Page 80 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
“I appreciate the work both of you do. Perhaps it’s nothing lofty…” Aidan paused to smile at the male, “but it does matter. I know my son enjoys pastries from the market when we take him out, and everyone benefits from clean bath houses.”
“We appreciate your kind words and deeds,” the male said, dipping his chin.
Just then, Falcon and Sabryn entered the courtyard from a side gate.
Aidan’s senior advisor moved forward to whisper in his ear. “A legion with over four hundred Craegud just crossed the border. Ozara is in the lead, and she is carrying your mate. The guards checked them before letting them through.”
Surprise filled him. Ozara had not only returned in a shorter period than he anticipated, but she’d managed to bring their new allies with her. And Bailey? After worrying over them,he was relieved to hear they were well, but he couldn’t imagine how they came together.
Aidan made his excuses and hurried toward the fortress gates. Being away from his mate for the last two days had driven him crazy. He’d had to tamp down his emotions when he left his chambers, but his bed had felt far too cold during the night. Despite his exhaustion, sleep had eluded him. He spent an hour yesterday evening watching Orion sleep, reassuring himself that their son was there and okay. This was not the same as his life a few months ago.
He made record time reaching the fortress gates with Ruari struggling to keep up with his pace. He gasped for breath behind him. “Brother, when did you get this fast?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, returning the guards’ nods before heading toward the field.
A sea of red dragons filled the sky, hovering over the large clearing. Four by four, they took turns dropping onto the two large landing pads to change forms before swiftly moving out of the way to make room for the next. He would know they were shifters even without their coloring because they didn’t flood the training field with scorch marks. The clearing was large enough to easily hold a thousand dragons in the beast form, but they took care not to mar the land.
Thankfully, Ozara chose the closest landing pad, releasing Bailey right away. The slayer didn’t hesitate for a moment to run to Aidan. She leaped into his arms and kissed him full on the mouth. While it was technically inappropriate, especially with guests, he couldn’t find it within himself to mind. He kissed her right back, grateful to find she was okay. He’d hated knowing she was injured earlier, and it drove him crazy ashe waited for news. His only consolation was that the threat had disappeared, and he knew she still lived.
He couldn’t miss the dried blood in her hair and parts of her clothes, though she must have found a way to wash it from her skin, and her injuries had been almost fully healed. Her scent told him a fuller story. The stench of Kandoran had not been entirely washed away, and there had been many of them based on the numerous individual odors he could parse from her.
“I missed you,” she said breathlessly, dropping her feet down.
He kept his arms wrapped around her, unwilling to let her go. “I could say the same. We expected you back sooner than this, and I worried when I felt you were wounded. It appears the enemy found you.”
“The Kandoran attacked right after we sent a load of masks. Verena was too drained to open another portal, so we were stuck,” she explained.
Aidan forced himself to take a step back. He ran his gaze up and down her body, noting slashes in her camrium uniform and mostly healed gashes. She hadn’t limped, and her arms had held him tightly when she jumped on him, which led him to assume she didn’t suffer any broken bones that still needed mending. Despite that, his chest tightened at the thought the Kandoran had found her again.
He caressed her face. “Injuries?”
“A few, but the Craegud have great healers, so I’m fine now,” Bailey said reassuringly.
That explained why there were only a few minor cuts left, but he knew it must have been bad at some point based on the level of pain he’d sensed from her. A glance at the rest of her group on the nearby field revealed some, especially Eliam, hadn’t fared well, either.
“How many Kandoran?” he asked.
She dropped her gaze. “About sixty at first, but more came after that, and I lost track.” She paused, and anguish tightened his chest. “It wasn’t really a problem since Ozara and the Craegud showed up in time to help.”
He’d get further details later, but for now, he was just grateful she was okay. They had been a group of eight. The thought they’d faced that many alone—at least at first—horrified him. If not for the audience around them that numbered in the hundreds, he’d have grabbed Bailey and taken her to their quarters to satisfy himself that she was truly okay. Instead, he contented himself with tucking her into his side.
The clan spy sauntered toward them, grinning at his and Bailey’s closeness. “I may have forgotten to mention to the Craegud that your mate is a slayer, milord. They are still a little confused about why our people are working with them and bringing them home with us.”
“I suppose you decided to leave the explaining to me?” he asked, lifting a brow. Aidan had never been happier to see Ozara. He was relieved she’d completed her mission and saved his mateand the others.
“Exactly.” She gestured behind her toward a large male approaching them. “There’s Wren—the pendragon—coming to see you. Good luck!”
She hurried through the gate, no doubt hoping to see her daughter and Phoebe right away. The damn woman would probably be having a good laugh at the mess she’d left in her wake. Wren looked distressed as he stared at Aidan and Bailey.
There was no point in pulling away now, and he refused to appear ashamed of his mate. The other shifter toriq would have to get over it. Aidan kept his arm firmly around his mate’s waist, and she did the same with him.
“Thank you for coming,” he said, greeting the other pendragon with a nod.
Since their toriqan hadn’t communicated in centuries, he’d never met any of their people. The Craegud pendragon was large—nearly the size of Zoran at full health—and had a head full of wavy brown hair and tanned skin. He carried himself in a way that said he’d fought many battles and likely won most, if not all, of them.
“You’re welcome.” Wren nodded back at him, but his gaze turned perplexed as it fell on Bailey. “Ozara told me I should ask you about your alliance with slayers—though this appears like far more than a temporary truce for the sake of the war.”
His spy had pushed her luck if that’s the excuse she gave.
