10. Alexandra

Alexandra held her daughter in the cleansing afternoon sun. The sweeping porch around her house gave her an amazing view of the mountains in the distance. The home perched in the middle of a ranch so many acres large that the nearest neighbor was a half hour away by car. It wasn't a working ranch any longer. Most of the acerage had been converted to native prairie and along the north end, toward the mountains, the property abutted protected native land. They had room to be alone. They had room to be dragons. Alexandra looked down at her baby"s face and smiled at the bright hazel eyes that stared up at her. Dakota"s eyes.

Peace wasn"t easy for her or Dakota. They had survived more violence than anyone should. But Alexandra was determined that her baby would know peace and joy before fate took control of the future.

She had named her child Hope. Because for the first time, Alexandra thought the future might be worth living to see.

Hope wasn"t something Alexandra had for a long time, and she wanted a reminder running around the house. She got her wish only two weeks after giving birth, when Hope had shifted for the first time and stumbled down the hallway on four legs and two wings, chirping in delight.

A shadow passed over them. Hope reach up toward it with a friendly babble. A moment later, Dakota landed some feet away. His big black wings folded in the shining light, glimmering. A white scar stretched up from under his chest and across one shoulder. Forever a reminder of the lengths he was willing to go for Alexandra.

He stretched his massive head forward to nuzzle Alexandra. He flicked his tongue playfully at his daughter, who wiggled and squirmed in Alexandra"s arms.

With a sudden slip of her skin, Hope shifted from human to dragon. She squirmed in the blanket Alexandra had her swaddled in, and kicked hard to be released. Her blue scales were so dark they were nearly black, like her father, and they shimmered like deep water in the sun.

Alexandra laughed, untangling her daughter and putting Hope on all fours so she could toddle awkwardly toward her father.

Her little wings were too big for her at this age. She used them like additional balance crutches stretched far on either side, poking their little finger claws into the ground to keep herself upright. Her tail swung up straight and stiff as she attempted to scramble as fast as she could. Dakota snorted at her and hopped away. He reached back to touch his nose against hers than hopped away again. Hope chirped and growled. She instinctively flapped her wings to make herself bigger.

Alexandra folded the blanket and set it on the railing so that she could join her family in the sun. She shifted and stretched her emerald green scales in the sun. Her hide was striped with white scars. Tiger stripes, Dakota had called them. Proof that she'd fought and survived. She still didn't like them, but she tried not to say that out loud anymore. Not when Dakota had one of his own.

Hope's snarls were tiny and high-pitched. She scrambled after Dakota with her claws high, balancing for a moment on back legs and tail to scratch at the air. Dakota chuffed at her.

Alexandra pulled a deep roar out of her chest and flung it into the sky. Hope tried to mimic her, her wings trembling with the effort as she squeaked. Dakota stretched his head up and roared loud enough to shake the ground around them.

It was good to be together.

Hope chirped and stumbled to the ground as she stepped on a wing. Alexandra nosed the wayward limb back into place on her back and together the three of them ran in circles around the yard, practicing their roars.

Alexandra reveled in moments like these. She knew the future held a lot for her daughter. Fate was waiting to take her through hardship and adventure. Eventually the vampires would become a threat again, but it would take decades for them to build their numbers up and by then Hope, Alexandra, and Dakota would be ready.

And Hope would know exactly what was coming for her. In the meantime, Alexandra had a chance to see what Fate had in store.

Alexandra pushed herself up against Dakota"s body and twined their tails together. She had her mate and her daughter. Together they had a future. It was more than she had ever dreamed.