"I don't know if anyone is made for it," I told him.
"You are." A little smile touched his lips, then vanished. "Ayla, people like you and Zasen were made to be defenders. You don't start it, but you do finish it. Kanik? He's happier with the simple things. His students, picking flowers, and all those things."
"But those are good things," I insisted.
He nodded. "They are. And I'm not saying one type is better than another. I'm just trying to make you understand that he may have nightmares. He'll definitely be scared of it happening again." He pulled in a breath. "And the Moles will come back."
"But he won't be healed by then!"
"No, he'll be with me," Rymar promised. "And I have a feeling we'll end up with Cerlik for the night."
"Who?"
"Cerlik," he said again, then ducked his head and chuckled. "Right. Um, so Jeera and Brielle named their son after Zasen's and Jeera's older brother. He was killed by Moles when Jeera was still in diapers, but she remembers him. Brielle thought it would be a good name for the baby."
"To name a Mole after a Dragon?" I asked.
"Oh, but Cerlik's a Dragon," he pointed out. "That baby was born here, and his mothers are some of the strongest women I know. They will make him into a proper gentleman, and I have a feeling our household will make sure he knows his heritage - and the horrors that go with it - when he's old enough to understand."
"Does Meri know?" I asked.
Rymar rocked his head from side to side. "I'm not sure if she's heard the name. If not, she will soon. Lessa's been checking in for her."
"And Drozel is hosting her now," I said, proving I knew at least that much. "She's happy her friends got a baby, though. She said this feels like the right answer."
"Yeah," Rymar agreed. "I think it all turned out for the best. I was worried she'd hate Jeera and Brielle now, since their son made some bad memories for her."
I made a face and hummed. "I think it's more that she wanted her child to have a good life, and she was terrified she couldn't give him that. She keeps asking if he has Gideon's eyes, so I think she'll want to know him one day, but not yet."
"No, that makes sense," Rymar agreed. "But she and Kanik are on the same path right now. Both are healing their bodies, and both are also going to need to heal their minds from the horrors they survived. I just..." He paused to shove his blue tongue across his lips. "Ayla, I hate that I can't help him more."
"Me too."
And he shifted again, putting us shoulder to shoulder, even though we were on different walls. Only the corner separated us. "I thought I'd lost him, and I know he'll never love me back, but..."
"He'd just told me he liked me," I said to show I understood. "I thought I'd have time to figure it out, but then I didn't, and now..."
"Now?" he asked.
I glanced down, feeling a little smile growing. "Now I can, right?"
"Ayla, now you can do anything you want."
"So maybe you can help me figure out how to do this dating thing?"
He grinned. "Yep, I can definitely help with that. Let me guess, you have questions."
"Just one," I assured him. "I want to know how to do it."
Seven
Ayla
"What exactly are you wanting to do?" Rymar asked me.
Immediately, my face started heating up. Iknewthis was okay to talk about, but my skin still did stupid things. Blushing was the worst, in my opinion, so I pulled my knees up under me and looked closely at the blanket that covered his bed.
"You said Dragons are friends, and then if they like each other, they start dating. Kanik said he likes me, and he made it clear he doesn't want to get married and that it was okay to kiss him."
