Page 29 of The Dragon Shifters’ Enemy (Dragon’s Reign #7)

“Fireproof, remember?” Valerius chuckled. “But I appreciate the thought.”

Another kiss and Caden was bounding up the stairs two at a time.

Valerius snagged himself a jalapeno pepper that was stuffed with cream cheese and cheddar.

Though the seeds had been scrapped out--where most of the heat resided--it still had a hot bite to it.

Marban offered him a piece of sweet Italian sausage that was wrapped in crispy bacon with the tongs.

“Bacon. Caden will be bereft if I eat all of these,” Valerius murmured as he popped the fatty, juicy, crispy bit into his mouth in one piece and chewed. “But it is so hard not to.”

Raziel’s eyes were closed almost to slits as it enjoyed the sausage too. Iolaire was flickering its ears at Raziel, wanting to know what that tasted like too.

“What did you discover in the mountains?” Marban asked after handing him a mushroom cap stuffed with crab and cream cheese.

Valerius strove not to moan in pleasure. Marban was an incredible cook. Now, he wouldn’t mind seeing the Swarm Shifter by his grill. Though, truly, they had come a long way from loathing seeing the old man to potentially tolerating him.

“This.”

Valerius logged into his tablet and went to the secure server where all information was being kept. He cast it to the large screen on the wall. It showed a walk-thru of the cave to the wall where humans and Shifters were caught in the potentially eternal embrace of stone.

Marban watched it silently as he explained what was being shown.

The Swarm Shifter’s black eyes flickered all over the screen and Valerius knew that he missed nothing.

It was comforting to know that Marban was his Councillor now rather than on the opposite side of him.

When he heard Caden coming downstairs, he turned off the cast. Caden did not need to see that again.

Caden bussed his cheek as he handed Valerius a red silk robe that he pulled on. Caden was dressed in some ripped jeans that cupped his ass perfectly. Valerius had quite the view of that ass as Caden leaned over the grill to snatch several of the bacon wrapped sausage pieces and a stuffed pepper.

He then turned and said to the two of them, “I’ll catch you a little later.”

Valerius nodded, but found his heart twisting a little as Caden disappeared out of the doors. Raziel looked equally bereft as it laid its chin on top of its front legs and let out a puff of smoke.

“May I see the video again?” Marban asked.

Valerius played it once more as he devoured steak, sausage and peppers.

He also slid some of the caramelized onions into his mouth as a chaser.

After wiping his fingers clean, he went over and took out some of his rich, berry-forward zinfandels.

He poured a large glass for himself and Marban.

Marban took a large swallow of the wine.

“I don’t know whether I am relieved or worried that you need a drink after seeing that,” Valerius replied dryly.

Marban took a more moderate sip of wine before setting down the glass firmly and going back to cooking. “How many of those walls do you suppose there are?”

“At least two, one in Anwar’s territory and one here,” Valerius explained. “But I am certain there are more. Caden was right that we need your people’s eyes and ears to find others. Of course, I will be sending out the Claw, but the--”

“More eyes the better,” Marban finished for him. He took off another steak. Valerius licked his lips. But Marban said, “Let it sit.”

Valerius grunted and went back to sausage and bacon along with several stuffed peppers and mushrooms.

“Do you think the Behemoth comes through these walls?” Marban asked.

“I do. I think that they are doorways,” Valerius said.

“These people that were captured in the wall… they appear to have been sucked inside. I wonder why,” Marban murmured and stroked his chin. “Were their souls separated from their bodies and bound to the Behemoth?”

Valerius had not considered that and he was glad that Caden was not here to hear that suggestion.

Marban continued, “I wonder if the Behemoth needs a human form or if it simply uses energy from people to sustain itself.”

“It could not have fit through the wall into the cavern,” Valerius said. “Not unless it destroyed the mountain. So maybe that does indicate a human form.”

“What sort of human would be able to bond with such a Spirit, one wonders.” Another chin stroke. “I will immediately have my people on the lookout for these walls. We must find and monitor every one of them.”

“I agree.” There was a knock on the door and Valerius called, “Come!”

He expected Chione or one of the Dragon Shifters, but it was Tilly who burst inside.

He quickly shut off the casting again. Her cheeks were flushed.

Her eyes were filled with tears. When she saw him reaching for a bottle of wine, she skidded to a halt and her mouth opened in an “O” of surprise and a little fear.

For his part, he was also frozen and also felt a little frightened.

This was Caden’s beloved little sister. She was also a thirteen-year-old girl.

A modern tween or teen, he wasn’t sure. He knew absolutely nothing about such creatures and she looked upset .

Not at him, but in general. Marban lifted an eyebrow at him.

“King Valerius! Mr. Marban!” she got out. “I--I was looking for Caden.”

“He’s meeting with Wally and Rose right now,” Valerius explained just as haltingly to her.

He didn’t mention why . It was about Landry, of course. Maybe Tilly had heard about her--he wouldn’t put it past Illarion to blast it far and wide--and was upset. But he couldn’t risk saying anything in case she didn’t know and then he would be the one guilty of blurting it out.

“Oh,” she said softly. “Well, I can see you’re busy. I’ll come back later.”

It would have been easy to let her go. Maybe it would have been wise. But she was Caden’s sister. She was family to him. And Marban wasn’t making a face at him that indicated he should talk to the girl. Ironically, Marban probably had more experience dealing with tweens or teens.

“You don’t have to leave. Stay. Eat something. Maybe I can help you?” Valerius made that into a question.

Tilly blinked large, teary eyes and gave a jerky nod. She sat down on the couch and Marban prepared a plate for her.

“Thank you,” she said softly and picked at the food.

“What’s wrong, Tilly?” Marban asked in that grandfatherly way of his.

She sat there very stiff and formal, but her lower lip began to tremble and Valerius had the sense that something was about to explode. Raziel even cracked an eyelid in slight alarm, even though this little human couldn’t harm them.

“Alice is being mean to me! And so are Rachel and Sam!” she erupted.

“Ah,” Marban said knowingly as if he had any idea what she was talking about.

“Who are--”

Marban held a hand up to silence Valerius. “These are good friends that you expected to be able to trust?”

She nodded vigorously. “So I saw that they were all chatting online and making plans. We have a private group thing and when I asked if we could do it here , they were like you’re trying to show off, Tilly !

I wasn’t! I mean Mom and Dad won’t let me leave High Reach right now!

And then like Alice said that her mom didn’t agree with King Valerius’ politics--”

“I do not have any politics,” Valerius growled softly. “I stay out of that.”

“I know, right? It’s such garbage! But Alice said that to come to High Reach was to support things that weren’t cool and then Sam was like we think it’s best if we’re not like friends anymore !

And I’m like why? I haven’t changed? And then I find out that he thinks Humans First is right! ” Tilly drew breath finally.

“Have you been contacted by higher social status members of your school?” Marban asked with as much seriousness as he would have given to politics among territories.

Tilly nodded. “Totally. I could see and hear their parents urging them on.” She rolled her eyes. “But, at least, they want to be near me! Those other guys were my friends, but not anymore!”

“You now represent something to them more than just yourself,” Marban advised her as he cut up the steak, which had Valerius’ stomach rumbling, and gave her the first serving.

Steak, Raziel murmured.

She is a guest. She gets first serving, Valerius said to his Spirit as much as he was telling himself.

Marban put some steak aside for him. Valerius popped a few of the pieces into his mouth.

“You are going to find, Tilly, that from now on, most of your experiences with people will be tinged in small or large parts by your brother’s position,” Marban explained.

Tilly nodded her head again. “So what do you suggest?”

“There will always be some people you can trust. Identify them early. Hold them close. Watch them carefully,” Marban said with again all due seriousness being given to teenager politics.

“That makes sense. But what about everyone else?” Tilly’s forehead scrunched up.

“Your inclination is to reward only those who care for you because of you,” Marban stated as he gave Valerius another pepper.

“Yeah, that’s what Mom and Dad would tell me,” she said.

“But that’s not really what you should do, because you wish to be of use to your brother,” Marban said as he waved tongs in the air.

“You need to use them for what they are worth. Pretend there is bullet proof glass between you and them. They cannot touch you. The glass is clear so they don’t know it is there. But you do.”

Valerius must have made some sound as both Marban and Tilly turned to him.

Tilly had been nodding along with Marban’s rather Machiavellian view of “friendship”.

Part of Valerius wanted to say that she should listen to her parents and not the criminal Swarm Shifter.

But Marban was giving her a realistic view of how things would be as the ninth Dragon Shifter’s sister and potential Councillor.

“What do you think, King Valerius?” Tilly asked kindly as if she were asking a shy child to contribute.

He blinked. He felt a little like a shy child.

“I was just going to say…” Valerius cleared his throat, “that Raziel and I would be willing to set anyone who is mean to you on fire.”

That hadn’t been what he had meant to say. Both Tilly and Marban just stared at him with open mouths. Then Tilly giggled and smiled broadly at him. Marban snorted.

“Perhaps immolation should be a last resort option,” Marban replied dryly with suspicious twitches of his lips.

“Thank you, King Valerius!” Tilly beamed just like her brother. “I feel better already!”

He nodded, blushing. “Anytime.”

I may not have an answer to the Behemoth, Valerius thought, But I can make Tilly laugh. Keeping the Bryce siblings laughing may be the best thing I can do right now.

“Now, Tilly,” Valerius said, “tell us more about these friends of yours.”