Page 124 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
Aidan smiled. “Yes, let’s do that. We can grab some warmer clothing while we’re there.”
We waved at the colonel and headed out.
***
We didn’t make it past the fortress gates before Orion came running for us, leaping into Aidan’s arms. He hugged our son closely. Phoebe followed close behind with Leilany on her hip and an amused smile on her face.
“He’s well-behaved until he senses any family coming,” she said, setting her daughter down when she wiggled in her arms. “I don’t know how he always knows.”
Aidan buried his face in their son’s hair, inhaling his scent. It was something shifters did when they hadn’t seen their children or certain other loved ones in a while. He’d explained to me it was a way of reassuring themselves that they were well.
“We think he has some of Kade’s gifts,” I said, reaching my arms out for Orion.
She nodded. “We have also gotten that impression.”
Something about the way she said that made me think my son had been getting visions in my absence. Orion pulled away from his father and leaped onto me. I grunted as I caught him. He wasn’t too heavy since I had slayer strength, but he had a powerful jump that could almost knock me over.
I pressed kisses all over his face. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you.”
“Me too, Mommy.”
Nothing felt better than having him in my arms again. He could erase all the awfulness of war with his hugs and kisses, making me want to never let him go.
“How has it been going?” Aidan asked his sister.
She watched her daughter kick some loose rocks from the cobblestone path. “It’s been fine here. Orion occasionally has bad dreams, but we’ve been handling it.”
“About the war?” I asked.
“Yes.”
Aidan and I glanced at each other, concern in both our expressions. I hated that our son was still suffering from nightmares, but I had no idea how to fix it. Likely, only the end of the war would make them stop.
Phoebe lifted a brow. “Want to eat some hot food while you have a chance?”
My stomach rumbled. Our rations kept us going, but I hadn’t felt full since the war started. “You can count me in.”
Orion poked at my belly. “It’s loud.”
“Carrying you burns a lot of calories,” I teased.
He grinned. “You can put me down now.”
After setting him on the path, Aidan and I each took one of his hands. We’d set aside our worries and exhaustion for a couple of hours to enjoy time with our family. It was something we desperately needed.
Chapter 39
Zoran
Darkness took over the land and sky, and a hush fell across the battlefield. Zoran crouched, waiting on the line with the rest of the shifters. The Straegud were to his left, the south, and the Craegud to his right, the north. Aidan had chosen to put him between the two so that he could bridge communications when necessary.
Considering the trust it required, Zoran was surprised by his brother’s decision. He’d thought he’d spend years trying to earn his confidence, and even then, they might never build the kind of relationships he’d seen between human siblings. Though he didn’t think he deserved it, he would do his job to the best of his ability and prove his worthiness.
His old self would have never cared about such things, but he saw their value now. Aidan was the only one who could lead their toriq into a future worth having. Zoran had seen how much darkness filled the world.
A small plane soared through the sky at breakneck speed. A few seconds later, bright explosions lit up along the Kandoran front line. The ground under his feet trembled as well. He braced himself as a Patriot missile battery began firing with their largeprojectiles close over his head. It was unnerving, and he had to resist the urge to run away.
Zoran hated being this close to them with their ear-splitting sounds. Still, he enjoyed watching the Kandoran dragons burst into fiery pieces inthe sky. He counted at least eight killed outright and more than a dozen injured from their proximity to the blasts. They tumbled to the ground beyond his view from this distance in the dark. The enemy was still seven or eight miles away but moving quickly.
