Page 76 of Dragon Awakened

He might be on my side, not to mention a blood relative, but he still cuts a terribly imposing figure. I can't imagine him embracing anyone.

And then there's the fact that he looks like he picked a fight with a couple dozen Shadow Dragons and lost.

Shrugging, I lift a brow, glancing at his sling. "Are you sure you can handle it?"

He sits up straighter and winces. "No. Not really."

"Would you like to introduce us?" Freya asks gently from the side.

The rest of the world seeps back in. My mates' presence behind me has been a warm net of safety as I've reunited with my lost allies from the Citadel, and I turn to them now.

I nod to them each in turn. "Rafe, Jianyu, Malik, Storm, these are Mariutza, Delaynie, and Lord Rook. They helped me escape the Shadow King's forces. Without them..."

I shudder just to think of it. I would have been at the mercy of King Erembour and his Sorceress.

I grasp my wrist unconsciously. Erembour was determined to take the Shadow Bracer. The idea of losing it now grates at something deep in my soul. It's a part of me--it awakened the very best, most powerful pieces within me. The strong ones that can wield magic.

The ones that were able to bind Storm's heart to my own.

"You have our gratitude," Malik says, and the rest of my mates voice their agreement.

As I'm introducing Freya, a broad shadow falls over the desert landscape. I shield my eyes and look up to find two dragons soaring toward us from the direction of Unity. I recognize Jett's sleek, black form; the other one I can identify only from context, and from the calm, wise aura that emanates from its visage.

Jett and his mother, Rhiannon, drop down to land a few dozen feet away. Rhiannon takes one look at our guests, and her face goes white.

Then she strides right up to Lord Rook.

"Uh-oh," Jett mutters.

"You." She narrows her eyes at him and jabs a finger toward his chest.

He either doesn't have the energy or the will to react in kind. "Hello again, Rhiannon."

"Some nerve you have showing up here after all this time."

"Uh..." I glance between the two of them.

"It's lovely to see you, too," Rook says.

For a second, everyone's quiet. A hundred expressions cross Rhiannon's face, and I can't decide if she's going to deck him or defy my imagination and try hugging him.

"Um," I try again, compelled to try to break the silence. "So, Rhiannon, I take it you've met my uncle?"

If she's surprised by my pronouncement, she doesn't show it in the least. "It's been a very, very long time."

"Too long." The fatigue in his voice has grown, but for the first time, it wavers. Something like regret crosses over his brow.

And that finally seems to break the stalemate. Rhiannon crosses her arms and tilts up her chin. "You've decided to part ways with His Royal Evilness, then, I presume?"

"Quite thoroughly." He furrows his brows. "And irrevocably."

Rhiannon nods, satisfied. "Good. It's about time."

Something unspoken passes between the two of them. "That it was," he agrees.

"Rhiannon?" Mariutza says, squinting. "Is that you?"

Rhiannon turns to the old woman, who's risen from her huddled position next to Delaynie. At first, Rhiannon seems confused, but then her eyes widen. "Mari?"

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