He raises his chin with obvious pride at that statement, then bows formally at the waist. “I’m quite pleased to not be the oldest in the nest anymore.”
That earns him a genuine giggle from Raven that makes my chest warm. “Fin! You silly male,” she says, shaking her head while still laughing, and I can see the easy affection between them.
“My eternal. You are my flame. A phoenix without its flame is nothing,” Finlay says with devastating sincerity. A slow smile curves his lips, and Raven purrs deeply in response—the sound vibrating through her back into my chest.
“Ah, that makes sense, ye suave bugger,” I say with a laugh, finally connecting the voice to the face. “Ye’re the dangerous one in the nest, melting the knickers off our mate.” This is the male that made Raven flustered on more than one occasion when I could hear their interactions from the egg.
Thauglor almost chokes on his drink at my comment, coughing hard, and Klauth slaps his back with enough force to help dislodge whatever went down wrong. “I think it’s time for us to go and check on our mate,” Klauth announces, clearly wanting to escape before the conversation gets more explicit. “We have five eggs at home that will hatch in about three weeks.”
Raven slips out of my arms immediately to go hug her fathers and say goodbye properly. I watch her embrace each one with obvious love, and the sight makes something warm settle in my chest.
“She’s not like the dragonesses of the past,” I observe to no one in particular, watching her through fresh eyes.
“Why do you say that?” Corvus asks with genuine curiosity, leaning forward in his chair.
“She’s close tae her fathers and her family. Once a female reached wyrm status in my time, they usually cut all ties with their family and focused solely on their own nest. This is a pleasant change—refreshing, actually.” I smile, watching the door and waiting for Raven to return to me.
“Yeah, no, that family would raze the entire continent for each other,” Corvus says with absolute certainty in his voice. “They would burn the world to ash to protect their bloodline. I’ve seen it firsthand.”
“You two need to settle the bond,” Hemlocke observes, tilting his head as he looks at me with those unusual pink eyes. “Soon. Before someone gets hurt.”
“Aye, it’s on the list,” I say with a half-laugh. “I can’t have my mate melting everyone that gives me the side eye.”
Mostly because I would actually love tae watch her melt anyone that deserves it. Nothing’s more attractive than a powerful female who is confident in herself and her power. But I suppose we should at least try to avoid unnecessary casualties.
