4. Chapter Four #2
“It was when Mattias said Quint’s name,” Caspian said. “It felt like someone was trying to sever the connection between us.”
“I felt it too and that should not happen,” I declared, reaching out to Ionus to explain what had just taken place.
Bring your mates and come to the house, I’ll meet you in the kitchen. We can determine from there who else we need to summon.
On our way.
“Whatever is going on here might be easier to determine if we put our heads together with the rest of the family,” I explained. “We need to get dressed and go to Ionus’ house.”
“That might be for the best,” Kes said. “Tonight wasn’t the first time the dragon in the ice tried to communicate with me.
At first I shielded against his attempts to establish a connection.
I was afraid he’d use it to try and harm us, and I couldn’t allow that to happen.
There are those who fear him, that’s why he’s in the ice. ”
“What made you stop shielding and start listening to him?” Caspian asked as we pulled on t-shirts and sweatpants and stepped into our slippers.
Kes positioned a new eyepatch over the eye he always kept hidden from us.
Someday I hoped that he wouldn’t feel the need to do that, but he clearly had not been among us for long enough to establish the trust he needed to feel before he allowed us to see him without it.
I took solace in the knowledge that Canyon and Upalo had seen him without it.
I’d have been more concerned if he’d kept it concealed from them as well.
Kes and Caspian held hands on the way over, while I followed, thinking about everything Kes had already revealed.
The fact that the pain stabbing into our connection had come upon the mention of Quint’s name concerned me greatly and I knew Ionus would feel the same once he heard what Kes had shared with us.
He’d made tea and placed a tray of light refreshments at the center of the table, which told me that he intended for us to remain there until we’d sorted through the layers of Kes’ story and decided how best to proceed.
Each new mate had carried with them bits of information that had already proved valuable to us as the Gorynych continued to unleash their attacks upon us and other dragons around the world.
None of them had realized the key pieces of information they held until after they’d been properly mated to their protector.
It seemed as if the same held true for Kes.
Which meant it was likely that Caspian had more to share too.
Ionus greeted us with a nod as he gestured to the chairs across the table from where he sat. “Thank you for coming over right away. I was hesitant to summon any of the others until we’d had the chance to talk about the power spikes I felt through the family line tonight.”
“They’re my fault,” Kes blurted before I could say anything.
“Do elaborate,” Ionus insisted.
“But take your time,” Caspian said, keeping hold of Kes’ hand, “when you get flustered you start talking in circles and it’s hard to piece together what you’re trying to tell us. I think it’s important, or at least, that’s what I picked up from you when you were in my arms.”
“Wish I was still back there,” Kes muttered as he ran his free hand through his hair. “It was a lot nicer than trying to pick apart the pieces of everything I’ve experienced with the dragon in the ice over the past few years.”
“Years?” I blurted. “I didn’t not realize your connection had existed for so long or ran deep enough that I swore, for a moment, that I could feel him too, until everything grew distorted.”
“That’s what always happens. I never get the chance to lock on into his location before it becomes impossible to focus on him. There are times when I’ve avoided using that ability all together since it inevitably leads back to him, especially when my dragon is in control.”
Ionus rapped on the table with his knuckles to get our attention. In the past, he would have hammered his fist upon it and roared at us to get to the point. Finding his mate had mellowed that was a positive, but I could still feel the impatience radiating off him.
“I need you all to pause for a moment, rewind, and explain to me what the hell you’re talking about!” Ionus growled.
Shit, he’d tossed a curse word into the mix. We’d need to tread carefully from here on out.
“Kes,” I said. “Please start with what you told us about your abilities and take it from there.”
“Yes, that might be the best way to proceed,” he concurred before lifting his tea with a shaky hand and taking a few sips. “Just please don’t be upset if there are parts that I can’t explain fully.”
“Just tell us as much as you can,” Ionus said, “we can fill in the gaps afterward.”
“And remember what we told you back in the bedroom,” Caspian added. “No matter what you tell us, it changes nothing between us.”
Kes nodded. “I trust you, all of you, I’m just afraid that you won’t trust me after I tell you everything.”
“At this point, I must insist that you quit stalling,” Ionus declared with enough ferocity in his voice that Kes flinched and ducked his head.
“Kes?” I said, keeping my voice gentle, since he was already spooked.
Unfortunately, that was the moment when my brother’s temper snapped, and he slammed his mug down hard enough to shatter it. “Kes!”
My mate didn’t look at him, he looked directly at me and spoke two words that nearly reduced my heart to the same state as the mug on the floor.
“I’m sorry.”