Ainsley had tried to climb over the balustrade when she'd seen Dragan drop their daughter in midair. If it hadn't been for Brendyn holding her back, she would have. Once the sheer terror wore off, she'd been filled with rage that he could do something so cruel and heartless to an innocent child.

The majordomo's deeply concerned voice had seemed very far away as he had soothed, "Please, my lady, try to calm yourself."

After she'd screamed her fury, along with several rather colorful and profane threats as to how she was going to end the dragon's life, his best friend had explained why Dragan had done it. It might be standard practice to force a shift, but she had every intention of chewing him out for doing something so inhumane.

To give him his due, Dragan had stayed right beside Ember the entire time. He'd caught her when she'd floundered, and then the heartless bastard had dropped her again. Her fury had been temporarily forgotten as she'd watched her daughter soar through the star-filled sky with much less grace than the larger dragon.

Still, her daughter was a dragon and she was flying. It was an incredible sight. Both she and Brendyn had cheered as loudly as they could when the little dragon flew over them, her pointy white teeth exposed in a smile. Ainsley's heart didn't stop hammering like a jackhammer in her chest until they were both safely on the ground again.

She winced and took off running to her when Ember crash landed. Her feet slowed to a stop, and her heart just melted when the girl stood up and hugged her father. The tears in Dragan's eyes had her own welling up. God, how she wanted the two of them to love each other as much as she loved them.

Oh, she knew they'd never be a fairy tale family, but she fervently hoped that Dragan and Ember could have a real relationship. So she'd quelled the urge to give him a piece of her mind and had hugged her large, scaly daughter instead. The bruising hug she'd received had assured her that the girl had no idea of her own strength yet.

Unfortunately, she had no idea how to shift back to her human form either. For the last two hours, both men had been patiently working with the girl to no avail. The longer it took, the more agitated that Ember became. Brendyn had barely managed to disappear before her daughter's fiery roar of frustration had torched the chair he'd been sitting in.

How he'd managed to disappear into thin air was a question for another day. Right then she was too tired and worried to care. Now that she'd roasted something, Ember had managed to calm down enough that it was safe to be near her. So Ainsley sat in a wingback chair next to where the little dragon was slumped dejectedly on the floor.

Soulful brown reptilian eyes were sad as Ember laid her head on her lap. She stroked her daughter's scale-covered head, careful to avoid the tiny spikes protruding out of the back of her neck. Much as she had done since the girl was born, the worried mother began to hum a soothing lullaby to calm her distressed child.

"That's it," Brendyn stopped pacing to exclaim. "Music."

"What about it?" Ainsley queried tiredly.

"It really does soothe the savage beast," he explained. "It was one of the few things that could calm Dragan when he was going through the change."

"It's worth a try," she agreed wearily.

"Play something, Dray," his best friend implored. The dragon snorted and glared at the man before holding up his hands and wiggling his claw-tipped fingers as if to remind them that he couldn't play in dragon form.

Brendyn had already explained that for Ember's safety, and theirs, her father would not shift until she did. Just in case he needed to restrain her. Ainsley hadn't found that to be comforting at all. Neither had their daughter apparently because it had been immediately afterward that she'd nearly cooked the majordomo.

The man folded his arms over his chest, raised an eyebrow and asked, "Do you have a better suggestion?" To which the dragon snorted smoke and stomped his foot in vexation. With a wave of his hand, Brendyn said something in a language she didn't comprehend and the grand piano began to grow to dragon size.

The dragon was muttering and grumbling like an annoyed toddler as he stalked over to the instrument and looked questioningly at the bench. Ainsley bit back a smile when he deduced that even supersized it would never bear his weight. Dragan shoved it aside with two fingers and stepped in front of the piano.

His claws danced lightly over the keyboard as if testing how much pressure to apply before he looked up and caught her grinning at him in amusement. He shot her a pretty saucy wink for a dragon, and she laughed at his nonsense. Ember lifted her head and shifted sideways to see what was going on.

"Your father is a very talented musician," she informed the girl in a tone filled with laughter. "If he can play with those claws, he's even better than I thought."

Dragan stuck his forked tongue out at her, and it was so comical that her daughter made a peculiar snorting sound that could have been laughter. Arching one eyebrow arrogantly as if he were intentionally putting on a show for them, the dragon cracked his knuckles and stretched his fingers.

Then he trailed the back of one claw from one side of the keyboard to the other before poising those massive clawed hands over the ivories. She hadn't known what to expect, but it certainly hadn't been Beethoven. The opening bars to Moonlight Sonata floated through the room, and her daughter groaned as if she were in pain.

Having already discerned that the dragons could communicate without words, she wasn't surprised when Dragan stopped playing abruptly and gave their daughter a baleful look. Obviously, the girl didn't care for his selection, and Ainsley could only assume they were arguing over what he should play.

Since Ember had teethed on her old CD collection, which had included everything that Dragan's band had ever recorded, and effectively ruined them, the girl had no clue how vast her father's repertoire was. But her mother did, so she suggested, "Play something by Dragon's Fire."

"Do my favorite, Dray," Brendyn prompted. The dragon gave them both a pouting look before he sighed and turned his attention back to the keyboard again. When he began to play Great Balls Of Fire, Ainsley clapped her hands and squealed in delight since it was one of her favorites too.

Brendyn rose to his feet, bowed in front of them and requested, "Dance with me, ladies."

Her daughter's eyes grew huge, and her mouth fell open in surprise. Ainsley gave her a nudge and said, "Come on, baby. It'll be fun."

The girl gave an exasperated huff, placed her hand in the man's much smaller one and lumbered to her feet. Her mother rose as well, and they shook their booties all around the great hall, Ember's tail demolishing more than one piece of furniture while the dragon pounded out the intricate and fast-paced notes on the piano.

Dragan began to pat one large foot to the beat, his tail swishing rhythmically behind him as he made gruff humming sounds. When he got to the instrumental part, just like he had done in his concerts, the mighty dragon threw his head back and breathed a column of fire across the cavernous room.

It was a bizarre sight to be sure, and they were all acting like fools, but Ainsley couldn't remember when she'd had this much fun. When the song ended, she collapsed into a boneless heap on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. Her daughter dropped down beside her, excitement sparkling in her eyes.

"Told ya it would be fun," she teased when the girl laid her head on her lap. Ember yawned tiredly and smiled, her eyelids beginning to droop closed. Within minutes, her daughter was sound asleep, soft snores escaping her parted lips. The change occurred without warning, and a pair of pajamas materialized on the naked child.

Looking up at Brendyn, who could somehow make things appear and disappear, she whispered, "Thank you."

"My pleasure, my lady," he replied solemnly and lifted the sleeping girl into his arms. "Don't worry. She'll sleep soundly now."

Ainsley fought a yawn herself and felt exhaustion begin to overtake her. "So will I," she confessed and felt her own eyes growing heavy. Strong arms lifted her, and her eyelids fluttered open to see Dragan's handsome face. "Thank you, Dragan," she said softly.

"For what, my Ainsley?" He queried.

"I always knew you'd be a wonderful father," she confessed with a smile before sleep claimed her, so she didn't hear his sad reply, "I just wish I'd had the chance sooner."

 

***

 

Brendyn carried the sleeping child to the room she had chosen, and the linens were magically whisked aside. Placing the girl gently on the bed, he lifted the cover over her and bent to press a paternal kiss to her forehead. His little princess was going to be a handful to deal with, of that he was certain.

A task that he would gladly undertake.

After all, he'd spent the majority of his life waiting to do so. Dragan's mother had been a great Seer. Every divination she'd ever made had come to pass, in one variation or another. This had been the final unfulfilled prophecy. The promise of it was the only thing that had kept his old friend alive.

When Dragan had been at his lowest, darkest times after his mate had left, Brendyn would remind him of the prophecy and insist that there was still hope. Only a mate could bear a dragon shifter's child, hence the near extinction of the species, which meant that Ainsley would have to return to him.

Neither of them had considered that she had already borne his child. Even so, Ember's change had brought Ainsley back, and the only thing that really mattered was that she had returned. Perhaps now his old friend could finally rejoin the living. Or not. Meriwin's predictions had never been what people expected them to be.

Case in point, Ember.

Because of the prophecy, they had known that Dragan would find his mate and assumed that the pair would live happily ever after together. Well, the former had happened, and the latter would have if Ainsley had stayed with him. But she hadn't, and there was no guarantee that she would this time either.

Even if she didn't, their part of the prophecy had been fulfilled with the birth of their daughter. Now it was up to Ember and Brendyn to complete the rest. Which meant that he was going to have to mentor the girl until she came of age. Then she would claim him as her mate, and their children would replenish the species.

The princess had much to learn, and he was adequately prepared to teach her. She was such a bright child that it wouldn't be difficult to do. Although her snarky attitude was amusing, he was certain that she would prove to be a difficult pupil at best. He did so love a challenge, but her impudence would drive her father mad.

The thought had him chuckling softly to himself as he quietly left the room.