Chapter 6
Bran kept his fingers linked through his mate Keelin’s as they strode up to Ziti the Great.
“What the hell is happening?” Keelin murmured to him, though she knew he had no idea either.
They’d just arrived on a private jet an hour ago. It was close to Christmas and Victoria would be giving birth soon. Well, hopefully. The healer had been pregnant for too long. No way would Keelin miss the birth of her first nephew—and since there was no way in hell Bran would let his mate out of his sight, he was here too.
A few dragons grinned and waved at Keelin with shouted promises of catching up with her later as they poured out the front door. Only when Rhea came outside, strapped down in weapons with an amused expression on her face, did they get answers.
“Keelin!” The wolf shifter and Keelin’s sister-in-law lit up when Rhea saw her and pulled her into a big hug. Surprising Bran, Rhea hugged him too, but followed it up with a punch to the shoulder and a smile. “You guys are early!”
“Yeah, managed to sneak away… What’s going on? Is the bar being cleared out? It’s only nine,” Keelin said. “That seems pretty early, especially for shifters.”
“Ah…I don’t want to tell you why.”
Bran knew that tone even before Keelin groaned. “It’s my mom, right? What’s she done?”
“Well, it’s your mom…and two aunts. They decided to battle each other first in dragon form, then in human form. Once word spread someone started taking bets so…I decided to get in on the action.”
Keelin snorted but grabbed Bran’s hand and fell in step with Rhea as they hurried across the street. Bran had a good idea where they were headed and there was a shortcut to the field if they cut through the alley between the candy shop and real estate office.
“Who’d you bet on?” he asked as they hurried through the alley. When they reached a giant puddle, he scooped Keelin into his arms and jumped over it.
She thumped him on the chest once—because yeah, she could have jumped it herself. She was a dragon too. But he used any excuse to hold his mate close. She’d changed his life in every single way and now he had the most perfect mate in the world.
“This time, Arya. Because she’s fired up,” Rhea said, her boots thumping against the pavement as they reached the other block.
They cut left on Kingston Street, headed for the giant field the Petronilla clan used to spar and play games in. This whole area was part of the compound and shifter-only so no one had to worry about any prying human eyes. Bran also knew that one of their hackers had made sure that no satellites had views of this area. Just what one had to do if you were a shifter trying to keep your dual nature secret.
“Wait…this time?” Keelin asked, frowning at Rhea.
“The three of those females give a whole new meaning to sparring. And for the record, I nearly pinned Mira last time we fought.”
Bran let out a low whistle. He was more than secure in his abilities, but Mira and Prima? They were ancients. Rhea was a fierce fighter though—a wolf who’d taken down a dragon well before she’d mated one. He respected her skills even more now.
“Nearly?” Keelin asked as they approached the back of the crowd surrounding the field covered in a dusting of snow. Shifters were definitely a bloodthirsty group.
“Those females are sneaky! But it’s all good. I’m learning new moves every day.”
“Where’s Conall, anyway?” Keelin asked as Rhea carved a path through the crowd.
“Clan business,” she said, raising her voice. “Had some conference calls to deal with.”
As the three of them pushed to the front of the group, Bran winced as Prima yanked an arrow from her upper thigh.
“I cede!” Prima tossed it to the ground and Arya threw her hands in the air, taking her victory.
Until Mira tackled her.
“Sometimes I feel like I’m more mature than all three of them put together,” Keelin muttered, leaning her head against his shoulder.
“Oh, no doubt you are,” Rhea said, her arms crossed over her chest as she watched the two females battle.
They hadn’t released any fire so they must have some rules in place.
“I love watching them battle,” Rhea continued.
Bran nodded in agreement even as his own softhearted mate covered her eyes when they started pummeling each other. “Gah, they’re lunatics,” Keelin muttered. “I can’t watch this.”
The lunatic part was true enough, but watching two skilled warriors battle with nothing held back? To him, it was a beautiful thing—art, even.
“I cede!” Mira finally shouted.
Arya jumped off Mira, her mouth a little bloody and most of her clothes shredded to ribbons. But her smile was brilliant as she pumped both fists in the air, much to the crowd’s delight. Bran saw a few new faces, new mates likely, but he recognized the majority of the dragons and other shifters. Most were cheering, but there were a few groans, definitely from those who’d lost bets.
When Arya spotted Keelin, her grin grew even wider. “My baby!” Arya ran at Keelin and pulled her daughter into a giant hug, not caring that she was getting blood all over Keelin. “I’ve missed you!”
“I’ve missed you too.” Keelin laughed as her mother spun her around once before setting her on her feet.
“When did you get in? Have you eaten yet? Is your mate taking care of you?” She shot him a side-eyed glance that promised pain if he wasn’t taking care of Keelin, before focusing all her attention on her daughter.
“Not long ago. No. And of course.” Keelin went to reach for Bran’s hand, but Arya wrapped her up in another giant hug and closed her eyes.
The expression was one Bran had never seen on Arya’s face and it humbled him a little. Arya might be wild sometimes but there was no doubt she loved her children.
“I need to talk to Conall about something,” he said abruptly. A complete lie but it was clear Arya needed time with her daughter. “Why don’t you guys go on ahead of me and I’ll find you later?” he said to Keelin.
“We’ll be at our place,” Arya said, wrapping her arm around Keelin’s shoulders, basically dismissing him. “Take your time.”
Keelin blew him a kiss before she strode away with her mother. The most primal part of him hated being separated from her, ever, but he understood how important family bonds were.
And now he actually could talk to Conall about Alpha business if the other Alpha was free. He wanted to check in on Victoria and Drake too. It sounded as if the couple had had a scare and he wanted to make sure she was truly okay.