Gavin’s words were a balm to his psyche. “Thank you, Boss. I just, you know, I?—”
A scream cut across the land, and they both moved as a single being.
Corbin knew that scream in his soul. That was Elliot.
Let him go!Arielle roared, already shifted, flames pouring off her scales.
They made it to the clearing just in time to see a huge bird trying to fly off with Elliot, the little stone boy caught in its claws.
His heart clenched in a panic, but Arielle was already moving to overtake the bird. But it was little tiny Isabelle up there shooting fire, her flame like a miniature propane lighter, and she was burning off one tail feather at a time as she screeched and squalled.
“If he falls, he’s gonna get hurt.” And Corbin was too pregnant to fly.
“On it.” Although Gavin didn’t have to be.
Cosmo came zipping out like a little magenta dart. Hawk was right behind him, the massive dragon roaring so loud that the land itself shook.
Corbin sighed. He was so going to get in trouble for this.
He wasn’t even a hundred percent sure he’d asked if he could take the kids. And really, he just wanted tomatoes and honey and bread. What the fuck?
The bird let go of Elliot, Arielle snatched Isabelle out of the way of the big snapping beak, and Cosmo caught Elliot as he went hurtling to the ground, their little gargoyle crying.
“Da! That bird is bad. Spank it!”
Corbin!Cosmo snapped.
“It was under control. The boss is right here.”
Arielle landed with little Isabelle, handing her over to Hawk without a single word.
“What the hell was that?” Corbin asked Gavin, who shrugged.
“Great big bird?”
“You know, I could just kill you right here and then go back across the veil, and they wouldn’t be able to come and get me for murder. Do they even have murder here? I’m not sure they have murder here. But if they did have murder here, they couldn’t get me. Also, please protect me from Cosmo.”
“That I can do.” Gavin headed over to Cosmo and Hawk, and Corbin just walked into the house.
It was nice and empty because everybody else was outside trying to figure out what the deal was with the big bird, and undoubtedly someone at some point would put a giant net over the clearing so that no one could steal any more of the children. He was going to eat.
Tomatoes, cheese, honey, and bread.
It was totally unfair that his was the only mate who couldn’t come over.
Chapter
Sixteen
Evander thought Corbin was feeling a teensy bit put upon.
He was grumpy about the attempted bird abduction of Elliot, which seemed to have genuinely been a giant bird who used rocks to grind its food in its gullet… And he was feeling big and ungainly. And he was very down that Evander couldn’t go to the dragonlands.
So Evander had an idea.
They had already had a very formal party with Corbin’s mother and father. They’d had a feast with his father and brothers, save Alyster.
But now he thought it was time to go to the conservatory and have a baby shower with the dragons.
