Page 45 of The Dragons’ Eternal Mate

“I’d apologize for that,” Ma replied, narrowing her eyes at me, “but I heard somewhere that I’m not supposed to be feeling guilty about it all.”

I smiled back at her, nodding once. “Whoever said that is very smart.”

Allison laughed, plopping the dough into a large bowl and covering it with a cloth to let it rise. She held out her hands for Rowan, and I reluctantly gave the baby to his mom.

“You’re the only person taking care of this horde’s health.” Allison patted me on the shoulder. “We all need to remember that better.”

“I appreciate that. But I’ll still make it a point to swing by when I have time.” I cocked my head, shrugging. “Whenever that’ll be.”

I’d intended to go straight to the clinic, but as soon as I stepped outside, all I could think about was Celia. I knew exactly where she would be, so after only a second of contemplation, I veered right.

“Are you really going where I think you’re going?” Bastian asked, falling into step behind me. I lurched, nearly falling because he’d snuck up on me out of nowhere.

“I swear, if you don’t stop appearing out of thin air, I’m going to put a bell on you!”

He smirked. “I wanted to give you space to talk with Ma and Allison without my looming over you. Never mind that, though. I asked you a question.”

I shot him a look. “Where do you think I’m going?”

Bastian pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing out loud. “Don’t play coy. You and I both know you’re going to go check on Celia, who happens to be in the cabin where we’re keeping Tanner.”

“If you knew”—I stared right back at him—“why did you bother to ask?”

“Because, sometimes, I worry that your brain cells have taken a leave of absence.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I lost most of my brain cells when I was nearly killed by dragon fire.”

Bastian glowered. “Yes, which was done by Tanner, who you’re about to go see.”

I shrugged, keeping up the pace. “Tanner was the proverbial gun. He didn’t pull the trigger. That blame falls squarely on your dear old dad.”

The wind carrying our little squabble backed down, and I watched the expression on Bastian’s face sober.

“Trust me. I haven’t forgotten. I’ve been thinking of all the ways we can kill him when the time comes.”

Bastian quickly shook off the darkness and smiled, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close.

“That’s… sweet.” I chuckled. “Nothing says I love you like murder.”

That made Bastian laugh, and we slipped into companionable silence as we walked up to the cabin where Tanner had been relocated to after everything had happened.

The guards posted outside nodded at Bastian and me when we approached. After a quick gesture from him, we were let inside.

The moment we entered, I could tell how difficult things had been for the expectant mom. Celia looked rough. Her hair was thrown up in a messy bun, and her usually immaculate clothes were dirty. Her shoulders drooped, and she didn’t stand straight in the slightest.

“Celia.” I sighed, walking over to her as she darted up from her seat, looking at me guiltily.

“R-Rowan! What are you doing here?” Her eyes were huge, with large purple bags beneath them.

“Checking up on you. Why didn’t you come to your clinic appointment?” Worry pinched my stomach as I took in how strung-out she looked.

“I’m fine,” she tried to brush it off. “Honestly⁠—”

“She’s not,” Tanner cut in, giving his mate a firm look. “She’s sick. She has been struggling to keep food down, but she feels like she can’t ask you for help. I’ve been begging her to talk to you for days.”

“Celia…” I padded over to her, gesturing for her to sit down at the table.

“H-how can you want to help me? After everything?” she asked, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes, looking between myself and Tanner.