Chapter 177: Daddy Dearest

Kane slipped off Cyrus’s lap, approaching the egg with cautious steps. He leaned closer to the obsidian surface, golden eyes searching for any sign of movement.

"It’s completely still now," Kane murmured, his breath fogging slightly against the protective glass case.

He pressed his palm against the ward circle surrounding the egg’s stand. "Maybe it was just... I don’t know, dragon hiccups?"

Cyrus remained seated, watching Kane with careful attention but making no move to join him.

"You’re overreacting." His voice carried that familiar note of dry skepticism. "It was likely a fluctuation in the containment wards, nothing more."

Kane shot him a look over his shoulder.

"Says the man who wanted to incinerate it the moment we found it."

"That remains sound reasoning."

Just then, Cyrus’s phone buzzed with an incoming call. He glanced at the screen and answered with his usual crisp efficiency.

"Yes?"

Kane watched as Cyrus’s expression shifted to mild surprise.

"Very well, I’ll be down momentarily."

Cyrus ended the call and stood, straightening his jacket.

"The lunch order has arrived. I need to collect it from the lobby."

Kane looked up from where he’d been contemplating the dragon egg.

"I can go get it. You’ve got all that paperwork to catch up on."

"You’re staying here." Cyrus’s tone brooked no argument.

Kane rolled his eyes but couldn’t suppress a grin.

"You know, for someone who hired me as an assistant, you’re doing a lot more assisting than I am."

Cyrus paused at the office door, his hand resting on the handle. Something flickered in his crimson eyes.

He gave a smirk and crossed back to Kane, catching the fox spirit’s chin between his fingers.

"The difference," Cyrus murmured, his voice dropping to that low register that made Kane’s pulse quicken, "is that only you get to order me around."

Before Kane could respond, Cyrus captured his lips in a firm, claiming kiss that left no doubt about who belonged to whom.

When they broke apart, Kane’s cheeks were flushed and his golden eyes slightly dazed.

"Wait here," Cyrus commanded against Kane’s lips, then straightened and headed for the door.

"Don’t do anything weird while I’m gone."

Kane watched the door close behind Cyrus, then immediately turned back to the dragon egg. The moment he was alone, his curiosity took over.

"Alright, little guy," he whispered, carefully lifting the obsidian egg from its protective case.

"Let’s see what’s going on in there."

He held it up to his ear first, like checking a coconut. Nothing. Then he tried gently shaking it, which seemed like a terrible idea the moment he started.

"Okay, that was stupid," he muttered, cradling it protectively.

Kane squinted at the black surface, pressing his cheek against it like he was listening to a seashell. The egg was surprisingly cold against his skin.

"That can’t be good for a baby dragon."

Without thinking, he unwrapped one of his silver tails from around his waist. The fluffy appendage curled around the egg like a living scarf, and Kane concentrated on channeling his foxfire through it.

Gentle warmth spread from his tail, and the obsidian surface began to feel more comfortable.

"There we go," he said proudly. "Fox daddy’s got you covered."

The egg pulsed once with that same crimson light, and Kane nearly dropped it in surprise.

"Did you just... respond to me?"

Kane held perfectly still, watching the obsidian surface for any sign of movement.

His silver tail remained wrapped around the egg, continuing to channel gentle warmth.

"Come on," he whispered. "Do it again."

As if responding to his voice, the egg pulsed with soft crimson light, stronger this time.

Kane’s eyes widened as he felt the faintest vibration through the shell.

"Holy shit, you are alive in there."

He shifted his grip, cradling the egg more securely against his chest. His foxfire seemed to resonate with whatever was stirring inside.

The egg pulsed again, and Kane swore he felt something move. Not just a flutter—actual movement, like a tiny creature shifting position.

"You can sense me, can’t you?" Kane’s voice was barely audible. "My energy, my spirit... you know I’m here."

This wasn’t some dormant artifact waiting for the right magical conditions. There was a baby dragon inside, aware and responding to his presence.

"Cyrus is going to lose his mind," he muttered, but couldn’t stop smiling.

Kane’s heart swelled with something he’d never experienced before—a fierce, protective joy that felt almost parental.

He cradled the egg closer, his silver tail maintaining its gentle warmth around the obsidian surface.

"You stayed quiet for them, didn’t you?" he whispered, understanding flooding through him. "Those bastards held you for who knows how long, and you never gave them a sign of life."

The egg pulsed again, as if confirming his theory. Kane laughed softly, impressed despite himself.

"Smart little dragon. You knew they were bad people."

He settled into Cyrus’s chair, adjusting his hold so the egg rested securely against his chest.

"Let me introduce myself properly," Kane said, his voice taking on a gentle, earnest tone he’d never used before.

"I’m Kane. Kane Ashwood. And the scary dragon who was just here? That’s Cyrus. He’s... well, he’s going to be your other parent."

The thought should have terrified him—the responsibility, the implications, the sheer impossibility of it all. Instead, Kane felt nothing but determination.

"I know he seems grumpy about you existing, but trust me, once you’re here, he’ll move mountains to keep you safe. We both will."

Kane traced a finger along the obsidian surface, marveling at how something tiny could contain such potential.

"I’m going to protect you," he promised solemnly.

"I’m going to figure out how to bring you into this world safely—hopefully without turning me into a barbecue—and we’re going to raise you right. Give you a real family, not some laboratory nightmare."

The egg’s crimson glow intensified, and Kane felt movement again—stronger this time.

"That’s my little fighter," he murmured proudly.

The office door opened, and Cyrus stepped in carrying an elegant takeout bag, freezing when he saw Kane cuddling the egg like a plush toy.