed shifts as Sebastian stretches out beside me, propping himself up on one elbow. He gently tugs my arm away from my face, his fingers lacing through mine.

"Hey, look at me." His voice is soft but firm.

I reluctantly meet his gaze. "That is why you married me, right? To... procreate?"

Sebastian"s eyes find mine, his gaze so intense it steals my breath. "Yes, Gemma, that's why I married you. But as long as we"re laying our cards on the table, the truth is I fell for you the instant I saw you."

"Oh." I exhale shakily. "That"s...good."

His eyes soften. "Listen, I know we kind of went about this whole thing backwards. Got hitched first, fell in love later." He reaches for my hand, enveloping it in his much larger one. "But I need you to know, it"s real for me. You"re it for me. Dragon mating is for life."

I"ll be darned if I don"t feel a touch light-headed at his passionate declaration. Still...

"This thing about dragon males needing human females to reproduce..." I trail off, worrying my bottom lip between my teeth. "Am I, like, contractually obligated to be your broodmare or something?"

I picture myself waddling around with a big old dragon belly while Sebastian sits on his pile of gold, fire-roasting knights of old or whatever dragons do in their spare time.

He blinks at me for a beat before shaking his head adamantly. "No, sweetheart, you"re not contractually obligated to do anything you don"t want to do." Sebastian gives my hand a reassuring squeeze. "Especially not popping out dragon babies. We'll wait until you"re good and ready."

I can"t help sagging a bit in relief even as I quirk a brow at him. "You seem awfully sure I"ll be "good and ready" someday," I say, aiming for a touch of levity. "I don"t know if I even want more kids."

It pains me to admit it out loud. Once upon a time, a house packed to the rafters with children was my ultimate dream. After everything with Jewel, I just... I don"t know if I have it in me.

He flashes me a knowing grin. "If you don't want to, we won't. Simple as that."

My voice breaks and I swallow hard. Sebastian makes a soothing noise, his thumb stroking over my knuckles.

And then, because I"m an absolute glutton for punishment, I decide to come clean about my little act of espionage.

"I overheard your phone call this morning," I confess in a rush. "The one with your research team."

Sebastian stiffens, his eyes searching mine. "You did?"

I nod miserably. "I didn"t mean to eavesdrop. I swear I wasn"t snooping. But I heard some of it and..." I blow out a shaky breath. "It didn"t sound like good news."

He sighs, his free hand coming up to stroke his forehead. "No, it wasn"t. I"ve got the best minds in the business working around the clock and it"s not enough. All our cutting edge tech, all that money and manpower... None of it matters. Jewel"s condition is just..."

"Too rare. Too complex," I finish for him, my own voice sounding hollow to my ears. "Believe me, I know. I"ve heard it all before."

"But that doesn"t mean we give up," Sebastian says fiercely. His hand finds my cheek, his gaze boring into mine with an intensity that steals my breath.

"There"s one stone left unturned. A Hail Mary of sorts. I"m still working out the details, but...it"s something. A fighting chance. And I"ll be damned if I won"t move heaven and earth to make it happen. For you. For our Rare Jewel."

There"s so much love shining in his eyes, so much devotion and determination, I"m powerless against its pull. I surge up, capturing his mouth in a bruising kiss that I feel all the way to my toes.

Maybe I"m a fool for hoping. Maybe I"m setting myself up for another soul-crushing disappointment. But as Sebastian rolls me beneath him, his body blanketing mine, I choose to believe. In him. In us.