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It was his duty and his honor to protect this land, and he would not be tricked in any way into betraying that.
Brayden, I need you. Now.
He sat up all the way and stretched, forcing his muscles to remain loose and easy. “Did you have other business?”
The thump of wings sounded hard and furious, the snap of fire coming from multiple directions. The cavalry was here, and Harden was glad for it.
The Dark One just chuckled again as if he’d known this was going to happen. When there was a huge thud and the whole area around them shook because five big dragons were landing in their pasture, the Dark One didn’t even flinch. He looked a lot like a bird, a giant, dangerous bird of prey.
Harden stood there, chin lifted, and shrugged. “My family worries for me.”
That earned him a cackling, crackling laugh. “Yes, they should. Congratulations, by the way, on your upcoming joy. I will keep you in my thoughts.”
“Perhaps all of you should just go and leave us alone. Let us be happy.” These new dragons had not been allowed to fly where they came from. Did no one understand that? The sacrifice they’d made?
“Perhaps we should, but some of us can’t do that because others won’t. I need you to know what they told me about this ysidri. It’s important to tell your others.” He looked at the batch of dragons that were coming at him, advancing in both human and dragon form. And he just shrugged and took off like an arrow into the sky, shifting as he went.
Brayden ran to him and scooped him up. “I came as soon as I could. What the hell was that? What did he say?”
“That someone was coming for little Seren, and I shouldn’t let them have her, as if I would. He said that we’re having a baby. How did he know? I don’t like this.” The winds were beginning to buffet them. “I don’t like this at all.”
He was going to train the ciucui to watch — watch the babies, Seren, each other. He was going to make it right.
“You’re really making the wind blow.” Brayden waved to the others and then took him inside. He knew that Brayden’s brothers and their friends would do a patrol and make sure the black dragon was nowhere in the vicinity.
They got inside. Brayden sat him down, and the wind died down around them because obviously he didn’t want to ruin the inside of the house.
“I’m not sure how he knew we were having a baby, but he’s something of a legend around here now I think.”
“I don’t like legends being in my yard.”
“I don’t either.” Brayden reached out and touched his cheek. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, I just worry about people coming and talking about the end of the world.” He put a hand on his belly, feeling utterly confused and worried.
“The end of the world sounds pretty dire.” He saw Brayden’s eyes unfocused and he knew his brothers must be talking to him. “He’s gone now though. We’re safe.”
“For now. You’re going to talk to Cade and your brothers about all of this, right?”
“I am, because we’re going to have to increase patrols. There’s just too much activity in the last year or so from other dragons from the outside of the village and none of it is good.”
He frowned and began to pace. “No. I don’t like this. I don’t like this at all. This is our place, our village! No one cares about us. No one ever has.”
Not until the new dragons began to come, not until the portal formed.
He wasn’t going to say that. He wasn’t going to believe it, because Brayden was his mate.
He and Tyr had waited for eons, Cade too.
If strange dragons were going to come and threaten the newcomers, he would fight them all.
“Babe, I think you’re going to cause a tornado.”
“Sorry. Sorry.” He touched Brayden’s shoulder. “You’re very hot though. You might set it on fire, so we should both be careful.”
“Right. No burning down the entire farm with a fire tornado. I know it’s scary and I know it seems like this probably has a lot to do with all of us showing up, but Tor says it was more than that. That’s one of the things he’s warned us about.”
His eyebrows flew up because had he been privy to that? Did he know that? Maybe he just hadn’t been listening. Still, it seemed like information that would be helpful to him.
