Page 53 of The White Dragon's Dilemma

“Are we going to let Caden and Anwar haveallthe fun?”Kaila’s hands were fisted at her sides and she was staring at each of them in turn with open-mouthed disbelief.

“Fun?”Caden’s mother, Ellen, choked out.

She and Grant were clutching one another. Grant, too, looked ready to grind his teeth to dust at the comment when the throne room doors flew open and Tilly ran in followed by Rose and Wally, who were still pulling on clothing.

“Mom!Dad! Did you see Caden?I was watching on my phone and--oomph!”

Whatever Tilly had been about to say was cut off as both of her parents wrapped her in their arms.

“Tilly!Oh, my baby!”Ellen murmured into her daughter’s hair.

“Tilly, I’m so glad you’re okay!”Grant kissed his daughter’s temple.

“Of course, I am!”Tilly got out as she pulled back.Her hair covered her face and she had to blow it out of the way.“I was with Caden, Rose and Wally!Nothing was going to happen to me!”

Rose looked a little uncomfortable at the praise and her eyes almost bugged out of her head when she was drawn into the Bryce family embrace.Her alarmed expression fled though and a look of contentment replaced it as she was hugged and petted as much as Tilly was.

“Rose and the kid are natural heroes!”Wally said as the tufts of hair over his ears waved wildly as he smiled at the quartet of huggers.

He was soon pulled into the group hug too.

Rose gave Valerius a quirked smile over Ellen’s shoulder.“Caden was amazing.”

“We wouldn’t have known of the bomb at all but for you and Wally,” Valerius said.

Rose pinked.

“Any word from Landry?”Wally asked as he disengaged from the hug.

Valerius glanced over at Chione. She was staring down at her tablet with her lower lip between her teeth.

“Chione, any word from Landry?”Valerius repeated Wally's question.

He hoped that the young woman was not a traitor.Caden would be devastated by that.

Chione nodded and showed him a map of Reach where several pins were placed.“Yes, but I’m not sure what it means, though I fear it is nothing good.”

“Could they be other bomb sites?”Esme asked as she studied the tablet.

“Gods, if they are…” Chione whispered.

“They are not on Anwar’s route,” Jahara stated as she too poked her head around to see the tablet.“In fact, they are mostly in manufacturing areas.My guess?One of those places is where this bomb was put together. Maybe these others are gathering places or some such.”

“We need to discover what they are,” Valerius said to the other Dragon Shifters.He took in a breath as he realized what he was going to ask of them.“It has been 30 years since we all flew together for a common purpose.I am asking you now to fly once more and investigate those sites.”

“I am with you, Valerius!”Esme said with a nod.

Kaila clapped her hands.“Fun!Fun!Yes, let’s all fly together!I want to stomp some enemies!”

Mei’s dark eyes glittered.“That these puny humans thought to mar our coming together is enough for me to want to crush them.”

Jahara bowed her head.“I am honored to assist in stamping out this evil, Valerius.”

Tez blinked as if he hadn’t quite expected to be asked to do this.He probably hadn’t.Neither he nor Eldoron were fighters. But he lifted his chin and said, “Well, of course!Eldoron and I shall assist!These attempts to harm the common people cannot go unpunished.”

“And what areyougoing to do, Valerius?Go down and preen for the press?”Illarion crossed his arms over his chest.

“Where else should Valerius be but by the side of his mate in this time of crisis?”Esme looked askance at Illarion.

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