Page 9 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
“Did he find another page in his missing tome?” I asked.
“No.” Paul smiled when Orion waved at him, and he waved back. “He had a normal vision this time.”
It happened once in a while, but it still surprised me when he saw something unrelated to his missing tome of predictions. That “book” had the most crucial predictions, primarily about the upcoming war. The crazy man had written it centuries ago while in a fugue state, divided the pages and hidden them before promptly forgetting everything he wrote and where he put it all. He’d spent years trying to find them and had only recovered about twenty sheets so far.
“Well, I don’t have a problem with you and Candace moving to the village, and I’m happy for you.” I squeezed my brother’s arm and looked at Ozara. “What do you think? Will there be any issue with it?”
“No.” She knitted her brows. “But I fail to see what their lodgings have to do with me.”
“I’d also like to start bringing Candace to our family dinners,” Paul explained.
“Oh.” She waved a dismissive hand. “She is more than welcome if she makes you happy.”
My brother was the kind of guy who got along with everyone. Ozara appeared to find him charming enough and always chatted with him for at least a few minutes at our family dinners. The rest of the Taugud had also warmed to him, so he even haggled good deals at the keep shops.
Paul had surprised us with a hidden knack for trading supplies between the fortress and town and turning a profit to buy goods for himself. We should have had him negotiate during our trip instead of Miles, but he never really tried until arriving in Oklahoma. Maybe having a girlfriend motivated him to learn new skills.
“Thanks—both of you,” he said, a relieved expression on his face. “Now I just have to find time to speak with Aidan.”
“Right after the midnight meal would be best,” I suggested. My mate would be in a good mood after eating, and it would be shortly before we settled Orion into bed.
“Okay, I’ll try that,” he said. Some of his usual confidence had returned.
We chatted for a few more minutes before he walked back to the fortress. I was thinking of asking Orion if he wanted one of the snacks I’d brought for him in my bag when a shifter guard and a human man coming from the nearby village walked toward us. They moved with a purpose that said they were on a mission, and I was their target.
It appeared my day off had officially ended, but at least I’d made it to mid-afternoon before being interrupted. Since returning to Oklahoma, I rarely managed that much free time.
I recognized the human guy right away. Nearly six years ago, I’d saved his son from a female dragon that had kidnapped the little boy and some other children. He’d been in a biker gang—who no longer identified that way since fuel supplies ran out—and now the posse rode horses. None of the rest of his people were with him, but that didn’t surprise me.
Larry recently became the appointed liaison between the town council and the shifter fortress. I suspected he was one of the few brave enough to visit. He usually came to see Aidan or Falcon, but it must have been my lucky day this time. Whatever he needed to speak about, I figured it was best we have a little privacy.
“Can you keep an eye on Orion for a few minutes?” I asked Ozara.
“Of course.”
“I’ll be right over there.” I pointed toward the two men who were still a few hundred feet away. “You can shout if you need me.”
I left her to meet Larry and the shifter guard, reaching them halfway to the village. There might not be residents now, but people still liked to leave their modes of transportation there since it had a well-maintained road leading between it and Highway 9 to the north. There were also two sets of stables where they could keep their animals and give them water. A handful of horses stayed there full-time for human residents in the fortress to use, but plenty of space remained for guests to house their mounts as well.
The shifter gave me a curt bow. “You have a visitor, milady.”
I hated it when they bowed, acting too deferentially. Most of them didn’t seem to mind doing it for me anymore, but it still irked me. For one, I wasn’t a shifter. For two, I was literally born to kill their kind, and just because I worked hard to avoid that didn’t mean I deserved them giving me a high level of respect. It felt wrong.
Aidan insisted I didn’t stop them from doing it anymore—I’d protested a lot initially. He’d said we needed to instill a level of normalcy for his people by having them treat me the same as any mate of a pendragon. They had to stop seeing me as a slayer of their kind and instead as a protector and warrior against their enemies. It had been irritating and painful for all of us in those first weeks, but my “subjects” and I were getting used to it.
“Thank you,” I said and gestured for him to go. “I’ve got it from here.”
He dipped his chin in another sign of respect before heading toward the fortress gates.
I smiled at my guest. “Hey, Larry. What brings you here?”
When we’d first met, he’d kept his blond hair short, but he’d grown it out a few inches since then. His golden locks had a slight curl that framed his angular face. I estimated him to be in his early forties, still in great shape, with muscle tone defining his medium build. Since I’d saved his son—who must have reached eleven or twelve years old by now—Larry had shown nothing except kindness and respect toward me. God help anyone he and his gang didn’t like, though. They could be brutal to their enemies and helped police Norman to keep crime down.
I’d only seen Larry’s wife in passing, but she worked as an assistant for the town council to help organize their courthouse headquarters. The last I’d heard was that their only child was doing well at a new school in Norman while I’d been away. I was pleased to see so many families who had struggled after the dragon apocalypse thriving now. I had to do everything I could to protect what they’d built in the town so it could continue.
Larry gave me a grim look. “Ms. Richards wants to see you.”
“Now?” I asked, glancing toward my son. He wasn’t paying attention to me and continued playing with his cousin, Leilany. They chased a monarch butterfly that flitted across the grassy field.
