“I forced the bonds,” Kieran interrupts quietly.
The fire pops.
“All of them. Without her consent. Without her knowledge. Because I was afraid of losing her again.” His hands curl on his knees, knuckles white. “I told myself it was protection. Told myself she’d understand eventually. Told myself the end justified—” He stops. Swallows. “I was wrong. I don’t get to make choices for her. Not ever again.”
The admission sits between us. Heavy. Real.
Then Finn exhales loudly. “Well. That got dark.”
“It was already dark,” Aspen points out.
“Yeah, but we were doing the fun banter thing. I liked the fun banter thing.”
“We can do both,” Malrik says. “Acknowledge the heavy shit and still be idiots about it.”
“That’s… actually really healthy,” Darian says. He sounds surprised.
“Don’t get used to it.”
“I won’t.”
Finn grins. “See, this is what I mean. We should be at each other’s throats. Jealous and possessive and fighting over who gets to — I don’t know — hold her hand or whatever. But instead we’re just… this.”
“This,” Kieran repeats.
“Yeah. Whatever this is.” Finn gestures vaguely at all of us. “She’s sleeping over there after having sex with you, and instead of being weird about it, we’re sitting here having a family meeting about vacation plans.”
“We haven’t discussed vacation plans.”
“We should though. That’s my point.” Finn sits up straighter. “When was the last time any of us had a vacation? A real one? Not recovering from near-death. Not hiding from assassins. An actual, genuine, nothing-is-trying-to-kill-us vacation.”
Silence.
Darian shakes his head. “Never.”
“Same,” Aspen says.
“Dragons don’t take vacations,” Kieran says.
“That’s the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. You’re how many years old and you’ve never had fun at a beach?”
“I’ve been to many beaches.”
“Forfun. Not for brooding purposes.”
“There’s nothing wrong with reflecting near the ocean.”
“You just called itreflecting. That’s just brooding with better PR.”
“The waves are soothing.”
“The waves are forswimming. And drinking. And making out with beautiful women. Not brooding — sorry,reflecting.”
“I have made out with beautiful women at beaches.”
Dead silence.
Every head turns toward Kieran.
