Page 100 of Galadon
“I’m surprised you brought them this far at all,” I said.
Aidan glanced to a point behind me. “They desperately wanted to see this place and how the ring works. We barely flew into view before it closed.”
A young female with long black hair and a lithe figure finished her shift next. She wore camrium clothing similar to her slayer mother, but her eyes were distinctly yellow with slits like a shifter. The last time I saw her, she barely reached above my knees. Her older brother stepped in front of her in a protective gesture since we were practically strangers to him, but Bailey’s daughter shoved him with enough force that he almost fell over.
“I’m not a child anymore,” she said, glaring at him.
Aidan sighed. “They used to get along well, but the last few years have been especially difficult.” He looked back to where Lorcan, Ozara, Phoebe, and several others I didn’t recognize had finally finished their shifts. “Our youngest son is there next to Phoebe’s son. He gets along fine with his older siblings, but he causes the rest of us nothing but trouble.”
I laughed, noting the boy with short, black hair and a roguish gleam in his golden eyes. By the looks of him, he was around eight or nine years old—the same age as my youngest. “How so?”
“He began being able to teleport about six months ago. Not very far, but enough that with his already mischievous mind,things can disappear and then reappear elsewhere in the castle. Last week, he even managed to relocate his mother to the middle of the bathing pool while she was fully clothed.” Aidan shook his head. “We have had our hands full.”
Rayna and I had our fair share of difficulties with our sons since they, too, had magic, but hearing about the pendragon’s youngest child made me feel marginally better about my own offspring. My mate gave me a look that said she was thinking the same.
“Aside from unruly offspring, how have things been?” I asked. The only thing that made us hesitate to leave this place was worrying if we might be needed here more.
Bailey and Aidan both grinned.
“It’s been almost annoyingly peaceful,” the slayer said, glancing at Aidan. “The Kandoran are long gone, and we have good relationships with the neighboring clans.”
I mulled that over. “Who do you hunt?”
“No one at the moment. Javier improved the potion for us, so it lasts about a month now, and it doesn’t weaken us as much as before.” She clenched her fists. “I still hate that I lose half my strength, but it’s worth it to stay close to home. When I really get the urge for battle, we go visit one of the other shifter clans on the coasts and find plenty of opportunities to fight along the way.”
I laughed, imagining that to be true.
“So what about you all?” Bailey asked, running her gaze past Rayna and me to our sons.
I introduced them. “They give us their fair share of trouble, but they are quite the novelty on Paxia as shifters. Therewere only extraordinarily large pure dragons there before we came. It’s difficult for the boys to do anything without us finding out quickly since they stand out.”
“But they are well accepted,” Rayna reassured them, glancing at me with a smile.
Bailey ran her gaze across our group. “Where’s Titan and Ujala?”
“They sent their regards, but they preferred to stay back with their mates.”
Aidan lifted a brow. “Mates? That is a story I’d like to hear.”
“Well, they…” I began.
A group of green dragons appeared in the distance, across the border in Takaran territory. My old wards were no longer active, so there was nothing to stop them from crossing. I could only assume that the shock of magic from the portal opening drew them. As I watched, more joined until there were almost a dozen.
“How are relations with the Takaran?” I asked Lorcan.
He’d been standing next to his son and daughter, both young adults now. Ozara also had a boy next to her that appeared to be about eleven or twelve years old. It seemed that at some point, she’d decided to have one more child. Phoebe was next to them as well, though frowning at the incoming dragons.
“The Takaran had an internal struggle a few years ago,” the Faegud pendragon replied as he watched the border with a troubled look. “They split in half. The new toriq to the east has been fine and peaceful, but the western half close to here aretroublemakers. I suspect we’ll need to do something about those dragons as soon as they get the courage to cross the border.”
I looked at Orion. “I’m surprised you didn’t see this coming and keep the younger ones away.”
“Why would I worry?” he asked, nodding at Rayna. “Her instincts are coming back, and she needs to fight. Between her, you, and your friends, I’m sure you can handle those dragons without a problem.”
There wasn’t a hint of doubt in his voice.
Rayna cleared her throat. “He’s right. My old urges are coming back fast, and they’re focused on those Takaran.”
Darrow strode forward. “I was hoping for a fight while we’re here, and it seems I’m in luck.”
