“Tell us about it,” said Lumen. He was seated at a table next to the pub’s open window on Baker Street in London, his small son in his lap and Neko by his side. In his first few days of life, their young baby had already grown a good deal, his tiny face looking far more alert than week-old human babies ever did.

“There’s nothing to tell, really,” said Minach, who was sitting next to Amara, holding her hand. Lyre sat on his other side with Trix. “Well, except that a nasty Dragon shifter is gone, we’ve discovered a cure for the Forsaken and the Lapsed and saved several hundred of them already, thanks to Amara’s clever mind. Other than that, it’s been a pretty dull few days.”

Lumen laughed. “Sounds very dull indeed,” he said. “So you say that the blood works on the Lapsed as well?”

“It does,” said Amara. “They were confused at first, of course, but when we managed to convince them to taste it, we found that most reverted to something approaching a normal shifter. Their minds came back to them as though they’d been dormant for centuries. It was remarkable, really. Of course we have a lot of work yet to do, but we’re certainly on the right track. Turns out the Relics are far more powerful than anyone ever anticipated.”

“Crikey,” Neko replied, laughing, “this all makes the Syndicate sort of redundant, doesn’t it? No Hunters will be needed if there are no more Lapsed or Forsaken threatening Londoners.”

“Yes, well, we’ll see about that,” said Minach. “The Forsaken may disappear, but there will always be threats. I suspect that we’ll see a resurgence of Wolves and Bears, of the good old days when shifters fought amongst themselves. The Dragons will be necessary peacekeepers, I should think.”

“You’re talking about the days when shifters ruled London’s seedy underbelly,” said Lumen. “I remember it well. We Dragons hid ourselves for a good many years.”

“Hopefully it won’t come to that,” said Amara. “Humans are still more or less oblivious to what you are and what you’ve done for them, though I suspect that they’ll be grateful for it in due course.” Just as she spoke the words, a couple of humans passing by on the street stopped and stared at the strange group sitting at the table. The man muttered something to the woman before grabbing her by the hand and dragging her away as though fleeing from a mysterious threat that he couldn’t quite identify.

“Possibly, or possibly not,” said Trix, chuckling. “They’re catching on more and more, and eventually we’ll have a problem on our hands, unless we can figure out how to solve it. Humans tend to fear what they can’t control, and God knows, they can’t control Dragons.”

“But we all know they’ll try,” signed Lyre.

“Well, I say we concern ourselves with one issue at a time,” said Amara, taking a sip of her beer. “I think we’ve done quite enough problem-solving for one week.”

“There’s one thing I want to know,” said Minach, looking at Lumen. “The Relics. You told me you’re storing them outside of the Guild’s vaults. Where are you keeping them now?”

Lumen looked at Neko and winked. “All you need to know is that they’re under our care. Should anything ever happen to me, you’ll be told where to look.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” said Minach. “You’re not going to get yourself killed and send us off on another sodding hunt, are you?”

“No. At least, not for many, many years. I have no intention of dying anytime soon. I have a wee son to raise.”

“Thank God for that,” Minach replied. “I can’t handle any more excitement. Unless it involves nudity and my mate.”

“That’s something Aegis would say,” signed Lyre, who’d been watching his brother’s lips as he spoke. “Well done. You’ve become a proper dirty Dragon bastard at last.”

After they’d let out a laugh, the group sat in silence for a moment, staring out the window at London’s passersby as the baby made a series of happy gurgling noises.

“There’s a man across the street,” Amara said softly, squeezing Minach’s arm. “He’s been staring at us for some time.”

Her mate turned to look. The man’s eyes were pale, a swift breeze pulling his scent in their direction.

“A Wolf shifter,” he said, sniffing the air as he stroked Amara’s hand. The stranger nodded reverently when they looked his way, then turned to walk down the street. “Come to pay his respects, no doubt. You’re a legend now, my love.” He pulled her hand to his mouth and lay a kiss on her knuckles. “My legend.”

“I think we all deserve a share in that title,” she replied, turning to face the Guild’s Alpha and his mate. “Speaking of titles, I nearly forgot. Have you two named your son yet?”

“Yes,” Neko replied as she stroked the baby’s hair and looked at Lumen.

“Well? Don’t keep us in suspense,” said Minach.

Lumen smiled.

“His name is Kliev.”