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“Stop that shift back, now Silas,” I yell at him. Pluto is hiding behind me terrified.

“I mean her no harm, I can help…. Please my King I would never hurt her, I owe her my life,” Pluto begs.

“And your life is what you will pay with, if any harm comes to her,” Matitus warns him.

. Dragus walks in underneath Silas, unfazed by his actions. He hands me a tray, retrieving a wooden box and placing it next to the fire. He takes the tray from me, setting it on top as a makeshift table.

“Settle down, Silas. I have been with him all night. All he has done is speak of owing his life to her. He hasn’t once mentioned harming her,” Dragus says, ignoring him.

Silas sticks his head out the door. The cracking of his bones fills the air as he shifts back, walking into the barn.

“You left her with him,” Silas accuses.

“Settle down Silas. I knew she would be fine. When are you going to realize Elora can handle herself?” Dragus tells him, pouring tea into cups before handing one to Pluto and me.

Pluto relaxes, sitting on another box. I pat his shoulder, letting him know he is safe with me. He looks up at me, grateful.

Silas growls at him, pulling me away, making me sit on his lap.

Matitus watches Pluto with curiosity.

“Would you pledge to her, to us?” he asks Pluto, making him look up at him.

“Of course, I owe her everything, I am now bound to her. I can feel her magic, strengthening me. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain, I don’t think I can ever leave your kingdom, like I am now tied to her.” Now, all three of them growl and Pluto puts up his hands in surrender, spilling his tea. “No, no, not like that. I don’t know, it’s hard to explain. I owe her, sort of like, my loyalty can only be hers if that makes sense.”

“So, what about Lincoln?” I ask.

“Lincoln is not one of the good ones, he was crazy long before he got stuck like that, he killed his mate when he found out she couldn’t bare him children. Didn’t realize he was dooming himself when he did,” Pluto says.

“Then why would they follow him?”

“Because they fear him, he has killed a few of the ones desiccated, we were starving. I refused but the others were too scared too. They ate them,” he says, scrunching his face up in disgust.

“Like cannibalism?” Silas asks, and I feel his disgust.

Pluto nods, ”Yes, he is the strongest out of us. I was stuck pretty much in a full Dragon form, the others not so lucky, he didn’t really mess with me, because I could put up a fight,” Pluto says, and Dragus nods in understanding.

‘Okay, so can Pluto come to the castle now?” I ask, looking at Silas, he grips my face, pressing his forehead against mine.

“What about a place in the city,” he compromises, but Pluto speaks up instead.

“Actually, is it alright if I stay in the stables, I like it here with the horses”, he asks looking at the three Dragon Kings.

“I don’t have a problem with it as long as he doesn’t eat my horses,” says Matitus, making me look at him.

“What, you know how long it took me to get them horses to trust me, they’re my babies,” he says as the brown horse leans over nibbling on Matitus’s hair, he reaches up patting its face.

“No, not that. I am shocked they are yours, didn’t picture you as one that liked pets,” I tell him.

“Nothing else to do around here, beside I was raised around them,” he says looking up the horse, the horses nose nuzzling his face as Matitus kissed.

“Isn’t that right, Pebbles?” he says to the horse.

“Pebbles?”

“It’s her name,” he says simply. I shake my head, but Pluto watches Matitus with the horse in awe.

“I am fine with it, Pluto likes the horses, was brushing them all night so you don’t have to worry about him eating them Matitus.”

Matitus looks at Pluto, giving him a nod, and Pluto looks hopeful as we all turn to Silas. “Fine, don’t make me regret this,” he says looking at Pluto.

“Never my King,” Pluto tells him.

“Are you going to Aldrin about the Helcates?” Matitus asks. I shake my head.

“No, what good would come of it right now, maybe later Pluto can tell him, but at the end of the day he is the same as me, blamed for something his ancestors did. We never made the mistakes, I don’t see why we should be punished for something that happened before we were even born,” I tell Matitus.

Guilt hits me through the bond making me look at Silas, his arms tightening around my waist.

“I swear I never knew what my father did, Elora.”