Page 80 of Dragon Keeper

Tor frowned a little. “It has been, hasn’t it? Are the bees ready to start anew?”

He nodded. “Sloan and I checked them yesterday. They are moving a little slow, but fine.”

“Good. Good.” Tor tilted his head as if hearing something far away.

“Why do you do that?” Tyr asked.

“I am listening to the currents of magic around us.”

Fascinating. Tyr tilted his head. He could sense the buzz and hum of the bees, and the constant moving of dragons—Fredda, Aleana, his mate on patrol. “What do you hear?”

Tor shrugged. “It’s hard to say, but I feel as if the magicks here are just a bit… tilted.”

“Tilted.” Tyr slanted his head. “How do you mean?”

His twin glanced at him, then chuckled. “Well, you do have many new beings here—werebears, a werewolf, dragons who are used to being human—and things are changing. There’s a portal to the human world, literally right there up the mountain. Anyone could get to it.”

“But you don’t honestly think?—”

“Oh, I honestly think. I genuinely do think. I don’t believe they’re bad.” Tor gave him a chuckle. “I don’t think this is inherently bad, but you have to admit?—”

A sharp rapping came to the window, a rustle and click-click-click. But his orblok was inside.

Tor leapt up, light flashing as he threw the heavy golden-colored curtains open, ready to defend them from all dangers.

“By Bolun’s broken wing! What is that?”

“Who.”

“What?”

“No, who.” Tyr chuckled at sight of the tiny bird-like dragon poking at the window, the feathered darling a study in white and gray. “That, my dear brother, is Stella.”

“Stella?”

“Yes, she belongs to Brandon and Abe from up the mountain. Let her in please.”

“Brother, it’s an owl dragon.”

“It’s a Stella. Let her in.”

Tor flipped the latch and pushed open the window, allowing Stella to come fluttering in. She landed next to him with a thud on the arm of the sofa. “Hello, friend!”

“Hello, Stella. Good morning. Does anyone know where you are?” In his experience, that question had to be asked with this group. A lot.

She shook her head. “No, I’m off visiting.”

“Oh, are you? You came to visit me?”Sloan, love, Stella is here at the house. Can you let her fathers know, please?

Of course. On it. Keep her there.

She nodded, smile huge. “Oh yes, I’m here visiting you. I wanted to see the baby, and everybody’s worried about Penny.” She rolled her great big green eyes. “Everybody’s always worried about Penny because she’s so special.” She sighed, leaning in and clicking softly. “Sometimes I’d like to be special too…”

“Oh, sweet one. Don’t say that. You are special.”

She rolled her eyes again, so dramatic. “All right, well then, I want to be special to people here. Anyway, I just came to visit the baby. I can, right?”

“Of course you can. I mean she’s not here yet, but you can come and visit us. Have you met my brother, Tor?”