Page 68 of Dragon Unhinged

“Tea would be great.” I bite my lip, still feeling kind of sheepish. I’ve never been a jealous woman, and I’m certainly not enjoying this new side of me.

“I don’t take it personally. I’ve known all the Wystans for so long, they’re like my brothers. His shirtlessness doesn’t have nearly the same effect on me as it does you, trust me. Plus, nudity isn’t as big of a deal in the shifter world. You’ll see more tits, dicks, and ass than you’ll care to remember.” She pulls an electric kettle out and a box full of assorted teas. “I would like to hear more about this fae friend of yours. And the other tidbit Malcolm passed on, but we’ll wait for Declan to come back before we get into that.”

My brow furrows as I settle at the kitchen table, trying to make sure my robe stays well secured. The last thing I need is to flash a stranger no matter how comfortable with nudity she is. “Ellie is a classmate, a friend from school. I didn’t even know she was fae until recently. And I still don’t know how she got Declan and the others free from their cuffs, from their cells.” Watching Syrena practically dance around the kitchen, looking so much more glamorous than me in my robe, just makes me feel even more embarrassed. “I’m hugely appreciative of it though.”

“We all are.” She hands me a mug, and then holds out the teas for me to choose one. “Do you know anything about Krystana, where she’s being held?”

“Krystana?” I shake my head. “There were only three prisoners where Declan was. No women.” I choose my words carefully, not wanting to admit until absolutely necessary that my father was his captor.

“I didn’t figure it would be that easy, that the two of them might be together. No matter. One Wystan saved at a time is still excellent.” She pours the steaming water into my mug before following suit with her own.

Declan walks into the kitchen then, more appropriately dressed, but still looking so much better than he has in the past weeks. I should’ve fought harder, should’ve found some way to set them free sooner.

Rather than choosing his own chair, or leaning against a counter like Syrena is, he scoops me up out of mine and takes my place before settling me on his lap.

“Should we be expecting anyone else?”

“Not right away. I told Ash to let me come first, to assess the situation.” She looks at me and says with a smirk, “Obviously step one is going to need to be getting you fresh clothing.”

I nod. “I didn’t exactly have time to pack a go-bag. We just left.” As I was stripping down for my bath I was alarmed at the blood and grime on my clothes and body just from helping with Ewan. I really hope he’s okay.

“No worries. I’ve got plenty of connections. Just let me know what sort of fashion is to your taste.” She takes a seat at the table across from us. “Or I can send over an assortment, and you can try things on to your heart’s content. Finley’s sister is a fashion model, she’s always giving us designer clothes.”

“I think there are more important things going on than clothes, Syrena.”

She rolls her eyes in a move that looks like she’s well-practiced where the Wystans are concerned. “Don’t listen to him. I’m an expert at multitasking.” She winks at me before looking back at my mate. “I’m assuming you want me to focus on the fact that your unclaimed mate is expecting?”

I feel like I’m just barely getting used to the idea, and it seems like the entire world is learning about it at the same time as Iam. “I would like to know the baby is safe.” I say and then let out a breath before continuing. “How did this happen? Declan said humans couldn’t get pregnant by dragons, unless they were claimed.”

Declan’s arms tighten around me. “Is it because I’ve been trapped as a human for so long?”

Syrena shakes her head. “It’s more likely that this is a product of the changes to the world. To magic itself, with the dark powers that Grey’s tapping into. He’s playing with ancient magic and not just one source either. We’ve been uncovering stuff the Elders have been trying to keep hidden. Turns out Athena can hack into security systems too. She’s been having a field day getting into safes and vaults of the Elders. It’s like a game for her.” She takes a sip of her tea before saying, “Once we have some appropriate clothing, I can take you to see Pru, and we can find out about how far along you are, and if there’s anything that looks different from what would be expected. But we’ve seen more than one former human give birth now, and I would imagine your situation isn’t that much different.”

“Can I claim her without hurting her and the baby?” Declan asks.

Syrena studies us both and takes another sip of her tea. “We’ll discuss it with Pru. It’s not like there’s a handbook on this. I can’t foresee any issues, but if you’d told me a few years ago, I’d be battling a vampire for the world…I would’ve laughed in your face.”

I swallow the lump in my throat, hoping that everything she’s saying is true.

“Declan, have you tried to reach your dragon since the spells were broken?”

“I haven’t tried to shift, if that’s what you’re really asking. I can feel him, and I ripped into my hands when the runes on myback were fading, but otherwise, I was preoccupied with getting Brianna and Ewan down here.”

I squeeze his hand, trying to reassure him that we’ll get to pull his dragon forward soon enough. That I want to see him shift, to meet his dragon.

“There’s no reason to get snippy with me, just because you would rather be spending time with your mate than talking with me.” Syrena smirks at him and takes another sip of tea. “It would help me understand what sort of spells were used, if I know the exact effects they had on you and the others.”

“I really don’t want to relive it right now. I know it could help us get more information on Grey and his plans, but it’s been a really long time since I’ve just felt like I can be me.” He kisses my hair, making me snuggle back into him. “I promise, I’ll tell you all the horrors I suffered, but for at least twenty-four hours, let me be with my mate.”

“I can sketch out as many of the runes as I remember, too.” I slide my hand into Declan’s and tangle our fingers together. “We’ll make sure you get as much information as we can.”

“You want to know what we went through? I’ll tell you. I’ll give you all the details you want.” Ewan’s voice comes from the hallway, sounding exhausted, defeated, and hardly interested in helping at all.

Syrena looks over at him, gesturing for him to join us.

He looks at the table and lingers in the doorway instead.

It’s progress, at least.

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