6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Cyrus

" Y ou can't be serious!" I shoot out of the leather chair in Midas's office, needing to move, to shake off this anxious energy. "What the hell do you mean?"

My brother sits behind his desk, hands steepled under his chin, expression as severe as always. He repeats himself as if speaking to a child. "I'm completely serious. I want you to stay here while we're gone, and look after Finley."

It isn't the words I'm having trouble processing. It's how the hell I'm going to survive doing what he's requesting. Staying here with her would be pure torture, to live with her and not be able to have her. Is this cosmic payback for all the shit I pulled when he got together with Jeslyn?

I shake my head and pace past his desk to the window. "She can look out for herself. She's a grown woman, for fuck's sake. "

"Not yet, she isn't and—"

"She's human!" I spin around to face my brother. "She's a human adult."

"She's part of this horde, and that means she's not an adult for two more weeks."

"How can she be part of the horde if she doesn't even know about us?"

Midas pushes back in his seat and crosses his arms. For a moment, he's silent as he stares at the bookshelf across the room. "We'd planned to tell her, but then she went to art school in Prague, and after that… it's never seemed like a good time."

I lean my shoulder against the floor-to-ceiling window and give my brother a death stare. "The longer you wait, the more upset she'll be when she finds out."

"I agree, but Jeslyn…" He pinches the bridge between his nose. "She has this idea in her head that Finley will think she's not her sister anymore, that she's some kind of dragon clone or something. Honestly, I can't even follow the logic. I think the pregnancy hormones are making her a little irrational."

I laugh dryly. "Don't let her catch you saying that."

I haven't spent much time with Jeslyn, but I know her well enough to know she'd kick his ass for saying she's being irrational.

"What we choose to tell Finley has nothing to do with you. All you need to know is that Jeslyn isn't ready for her sister to know about us. Period. And regardless of what we have or haven't told Finley, someone needs to stay here with her."

"What about Lennox?"

The slump in Midas's shoulders is slight, but it feels massive since he always presents himself as larger than life. "I need Lennox and Yeva to come with us."

Narrowing my eyes, I assess my older brother. There are circles under his eyes that I hadn't noticed before. His chin is slightly stubbled rather than freshly shaved like normal. But it's that slump in his shoulders that really has me worried. "Why?"

"Yeva is the best midwife we have, and Jeslyn…" His voice cracks, and the sound is like a whip across my heart.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He straightens in his seat. "It's fine. I just want Yeva with us to ensure the baby is healthy."

"Midas."

He drops his elbows to his knees and looks at the floor. "As part of the royal line, the baby is… big. Stronger than most dragons."

"Sure, but Jeslyn's a dragon now. She can handle it."

"Yes, in theory. But a transformed human has never carried a royal heir before." He runs his hands through his hair, silent for a beat, before whispering, "The baby keeps transforming in the womb."

"What? How is that possible?" I leave the window and walk over to the desk where Midas is sitting. Dragon women can't transform while pregnant. They stay in whatever form they were in when they conceived. The inability to shift is one of the earliest signs of pregnancy. The baby takes whatever form the mother is in. I've never heard of a case where a dragon baby could shift in the womb.

"If Jeslyn goes into labor while the baby is in dragon form, things could get…" His breath hitches again, and he drops his head to his hands. "I can't lose her, Cy."

"Hey, you're not going to lose her." I crouch down in front of my brother, unsure of what to do. We've never been overly affectionate, but I hate seeing him like this. I put a hand on his shoulder. "Take Lennox and Yeva. Go to the hatching grounds. The goddess has been with the two of you from the start. I'm sure she'll be with you now."

"If…" Tears rim the edge of my brother's eyes when he looks up, and it makes me feel panicked. I haven't seen him this upset since our parents died. A night I wish I could scrub from my mind.

I squeeze his shoulder. "When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow. In the morning. I want Jeslyn to be well rested."

"Alright. Guess it's a good thing I haven't unpacked yet."

He takes my hand. "Thank you. I'm trusting you. I would have Jethro look out for her, but you know how flighty he can be and…" He clears his throat, sits up, and straightens his suit jacket. "There's more we should talk about."

Standing back up, I lean against the edge of his desk, waiting for him to continue.

"The Silver Horde has been restless. They've always wanted to do business in New York, and there are rumors they're planning something. I need Jethro and the rest of the Guard on rotation at the hatching grounds. We've kept the pregnancy quiet, but they'll know as soon as we reach the High Temple."

"You think they'll try to attack on sacred ground?"

"No." He shakes his head. "I don't think so. Their new Ra'a seems more calculating than violent. Not at all like her parents, but she hasn't been Ra'a for long, and it's hard to tell what she'll do. I won't risk it. The Silver Horde has taken advantage of our perceived instability before."

Our eyes meet, and it's clear he's thinking of the same thing I am. The last time the Silver Horde attacked, it was right before he married Jeslyn. And it was my fault. I spread the word that Midas's mate was human and that his throne was being challenged. By me.

We've come a long way since then, and he knows I regret not trusting him. His trust in me now, with his sister-in-law, his family, is proof of how far we've come. It's also another reason I have to be careful around Finley. It doesn't matter that she's my fated mate. I can't break the fragile trust Midas and I have gained by making a move on his sister-in-law before she's legally of age.

It's going to be torture. But he's right. He can't leave Finley here alone. Not if there's even a hint of a threat from the Silver Horde.

I drop my head. "You have my word, by the goddess and the gold, I'll protect her."

"And the horde?"

"Of course."

But Finley most of all.