Chapter 23

Aidan

He was in one of the poorer sections of the keep, checking on the progress of a home renovation. The common room was small, perhaps a third the size of Aidan’s chambers, with gray stone floors and walls and one wide window at the front. It contained a square oak table with four chairs on one side next to a fireplace. At the other end, there was a bench and alarge armchair.

There weren’t many personal touches added, aside from a tapestry hanging on the wall by the door. The scene on it was severely faded but depicted a red dragon flying over a mountain ridge. Through a doorway, he caught sight of a cramped cooking area with stairs near the back door that would lead to the sleeping quarters above.

“How many shifters live here?” Aidan asked Ruari, who stood next to him.

“Four. A mated pair and their twin sons who just turned five years old.”

He studied the space around him even closer. “It’s…very clean.”

Aidan didn’t mention that he’d expected toys, rugs, vases, and other things to fill the space. It seemed to lack the clutter he would expect from a family of four.

“If you’d seen the place when we started work, it was nearly uninhabitable. Their furniture was cracked and covered in mold. The roof leaked, seeping dampness down to this level, and the stove in the kitchen was in such bad shape that it was a fire hazard. We had to throw away many of their personal effects because the conditions were making the family ill.” Ruari shook his head in regret. “I wouldn’t have let an animal live in here.”

Aidan’s stomach tightened. In the few months since he’d taken over leadership, he’d learned more and more about how bad things had gotten during Nanoq’s reign. Not only that, but they’d begun deteriorating during Throm’s final years. While he had to worry about the looming war, he refused to forget the people who would be fighting for him. They needed homes worth defending. It sickened him that things had grown so bad, especially ones with young children. There could be no excuse now that they had abundant resources on Earth. He’d prioritized homes such as this because they couldn’t be put off even with the Kandoran threat.

“When did the workers finish this house?” Aidan asked.

Ruari gazed around the room with pride. “Three days ago. The family stayed with relatives, but we allowed them to return after completing the work. Of course, they haven’t had the time or funds to do much with it yet. The tapestry in the common area was one of the few items we could salvage since it was hanging on the only undamaged wall downstairs.”

While he couldn’t do much now, Aidan promised himself that when Dragomas came in a few months, all the children in the keep would get special gifts. So many had endured hardships in their short lives. He wanted to see their young enjoy toys and books like his son.

“Show me the rest,” he ordered.

Ruari led him through the kitchen. It was narrow, with a stove, counter, and cabinets on the right. To his leftwas a food preparation area and a large metal sink with a small window above it. He noted the family in the back courtyard through the open door, but he’d wait to speak with them until after the tour.

They climbed the narrow stairs to the second floor. There was a short hallway with two bedrooms and a small water closet. The parents’ room had a bed, nightstand, and chest for storing clothes—that was all that could have fit in there.

For the twin boys, they had two small beds side by side and smaller chests at the foot of them. Aidan noted a few toys lined on top, but the space was sparse otherwise. They certainly didn’t live in luxury. Having said that, he’d seen some other homes before renovations, and they were all but crumbling. This one no longer had cracks, missing stones, leaks, or vile scents. It smelled and looked like a proper home—if on the small side.

“Let’s go speak with the family,” he said.

Ruari cocked his head. “Is everything to your satisfaction?”

If Aidan wasn’t also worried about Bailey and the others not returning yet—it had been lingering in his mind since a few hours ago when he felt her in danger—he might have remembered his brother craved reassurance of a job well done. His mind was simply too distracted.

“Yes.” He patted Ruari’s back. “It is exactly as I’d hoped.”

He wanted to build new, larger homes for his people someday when they had the time and resources. Perhaps they could expand the fortress wall to accommodate his plans. Many shifters were having children like they never had before, and they’d need more space. Of course, it would require peace first.

“I’m glad to hear it is acceptable,” Ruari said with a relieved expression.

How Aidan hadn’t realized his elder brother had so many insecurities before, he couldn’t say. Perhaps he and all his siblings held them due to how their father treated them. They’d been made to feel as if they fell short in the former pendragon’s eyes. It was his goal to rectify that.

As they descended the stairs, he remembered to ask about another matter. “How is staging the building supplies going?”

“We’ve already finished everywhere except the southernmost points,” Ruari replied as he paused on the bottom step. “I’m leaving tomorrow after first meal to oversee those—with Zoran’s help.”

Ruari knew better than to get into specifics since they weren’t in a protected space, but Aidan couldn’t run to his office every time he wished to speak on war-related matters. Those who worked closely with him understood they should keep the topic vague.

“How has it been between you and Zoran?” Aidan asked.

His brother’s brows knitted. “Surprisingly well. I didn’t believe you and Bailey about him changing, but he truly is nothing like before. Whenever I see him, I feel like I’m waiting for him to return to his old ways. Yet…he’s different.”

Aidan hadn’t had time to visit his oldest brother since he’d taken Orion to see him soon after his arrival. Zoran was primarily charged with protecting the border, but Ruari was also allowed to use him as needed for staging supplies. He felt it was important they had time together. Their family had been fractured for too long, but he hoped to fix that. They should be fighting for each other, not against.

“I’m glad to hear it,” Aidan replied, then gestured toward the back door.

They headed outside, where two young boys with heads of thick, dark hair played. They were barely older than Orion and full of the same energy. He was relieved to find the back courtyard was open enough for the twins to kick around a ball, and it had a divided space where a small garden grew. There were tomato plants, okra, strawberries, and cucumbers. While shifters loved meat, they also preferred to balance their diet with other types of food.

The ball sailed over to land at his feet. Aidan laughed and kicked it back to the boys before moving toward the parents, where they sat on a bench. The male and female shifter smiled kindly as they stood, but he noted the nervousness in their postures. It was very unusual for a pendragon to visit the home of any lowborn family. In fact, he could only recall one instance of his father entering any home outside the castle. He made everyone come to him or sent others to handle matters like this.

“Milord,” they said simultaneously, giving him a short bow.

He gestured at the bench. “Please, relax. I’m only here to ensure that your home was repaired to the proper standards and that you are pleased with it.”

The female shifter beamed. “Oh, yes. It is by far the nicest house I’ve ever lived in now. We didn’t expect new furniture as well, but we are ever so grateful. Thank you!”

Aidan sensed the woman to be around four hundred years old. If this was the best dwelling she’d had, then she’d suffered under poor conditions for far too long. He was glad he’d ordered the worst homes to be fixed first since there would have to be a pause once the war began. Structures like this couldn’t wait a moment more than necessary, especially when children were involved.

“You need not thank me,” Aidan said, shaking his head. “The renovation should have been done years ago and certainly not put off.”

The male shifter lifted his chin, pride in his yellow gaze. “That is true, but until you took over, none cared how we lived.”

“My apologies for our manners.” The female cleared her throat and rose. “Can I get you something to drink or eat, milord?”

He appreciated her courtesy, but he wouldn’t take from what little they had in their cupboards. They hadn’t been very full. “No, thank you. I’m here for you and need nothing in return.”

Her eyes misted, gratitude in them. “You’re too kind.”

It saddened him that she should think that.

“What work do you do?” Aidan asked the husband.

“Nothing lofty, I’m afraid. I help keep the common baths clean and perform maintenance as needed. Also, I do guard shifts when they’re short for patrols,” the man said.

He and his wife wore camrium pants and tunics that had seen better days, but they didn’t have holes and were clean. The boys had new clothes since Aidan had pushed for children to be the first to receive them. By all accounts, they were among the families who struggled too much despite their hard work.

Aidan lifted a brow at the female shifter, who had regained composure. “And you?”

“I help run my sister’s market stall a few times weekly. We take turns watching each other’s offspring while the other sells meat and vegetable pastries we bake,” she said, glancing at her children. “The new oven will go a long way for us to earn more.”

He was probably taking away from her time now, though he knew she’d never complain.

“I appreciate the work both of you do. Perhaps it’s nothing lofty…” Aidan paused to smile at the male, “but it does matter. I know my son enjoys pastries from the market when we take him out, and everyone benefits from clean bath houses.”

“We appreciate your kind words and deeds,” the male said, dipping his chin.

Just then, Falcon and Sabryn entered the courtyard from a side gate.

Aidan’s senior advisor moved forward to whisper in his ear. “A legion with over four hundred Craegud just crossed the border. Ozara is in the lead, and she is carrying your mate. The guards checked them before letting them through.”

Surprise filled him. Ozara had not only returned in a shorter period than he anticipated, but she’d managed to bring their new allies with her. And Bailey? After worrying over them, he was relieved to hear they were well, but he couldn’t imagine how they came together.

Aidan made his excuses and hurried toward the fortress gates. Being away from his mate for the last two days had driven him crazy. He’d had to tamp down his emotions when he left his chambers, but his bed had felt far too cold during the night. Despite his exhaustion, sleep had eluded him. He spent an hour yesterday evening watching Orion sleep, reassuring himself that their son was there and okay. This was not the same as his life a few months ago.

He made record time reaching the fortress gates with Ruari struggling to keep up with his pace. He gasped for breath behind him. “Brother, when did you get this fast?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said, returning the guards’ nods before heading toward the field.

A sea of red dragons filled the sky, hovering over the large clearing. Four by four, they took turns dropping onto the two large landing pads to change forms before swiftly moving out of the way to make room for the next. He would know they were shifters even without their coloring because they didn’t flood the training field with scorch marks. The clearing was large enough to easily hold a thousand dragons in the beast form, but they took care not to mar the land.

Thankfully, Ozara chose the closest landing pad, releasing Bailey right away. The slayer didn’t hesitate for a moment to run to Aidan. She leaped into his arms and kissed him full on the mouth. While it was technically inappropriate, especially with guests, he couldn’t find it within himself to mind. He kissed her right back, grateful to find she was okay. He’d hated knowing she was injured earlier, and it drove him crazy as he waited for news. His only consolation was that the threat had disappeared, and he knew she still lived.

He couldn’t miss the dried blood in her hair and parts of her clothes, though she must have found a way to wash it from her skin, and her injuries had been almost fully healed. Her scent told him a fuller story. The stench of Kandoran had not been entirely washed away, and there had been many of them based on the numerous individual odors he could parse from her.

“I missed you,” she said breathlessly, dropping her feet down.

He kept his arms wrapped around her, unwilling to let her go. “I could say the same. We expected you back sooner than this, and I worried when I felt you were wounded. It appears the enemy found you.”

“The Kandoran attacked right after we sent a load of masks. Verena was too drained to open another portal, so we were stuck,” she explained.

Aidan forced himself to take a step back. He ran his gaze up and down her body, noting slashes in her camrium uniform and mostly healed gashes. She hadn’t limped, and her arms had held him tightly when she jumped on him, which led him to assume she didn’t suffer any broken bones that still needed mending. Despite that, his chest tightened at the thought the Kandoran had found her again.

He caressed her face. “Injuries?”

“A few, but the Craegud have great healers, so I’m fine now,” Bailey said reassuringly.

That explained why there were only a few minor cuts left, but he knew it must have been bad at some point based on the level of pain he’d sensed from her. A glance at the rest of her group on the nearby field revealed some, especially Eliam, hadn’t fared well, either.

“How many Kandoran?” he asked.

She dropped her gaze. “About sixty at first, but more came after that, and I lost track.” She paused, and anguish tightened his chest. “It wasn’t really a problem since Ozara and the Craegud showed up in time to help.”

He’d get further details later, but for now, he was just grateful she was okay. They had been a group of eight. The thought they’d faced that many alone—at least at first—horrified him. If not for the audience around them that numbered in the hundreds, he’d have grabbed Bailey and taken her to their quarters to satisfy himself that she was truly okay. Instead, he contented himself with tucking her into his side.

The clan spy sauntered toward them, grinning at his and Bailey’s closeness. “I may have forgotten to mention to the Craegud that your mate is a slayer, milord. They are still a little confused about why our people are working with them and bringing them home with us.”

“I suppose you decided to leave the explaining to me?” he asked, lifting a brow. Aidan had never been happier to see Ozara. He was relieved she’d completed her mission and saved his mateand the others.

“Exactly.” She gestured behind her toward a large male approaching them. “There’s Wren—the pendragon—coming to see you. Good luck!”

She hurried through the gate, no doubt hoping to see her daughter and Phoebe right away. The damn woman would probably be having a good laugh at the mess she’d left in her wake. Wren looked distressed as he stared at Aidan and Bailey.

There was no point in pulling away now, and he refused to appear ashamed of his mate. The other shifter toriq would have to get over it. Aidan kept his arm firmly around his mate’s waist, and she did the same with him.

“Thank you for coming,” he said, greeting the other pendragon with a nod.

Since their toriqan hadn’t communicated in centuries, he’d never met any of their people. The Craegud pendragon was large—nearly the size of Zoran at full health—and had a head full of wavy brown hair and tanned skin. He carried himself in a way that said he’d fought many battles and likely won most, if not all, of them.

“You’re welcome.” Wren nodded back at him, but his gaze turned perplexed as it fell on Bailey. “Ozara told me I should ask you about your alliance with slayers—though this appears like far more than a temporary truce for the sake of the war.”

His spy had pushed her luck if that’s the excuse she gave.

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.”

Wren took in the imposing fortress, curiosity in his gaze. “I think I should like that. There is much to discuss and little time to do it.”