Page 47 of To Ignite a Dragon's Desire

Malachy gave me a knowing look. It wasn’t the first time we’d had to explain that being a guardian wasn’t the glamorous lifestyle others perceived it to be.

“Life as a guardian is lonely and isolating,” he said. “It takes a special kind of dragon to pass the test and survive the years of service. My father wanted to ensure I was ready.”

“I thought the Earth chose you.” Riley frowned. This was a lot to take in for a human who didn’t know of the supernatural world.

“She did,” I said. “The position of guardian always falls to the first-born hatchling of the current guardian’s bloodline. Unless…”

“Unless he can’t absorb the shock or fulfill his role. Or if there are no hatchlings born. Then another family can step in.” Malachy sipped his drink.

“Has that happened before?” she asked.

“Once in our entire history,” I said. “And that’s why the MacAlisters think they’re the solution to our current woes.”

“I don’t understand.” Riley traced the rim of her wine glass. “Kieran said your family has held the guardian role for over a millennia.”

“More than that,” I explained. “Our ancestors have been chosen for longer than written history. But there was a story passed down orally telling of a giant O’Sullivan dragon who took over as guardian when a MacAlister failed. There’s been bad blood between us ever since, despite us being distant cousins. They’ve undermined Malachy every chance they could get.”

Stories of old.My dragon sighed mournfully.

We’ll write the new ones ourselves.

“And you recently killed one of these MacAlisters. Good.” Riley spoke so casually, twirling her wine around the glass before she sipped, that it took me a moment to process her words.

I expected her to hate me for it, not sit at the table calmly as if discussing war strategy.

She continues to surprise.

Damn if that didn’t make my dick hard.

“I did,” I said, topping off her glass. “They’ve crossed us once too many times. At Kieran’s insistence over a hundred years ago, Malachy stepped aside to allow them the chance to prove themselves when we figured out the prophecy would end with this cycle. They failed and yet they still attack, claiming it’s their birthright. Honestly, all they did was piss Her off more.”

“Earth.” Riley glanced at the window. “You speak ofherlike she’s a person.”

“She’s the mother of all this land,” I said. It always fascinated me how humans were taught to ignore this fact.

Riley nodded, accepting. “Why is She so angry then?”

“Earth isn’t angry.” Malachy broke his brooding silence, rejoining the conversation. “She is chaos and creation. A feminine energy of birth and death that requires a conduit to channel excess energy.”

“Sounds like she needs to get laid and have a girl’s night out,” Riley muttered under her breath.

The shock of her words had me barking out laughter. I beat my fist against my chest before I choked. Malachy and Kieran were the religious, reverent ones. They suffered at the thought of being cast aside.

I never understood the concept of holding fast to beliefs and labels. Maybe it was because I’d seen the folly of mass destruction when someone waged war in the name of a strongly held belief. Abstract concepts of justice and purpose no longer mattered when you were standing on a battlefield, fighting for your life and the lives of those beside you.

My laughter faded.

Riley’s hand found mine under the table. Her soft fingers wrapped around my rough fingers, capturing my heart.

“I still don’t understand why you trained with him.” She looked at me. “I thought it was only the firstborn who became guardian. Why was your father preparing both children?”

I cleared my throat, searching for an answer.

Malachy beat me to it. “Lucan wouldn’t let our father train me alone, saying that if I was starving, he’d starve too. That it wasn’t fair for him to eat if I was hungry. Even when our father refused, Lucan stayed just out of fire reach down the mountain, training alongside me until our father had no choice but to give in so he didn’t kill himself.”

“That’s awful.” Riley’s eyes brimmed with tears as she squeezed my hand harder under the table. “No wonder he stole the pie.”

“I didn’t steal the pie!” I moaned. “Fuck, at this point, I wonder if Ishould’vejust stolen it, since I’ve gotten the blame.”

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