“Are you sure about this? I’m uncertain of how my parents will react.”
“Blaze is on our side, now that he knows me better. The other dragons were friendly.”
“They were,” Sasha agreed. “I liked their human mates very much.”
Max stole a quick kiss before tightening his grip on Sasha’s hand and stepping forward. The air seemed thicker as it brushed against their bodies, but the pressure was only momentary. Their surroundings blurred before coming into focus again.
“What took you so long?” Blaze asked.
“I took a few moments to kiss my mate in private,” Max said. He glanced at Noel and saw his brother was smiling and enjoying this adventure immensely.
“Let’s go,” Blaze said. “I’ll introduce you to David and Rena. You can make arrangements, then we’d better fly home to see Mother and Father. Your disappearance upset them.”
“All right,” Sasha said, although she didn’t sound happy, her expression telling him she worried regarding her parents’ reaction to her human mate, and that did nothing to settle his anxiety.
Blaze led the way from the yew grove where they’d arrived. Beyond, an orchard stretched into the distance. Apple trees. Cherry trees. Orange and lemons. Peaches and pears.
In the distance, he could hear singing. Max soon spotted the male tenor. He wore a black robe and was busy weeding a vegetable plot. When he noticed them walking past, he lifted a hand in greeting.
“Do you know where David and Rena are at the moment?” Blaze called.
“They’re in the communal room, trying to stop the older brothers from killing each other. They’re voting on which part of the monastery business plan to concentrate on first,” came the cheerful reply. “For once, I’m glad I’m a junior druid and need not bother myself over the decision making.”
“What is this place?” Max asked.
“Remember I told you about the druids who power the barrier. This is the monastery where they live.”
“Right, the reason I’m interviewing David and Rena.”
Max wasn’t sure what to expect since the dragons and his mate had decided it would be better for him to learn everything from David and Rena. The sound of raised voices traveled down a wide passage to the entrance. Blaze led them inside and stopped outside an open doorway. A dozen men wearing robes from red to blue and one gold gesticulated at each other and raised their voices to be better heard.
“Ah,” Blaze said. “You wait here, and I’ll wade into the crowd and let them know we’ve arrived.” He plunged into the melee and tapped a man on the shoulder. He pivoted in their direction, and Max spotted a woman.
The young couple who walked toward them with welcoming smiles didn’t fit what he’d conjured in his imagination. The woman wore jeans and a casual T-shirt while the man dressed in the same manner as the male dragons in black trousers and a white linen shirt, open at the neck. He would’ve passed them on the street, apart from the fact they both sported an electric-blue tattoo on one side of their face. The whorls and interlaced knots of the tattoo were intricate and reminded him of Celtic scrollwork.
“Rena, David, this is my sister Sasha and her mate, Max. And this wee fellow is Noel. He’s Max’s younger brother.”
“Your missing sister?” David asked, his gaze alert.
Blaze slipped his arm around Sasha’s waist in affection. “She found herself and turned up at the cottage on Holy Island. Max is a reporter from the mainland, and Leo and the others decided it would be an excellent idea to produce a newspaper to let the Dragon Isles residents learn of all that has happened. They figured it would stop the spread of rumors and misinformation.” Blaze shot a grin at Max. “If this works well, you might have a job here.”
“That’s a brilliant idea,” Rena said. “We should’ve thought of that ourselves. You want to interview us and listen to our story? Have Liza, Leo, Cherry, and Martinos told you what happened to them?”
“I took plenty of notes,” Max said. “Their stories are completed, and Leo, Liza, Martinos, and Cherry approved them for publication.”
“I’ll look after Noel while you and Sasha hear David’s and Rena’s story,” Blaze said. “You noted Rena’s weird hair?”
“Blaze! Did you leave your tact at the local pub?” Sasha snapped. “You do not say that sort of thing to a woman.”
Rena grinned. “Your brother, Griffith, happened to my hair. He set it on fire while trying to burn his way out of a building here at the monastery.”
Sasha’s brows rose. “Griffith?”
“We won’t let him forget this for quite a while,” Blaze said with a chuckle.
David and Rena led them into a large room full of comfortable chairs and small tables.
“This is the solarium,” David said. “The druids spend their evenings here relaxing after dinner. No one will interrupt us at this time of the day.”
