Page 16 of Purple Protector (Eiloren Clan #3)

A ARON WAS WALKING ON clouds. There was no other way to say it—he couldn’t stop smiling and thinking about Birch. He’d even whistled earlier. People kept staring at him as if they didn’t know what to think of him, but it just made him smile wider. He was too happy not to.

He and Birch had officially moved in together.

It had taken a few weeks, mostly because Birch was overprotective and still wasn’t happy with Aaron leaving their rooms, but eventually, they’d moved all of Aaron’s stuff into Birch’s place.

Aaron was almost done unpacking, but then, he hadn’t brought a lot.

Since he was leaving his life behind, he would have to go back and pack up his apartment, but for now, he was happy ignoring all of that and focusing on Birch and their new relationship.

He wasn’t confined to Birch’s rooms anymore. He hadn’t been before, either, but Birch had thought it would be safer if Aaron stayed inside, and Aaron had agreed. He’d still been shaken by the attack, and he’d been afraid.

He still was. He suspected he would be until they found the attacker or at least until they understood why he’d been attacked, but he was done letting fear guide his life. He hadn’t allowed it to win when he’d told Birch that he didn’t want to leave him, and look what that had brought him.

So even though he was still wary and anxious every time he left the safety of the rooms he shared with Birch, he’d started doing it again.

He’d been going to the dining hall, meeting with Palmer and Taylor, and talking with any dragon who was willing to talk to him.

He was accumulating notes at an impressive rate, and he couldn’t wait to sit down and write the next article.

The first one was still going strong, and the second one was about to be published.

The publisher was already pushing for another two, and Aaron had plenty of interviews to use to write them.

But for now, he would focus on lunch. He was meeting with Palmer and Taylor, and he was eager to see his friends. They were both busy with their jobs, so they didn’t see each other every day, but they’d exchanged phone numbers, which helped.

Aaron had never felt so close to anyone the way he was to the brothers, except for Lucy.

He wasn’t happy to leave her behind, but she understood.

Hell, she’d offered to pack up his apartment when she was healed.

Aaron was tempted to accept the offer so he wouldn’t have to leave the clan at all.

He wanted to see Lucy again, but that was all.

He wasn’t leaving behind anyone else who was important to him.

He reached the dining hall’s open doors and stepped aside to let a group of dragons walk out.

He smiled at them and nodded when a few said hello.

Was this a sign that they were accepting him?

He hoped so. He wanted the palace to be his home, and it would be easier if the dragons who lived here took him in as one of them.

He started to move to get into the dining hall, but his gaze stopped on a dragon he recognized.

He hadn’t thought he would because he hadn’t gotten a good look at them, but the burnt orange was the exact tone he’d seen that day.

He hadn’t remembered it, but the dragon had a pierced ear and a patch of scales in the form of Italy on their side.

He remembered now. He remembered that this dragon had tried to kill him.

And they were walking away. He didn’t think they’d noticed him standing there, but he couldn’t let them leave.

He looked around frantically, knowing he couldn’t stop the dragon on his own, but he couldn’t see anyone he knew who might help him.

Thankfully, there was a guard coming toward him down the hallway.

He rushed in their direction. The guard looked startled when he stopped in front of them, but he didn’t give them the time to ask what was going on.

“I was attacked a few weeks ago, and I just saw my attacker coming out of the dining hall. You have to stop them.”

The guard blinked, then immediately moved. Aaron was relieved when they didn’t ask him if he was sure and didn’t dismiss him. They stepped forward and gently pushed him behind their back as they watched the dragons milling around. “Which one?”

“Burnt orange, earing, and a patch of scales that look like Italy on their side.”

“Go into the dining hall and find someone you know. Stay with them.”

Aaron was happy to do just that. He’d known the attacker was probably around the palace somewhere, living their life as if they hadn’t attempted to kill him, but he hadn’t expected to stumble upon them in the dining hall.

Maybe he should have since that was where most of the dragons who lived with the clan got their meals.

Had the dragon seen him? He hoped not. He wasn’t sure it would’ve made a difference, though. It wasn’t like the dragon would have attacked him with so many people around. Someone would’ve stopped them, no matter what they thought of Aaron.

Hopefully, he was about to find out why the dragon had attacked him in the first place. Part of him didn’t want to know, but the other part wanted to put all of this to rest so he could finally stop being afraid.

* * * *

B IRCH WAS WITH MARLIN and Killian when someone knocked on Killian’s door. It opened quickly, giving Killian no time to answer. When Birch saw it was Tito, he grinned and teased, “I thought you were supposed to wait until the king told you to come in to do so.”

Tito didn’t bother answering. His expression was serious, which put Birch instantly on edge.

“I got word that Aaron just saw his attacker in the dining hall,” he burst out.

Birch had been sitting in one of the chairs in front of Killian’s desk, while Marlin was in his spot on the couch by the window. He was on his feet instantly, already moving toward the door. He paused when he realized that he couldn’t go. Killian had to give the order.

“Go,” Killian said. “Marlin will stay with me. Let us know what happened as soon as you know and as soon as Aaron is safe.”

Birch nodded, once again relieved that his friend understood.

If the king had been anyone else, Birch probably would’ve been stuck here, unable to check on Aaron.

Killian understood, though. When Birch had told him and Marlin that he and Aaron were together, they’d both been happy for him, but Killian especially so since he and Hedley had been plotting for that to happen.

Birch was the main reason they’d asked Aaron to stay with the clan.

They liked him, but they’d done this for Birch because they wanted him to be happy.

He was.

Birch ran out, praying that Aaron was okay.

From what Tito had said, it didn’t sound like anyone had been attacked, but it still would’ve been a shock for Aaron to see his attacker in the middle of the crowd.

Birch remembered that Aaron had been planning on having lunch with Palmer and Taylor today, so hopefully, he was with them.

He ran to the dining hall, not caring one bit what the people who saw him would think.

He wasn’t surprised to see that a small crowd had gathered by the dining hall doors.

They were whispering and peering inside the room, and he had to push past them so he could slip inside.

Once he was, he looked for Aaron. He found Taylor first.

He was sitting next to Aaron, while Palmer was on the other side of the table. Both of them were tense and leaning close to Aaron, clearly wanting to protect him.

He was safe. From what Birch could see from where he was, there wasn’t a scratch on Aaron. He sucked in a breath, and even though he wanted nothing more than to rush to his boyfriend’s side, it was more important to protect Aaron.

Instead of going to him, Birch looked around until he found a guard talking to an orange dragon.

He strode toward them. The guard noticed him before he could reach them, and they waved the orange dragon off—they were the wrong shade, anyway.

The guard stood up straighter, and when Birch reached them, they started talking.

“I got a description from Aaron. We already knew that the attacker was burnt orange, but we now know that they also have an earring and a patch of scales in the form of Italy on their side.”

Birch nodded. “But you weren’t able to catch them?”

“Unfortunately, no. They were gone by the time Aaron got to me. I’ve already talked to other guards and sent them to look around the palace, but it will be near impossible to find the dragon if they know we almost got them.”

Birch gritted his teeth. “We have to.”

The guard nodded. “I agree. I’ve been talking to people, and while I don’t have a name, I’ve been told that this dragon has been seen with Pearl.”

Birch didn’t swear, but it was a close thing.

Of course the burnt orange dragon had been seen with Pearl.

Birch had suspected that she might be involved, but without knowing who the attacker was, it had been impossible to tie her to the attack.

It still was, but if they were able to find the attacker, they would be one step closer to confirming who wanted to hurt Aaron.

Or worse, kill him.

If Pearl was involved, she’d probably been planning on killing him. The thought made Birch want to rage, but he couldn’t exactly accuse Killian’s sister with no proof.

That meant that he would have to find proof.

The attack had to be linked to Pearl wanting the throne. She was careful, but hopefully, this would be her downfall. One way or another, Birch would find the connection between the attacker and her.

He left the guard and crossed the dining hall to talk to Aaron.

His stomach turned at the smell of food, and he frowned.

He hadn’t eaten lunch yet because he didn’t feel well, and it seemed like it had been a good idea to avoid food.

He didn’t quite feel like he was about to throw up, but he would rather be anywhere but inside the dining hall.

He hadn’t noticed before because he’d been so worried about Aaron, but now, he could see that Aaron was fine, and he couldn’t ignore it.

He would have to. He wasn’t leaving until he was sure Aaron was okay and didn’t need him.

As much as he wanted to stay with his boyfriend, he had to return to Killian’s office to tell him and Marlin what happened.

They needed to put together all the information the guards had found about the attacker and what Aaron had remembered today.

They needed to find the asshole.

* * * *

A ARON WAS RELIEVED when he noticed Birch striding toward him.

He’d known Birch would come, but also that his boyfriend would have to do his job.

Unfortunately for Aaron, that job wasn’t to be with him.

Birch needed to find the attacker, and Aaron didn’t know anything more than what he’d already told the guard.

Birch kissed the top of Aaron’s head as soon as he reached him. “You’re okay,” he said.

Aaron nodded. “I am. I was scared for a bit, but the guard I stopped made sure I was fine and sent me inside the dining hall.”

“I already talked to them. You gave them a more precise description of the dragon who attacked you.”

“I didn’t remember any of what I told them until I actually saw the dragon again. It’s weird.” Aaron bit his lower lip. “I’m sorry. Maybe if I remembered what the dragon looked like sooner, we would’ve caught them already.”

“It’s fine,” Birch said as he squeezed Aaron’s shoulder. “No one blames you for this.”

“And I’m sure that Birch and Marlin will find your attacker soon,” Palmer added. He narrowed his eyes at Birch as if silently ordering him to do just that.

Birch quickly nodded. He was a little pale, and Aaron wished he could drag Birch back to their rooms and spend the rest of the day there, taking care of each other.

Unfortunately for both of them, they couldn’t. Now that they had a better description of the attacker, Birch and Marlin would get back to work and find them. That meant it would be long hours before Aaron could spend time alone with Birch. Hopefully, this mess would be over soon, though.

“We’ll find them,” Birch confirmed. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to do it sooner.”

Aaron shook his head. “If it’s not my fault, it’s not yours, either.”

Birch grinned. “We can agree that it’s the attacker’s fault. They and whoever’s behind them are responsible for what happened, not you or me.”

Aaron didn’t miss the second part of Birch’s statement.

He thought someone was behind what had happened to Aaron.

It made sense. Aaron had never seen the attacker before the day he’d been attacked.

The dragon would have no reason to attack him since they didn’t know each other, but there were dragons known by the entire clan, including Pearl.

She was the only one who made sense. She’d clearly disliked Aaron the one time they’d spoken, probably because he was human.

More than that, she could use him against Killian.

Aaron could only imagine what she would’ve done if her dragon had managed to hurt or kill him.

She would’ve put the blame on Killian and insinuated that he couldn’t protect important visitors or clan members.

Aaron hated her. He needed Birch to stop her from getting Killian in trouble. That was why Aaron didn’t tell Birch that he wanted them to spend the rest of the day together. It was why he gently pushed Birch away after Birch kissed him. “Go and catch them,” he murmured.

Birch stared at him for a moment before nodding and pressing one last kiss to his forehead. “I will.”