Page 81 of Cast By Flames (Dragon's Breath)
Aidan dropped his gaze to the female beside him. “This is Bailey. She is my mate and the mother of my son.”
“You have a child together?” Wren asked, eyes rounding in shock. “How is that possible?”
“Mommy!” called a young voice from near the gate.
He couldn’t have timed it better if he tried as Donar’s mother, Esphyr, hurried after Orion. She gave them an apologetic look as the little boy leaped into Bailey’s arms.
“Sorry, milord. He was playing in the courtyard and could hardly miss that many dragons in the sky. I can’t say how, but he knew his mother was out here with them and refused to wait.”
Orion was pressing kisses on his mother’s face. Wren looked like he was about to faint, which was highly unusual for a pendragon, but this was not a situation one would ordinarily face. Aidan almost felt sorry for him.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
The Craegud pendragon took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard of such a thing being possible. A slayer who can be close to a dragon and give him a child? I just…”
He threw his hands up, at a loss for words to continue.
“It’s feasible if they can get used to us before transitioning or develop discipline with regular exposure,” Aidan said.
Wren glanced back to the field where Rayna and Conrad were walking from the farthest landing pad. “You did that with them as well?”
“The Straegud did so for Rayna before we met her. Conrad wasn’t born a slayer but became one recently,” Aidan explained, frowning at Bailey’s annoying friend. “I can only assume his unusual path to transitioning granted him control, though nothing about him is normal anyway.”
His mate nudged him in the ribs. “Be nice.”
She couldn’t conceive his restraint when it came to Conrad.
The Craegud pendragon rubbed the back of his neck. “Are you saying my toriq is the only one not befriending slayers?”
“As far as shifters are concerned, it appears that way.”
Wren studied Orion intently. “If his mother is a slayer, will he be able to take dragon form someday?”
“I can shift.”
“No, wait!” Bailey said, panic in her gaze. “I told you not to do it while I’m holding you.”
“You also said not to burn more holes in the grass,” Orion replied smugly before lighting up in flames. His mother held him at arm's length the way one might if a child just produced a particularly nasty diaper.
Her face scrunched as fire heated her face. “This is all your fault, Aidan.”
Weeks ago, he told Orion to shift in his mother’s arms to see how she reacted. It was highly amusing. Their son had done it several times since then, even inside the castle. He had difficulty disciplining his son because he enjoyed everything that made Orion happy. It was hard to get angry at his child when he’d missed so much of his life that he cherished every moment, good or bad.
Wren watched in amazement as Bailey kept her grip on the boy as he shifted and changed within the flames. It took him several minutes, but no one said anything and merely watched.
Finally, Orion emerged in his dragon form and beat his wings at his mother’s face. She grumbled as her hair whipped into her eyes and carefully set him down. “Do not get in anyone’s way. It’s too crowded out here, and I don’t want anyone to step on you.”
“He’s golden,” Wren said in awe, watching Orion hop around them. “And he’s shifting at such a young age.”
“We suspect it’s because slayers have a trace of dragon blood to render them invulnerable to flames, as well as what they must do during the rite of passage,” Aidan explained. He noted many of the Craegud were now staring at his son in amazement.
Wren looked at Bailey. The rigid sternness was gone from his expression, replaced by curiosity. “He doesn’t trigger your instincts?”
“No.” She brushed her dark hair from her face. “Or any slayers, though I waited as long as possible to figure out that one. At first, I thought it was because I gave birth to him that he didn’t bother me.”
Aidan stepped away momentarily while his mate and Wren conversed to speak to the guards. He issued commands to be passed along to the castle staff to prepare a larger feast than expected for the midnight meal. They’d have to send shifters out to acquire the extra meat and produce, but the Craegud deserved it after the journey they’d made. He also ordered rooms to be prepared for the pendragon and a few of his top leaders.
“Perhaps we could discuss this further when we eat,” Aidan suggested, gesturing toward the fortress entrance. “In the meantime, you and your people are welcome to wash up at our common baths and rest in the field. I’ll have an escort for your legion tomorrow to take them to a place they can stay until the war begins, but you and your most trusted warriors may stay at the castle.”
