Can't Get Enough (Dragon Kin) - G.A. Aiken Page 0,51

they were unconscious.

His brothers were on either side of him, Kyna and Kennis hovering behind him.

Slowly, he moved around the foreign thing above his castle. It fit snuggly against the gate surrounding his castle. A perfect fit. Eventually, not knowing what else to do, Ailean leaned forward a bit and rapped on it with his fist. It was metal. Solid metal.

“What in all the hells is this?”

Arranz tapped his shoulder and pointed to the middle of it. “Brother…isn’t that your crest?”

It was. The crest his human soldiers wore on their shields and surcoats.

Ailean laid his claw flat against it, and the solid metal suddenly wobbled a bit before dropping away completely. Stunned, he watched the metal shrink and change back into the small human shield it once was, landing with a loud clatter at the clawed feet of Shalin.

“Oh, gods!”

He quickly landed beside her, his brothers and the twins right by his side, Nightmare anxiously pawing the ground near her left shoulder.

“Shalin?” He pushed her hair from her face, leaned in close and said loudly, “Shalin! Can you hear me?”

She winced. “Don’t scream.”

Ailean let out a breath and glanced back at his kin. “She lives.”

In answer to that, Shalin coughed and a piece of metal flew out of her mouth, landing near the shield. Arranz picked it up and held it next to a small open hole toward the base.

“Look at that…it fits.”

“That’s it.” Kyna stood. “I’m going out beyond the castle gates to kill the rest of the Lightnings. That I understand. This—” she motioned to the shield Arranz held “—I don’t.” She took flight, her sister right behind her.

“Shalin…what did you do?”

“Did what you told me to. I protected our people.”

Ailean gave a small smile. “Yes, luv, you certainly did.”

But she didn’t answer. She’d passed out again.

15

Shalin woke when she heard arguing. She rolled her eyes. Can they never get along?

Glancing around, she realized they had her back in the cave. She lay on a huge pile of furs, a large pitfire nearby, and the disgusting taste of metal still in the back of her throat.

She pushed herself up until she could sit back on her haunches. The cave shook as the arguing between kin became more…insistent.

Shalin didn’t know what they were arguing about and she didn’t care. Instead she focused on finding a bit of parchment and a quill.

Shaking blood out of his eyes, Ailean slammed his fist into one brother’s face and used his tail to toss the other across the cave floor.

Bideven jumped up and charged and Ailean lowered himself, waiting for the hit.

But Kyna stepped between them, grabbing both brothers by the hair and shaking. Ailean would have to admit—it hurt.

“Stop it. Both of you.” She shoved them apart while Kennis helped Arranz to his feet. “Is this about Shalin?”

Ailean frowned, confused by the question. “No.”

“Then what are you three up to?”

The brothers all shrugged. “We were bored,” they said at the same time.

Disgusted, Kyna paced away from them. “That’s brilliant.”

“What’s wrong?”

“She’s gone,” Kennis informed them.

“What do you mean she’s—” Ailean pushed past them and walked into the chamber they’d put her in. All that was left—a piece of parchment.

“I’ll be back,” Bideven read over Ailean’s shoulder.

“Is that a promise or a threat?” Arranz asked.

Ailean crumpled the parchment in his hand at the same time he expanded his wings, sending both of his brothers flying across the chamber.

Shalin walked into her father’s work chamber and smiled. How could she not when she found the old dragon on his knees and under the enormous wood desk he used to work on? His tail lazily swung back and forth while he dug through books and muttered to himself. Her heart swelled at the sight of him. Even that sight. Gods, she loved him so much.

“Father,” she said softly, as not to startle him. But he jumped anyway, slamming his head into the desk.

He moved out from under it and smiled at his daughter. “Shalin!”

“Hello, Father.”

“What are you doing here? Is everything all right?” He walked closer to her. “You look tired?”

“North dragons came for me.”

“Oh, dear.” He leaned in a bit, his face solemnly sincere. “I feared as much. Do you need me to protect you?”

Shalin snorted, and her father smirked. “Thank you very much, Daughter.”

Covering her snout, Shalin shook her head. “Forgive me, Father. I didn’t mean—”

He waved her words away. “We both know I’m no warrior.”

“But you’d die to protect me.”

“Of course.” He hugged Shalin. “You mean everything to me.” He kissed her brow.