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“Do you trust me?” I raise an eyebrow, daring him to say no after he just told me he does.
He takes a deep breath and summons a flame in his hand. Nobody in the restaurant reacts at all—they don’t even look our way, it’s like they don’tnoticethat Stellan has a huge flame in his hand. Calling for my own magic, I demand a shield to cover my body. I put my hand into his flame and Stellan panics, instantly putting out his flame. He grabs my hand, turning it over as he looks for any sign of a burn, but there is none. I let my shield drop.
Stellan looks at me with wide eyes. “How?”
“Magic.” I shrug, hoping he doesn’t think it’s a big deal.
His shoulders slump forward, almost like he’s relieved that I can protect myself against fire. I wonder if it was something he was truly worried about.
“I protected myself and Jason that first day with my shield,” I remind him.
“Yeah, but hearing about it and seeing it with my own eyes are two different things. It’s nice to see,” he says, then takes a deep breath. “It’s especially nice because I’m afraid the attacks are going to keep happening.”
“Does it have something to do with your uncle?” I ask.
He takes a sip from his drink before he responds. “My uncle was the heir. But after his mate died, he kind of lostit. At first, everybody was lenient with him because of what happened, but then he killed my grandfather, who was king at the time.”
My stomach churns. Any sorrow I felt for this uncle is long gone. “That’s horrible! So then he was king?”
“He was supposed to be, but dragon shifters didn’t want him on the throne. Dragon shifters rejected him. Which he didn’t take well. He went on a killing spree and started murdering the mates of members of the Dragon Council who decided to reject him. Somehow, my dad and his younger brother managed to capture my uncle. And they stripped him of his magic and erased his memory. It was considered a mercy, after everything he did,” Stellan says.
Suddenly, my sister getting the same punishment doesn’t seem fair. But Stellan’s uncle definitely deserved a worse fate.
“Shouldn’t that be the end of it?” I worry my bottom lip between my teeth.
He nods. “Itshouldbe. And it was for a while. My uncle ended up getting married. He had forgotten about his previous mate. And it shouldn’t have been an issue, except his wife wasn’t human. She was an elemental—her mate had died young too. She decided to leave their community and marry someone she thought was a human. She had no idea until their first child was born a hybrid.”
“Hybrid…” my jaw drops open. “Because he still had his shifter genes, even if his magic wasn’t active.”
“Yes.” Stellan turns his head away for a moment, taking a deep breath before he looks at me again. “My uncle has five sons—all of them are exceptionally strong hybrids. He was able to find out about his past and now he wants revenge for what the dragon shifters did. He wants to take the throne by force.”
“But he’s basically human. He can’t be king.”
“No, but his sons can. And he thinks his oldest son is the rightful heir. Unfortunately, a few people in the dragon shifter community want a change. And they’re backing my uncle.”
I blink, not sure what to say.
The dragon shifter community may be fierce, but they’ve always been peaceful. Since the war, they’ve tried their best to stay away from other supernaturals and keep to themselves—fae being the only exception. If the dragon shifters want change, that must mean…
“They want to finish the war the supernaturals started against them,” I guess.
Stellan nods. “They think other supernaturals should pay for the war. But most dragon shifters don’t agree with this. We know that war is pointless. If the other supernaturals decided to band together, they could wipe us all out—permanently this time. My father has tried his best to make ties with other supernaturals. He’s even on the Alpha Council now.”
I know about the Alpha Council—my father wanted to join, but the monarchs wouldn’t let him. They feel like shifters and other supernatural beings are, naturally, beneath us. It’s such an elitist mindset and I hate it.
“So your cousins are really strong—because they’re hybrids,” I say, realizing the full weight of what he’s telling me.
Stellan nods.
“Then it’s a good thing you married me. Our children will be a lot stronger than them.” I offer him a reassuring smile.
There is something about the mix of dragon shifter and fae blood that makes dragon shifters exceptionally strong. It’s the whole reason for the alliance. Our ancestorsthought it was so important that there needed to be a magical contract.
Stellan cocks his head to the side as he looks at me. “Our children will be really strong, won’t they?”
I nod, but my cheeks grow warm when I realize what I’ve said.
Our children.
