Was this necessary?
What was going on? I didn’t understand. Never in my thirty-five years had I experienced such agony. I shook my head, hoping to clear the feeling, but it didn’t fade. The arrowhead lodged deeper, rooting itself between my ribs.
“...You listening?”
The voice startled me. Was I so perturbed that I didn’t notice somebody sneaking up on me? I turned around slowly, still dazed.
I blew out a breath. It was only my brothers. Crimson and Thystle stood holding Ruby and Heather, respectively. The sight of the young dragonets was a soothing balm on my jittery nerves.
“Hello,” I greeted.
Thystle tilted his head towards Crimson. “See? I told you he wasn’t listening.”
“I can see that,” Crimson remarked. He looked like he’d lost a bet. “Are you all right, Cobalt?”
The beautiful dragonets distracted me from the painful sensation in my chest. They squawked cheerfully in greeting. They were so small, so precious. I arched a finger at them playfully and was delighted when they reached for it with tiny claws.
“Cobalt?” Thystle prompted.
“Ah. I’m fine,” I said. “What brings you here?”
My amethyst-haired brother sighed. “I mentioned it, but I guess you didn’t hear me. We’re heading out to see Jade for the meeting.”
“Meeting?” I echoed.
Thystle arched a brow. “You know, to decide the next bachelor for the Dragonfate Games?”
Crimson smirked, crossing his arms. “The Games that—if I may be so bold to address—youinsisted on hosting? Really, Cobalt, if you didn’t want to bother with it, you could’ve sided with me during that argument all those months ago...”
The group meeting. The Games. All of it had slipped my mind. Truth be told, I wasn’t in the mood to attend. What use would I be during an important discussion when my heart clenched with peculiar, unknown pain?
Thystle’s expression softened. Could he sense my unease? If so, I felt guilty for letting it show. It wasn’t my younger brother’s duty to worry about me.
“If you don’t feel like going, you can just tell us,” Thystle said. “Besides, we need a babysitter.”
“Taylor and Matteo are having a spa night,” Crimson explained before I could ask about their mates.
“What about Viol?” I asked. The surliest of my younger brothers was nasty with us, but nothing but gentle with children. Ever since Ruby hatched, he often volunteered to babysit. Actually, ‘volunteered’ wasn’t the right term. Hedemandedthe opportunity to babysit.
Crimson and Thystle exchanged an uneasy glance.
“We don’t know where he is,” Thystle admitted.
Crimson waved a hand dismissively. “It’s not like he attends these meetings, anyway. I suppose it’ll be a surprise when his turn comes.”
Thystle snorted. “You really want to makehimthe face of the Games? He’s gonna get our show cancelled.”
“So be it. We can always save him for last,” Crimson suggested with a grin.
The mention of Viol made guilt simmer in my belly. What happened to him was my fault. My responsibility. That was why I had to be strict with the others. I wouldn’t allow them to be hurt under my watch.
Bored of our adult conversation, the two young dragons swatted their little paws at me, demanding my attention.
I smiled and opened up my broad arms. “I would love to watch them.”
“Great!” Crimson unloaded Ruby onto me, then shifted into his sinuous red dragon form.
“We’ll come back to fetch them in an hour or two,” Thystle said, then followed Crimson’s lead. With Heather safely in my arms, he transformed into a spiky purple dragon, and the two of them took off.
