Page 13 of Purple Protector (Eiloren Clan #3)

IT WAS STRANGE NOT to be escorted by Marlin or Birch.

When the guard had knocked on Birch’s door, Aaron had almost told them that he wasn’t going anywhere.

He hadn’t wanted to leave the safety of Birch’s rooms. He felt safe here, even when he was alone, which didn’t make sense.

If someone attacked him here, he’d be in the same position as he had been in his room.

Birch hadn’t wanted to leave, but at the same time, he had a job to do, and he’d wanted to talk to the other guards and Marlin about what was happening.

When Hedley had sent word that he wanted Aaron to visit and spend time with him, Birch had been relieved.

Knowing that Hedley had sent a guard so he’d feel safe the entire time had helped Aaron relax, too.

Still, he breathed easier when he and the guard reached Hedley’s door. They weren’t meeting in his office today because Aaron didn’t recognize the hallway. He wasn’t sure where he was, but he knew no one would attack him here.

The guard stopped in front of a door and knocked. When Hedley told them to come in, the guard opened the door but didn’t walk into the room. Instead, he stepped aside and nodded at Aaron to do so alone.

If Aaron hadn’t known Hedley, he wouldn’t have. He did know the consort, though, so he didn’t hesitate.

He realized where he was as soon as he stepped through the door. There was no way this wasn’t where Hedley and Killian lived.

It was luxurious, but not overly so. The room was neat and clean, except for a blanket on the back of the couch and a pair of slippers under the coffee table.

There was an open book on the table and an empty cup next to it.

Everything gave Aaron a sense of domesticity. Hedley lived here. He belonged here.

“I’m in the nest room,” Hedley called out. “Please, join me.”

Aaron’s eyes widened, but he wasn’t about to say no to the consort.

He slowly made his way in the direction from which Hedley’s voice had come from.

He could hear strange sounds coming from the same direction, something like gurgling.

He frowned, wondering what Hedley was up to, but he didn’t have to wonder for long.

He stepped through the open arch that led into the nest room. For a moment, he couldn’t see anyone, not even Hedley. When his gaze stopped on the nest in the center of the room, he gasped.

Hedley was sitting at the center of the nest with two baby dragons in his lap.

One of them was so light that they looked almost white, but Aaron could see they were light pink thanks to the sun streaming in through the window.

The other was bright orange, and they seemed to be the bravest of the two because they climbed onto Hedley’s shoulder to peer at Aaron.

The pink baby stayed in Hedley’s arms, while Hedley turned to smile at Aaron.

“I’m sorry I wasn’t in the sitting room to welcome you, but these two just woke up.”

Aaron couldn’t stop the bright smile from blooming on his face. “They hatched.”

“A few days ago. We haven’t told anyone yet because we’re trying to enjoy the moment. It won’t stay a secret for long, though.”

Aaron snorted. “Nothing does in this place.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“Can I ask what their names are?”

Hedley patted the back of the pink dragon. “This is Zephyr, and the little one on my shoulder is Vesta.”

Aaron didn’t move too close to them. He didn’t want to spook the babies, even though he desperately wanted to cuddle them. They were bonding with one of their fathers, and Aaron didn’t want to interfere with that. “I can go and come back later,” he offered.

“No, please stay. If you’d rather go back into the sitting room, I’ll join you.” He hesitated. “Is it okay if I bring them with me?”

“Of course.” Aaron's smile widened. “They’re incredible.”

“They are. I knew I was going to become a father when I made the decision to adopt their eggs, but it’s all more real now. They’re babies, and they move and sleep and eat and everything else.”

They were babies, and they were beautiful. This time, it didn’t hurt to see, though. Aaron knew that he had a real chance at having the same. When he was ready, in a few years or even longer, he could build a family.

He quickly moved back into the sitting room. He sat on the edge of the couch closest to the window, wondering why Hedley had wanted to see him. Was it to introduce him to the babies, or was there more to it? Either way, Aaron was glad to be here.

When Hedley finally appeared, he had one baby in each arm. He sat down on a massive couch that Aaron suspected could hold a shifted dragon. It was so big that it might as well be a bed.

“They won’t shift into their human form for a while,” Hedley explained as he put down the babies next to him.

“Congratulations.”

Hedley’s smile was soft as he watched his children. “Thank you. And thank you for not asking more questions. I know you must have dozens of them.”

Aaron felt his cheeks flush. “I do, and not all of them are for my articles, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. This is a special occasion.”

“It is.” Hedley made sure that the babies couldn’t fall off the couch by placing pillows around them, then fully turned toward Aaron. “How are you feeling after what happened the other day?”

Aaron had wondered why he hadn’t seen Killian or Hedley after he’d been attacked. They were the king and his consort, so of course, they had better things to do than to talk to him. It wasn’t like he’d been seriously hurt or anything like that.

Now, their absence made more sense. They’d been dealing with the babies coming into the world. Aaron was glad that they’d dedicated their time to them instead of him. He wasn’t worth missing the birth of their kids.

“I’m fine,” Aaron promised. He gestured at his face. “I know it looks bad, but the bruises are already healing, and it almost doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Hedley didn’t look happy. “I hate that you were attacked in our palace. I’m sorry it happened.”

“You don’t have to worry about me changing my mind about becoming a clan member. I’m here to stay.”

“That’s good to hear, but still. I don’t like the fact that you’re in danger, especially when we don’t know where the danger came from.”

“Well, whoever’s after me, they won’t be getting anywhere near me. Birch won’t let them.”

“I’ve been told he takes your protection very personally.”

Aaron told himself not to be embarrassed. There was nothing embarrassing about the situation. “I’ve moved in with him for the moment. I didn’t want to go back to my rooms, and since Killian told Birch to stay with me, we both thought it was the easiest way to deal with the situation.”

Hedley slowly nodded. “So you’re living with Birch.”

And sleeping with him in his nest. Aaron was eating his meals with Birch. He was watching TV with him. He spent time talking to him.

He was falling in love with him.

He wanted to stay with Birch. He knew it wasn’t reasonable and that, eventually, Birch would want his privacy back, but he wished it didn’t have to happen. He enjoyed staying with Birch, even beyond his feelings for the dragon. It made him feel safer and less lonely.

He forced himself to smile at Hedley. “I am, and he’s treating me well. I’m sure he, Marlin, and the others will find out what happened soon, though.”

Just not too soon.

* * * *

B IRCH RESISTED THE urge to punch the wall. It would hurt because it was made of stone, and it would give the wrong impression. The king’s bodyguards didn’t lose control, and they didn’t punch walls, even though they wanted to because they were tempted to punch one of the guards working with them.

“What do you mean, no?” he asked through gritted teeth.

The guard exchanged a glance with the one standing next to them. “No one saw the dragon land, so no, we still can’t identify them.”

Birch pinched the bridge of his nose. He could feel Marlin standing next to him, but thankfully, his friend didn’t say anything and allowed Birch to take a deep breath.

The guard was still as nervous as before, but Birch felt slightly calmer. “So we’re sure the dragon belongs to our clan.”

Marlin cleared his throat. “We checked the video feeds for all entrances. No unknown dragon was seen or recorded entering the palace. That means it’s an inside job.”

It was what they’d suspected, but Birch supposed it was a good thing to have it confirmed. He just wished they had more.

They didn’t know who the dragon was. Marlin hadn’t gotten a good look at them, and Aaron had been unable to describe them. He’d even been terrified talking about what had happened when he’d been attacked, so Birch didn’t hold it against him.

They knew from what window the dragon had jumped, but not where they’d landed.

No one had seen anything. No one had boasted about attacking Aaron.

Whoever had done it wasn’t stupid, which meant that Birch couldn’t find them, which was annoying and terrifying.

Birch was worried about Aaron. He needed to keep him safe, but how could he do that when he didn’t know who was trying to hurt him?

“All right,” Marlin said as he looked at the guards with a hard expression. “Everyone, you know what to do.”

“What good is it for us to talk to people again if no one’s seen anything?” one of the guards asked.

Birch glared at them. Did they really want him to start screaming? Because that was what was about to happen.

The guard next to the one who’d just spoken elbowed them in the ribs.

The mouthy guard seemed to understand they’d done something wrong, but thankfully, Marlin intervened before Birch could explode.

“You’ll talk to people until we find answers,” Marlin snapped.

“Or do you not take our clan’s safety seriously? ”

“The guy’s human.”

That was it. Birch was going to punch the asshole.

He took a step forward, but Marlin stopped him by moving faster. He loomed into the guard’s space, and Birch was smugly satisfied when the guard swallowed thickly.

“It doesn’t matter what species Aaron is. He’s a clan member, no matter what you think of that. He was welcomed in by our king and his consort. You’ll take Aaron’s safety seriously and treat him like you would treat any other clan member, or you won’t like the consequences. Understood?”

The guard quickly nodded and stepped back. When Marlin barked at all of them to leave, that guard was the first out the door. Birch watched them go, waiting until they were all gone to slump against the wall. He rubbed his forehead, wondering what else he could possibly do to protect Aaron.

“I know it’s pointless to tell you this, but you need to calm down,” Marlin said.

Birch glared at him. “How am I supposed to do that?”

“I don’t know, and I don’t think you’ll be able to. You want to protect Aaron.”

“We all do.” Well, except that one guard.

“We do, but not all of us are in love with him.”

Birch didn’t tell him to fuck off, even though he was tempted.

What good would it do for him to deny his feelings when they were obvious to everyone?

Yes, he was in love with Aaron, and it hadn’t gotten any better since Aaron had moved in with him.

He wanted Aaron there all the time. He wanted them to share a nest for the rest of their lives.

He wanted to come home to him at night and tell him about whatever stupid thing Killian had done.

He wanted them to build a life, but it wouldn’t be possible if Aaron was in danger.

“I just don’t understand why he’d want to stay,” Birch admitted. “I mean, he was attacked. He’d never met dragons before, and even though he’s fascinated by us, he was put in danger by one of us.”

“He’s brave, and he knows what he wants. Why would he leave when what he wants is here? When you’re here?”

Birch wasn’t usually one to feel unsure in relationships. He could generally tell when people wanted him, which was how he managed to stay away from them. It was easier.

But he hadn’t seen Aaron coming, and Aaron had burrowed his way under his skin. Now that he was there, he wasn’t going anywhere, and Birch had accepted that Aaron was it for him. Their relationship would be the last one both of them had.

If he wanted it to be a long one, he needed to find Aaron’s attacker.

“We need to find the attacker,” he said with a growl.

“We will.”

Marlin sounded sure of himself, and it helped. Birch wouldn’t find the attacker by growling at guards and punching walls. He was angry and scared, and he needed to use those feelings instead of allowing them to control him.

One way or another, Aaron would be safe. Birch had promised that he would protect him, and he always kept his promises.