Page 33 of Dragon Keeper
Fredda glanced at him, then at the water. Her squeal traveled straight to his spine. “Papa!”
Aleana sat up, then she beamed and waved. “Here he comes with lunch! I was afraid he’d gotten lost playing with one of the fishing parties. Time seems to move differently under the water, you know.” Her laughter filled the air. “Mari, come on. Tyr is here with his mate and his mate’s brothers. You have family to meet.”
Coming, dear one.The deep mental voice was filled with laughter and bubbles, and Sloan couldn’t help but smile.
In moments, a deep purple dragon with a long tail crested over the waves, flying high up into the sunlight before swooping down to land in front of Sloan.
Everything about Mari was sleek and smooth, ergonomic, and meant to cut through the waves. He was absolutely stunning.
Prettier than me?Tyr blinked at him.
Don’t be ridiculous.
Mari’s fangs flashed.I brought lunch.
A single large emerald-green fish was handed to Aleana, the huge claws not piercing the flesh.
Fredda grinned and launched herself at her father, the big dragon catching her and curling around her, holding her tight. Then he slowly shifted to a more human shape without letting her go.
“Tyr.” The purple dragon bowed, and Tyr nodded.
“Mari. I wanted you to meet my mate Sloan, and these are his brothers Brayden and Riley.”
“Congratulations. It’s about time you found the other half of your soul. You cannot be one only with the bees. You need your own kind as well.”
“I do. I’m so happy, Mari.”
Mari slunk up to Sloan, faceted eyes staring into him. Then the mer-dragon grabbed him by one of his arms, dragged him up until their chests slapped together. “Welcome to the family, braedor.”
“Thank you.” He bowed his head, because that was really all he could do, being held like he was.
They had an amazing fish… was it supper? He wasn’t sure what everybody considered the meals around here. He thought maybe it was more what the British would call a teatime meal, the one that happened around three in the afternoon. But they had an amazing fish dish, and some super interesting roasted vegetables with a salad of shellfish. He wasn’t sure what was in it; it seemed like lots of kelp-type things, but it was really yummy.
Riley thought it was hysterically good.
Then little Fredda went down for her nap. He thought. He still wasn’t sure about sleeping. He had a feeling that everybody here sort of did what they used to call in the Middle Ages, having a siesta through part of the afternoon, and then getting up, then sleeping for part of the night. They would maybe get up in the middle of the night and do a tiny bit of work and then sleep until morning. He supposed it didn’t matter. They were dragons and not tied to a human schedule. What was great about it was they were able to sit and discuss a few things.
“All right, Tyr, I’m gonna tell you straight up, I’m super nosy, and I need to know what is going on with your brother,” Riley said.
Tyr chuckled and shook his head. He looked at his sister. “They were guardians in their other world. They killed the unclean ones as a calling, so they’re always worried that someone’s going to attack.”
Aleana shook her head as well. “Our brother is not going to attack the village. He simply wanted more from his life than the village, or to come down here and become a fisherman, or even to stay up in the mountains and work with Cade and become a guardian. He was really rather unpleasant about it.”
Sloan raised an eyebrow. “Unpleasant. What does that mean? Does that mean you guys all had a big fight?”
Mari nodded, the big guy’s eyes a little frosty. “I am not afraid to tell it as it is. He was absolutely insufferable. He felt as though he was too smart to stay in the village, as if he was too good for the life there. As if everyone there was just provincial and awful, and he made it very clear. He was unkind, especially to Tyr because they are twins. He wanted Tyr to go with him, and he was bitterly disappointed when Tyr chose his bees over his brother.”
Tyr spread his hands. “It was my place. My bees needed me. I know that my braedor would have liked for me to come with him, and I admit that when I was that age, the thought of seeing the city at least held some charm, but I knew that I couldn’t go and stay at university. I couldn’t leave all of this behind. I love the village. I love my friends and the gardens and the view of the mountains that I see every day. I need to know that if I just fly for a little while I will smell the sea and be able to see Fredda playing in her kelp garden. Then there’s my bees. I love my bees, and he couldn’t understand that.” Tyr sighed. “I do not blame him, but they were hurtful, the things that he said to me.”
Sloan was suddenly so grateful to Brayden and Riley, because they had just come with him. Sure, they had delayed the crossing over the veil for a while, especially Riley. But when it came rightdown to it, they had trusted him, and they’d said ‘sure, we’ll find a whole new life because you’re mated’. They could have told him to fuck off, and he would have never seen them again. They hadn’t, though, and he loved them so much for it.
“I’m sorry, babe, that sounds awful,” Sloan told Tyr.
Tyr and Aleana shared a glance. “It was a very long time ago,” Aleana said. “And while we miss him, we have been told that he is living a life that pleases him, so we can be happy for him.”
Sloan thought that was a very carefully worded statement. Very diplomatic, but that was fine with him. Riley and Brayden didn’t need to satisfy their curiosity at the expense of Aleana and Tyr’s comfort. This was clearly an uncomfortable topic for them, and Mari seemed really angry about it.
“Wow, that’s a mind trip,” Riley said. “I don’t know what I would do without my brothers.”
