Page 9 of Galadon
It was still considered somewhat taboo among their kind, though there were no laws against those types of relationships. The only real requirement was that most pendragons wouldn’t allow two members of the same gender to officially mate until they produced offspring. That was always their top priority beyond clan health and safety. She hoped Aidan would ease the requirement for any still in the closet.
Rayna stayed silent for a few minutes, enjoying the peace and quiet without the constant fear a Kandoran might pop up and attack her. Usually, she found them first, but sometimes they managed to get close to her before she noticed them. The humans were especially crafty.
“The next point,” Titan continued, “is why are you living close to a nest of Kandoran? And how many are there exactly?”
She shrugged. “It’s around two hundred, though there could have been more underground I didn’t see. I didn’t know they were there when I first chose my current home because they’re ten miles away, but once I caught on from all the tracks in the area, I had to get some intelligence first before I bothered to tell anyone else. That’s why I’m here now—because I need help.”
“Very well, but it was still too risky.”
Rayna didn’t dare play her blasé act about death not mattering. He’d been through too much already, and she knew he cared enough that her dying would hurt him. Just because that wouldn’t stop her from putting her life on the line didn’t mean she’d throw it in his face.
“I know.”
He gently grabbed her arm. “I know you try to hide that you’re lonely, Rayna, but it’s there to see for those who’ve been around you enough. This life you live…” He paused and drew in a deep breath. “I know it doesn’t leave you much choice, but you don’t have to be alone all the time.”
“Titan, I…” Her eyes watered because she hadn’t realized he saw her so well.
He cupped her cheek with his warm hand. The touch nearly shocked her, considering how rare it was that anyone ever came that close without the intent to kill her. Maybe that’s what made Galadon’s rejection the hardest. When they’d been intimate, he’d put everything into his caresses and kisses until she felt worshiped.
Even before that, when he carried her to fly places, his touch had always been surprisingly gentle as he cradled her. Oh, they often bickered the whole time, but the annoyance in his eyes never matched his touch, and sometimes, she even caught flashes of humor in his gaze that he worked to hide. Galadon enjoyed their verbal spars more than he wanted to admit, which was why it was a slap in the face that he could walk away from her so easily afterward. Maybe it was why she cared even less about whether the Kandoran finished her. She’d already hit the highest point she’d likely ever reach in her life by experiencing him when he let go of that rigid control that bound him.
The shifter pulled her into a tight hug. “It’s okay. I get it, and I’m here if you need to talk. You’re worth more than you realize, Rayna, and I’m not the only one who believes that.”
She let him hold her until she got her emotions under control. Onyx was nuzzling her back, reminding her he was always there as well. Until that moment, she hadn’t realized how much her despair weighed her down.
Rayna pulled away. “Thank you. That helped…a lot.”
“Good.”
He took her hand again, and they continued their long journey to the fortress. He could have let her ride her horse while he flew. Instead, he stayed by her side despite the extra time it would take them.
Eventually, the fortress came into view. The minor damage from the war had been repaired without a hint remaining. No matter how many times she saw the place, it still appeared terrifyingly beautiful. The slate-colored stone walls rose thirty feet high with towers on each of the four corners. There was a keep within that contained hundreds of homes and shops to cater to the shifters and humans who lived inside. In the middle sat a large castle built with the same stone as everything else, and it stood three floors high—the top level being the pendragon’s quarters.
A short distance from the fortress sat a village with a couple dozen buildings where humans lived and worked. The current occupants were refugees from Watonga, Oklahoma, and a few other strays who also fled from the west when the Kandoran invaded. They liked their new home well enough that they didn’t want to return to the old one, where there were few resources for survival compared to here, especially with the thriving town of Norman nearby.
They stopped briefly at the stables to put Onyx into a stall and give him fresh water and hay. She’d return later to feed him a special treat. He didn’t like staying in barns for long, but when he was tired, a comfortable stall suited him fine.
As they approached the fortress gates, she muttered, “You know the guards are going to give me a hard time.”
“They can try,” he said with a grin.
Rayna let go of his hand and narrowed her gaze at him. “What position do you work now that you scared off those guards at the border?”
“I’m second to the Captain of the Guard as of three months ago,” he replied.
“What, really?” She let herself really smile, happy for him. “That’s great!”
“Usually, a shifter who is only a little over a century old can’t attain the position, but Aidan said my actions before, during, and after the war proved I am more than capable of the job. I think he also appreciates that I’m more tolerant of his wife and her slayer friends,” he said, returning her grin.
“That is one of your finer qualities,” she agreed.
His expression turned hard as they entered the gates, but no one attempted to stop them. The guards only glanced at them briefly. The main thoroughfare inside the keep was bustling with activity as usual. Rayna paused once to examine a beautiful sword scabbard at a shop, but she forced herself to move away after a brief look. She didn’t exactly make any coins hunting down Kandoran. Occasionally, she found objects worth trading. It was just too bad she hadn’t brought any of those items with her.
They continued toward the castle, with some people casting her curious glances and most others hate-filled ones. How did Bailey ever get through to any of these people? Better yet, how did she put up with it for so long before opinions changed toward her?
The slayer in question appeared at the castle entrance. Her long, black hair fell past her shoulders, and she wore a deep blue camrium dress that stopped just below the knees. She was a naturally petite woman, but her stomach had a notable bulge.
Rayna’s jaw dropped. Bailey was pregnant and must have been in the early stages the last time they saw each other nearly four months ago. At least that explained why they hadn’t run into each other lately. As soon as a slayer got pregnant, the need to hunt dragons faded away and didn’t return until six months after the child was born.
