There was a sway to her hips that told Valentine she knew he liked her ass, and he could only shake his head at her teasing.
It was good that he had some space to think, but he also knew he had to check in on Reeve before anything else.
The halls of the palace were mostly empty, and no one gave him any eye contact. That wasn't unusual, but now, he could smell a whiff of fear coming from the servants that he hadn't sensed before. He was confused by that but let it go. He would never understand people.
Taranis and Quinn were talking in low voices at the dining table when he walked into their wing. Both looked up and smiled at him, and that unclenched something inside him. He had half expected Taranis to kick him out of the city altogether.
"I... I'm sorry," he said, moving towards Taranis. "I didn't know it had three heads and that I would hurt people when I roared."
"Valentine, please take a breath," his uncle said, and his smile widened. "I don't think anyone could have been prepared for that shift. The release of your bindings was like a shock wave."
Valentine ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to cause anyone else to shift either."
"We know, honey. The knights were just surprised. Apparently, three heads are super rare," Quinn said, wrapping him up in a hug. "Do you have three of anything else?"
Valentine choked. "No!"
"Hmm, pity. That would have been cool," Quinn said and held him tighter. "I'm glad you're okay. Cosimo would kill me if anything happened to you."
Like Apollo, Quinn was affectionate, so Valentine hugged her back and tried not to count down until it was polite to release her. He only seemed to like Yelena touching him for longer than a few seconds. Now he knew why.
Taranis put a hand on his shoulder. "We knew you would be an alpha too, Val. Any dragon that has been around you could smell it even before the shift."
"Is Reeve... Is he okay?" Valentine asked.
Taranis nodded. "He's fine. It surprised him and scaredCharlotte, though. She might still be cranky at you about it, but you know how she doesn't like surprises. He was overdue to shift anyway, and seeing you as a dragon triggered something in him."
"Like a pack thing," Quinn said, letting him go.
Valentine frowned. "But Bas and Apollo didn't trigger either of us."
"Bas and Apollo aren't alpha. You are, and Reeve is your family. In normal dragon families, all the siblings shift roughly at the same time. It's like a chemical reaction," Taranis explained, and patted his shoulder once before letting it go. "Go and see him, and be quick about it. We have about an hour before Midir contacts us, and we have to be ready."
"It's not face-to-face?" Valentine asked, a little disappointed. He wanted to get the bastard's scent and figure out a way to put a tracking spell on him.
"Unfortunately, Midir isn't that stupid. You can be surprised by the magic we use because if I start telling you now, you will get too distracted," Taranis replied.
Valentine laughed. "Good point." Both of them stared at him. "What?"
"Your smile is different, that's all," Quinn said.
"I feel...lighter," he said carefully. "I'd better go and see Reeve." He hurried to where his brother’s guest rooms were before they could ask him any more questions.
Valentine knocked on the door. "Open up. It's me."
The door was yanked open, and Charlotte glared up at him. It usually took a lot to get under her skin, but when she was fired up, it was good to remember that she was an Ironwood, and they all had the same temper. And knife training.
"Come to do some more damage?" she demanded.
Valentine put his hands up in surrender. "Charlotte, you know I didn't mean it. I couldn't control it."
"Let him in, Charlie," Reeve said from where he was lying on the couch. He looked pale, but he was in one piece.
Charlotte's eyes narrowed. "Don't upset him, or you will deal with me." She pushed past him and out of the room.
"Damn, I haven't seen her that defensive for a while," Valentine said and sat down in an armchair. "You okay?"
"Shaken up, and a bit tired." Reeve saw something in his face, and his eyes widened. "What... Areyouokay? You look different."
