Page 8 of Purple Protector

The way the dragon said Killian’s title made it obvious that it was a recurring joke between the two of them. They really were friends, weren’t they?

“Ignore Marlin,” Killian said, turning back to Aaron. “And, please, sit.”

Aaron quickly obeyed. He wasn’t sure what to say. He’d planned for the interview, but this wasn’t that. Killian had wanted to meet him before they got to work, which was understandable but left Aaron floundering.

“I know we’re not supposed to start working today, but maybe you’d like to ask a few questions already?” Killian offered.

Aaron had never been more grateful that he was the kind of person to overprepare. He fumbled with his bag, quickly retrieving his phone and his notepad. “We can go over a few things,” he confirmed.

He was the one doing the interview, but he didn’t miss the way Killian asked questions, too. It sounded like Killian was as curious about Aaron and his life as Aaron was about the king. It was weird because there was nothing interesting about Aaron, but he supposed that, for a dragon, Aaron’s life was odd.

He didn’t have any problems answering Killian’s questions about his family and his work. He told him about where he lived and the cities he’d visited over the years. Killian looked wishful, which Aaron understood better when he asked his next question.

“I know you haven’t been the king for long,” he started.

“That’s right. I became king after my father was killed.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

Killian waved Aaron’s words away. “No one’s sorry for my loss, not even myself. My father was a horrible man.” He leaned forward. “I’d like to ask you not to write down these details, but my father should never have been king. He was cruel and wanted the position for power, not because he thought he could be a good leader. All of us were forced to stay in the palace. No one was allowed outside to visit other clans or even to explore the area, and there were strict rules as to when and how we could shift and fly. Since I was born, the palace has been the only thing I’ve ever known. That recently changed, but I’m the king now, so I can’t do what I wanted when I was younger.”

Aaron couldn’t imagine living like that. He hadn’t seen much of the world, but he had traveled. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, not knowing what else to say.

“It’s fine. The clan is finally rid of my father, and I’ve been working hard so that people can be happy. That was missing for a long time, but not anymore. My people are allowed to leave the clan now. They can fly to the closest clans, or even to a human city if they want to. Of course, things are still complicated when it comes to that, but we’re not confined to the palace anymore, and we never will be again. We deserve to be free.”

“You already sound like a much better king than your father apparently was,” Aaron offered.

Killian gave him a pleased smile. “I try.”

Aaron hadn’t expected the king to be like this—relaxed and nice, someone who didn’t expect Aaron to bow to him. It was almost like they were having a friendly conversation, which Aaron wasn’t quite sure how to deal with, but he was happy to continue the way Killian led.

Maybe he had been the right choice for this interview, after all. Maybe this wouldn’t be a disaster.

BIRCH WAS RELIEVED when he was finally allowed to leave Killian’s office. He’d taken way too much teasing from Marlin and Killian after he’d returned from walking Aaron back to his room. Both of them had seen how interested Birch was in Aaron, and they hadn’t kept their mouth shut for one second.

“Where are you rushing off to?” Marlin called out when Birch opened the door of Killian’s office. “To see Aaron?”

Birch turned to glare at him, then at Killian, even though he hadn’t said anything. “I have a family dinner tonight.”

Marlin’s smile turned more natural and less teasing. “Oh, that’s nice. Say hi to your mothers for me.”

“I will.”

Marlin followed him outside. They both nodded at the guards that would stay with Killian for the evening, then at Tito as they walked past him.

Birch was as excited about dinner as he dreaded it. He loved spending time with his family, but his mothers liked to fret, even though he was an adult and had never lived with them. He’d been raised with Killian, but since he’d been chosen to become the king’s bodyguard, he knew who his family was. The same couldn’t be said for most of the clan members. When Killian’s father had been king, all the eggs were gathered and raised together in the nursery. Once they were grown enough, they were distributed amongst the families. There was no way to know who had been born to whom. Birch and Marlin were exceptions because the king had wanted to know the families of the dragons who would guard his son. Birch had always felt weird about that, but there was nothing he could do about it.

He hadn’t had a choice when he was a child, and Killian had changed things. He’d made sure that no one would be taken from their families ever again and that no parent would have to lose their child. He was working relentlessly to find records that would help reunite families if they decided that was what they wanted. He was changing things, which was one of the reasons Birch loved him so much.

As much as he loved his friend, he was happy to leave the office. He ignored Marlin until they had to go their own way, then waved at him and quickly walked away before Marlin could say anything else about Aaron. His mothers would fret if he was late, and he didn’t want to hear anything else Marlin had to say.

He supposed he should be happy that he didn’t live with his mothers. Curran, his brother, wasn’t as lucky. He felt the full force of both their mothers’ worries every day and usually complained to Birch once a week. He’d be happy that, for one evening, their family would be focused on Birch rather than on him.

He didn’t bother knocking when he got to their rooms. He opened the door, knowing what they would say. “Sorry I’m late,” he declared.

He blinked when he saw his mother, Alayna, sitting on the couch with a dragon he didn’t know. His brother was nowhere to be seen, but his mother, Yarra, rushed in from the small kitchen area.

“Birch, you’re finally home,” she said, opening her arms.

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