Chapter 24
Zora
Brandr woke with a start. For a second, he couldn’t remember why he was in Eurwen’s cottage. Then, it all came back to him.
He slowly sat up. Con and Rhi were gone.
V was with Claire on the bed, both with their eyes closed.
Next to the bed was a bassinet. Brandr stood and walked to it.
When he looked inside, he saw the bairn bundled tightly in a blanket.
The child looked innocent as it slept peacefully, completely unaware of the turmoil its arrival had instigated.
Brandr couldn’t stop looking at the tiny bundle with its wrinkled face.
He reached inside and gently brushed the back of one knuckle against the bairn’s forehead.
Brandr didn’t know why he wanted to touch the baby, but once he had, he couldn’t pull his hand away.
Dragon magic ran through the infant. It wasn’t as powerful as V’s, but there was no denying that it ran throughout the bairn.
He dropped his arm to his side and looked at Claire and V once more.
The look of panic on V’s face waiting for his child to be born was something Brandr would never forget.
He didn’t know why none of them had felt the Fae magic that prevented the baby from being born, but he was glad that he’d been here to help.
He didn’t want to think about what could’ve happened had he not.
As a Dragon King’s mate, Claire was essentially immortal.
The only way she could die was if V died.
The way Usaeil’s magic had held the bairn would’ve killed it within Claire’s womb.
A cesarean would’ve needed to be performed just to get the babe out.
And neither Claire nor V would’ve ever been the same.
Brandr was shocked that his grandmother had been so callous.
He had to remind himself that she had been Dark.
It reminded him of the Dark magic. He looked at his arm, but the black, misty smoke that had been there before he fell unconscious was gone. He didn’t feel it inside him, but he would be cautious, nonetheless.
Brandr teleported outside to greet the day.
The sun was just peaking over the mountain, its first rays lighting the area.
He drew in a deep breath, still trying to decipher the confusing emotions swirling within him.
Things had been simple once. Easy. Well, as much as they could be in his situation.
As far back as he could remember, he and Eurwen had felt an overwhelming need to get to the dragons.
They had been able to talk to each other, but not Erith.
The time it took for them to grow and get to the point where they could communicate with the goddess had felt like an eternity.
All the while, both Brandr and his sister had felt the cry of the dragons within them.
It was almost as if they had been born to find the dragons and restore order once more.
He had accepted that as his life. He thought Eurwen had, as well. It hurt deeply that she had kept secrets from him because he knew if she hadn’t told him about Vaughn, then there were other things she hadn’t shared.
Obviously, she had sought something more.
Why hadn’t she told him? But he knew the answer.
Brandr didn’t question her loyalty or intentions when it came to Zora or the dragons.
Or even him. Yet, something was missing from his sister’s life.
Something he had missed. And he guessed he hadn’t seen it for some time.
Was it the dynamic between him and Eurwen that’d altered things on Zora?
Was that what he felt now? He wanted to blame everything on the Dragon Kings, but that was childish.
Varek hadn’t asked to come to Zora. He’d had no hand in his arrival.
Frankly, Brandr was impressed at what Varek had been able to do in the short time he’d been in the realm.
Not to mention that the Dragon King had also found his mate.
Brandr pushed aside the tightening in his chest each time he thought about a mate.
He knew how dragons discerned their mates.
For many, many years, he’d believed that he wasn’t ready to even consider a mate.
Then, as more decades passed, he started to wonder if he would ever find one.
He had no way of knowing if he would be able to recognize his mate or not.
Had that ability been given to him since he was only half-dragon?
He hadn’t talked to Eurwen about it because she hadn’t mentioned anything about being lonely. Brandr had taken that to mean she was content, and he didn’t want her to worry about him being unhappy. Because he wasn’t. At least, he wasn’t most of the time.
Seeing Claire and V together, though…hell, even his parents, had brought out the staggering loneliness that sometimes overtook him.
The yawning, cavernous void of emptiness that loomed ever nearer, trying to swallow him.
He hated when it came because it clawed at him, dragging him down into an abyss that threatened to never release him.
Everywhere he looked, beings were paired.
None were meant to be alone. And yet, that’s exactly what he and his sister had been.
Alone. The difference was, Eurwen had found some semblance of pleasure with Vaughn.
Brandr couldn’t say the same. Instead of facing his feelings and confronting the root cause of his wild emotions, he’d buried all of it and focused on his duties and the dragons.
Try as he might, he couldn’t ignore how similarly he had acted to Con. And Brandr wasn’t sure how he felt about that. It certainly wasn’t something he would discuss with Eurwen or anyone else.
He ran a hand down his face, feeling weary to his very bones.
Eurwen was at Dreagan, Dragon Kings were still in Zora, a half-dragon bairn had just been born, and more importantly, something was still off with the realm that he had yet to pinpoint.
Not to mention, neither he nor any of his generals had found the crone.
Brandr moved closer to the edge of the cliff and drew in a deep breath in an attempt to release the tension and anxiety building within him.
He glanced to the right where Eurwen’s doorway was and saw Vaughn emerge.
Fury spiked in Brandr with such intensity that he started to shift and charge Vaughn.
Then Rhi was suddenly with Vaughn, enveloping him in an embrace.
The sight of his mother stopped Brandr in his tracks.
For all the pain she had suffered at the hands of her mate, she had forgiven and moved on.
Brandr wasn’t sure how anyone could do that.
Rhi not only did it with grace that spoke of her noble heritage but also with a smile and a generous heart.
Brandr saw much of Rhi in Eurwen. His sister was more forgiving, more compassionate than he. He would say that Eurwen had gotten the best of both Rhi and Con in many instances, while he had gotten the worst.
“Brandr.”
The sound of Con’s voice in his head startled him. He thought about ignoring his father’s call, but no doubt Constantine was nearby and watching him. “Aye?”
“I wanted to see how you were feeling after what you did last night.”
Brandr looked away from Vaughn and Rhi and turned to look at Eurwen’s cottage. That’s when he spotted Con standing outside, watching him. “I’m doing fine.”
“Thank you for what you did. I know V and Claire also wish to talk to you and thank you.”
Brandr shook his head. “There’s no need.”
“There is. And you know it.”
“Why is Vaughn here?”
Con raised a brow. “Ask him.”
Brandr watched his father walk away. He almost called out to Con, demanding that he tell him what he wanted to know. But Brandr knew it wouldn’t do any good. Besides, he wouldn’t allow Con to know that he was irked about the situation. Not yet, anyway.
He whirled around, intending to tear down the doorway when his gaze landed on Rhi before him. “Did you and Con plan this?”
“No,” she said softly. “I’ve been waiting for you to wake so I could thank you.”
Brandr shrugged off her words. “It was nothing.”
“That’s not true at all, and you know it.”
He clenched his teeth. “What do you want me to say?”
She shrugged and smiled. “Nothing. Just listen.”
He stared into silver eyes so like Eurwen’s that, for a moment, he almost imagined he spoke to his sister and not Rhi.
“Please,” she urged, her gaze beseeching him.
Against his better judgement, he gave in.
Rhi’s smile was blinding. “Thank you.”
“Not here,” he said before she continued. “I’d rather go somewhere more…private.” He tried not to notice the hurt that flashed in her eyes, but it was too late.
“Wherever you’d like,” she said.
“My place.”
He turned and started walking, not bothering to wait for her. It was a wanker move, and Eurwen would’ve called him on it. Brandr slowed his steps until Rhi caught up with him.
Once inside his cottage, she flashed him a smile. “Thank you for this.”
He closed the door and leaned against it as he watched her look around his simple home. His cottage was identical in size to his sister’s. No one but Eurwen had ever been inside. It was disconcerting to have a visitor looking over his things.
“You like to read,” Rhi said as she glanced at him over her shoulder.
He nodded slowly. Two walls of his cottage were covered with bookcases.
Rhi flicked her long, black hair over a shoulder as she faced him. “Have you been to the library at the Light Castle?”
“No.”
“I’d love to take you. It’s a spectacular place. The library at Dreagan is impressive, as well.”
He crossed his arms over his chest, not bothering to answer.
Rhi briefly lowered her gaze to the ground. “I understand.” She licked her lips and moved to stand before him. “I know you want us gone. Whatever you may believe, neither Con nor any of the other Kings intend to take over.”
“They wouldna be able to.”
“Spoken like a King,” Rhi said with a grin. Then she twisted her lips. “You might not want to hear it, but Con would’ve said those exact words.”
Brandr didn’t want to be reminded, again, that he was like his father.
“We’re not bad people,” Rhi continued. “We’re not perfect.
We’ve made some mistakes.” She grimaced.
“I’m made some doozies, myself. But I hoped you were the type of man who wouldn’t judge someone for their past or actions they didn’t have any control over.
I hoped a child of mine would get to know someone before forming an opinion. ”
“I’m here, am I no’?”
She scratched her head and swallowed nervously.
“The first time I spoke with Eurwen, it didn’t go well, but we gave it a second try.
I’m asking you to get to know us. Your father and I want nothing more than to learn about the children we didn’t even know we had.
We’ve been waiting, not so patiently, for a chance to meet you both. ”
“I’m no’ sure what you want from me. You’re here, in our realm, moving about freely.”
“I want to know my son.”
Brandr dropped his arms and pushed away from the door. “I’m afraid that time has passed.”
“It’s never too late to get to know someone.”
“I doona know why Fate decided that you and Con wouldna raise Eurwen and me. Maybe it was because both of you were too caught up in the big picture of things to notice the details. Maybe it was to correct the colossal mistake Con made in sending the dragons away.”
Rhi’s eyes grew frosty with annoyance. “You know as well as I that he didn’t make that decision lightly or on his own.”
“He decided it. The other Kings merely followed along.”
“They could’ve refused had they believed there was another option.”
Brandr shook his head at himself for getting into this debate. “There was another choice. Ulrik made it. The other Kings sided with him until Con changed their minds.”
“He reminded them of their true purpose.”
“He chose the humans over his dragons!” Brandr jerked back, shocked by his outburst.
Rhi lifted her chin. “If that’s what you think, then you don’t know your father or the Kings at all.”
“I know all I need to know.”
The disappointment on her face shook him. She said nothing before teleporting away, leaving him with only the silence of his cottage.