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I gave her a watery smile and waved. “Go on, baby,” I whispered, and she turned back, following her dragon father.
Levi shifted the moment they got close enough, forcing them to fly higher to be clear of him. His emerald scales glinted in the sun, and my sadness slipped away. This was just as important for him as it was for me, and seeing him in his dragon form, encouraging our babies higher into the sky, was amazing to witness.
Levi’s large green form cut through the sky, bellowing a huge roar. Two tiny growls followed, barely audible from this distance. We all laughed at the feeble attempt, the sound light and free. Every one of us was enjoying this. It was a vision of hope for all of us.
Soon, the dragonlings grew bored with Levi, and they started tumbling through the air with each other. It was nice to see them thriving. The worries we were facing as parents were far different than most, but these dragonlings gave us even more reason to fight this war.
Before long, the sky was full of dragons as the brood joined our dragonlings’ first flight. Scales glinted in the sun, and bursts of flame cut through the sky. My sweet babies met the truest form of their pack, spinning in the sky between them in greeting. I could feel their joy from here. The scene was nothing short of magical, and I knew then and there we’d win the upcoming battle. We had to.
I would see my babies grow up in a world where they could fly, play, and not live under threat of their power being snatched away. My babies would have free skies in their future.
ChapterEighteen
Farren
The dining room had never felt so uninviting before. My mates and I, West, Maxon, and Deacon took our seats. Lance, who had gotten here first, was languidly sliding his finger over his tablet as he ignored us.
Even though he was putting on a show of nonchalance, I could tell he was tense. There were a lot of powerful supernaturals in this room. My mates were some of the strongest witches I'd met, and West was probably stronger, so I didn’t need to worry about him trying something crazy. Yet I couldn’t shake my uneasiness...
We’d already covered security and guard schedules and were waiting for Lance to answer, but he simply held up a finger to gesture for us to wait. The second time he did it, Kane jumped up, ready to pummel him. He would have succeeded if not for Avi and me getting our hands on him to urge him back down.
“I’m looking for his location,” Lance finally said in a bored tone, and he was cut off from offering more when the door to the dining hall slammed open. A man in a hunter green cloak walked in, his clothing making him seem like something out of a fantasy novel. I was the one ready to jump up this time, but Niko’s reaction had us all relaxing.
“Caspian!” Niko gasped as he stood and went up to the man. “I’m so glad to see you alive, my friend.”
“You thought those guards would get to me? I was gone before you were,” he teased in a lilting accent before the rest of my mates stood and greeted him too. I’d heard stories of this man, so I joined them, already feeling like he was someone I could trust. He glanced up and gave a slight bow as I approached.
“You must be their beloved queen,” he said with a sly smirk. “Word travels fast in our world.”
“I am,” I said. After Niko’s confrontation at the university, I shouldn’t be surprised word had gotten out about them. “Thank you for freeing my mates.”
“Ah, it was nothing among friends.” He waved it off, but Niko wasn’t having it.
“No, if not for him, we’d surely have died there. We’d have fought like hell, but we had a group of very powerful men and the Arch Mage against us.”
Caspian chuckled darkly. “Well, it seems you took care of that. Their trial was swift and harsh. They’ve been stripped of their titles, and their magic has been bound. They’re no more powerful than a human now. Our kind sometimes think there are no consequences for our actions, but framing and killing many loyal members of our society doesn’t go unnoticed for long.”
“I’m glad to know they haven’t weaseled their way out of punishment.” Kane grinned maniacally. “Otherwise, I’d have happily gone to give them what they deserved.”
“Of that I have no doubt.” Caspian snorted. “However, I hear we are once again in a bit of a bind?”
Niko sighed, the sound heavy, and gestured for him to join our conference. “We are. I’m afraid we’ve brought our own troubles here.” Niko hurriedly brought him up to speed, giving Caspian as many details as he could. He held nothing back, which had an unexpected effect. When the details of the secret room were shared, Lance lost interest in his tablet, peeking at us over the top of it. By the time the final piece had been revealed, what West had shared with us about the supposedly extinct anti-supernatural group, Lance began typing furiously.
“Well, you’ve certainly got a lot on your plate,” Caspian said as he processed it all. “But so do I. During my travels, I found my mate, a powerful seer. It was more than just the rumors that led me here. I knew your war was coming because of her. She didn’t know you from Adam, but her descriptions of you four were a dead giveaway. After that, it wasn’t hard to find you, and I’ve brought some allies.”
“We’ll make room for them,” West promised. He’d been fairly quiet throughout the back and forth.
“I’m grateful you’ve brought them,” I added. “I’ll do anything to keep my family safe.” As if cued by those words, my girls poked out their tiny scaled heads from where they were napping in my hair. His smile widened at the sight of them, and to my shock, they flew directly toward the newcomer.
“Hello, little ones!” He laughed in surprise. “I’ve heard a lot about you thanks to those visions. You’re definitely worth protecting.”
They fluttered away and started tumbling through the air, not caring that we were holding a somber meeting below them.
“Katerina is going to love them,” he told us as he watched them flit above him. “She saw the full attack. Being here with you all now, she will likely see more. It’ll give us an advantage.”
“So the battle is coming soon?” I asked quietly.
“I’m afraid so,” he agreed with a grim frown, and I didn’t question him in the least. Visions were how we had gotten this far, and my men trusted him with their lives, so, in turn, that earned my trust as well.
