Page 77 of Galadon
I worked my jaw, deciding how much to tell him. “The potion wore off, and her instincts returned quickly, but I couldn’t risk letting her hunt near my territory. She doesn’t know how to distinguish between my allies and foes yet. We fought about it, and I couldn’t think of a way to buy us time. She refused to take the potion again. I thought about you and Bailey, and how you seem to keep her under control even when she’s getting desperate to hunt. It had to be the bond.”
“Yes, the bond helps,” Aidan agreed, then chuckled. “But from your scent, I assume you figured out it takes more than that to settle their urges.”
I cleared my throat, unsure how much I wanted to reveal about my intimacy with my mate. Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Whoever was on the other side didn’t wait for a reply. Bailey popped her head inside, saw me, and entered the office. Her stomach protruded from her body, but she hadn’t gotten far enough along to lose her grace.
She sniffed at me. “Wow, you and Rayna must have had wild sex right before you came here, and you didn’t bother to bathe.”
“Excuse my mate.” Aidan gave him a rueful smile. “I’ve discovered she becomes very blunt while pregnant, and her sense of smell has grown even greater than mine.”
“It was an emergency,” I said, rubbing my face. After my time with Rayna and many hours of flying, I was truly exhausted.
“The potion wore off, and Rayna’s need to hunt overcame her, so Galadon completed the mating bond and used a similarmethod as we do to calm the slayer down,” Aidan explained, pulling Bailey onto his lap and rubbing her stomach.
Most pendragons would not do such things in front of guests from another toriq, but I supposed he wanted me to relax, considering the subject matter. We also had something in common now.
Bailey winked at me. “The harder the sex, the longer it keeps us subdued.”
I nearly choked.
“She’s right.” Aidan sighed. “But she’s not one for subtlety.”
I let go of my reticence to tell them the truth. “After what we did, I imagine I maxed out how long she can remain subdued.”
Bailey snorted. “Good for you.”
“I don’t think she’ll find a Kandoran tonight but will she be okay until tomorrow evening when they might come out again?” I asked.
Bailey’s expression turned thoughtful. “If you’re sure you fully sated her, she should be fine that long.”
“I’m sure,” I said gruffly.
“Where did you leave her?” Aidan asked.
“Down south, near where the Taugud, Kandoran, and neutral territory borders meet. There was a bunker still there, so she will use it as shelter to rest during the day.” I shifted in my seat. “She doesn’t want me interfering, but I’d appreciate it if you could send Titan down to keep an eye out and fly her up when she’s finished.”
“I’m certain Titan will be happy to see her again, so that won’t be a problem,” Aidan said, beginning to play with his mate’s long, black hair. “But I imagine it was difficult to leave her alone there.”
“Yes,” I agreed. “Especially after what happened less than two weeks ago. We concurred that I must give her space to hunt, or I might never trust her going alone again.” It was something I knew, despite the fact that every instinct clawed at me to run back to Rayna and protect her.
Bailey gave me a sympathetic look. “I heard about all of it. That had to be horrible to go through and watch what they did to her. Just remember that she’s hunted for years alone without a problem, and even in Kandoran territory for many months. The nest isn’t going to try grabbing her so close to our border and far from theirs.”
“Rationally, I know that,” I said, sitting back in my seat. “But seeing the way she looked while they tortured her is not something I’ll forget anytime soon.”
Aidan shook his head. “I can imagine. If it is any consolation, we will be going after them in four days. You might as well stay here until it’s time, rather than make that long flight back and forth.”
“Yes.” Bailey brightened. “We’ll tell you all you need to know about shifter-slayer relationships, and it will be nice to visit with Rayna when she’s done hunting.”
“I’m amenable to that,” I said, figuring the Faegud guards would be fine in my territory since Ujala spoiled them with hot meals while they took shifts watching my borders. I was rather certain she had some interest in one of them, considering she spoke of him more than the others. They were even close in age.
“Good. You are more than welcome anytime here,” Aidan said kindly.
Bailey wrinkled her nose. “And even more welcome to enjoy the bathing chambers.”
Aidan sighed. “Someday, if you decide to have children with Rayna, be prepared for slayer behavior to become less filtered during pregnancy.”
“Right. Like Rayna ever had a filter to begin with,” Bailey said, rolling her eyes.
I laughed. “Yes. She’s already blunt, but I believe we will wait at least a few years before taking that step. I want her all to myself for a while.”
