Page 5 of Purple Protector (Eiloren Clan #3)

DURING THEIR MEETING , Killian had authorized Aaron to talk to anyone who was willing to talk to him. If he wanted to ask questions, he could, as long as he was polite about it. The thought of going up to dragons he didn’t know was daunting, though. Where was he supposed to start?

He realized that dragons were like humans.

He could probably go with hello and introduce himself.

He’d never been that good at making friends, though, and he was a disaster in social situations.

He always felt awkward and like he couldn’t quite find his place in groups that were already made up.

And what was the clan, if not a massive group of friends?

Well, from looking around while eating his meals in the dining hall, he could see that not all dragons were friendly or knew each other. It wasn’t surprising considering the size of the clan, and it made him feel a little better, but not enough to feel good about talking to people out of the blue.

He glanced at the table he’d been keeping an eye on since he’d walked in and had noticed the people sitting there.

Killian had mentioned that several humans had moved in with the clan recently, including his consort.

Neither of the men at the table was Hedley, so in theory, Aaron could go up to them and talk to them.

He wouldn’t dare do that with the king’s consort, but these guys seemed pretty normal.

“I can’t believe they let another one into the clan,” a voice close to Aaron drawled.

He blinked and turned toward the person who’d spoken. The dragon was glaring at him, which instantly created images of him being eaten in his mind. He told himself that whoever this dragon was, they wouldn’t do that in the middle of the dining hall with so many witnesses.

Right?

“Your brother does have a particular fondness for humans,” a second dragon said.

Aaron didn’t know what to do. It was clear that these dragons didn’t want him here.

It would’ve been clear even if he hadn’t heard them speak.

From the way they were looking at him, he might as well be an insect on the floor that they were preparing to squash.

What was he supposed to say to that? He was pretty sure that anything he could come up with, they would dislike.

“The clan deserves better,” the first dragon said.

“You would be such a good queen,” the second dragon answered.

Aaron almost rolled his eyes at that. Could the dragon grovel any harder?

But he was slightly worried. From the words he’d just heard, the first dragon was related to Killian.

What would Killian say if he knew about this?

Would he berate Aaron for bothering his sister?

They hadn’t talked about Killian’s family beyond his father when they’d met the day before, and Aaron had no idea how to deal with any of this.

They were starting to gather attention, which Aaron hated. He was already an outsider here. He didn’t need a scene in the dining hall during lunch. No one would want to talk to him after this, dammit.

He’d known not everyone would be happy to have a human here, but he hadn’t expected anyone to be so obvious about it. Maybe the first dragon felt like she could because she was related to Killian, but still. It left Aaron floundering, which wasn’t something he enjoyed.

“Hello, Aaron,” a voice said, startling him.

He turned to his other side, surprised to see that Marlin was standing next to his table. The two of them hadn’t really talked yet, but Aaron still felt better having him there. Marlin was close to Killian, so he’d know how to handle Killian’s sister. “Hello.”

Marlin’s gaze flickered to the two dragons. “I see you’ve met Killian’s half-sister. Pearl,” he added, inclining his head. Even though he was being outwardly respectful, it was clear that he didn’t think much of her.

Pearl puffed up her chest. “You shouldn’t talk to me like that.”

“Like what?” Marlin answered, sounding completely innocent. “You’re not the queen. Was there something wrong with using your name?”

Pearl opened her mouth, then thought better of it and looked around.

The dining hall was full of dragons eating and staring at them.

Aaron wanted to slide down under the table and hide until everyone was gone, but he stayed where he was.

He’d already made a fool of himself, even though it hadn’t been his fault.

“This isn’t over,” Pearl said, leaning closer. “My brother can’t continue doing whatever he wants with the clan.”

“Last time I checked, that’s exactly what a king can do,” Marlin said with a tight smile. “But of course, you’re welcome to talk to him about any doubts you have about the way he’s leading the clan.”

Pearl huffed and turned to leave. The second dragon quickly followed her, still glaring at Aaron.

Aaron didn’t say anything until they were far enough away that he was sure they wouldn’t return. “Thank you,” he told Marlin.

Marlin grimaced. “I don’t know how you did it, but you managed to antagonize two of Killian’s worst enemies.”

Aaron swallowed. Of course he had. That was how his luck worked, wasn’t it?

* * * *

“E VERYTHING THAT’S COME back points to him not being problematic in any way,” Birch told Killian.

Killian smirked. “It’s everything you were hoping for, isn’t it?”

Birch glared. After they’d found out that the woman who was supposed to interview Killian and Hedley wouldn’t be coming, they’d looked into Aaron.

They couldn’t allow anyone dangerous close to the king, but thankfully, Aaron had revealed himself to be a nice person.

There wasn’t anything in his past that pointed to him being dangerous, but they’d still been waiting on a few reports.

They’d arrived this morning and had confirmed that Aaron was exactly who he said he was—a cute journalist who deserved a big break. Hopefully, this would be that for him.

Not that Birch cared. He couldn’t care.

“So you can allow him near Hedley,” he said, ignoring Killian’s words.

Killian nodded and leaned back in his chair. “That’s good to know because Hedley’s been hounding me. He’s really eager to meet Aaron.”

“Really? I thought he’d had enough of journalists in his past life.”

Hedley had moved in with the clan to change lives, and he’d done just that. He’d snagged the coveted spot of Killian’s consort, and the two of them were adopting two children. That was as different from Hedley’s past life as it could be.

“Oh, he does. He wants to meet Aaron because I told him about the two of you.”

Birch couldn’t kill his king, could he? It would create more trouble than it was worth, but in moments like these, he was sorely tempted. “What did you tell him exactly?”