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“Either that or they’re counting on us being too afraid to shift.”
“Maybe,” he agrees. “But I think it’s time to stop playing defense, brother. We’ve been in this forest a long time. We’ve lived among our own kind, minded our own business, and stayed out of the affairs of the world. Maybe it’s time to change things.”
“What are you thinking?”
“Not tonight,” he shakes his head. It’s only the afternoon, but it’s been a long day of traveling. I need rest. Peggy needs rest. I’m sure Daisy absolutely needs rest. Although part of me wants to go fight for my sister right now, sometimes having a good offense means being careful in the right ways. We won’t be timid anymore, but we’re going to play this smart.
“Tomorrow, then.” I tell him.
“I’ll send scouts out tonight,” Wilson says. “To see what information we can gather. We’ll send messages to Thunderstorm, too. The clan has our back, you know, and I have a couple of favors I can call in. The reality is that what affects one dragon clan affects all of us, though, so I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
“What can I do?” Peggy speaks up quietly.
Wilson sighs. “You can’t come. I’m sorry. You were very brave, miss. Trekking through the forest with a child and your,” he motions to her backpack. “Animal companions is an incredible accomplishment, but at the end of the day, you’re still human.”
For a minute, I think she’s going to argue with him, but she just nods.
“You’re right,” she says. “My skills will be better used elsewhere and not on the battlefield. I’m sure I’ll find some way to be useful.”
“What do you need from me?” I ask Wilson. He’s the clan leader. It’s his job to hold down the fort and keep everything together. Whether it’s organizing a funeral or assisting with a ceremony or breaking up fights at the bar, Wilson has his hands full managing the clan.
He does a damn good job of it, too.
“You look like hell, brother,” he says. “No offense, but go home, Cameron. Get some fucking sleep. Come back in the morning. I’ll have come up with a plan by then.”
“Do you need me to go get anyone?” I ask, not quite ready to leave. Leaving means being alone to think about Ellie. It means being alone with my thoughts and sometimes, thoughts can be nightmares.
“Just go home, Cameron,” Wilson waves me off and turns to head back into the office. “Peggy, come on. We’ll find a place for you to stay. There are a couple of dragons who keep guest rooms available. I’m sure someone has something that will be fine for a human.”
“Wait,” she says. She darts up the steps to the front of his office and slides off her backpack. The kittens inside begin to mew loudly. Then she hands the backpack to him.
“What are you doing?” Wilson stares at the backpack like it’s grown two heads. Leave it to the clan leader not to know what to do with a couple of little baby kittens. Wilson might be an incredible leader and he’s unbeatable when it comes to organization, but dealing with small children and animals isn’t really his thing.
It’s okay.
We can’t all be perfect, right?
“Please give this to Cameron’s mother,” Peggy says. “Cameron doesn’t think she’ll mind watching them. Just for tonight. Their names are Mocha and Frappe. They’re hungry and fussy, but they’re tired, and if she just puts them in a little box, I’m sure they’ll go right to sleep.”
He stares at her.
“I’m going to go home with Cameron,” Peggy says, just in case her intentions weren’t perfectly obvious by this point. She looks over at me and she bites her bottom lip. “If that’s okay, I mean,” she adds.
“It’s fine,” I say quickly, trying to control my racing heart.
Peggy wants to come home with me.
She wants to stay with me.
Obviously, this isn’t a promise of love or a public declaration that we’re mates, but it means she actually wants to be around me. She’s not mad that I didn’t tell her before. She’s not upset I didn’t reveal my name. She wants to be with me tonight and even if that means we sleep in separate bedrooms in my house, it means the fucking world to me.
Right now, I could use a win.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Wilson asks her. “You don’t need to feel pressured to stay with an unmated male, Peggy.” He looks at me and I glare at him. Wilson shrugs again. “I mean, there are plenty of other places you could stay with our clan. If you’d be more comfortable staying with a female dragon, I don’t mind arranging it.”
“I want to stay with Cameron,” she says, looking at me. Then, under her breath, so quiet I almost can’t hear, she whispers, “I need to.”
“Well, then,” Wilson says, turning and opening the door to the office. “I guess my work here is done. See you at dawn, Cam.”
