The baby dragon swiveled her head to the window and Kiyana gasped.
Both Arabella and the little dragon must've heard, because they both looked straight at her.
The little dragon squeaked and plodded up to her door. Kiyana opened it the rest of the way and the dragon immediately jumped to put her front paws on Kiyana's legs. Unsure of what else to do, Kiyana scratched the little one behind the ears. The golden dragon leaned into her touch.
Arabella sighed. "It seems my daughter likes you, which is a first. Usually she only allows my mate or brother to do that whilst she's in her dragon form."
Kiyana couldn't move her gaze from the adorable little face below. "I didn't think they shifted so young."
"They don't. I'm just the lucky one, I guess."
While on the surface the words might seem sarcastic, she could hear the love in Arabella's voice. "Did you call her Freya?"
"Yes. The triplets were asleep last night, but this is one of them—our only daughter, Freya. Her brothers will probably sleep a few more hours, as they're a bit lazier. Or, rather, act more like babies than Freya does."
She smiled for the first time since everything that had happened with Alistair the night before. "She's beautiful."
Arabella squatted and picked up the squirming dragon baby, bumping her nose against the tiny dragon snout before kissing it. "Thank you. Did you want to come downstairs and help me feed her?"
She hesitated. If Kiyana went downstairs, she'd have to face reality once more.
However, Freya squeaked again—Kiyana assumed it'd become a roar at some point when Freya was older—and she couldn't resist the little one's charm. "Okay."
Freya jumped out of her mother's arms and into Kiyana's. She stumbled, but managed to keep from tumbling back.
Arabella shook her head. "If Freya wants you to carry her, then it shall be. Otherwise, it'll be nothing but a headache and someone jumping out the W-I-N-D-O-W the first chance she has."
Adjusting her hold on Freya, Kiyana said, "I can manage. Although hopefully she grows out of being carried because she must already weight at least two stone."
"If my mate has his way, she'll be carried a while yet. Finn likes to spoil her." Arabella motioned. "Come on. The sooner we feed her, the sooner she should fall asleep and shift back into her human form."
As they walked, Kiyana asked, "Why does she shift so early?"
"That is a long story, and one I can tell you later after she's asleep. Otherwise, she'll listen and get ideas again. I love my daughter, but she's too clever for her own good."
Freya squeaked again and Kiyana laughed. "Maybe she'll be a charmer, like Finn."
"Then I feel for whoever ends up as her mate." Arabella smiled to herself. "Although given how surly many of the dragon-shifters are, maybe she'll do one of the surliest some good."
They reached the kitchen and Freya jumped down, sprinted around the table, and stopped in front of what looked like a rather large dog food bowl.
Arabella fetched something from the refrigerator and said, "Freya also likes to eat in her dragon form more often than not, hence the bowl. I worry she doesn't get enough nutrients, but the doctor says she's doing brilliantly. As long as she eats in her human form twice a day, too, there shouldn't be an issue."
After the dragonwoman placed some cooked meat and vegetables into the bowl, she turned to Kiyana. Somehow she tore her gaze away from the tiny dragon chowing down her food as Arabella asked, "What about you? Would you like some breakfast? I promise I won't serve it in a dog food bowl."
Kiyana's lips twitched. "Tea would be fantastic."
"I'll add some biscuits."
"Do you have any chocolate ones? It's definitely a chocolate kind of morning."
Arabella grinned. "A female after my own heart. Sit, I'll get everything ready and give you plenty of chocolate to choose from."
As the dragonwoman went about her task, Kiyana realized how mundane it was. Even being part dragon didn't completely erase the human half of things. She'd known that, of course, and yet it was fascinating to see in real life.
She'd been about to ask a few questions when Finn walked in. "There's my bonnie daughter, in her wee dragon form."
Freya looked up, food stuck to her chin, and squeaked.