AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Thankfully, they were sitting far enough from the deputy and Hank that their conversation was private.
“Nope,” he said, bracing himself for their response, and for the second swig of bitter brew he was about to take.
Neither disappointed him.
“Celestial gods,” Lyslee exclaimed, just as he prayed to the same gods not to let his mouth turn inside out from the bitterness. “What’s the plan, soldier?”
“I, uh, don’t have one,” he admitted, turning his back gaze to the baby girl, asleep in his arms. “Never needed one before. I follow orders. I don’t make plans.”
“A likely story,” Lyslee scoffed.
“Does your dragon have a plan?” Avril asked at the same time.
“He has a lot of plans,” Kian told her, forgetting to be embarrassed in his utter relief at being able to talk with one who understood his dual nature. “But the Invicta took me young, so that I would not be a servant to his will.”
“But sometimes the beast is right,” Lyslee said. “Is that not the way?”
The dragon roared with laughter in his chest.
“What?” Lyslee asked.
“I guess he found that pretty funny,” Kian admitted.
The two women laughed too, and he had to crack a small smile himself.
“Has he ever led you wrong before?” Avril asked.
“Not since I joined my brothers,” Kian told her thoughtfully.
“Why not listen to him this time?” Lyslee suggested.
“Because you can’t put the cat back in the bag,” he said. “And to claim her is to deny my duty to the brotherhood, and betray my subject.”
“Your subject doesn’t look like she would mind much,” Lyslee pointed out.
He glanced down at Nova, who appeared to be dreaming about something wonderful. Her small face was radiant with bliss.
Look how good she is for her daddy.
He winced and turned back to the concerned gray faces of his companions.
“One bit of advice, and then we’ll talk shop, dragonman,” Lyslee said. “I find that even if I can’t act on it, it’s best to be honest about my intentions. You can try to hide the truth, even from yourself, but that way madness lies.”
“Noted,” he said, wishing it could be that easy.
“Now,” she said, grinning and leaning forward. “Where were you stationed during the Plekka invasion, fourth season?”
8
KINSLEY
Kinsley popped her head into the barn and looked around, taking in the sweet fragrance of straw, which blended with the uniquely pleasant scent of sleepy canids.
The chem outhouse had been surprisingly civilized. Back home, that would have been called a bathroom. There was even a chem shower with unlimited mist. But she had hurried through freshening up in her eagerness to have more time with the dogs.
“Hey there,” Bill called to her, his head popping up from among the furry bodies. “I’m just seeing to everyone’s paws.”
Tails began thumping on the straw as she entered.
