Her gaze fell on Tyrez as the big Dragon shifter passed by carrying two buckets of chicken. He was everything a Legion Dragon should be—tall, muscular, broad shouldered. Gorgeous, majestic, capable. If her hormones were truly surging, she should be panting over him like an animal in heat.
Yet it wasn’t Tyrez that put the hitch in her stride. It was Lucas, walking quietly behind them, his beautiful emerald-ringed eyes missing nothing.
She followed his gaze. You’d never know they were in a cave. Wicker furniture, including chairs that looked as though they’d been woven from bendable branches, were laid out in a comfortable seating arrangement around a hearth that vented through a hole in the roof. Cushions scattered over every surface, including a few large ones on the carpeted floor. Tapestries covered the walls, their scenes depicting forests filled with animals, many of which she’d never seen before.
“Cara comes here?” Lucas asked.
“She used to use the cave we now call home,” Dani replied. “It has a path to the gate, although not a good one. Now she uses this cave, but the only way she can get here is if we take her.”
Tyrez had taken the food into the kitchen, and as Dani walked forward, she slid the fingers of one hand along Tyrez’s arm. The other snatched a bucket of chicken from him. “Excellent. I’m starving.”
Tyrez’s dark brows lowered. “Didn’t Cara feed you?”
“I was eating with Cody, a half-starved Dragona, and a Morph. The competition was fierce.”
Aria shot her a look as Lucas winced. He’d inhaled a fair number of those potstickers. But all she’d eaten was the scone. She caught a whiff of the fried chicken, and her stomach growled.
Dani plunked the chicken down on the counter. Tyrez joined her there, occupying himself with pulling things out of the bag—four types of side dishes, mostly high fat options that made Aria drool.
He and Dani moved through the kitchen like one entity on four legs—and more times than not, they were in body contact. Just a brush of arms, or hips, or reaching out with gentle fingers with a simple caress. Their movements were so coordinated there was little doubt they conducted a fluent conversation in their heads.
Watching them, Aria concluded they were exactly what they’d claimed—two parts of a mated triad. She’d never heard of such a thing among Dragons. Was it because Dani wasn’t born one? Having lived so much of her life with only her mentors for companionship, Aria was struck with a sudden and nearly overwhelming sense of longing. A month ago, she might have considered such a thing confining. But now, the thoughts of belonging to another, completely and irrevocably, appealed to her.
The Power of Three.
Mervok and Danao had been like fathers to her, but they’d formed a powerful family triad. What would that experience be like within a mate bond? Her heart accelerated.
Every time Lucas scanned Tyrez, those dark brows lowered a little more. What was he thinking?
Dani pulled open a drawer and tossed a small two-way radio device onto the counter.
“This should still be charged. If not, the charger is over there.” She pointed to it. “You can reach us at the other cave anytime. Cell service out here is nonexistent.” She accepted plates from Tyrez and handed them out, before pulling one for herself. Tyrez provided her with a spoon for the macaroni salad.
Aria dug out a nice, juicy thigh. “How long are we staying here?”
Dani hesitated. “I don’t know. Depends on what Cara is up to.”
“You don’t know?” Lucas asked.
“No idea,” admitted Dani. “Ash has told me bits, though. I imagine it might depend on what the Elders decide to do.”
Tyrez had stopped moving, his expression remote as he gazed off toward the entrance. “Ash and Cara are with the Elders now.” The dark brows drew down. “The Elders have no right to be angry, but they are. Demanding to know why Ash didn’t warn them.”
“But Cara said he did,” Aria pointed out.
Dani shook her head. “Ash didn’t give them specifics, because he didn’t have them. But anyone with half a brain knows the timelines are confusing as hell to interpret.”
Aria tensed as Tyrez hissed and his turquoise eyes gleamed. Suddenly, he was every inch a Legion Dragon.
Dani also looked tense, but she placed a hand on his arm. The muscles jumped beneath it and then quieted. “Down, big guy. Cara won’t let them rake Ash over the coals.”
Aria wondered about that. “So he didn’t see this coming?”
“Your big friend Nikolai was the focus of many possible timelines,” growled Tyrez. “Ash hasn’t slept in over a week. They were giving him nightmares. Impossible for him to determine which was the most likely one.”
Aria’s heart twisted. “Is Nikolai okay?”
Dani glanced at her, but her eyes went foggy for a moment. “Ash says he’s fine. Galeran needs him alive and basically healthy.”
