“Ronan,” he flinched when Ionus said his name. “Did you see a dragon, or just something black that moved, possibly a shadow?”
“It wasn’t a shadow. What I felt had life in it.” A soft murmur rumbled through the room. “And I could’ve sworn I saw yellow eyes.”
Mate, you never told me that.
My dragon is telling me now.
“My dragon saw him but wasn’t afraid.”
“Well, that’s a good sign, but how did it get past the wards?”
“Its mate must be here,” Raven spoke up. “There’s no other way.”
“Good lord, have we turned into the dragon breeding grounds or what?” Ionus chuckled. “Well, if the Goddess herself sent him to us then we shall welcome him with open arms.”
Brothers, until we know for certain he is friend and not foe, once he makes himself known keep your wits about you.
Aye, Quint and I agreed as one. Mattias and Caro’s responses came a few seconds later.
Larkin gave an overview of all the dragons they’d entered into the system. Rory sat to his right while Upalo was on his left. If he sensed they were his mates, he wasn’t letting on.
I felt like a mad scientist watching his latest creation come to life.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ronan
Human.
Yes dragon?
It is my turn in the nest.
My dragon was right. Tonight was his turn to guard our eggs while Odem was on patrol. I paused to strip off my sleep shorts and crop top, my dragon happily taking over the moment I was nude. We had a deal, him and I, when it came to my clothes. He would not burst forth and leave confetti remains of my favorite outfits, on two conditions. One, that we were not in danger and two, that I removed them promptly when he wanted egg time.
Our connection was steadily growing stronger, so much so that I’d understood, without him needing to break it down for me, that having egg time in dragon form was an important part of the bonding process between us and our dragonets. While we might be one and the same, my dragon had the same urges tohold them in his wings as I did to cradle them in my arms, so on the nights that Odem flew patrol, my dragon emerged to wrap around the girls the same way Odem wrapped around the three of us when he was here.
With the greatest of care, we climbed over the edge of the nest to curl around our blanket wrapped eggs, snug in their egg socks, one wing draped over them as we settled in for the night. With how full our day had been, washing the newest batch of clothes and blankets that had arrived, finishing the final suncatcher for their room, and putting fresh linens on their cribs in preparation of their impending arrival, we’d had an extremely full day. Dropping off to sleep should have been easy, only tonight, my dragon didn’t close his eyes. Instead, he lay awake, staring out the window, watching the occasional shadow of our mate appear and vanish in the distance as he and his patrol partner took watch. It was comforting to know he was out there. While I’d rather have him curled against my side, my kidnapping had shown me firsthand the dangers that lay hidden and lurking, looking for every weakness they could exploit. As the mate of a protector, my dragon and I felt duty bound to never give them the opportunity. We’d also made it our mission to ensure that our mate always had a proper send off before he left, a reminder of what he had waiting for him when he got back home.
In one piece,we always insisted.
Yes, we understood that there would be fighting, and that there might be times when he came home bruised, but we always whispered to him tocome home safe and in one piece,a reminder of how much we loved and needed him.
We closed our eyes, for what felt like a moment, but when we cracked them open again, the light in the sky was different, the deep midnight hues having given way to paler streaks of purple. Dawn would be here soon, and our mate would be swappingplaces with someone else, returning for early morning cuddles and warm tea sipped while catching up on our time apart.
Movement beneath my wing prompted me to shift it so I could press my nose to the wobbling Opal egg and nuzzle it.
Are you dancing in your egg?
Our little one giggled in response to our thoughts. Imagine my surprise when I’d learned, the first time our dragon had shifted to wrap around them, that we could communicate with them the same way we communicated with their Papa. My dragon had patiently explained that it was one of many reasons letting him out to have equal time with them was important. In order for their dragon sides to grow and thrive in the same manner as their human ones, they needed equal interaction.
After seeing Cade with his wings out, and helping Emerson fashion a soft, surfer leash style tether that would allow Cade to fly without Emerson’s poor nerves winding up wrecked beyond repair, I’d come to understand that the children of the protectors were unlike typical dragonets. Expect the unexpected had become a mantra around here.
Opal danced like there was a rave going on in her shell, complete with laser lights and slam dancing.
Oh shit.
Mate!
