"You've got to be kidding me," Torrent growled, throwing another log on the fire before sitting back down.

“Wish I could say that I was, but I’m not. Flames shot from the whelp’s mouth. We all saw it. The child was upset after Doctor Roberts touched the silver needle to the inside of his arm. He screamed blue murder and flames shot from his mouth. It lasted a couple of seconds. Thankfully no one was hurt and nothing got scorched. It was a shock, I can tell you that much.”

“You said it was the second time this has happened?” Torrent took a sip of his whiskey, swirling the liquid around in his mouth before swallowing.

“Yes, Granite mentioned another time. His mate saw the incident. They were hoping it was a one-time thing. That’s why it was never reported. I can’t say I blame Granite.”

“What the hell does it mean? An Earth dragon capable of producing fire?” Tide could see that his brother was mulling it over. “I can’t believe it … and just as the kingdoms are starting to get it together.”

He took a sip of his own whiskey. It burned its way down his throat. “I don’t know. It has to be the human blood. Or maybe it’s the human, Earth dragon combination. Then again, only one of the twins can breathe fire so that can’t be it.”

“You say everything was fine at Thunder’s lair when you visited. There were no problems with his whelp. Everything seemed ‒ for lack of a better word ‒ normal?”

“Yeah, the whelp seemed normal.” Tide huffed out a breath. “His baby is only three weeks old, so it might be too early to tell. His chest marking is just an outline. The baby also showed signs of suffering from the silver affliction; so far that has been standard with all of the whelps.”

“So, tomorrow you are heading to the Fire lair?” Thunder asked.

“Yes.”

“Don’t mention the fire incident.” Thunder gripped his glass tighter. “I discussed it briefly with Granite. Earth, Air and Water are meeting to discuss what this means. Also, how to break this to Blaze along with the possible implications. We might be reading too much into this whole thing but I’m worried about how Blaze is going to take this.”

“I don’t think he will take it well.” Tide shook his head, watching as the flames licked up as the newly added wood caught alight.

Torrent took another sip. “You said that the non-fire-breathing youngster,” he scrunched up his eyes in thought, “Declan, is the heir to the throne, right?”

“Yup, Declan was born first.”

“That is at least one good thing.” Torrent nodded. “If this is isolated, and so far everything points to that being the case, then I doubt Blaze will be too concerned. However, if there are more of such cases in the coming years …” He shook his head, looking grave.

“What will Blaze do? Eradicate innocent children?” Tide sighed. “I can’t see it happening. The male is hard as nails, but he’s not evil. Killing children …” It was too much to contemplate.

“There are many things he could do. I’ve thought this through.” Torrent was frowning. “He might take the infant and raise him as a Fire dragon.”

“Let him try. Granite is protective of his young,” Tide chuckled. “We’re all possessive at the end of the day, will do anything to keep our own safe.”

“Exactly. Granite will not allow it.” Torrent drank again, finishing the last of the whiskey. He grimaced as the liquid went down his throat. “We’re all possessive as hell. This could still spell war. I only pray that Blaze thinks things through. That he treads carefully. Let’s hope none of the other children exhibit this trait.”

Tide knew that Torrent was thinking of his own unborn son and heir. If the boy somehow had the ability to breathe fire, he would be at risk. Even if Blaze shrugged it off and pretended to be comfortable with this new development, he knew that the male might change his mind at any time in the years to come. Power could do strange things to a male. Terrible things. After all, the Fire king would be just as protective of his own family and future. A sliver of dread appeared in the back of his mind but he pushed it down. It wouldn’t help to jump to conclusions or to speculate on outcomes. Not at this stage of the game.

“How is it going with the healer?” Torrent walked over to the wet bar and poured himself another whiskey.

“Fine,” he answered simply.

Torrent turned, narrowing his eyes on Tide. “Fine … really? I don’t like the sound of that.”

“She is a good healer but a handful.”

Torrent chuckled. “She’s a human female. They’re hard to understand. Is she doing her job though?” His whole demeanor changed. “Does she seem capable?”

“She handled herself well with Granite and Thunder. So far, yes, I’m impressed but it’s early days yet. I will let you know if things change.”

“You do that.” Torrent took another sip of his freshly poured drink. “I want no risks with my female or my children. If anything were to happen.” He squeezed the glass in his hand so tight that it cracked. He made a growl of frustration and threw the shards of glass in a nearby wastepaper basket. Blood dripped onto the floor and he clenched his fist to staunch the flow.

“Are you okay? Can I get you a towel?” Tide stood up.

Torrent shook his head. “No, I’m fine. The bleeding has already stopped.” He sighed. “Am I an idiot to be this concerned?”

“Of course not. You might be a king but you still have feelings. You love your family.”

Torrent swallowed thickly. “More than anything.”

“Doctor Roberts is good at what she does,” Tide assured him.

“It’s up to you to make sure that her focus stays on the job at hand.”

He took a step towards his brother. “You can rely on me.”

Torrent made a snorting noise. “I’ve heard the males talking. They would like nothing better than to get their hands on that female.”

“Let them try.” His voice was a deep rasp. “I’ve explained things carefully to the healer. She understands what would happen if word got out that she was free to rut at will.”

“An available human female in our midst. The testosterone levels in this place would go through the roof. It could escalate out of control quickly. They would declare it open season.”

“You don’t have to explain it to me. I know exactly what would happen. A bun fight of note would ensue.” He chuckled. “And she sure has a decent set of buns on her.”

Torrent smiled even though he still looked troubled. “That’s not funny. You of all people are not supposed to find her attractive. You had her already remember?”

Tide shrugged. “I’m not blind, I didn’t lose my sense of smell either.” He watched as Torrent’s frown deepened. “Relax, she’s sexy but I’m not an idiot. I know my duties. I will do everything in my power … whatever it takes to keep her safe and to make sure that her focus stays on her work. I doubt she’s a spy or a terrorist, but you never know. I’ll keep a close eye on her.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of.” Torrent grinned.

“Not too close, asshole.” He rolled his eyes.

Torrent laughed. “If you say so.” He turned serious, looking him in the eyes. It was like he was trying to find something.

Tide wasn’t sure what it was that his brother was looking for, only that he was barking up the wrong damned tree. “Let me fix you another drink.”

Torrent shook his head. “Candy and Rain are waiting for me to get back. I can’t be late for dinner.”

"Just a quick one." Tide picked up the half-empty bottle of single malt. It wasn't like alcohol really affected them. Aside from warmth in the pit of the stomach and a two-second buzz, it was useless. Dragons liked the taste of it though.

"No can do. Duty calls." By the look in Torrent's eyes, he could see that calling it a duty was not true at all. Going back to his family was the complete opposite. Something he cherished and looked forward to. Tide poured himself another drink. It wasn't like he had anything better to do.