Page 38 of The Dragon Shifters' Enemy
Valerius slowly paddled them out into the middle of the still warm pool, cradling Caden against his body.The safety that he hadn’t realized he wanted so much was suddenly right there.He was safe in Valerius’ arms.And that was all that mattered.
Close
Valerius stroked his beard as he tried to hide his smile from Caden. But he was unsuccessful as curious eyes met his own.
“Wha?”Caden asked around a mouthful of food.
The two of them were in white, fluffy robes sitting at a comfortable wooden table by the waterfall.The table was laden with roast meats, creamy cheeses, fresh-baked bread, olives, fruit and nuts, along with a variety of condiments.
“Oh, nothing, my little anaconda,” Valerius murmured.“It’s just you’re acting as if the pork medallions might sprout little hooves and run away from you if you don’t eat them all at once.”
Caden adjusted his mouthful of pork as he gazed speculatively down at his plate.He’d managed to stuff two pork medallions with a red-wine reduction sauce into his mouth, leaving only a lone third on the plate.Caden chewed--slightly--then swallowed the rest before primly cutting the third medallion in half as if that would somehow make Valerius forget the other two that were eaten whole.
“And you complained about Iolaire’s eating habits!”Valerius chuckled.
“Hungry,” Caden admitted with pink cheeks. “Even after the sheep and the…wool.”
He saw Caden’s pink tongue sweep over his teeth, evidently feeling for more of the wiry strands. Affection bloomed inside Valerius, enough to push away some of his discontent.
“I shouldn’t tease you.I’m more worried when you’re not eating,” Valerius told him with a sigh even as he only moved his roast chicken around on his plate.
In his mind’s eye, he could see their two Dragon Spirits.Iolaire was leaning against Raziel as they gazed at the waterfall and pool. They would occasionally look up at one another and blink slowly as cats do when showing love.If they had been in their Dragon forms, there wouldn’t have been enough room here for the Black and White Dragons, but in their Spirit place between the human world and the mind, there was.
“Why aren’t you eating?”Caden asked after finishing off the second half of the pork medallion, noticing that Valerius was only shifting his food about and not bringing any to his mouth.
For Caden’s part, the young man made a sad face at the empty plate before evidently realizing an empty plate meant room to put different things on it to eat.Caden went for the sweet and sticky BBQ chicken wings that had just a touch of heat.Immediately, BBQ sauce clung to Caden’s cheeks and somehow hisnose…
“I was just thinking,” Valerius said before pausing to lean over and wipe the BBQ sauce off the tip of Caden’s nose with his napkin, “about where the Behemoth is hiding.”
Caden paused in his stripping the meat from the wing and chewed thoughtfully.“That’s a good question.I don’t think it’s in your territory.It would be foolish to come here.”
Caden looked sorelievedat this idea that Valerius considered not saying his own thoughts on the matter. But like with his attempt to hide his amusement from Caden, his concern was discovered immediately.
Caden’s eyes narrowed as he said too carefully, “Though the Behemoth’s followers are here.I mean that’s who we think at least the Faith people are following, yeah?”
“I doubt the Behemoth cares about how many of its followers are killed,” Valerius answered just as carefully.
“Because it just cares about itself so… definitely not coming here?”Caden made that sound like a question, because he clearly saw that Valerius didn’t agree with him.
“Illarion came here,” Valerius stated.
This might have sounded nonsensical to some, but Caden understood what he meant.
“That’s because Illarion thinks he can defeat you,” Caden said as he slowly lowered the chicken wing, evidently being put off of his food.
“Keep eating,” Valerius said with a gesture with his fork.
“I don’t know if I can eat thinking about a many headed Dragon coming after us.”Caden glanced up at the mountain range that nestled Valinor in its bosom.
That had been Valerius’ problem too.After he had enjoyed his time in the hot springs with Caden--when nothing at all could ever matter when they were together like that--ever since his unease was growing. How could he sit here and enjoy this beautiful day with his amazing Caden when the Behemoth was waiting to destroy it all?He had todosomething to protect what was his.
In his mind’s eye, he saw Raziel turn his head on that long neck towards him.The fires in the Black Dragon’s eyes told him that it felt the same.Only the presence of a sleeping Iolaire against it was causing Raziel to remain more or less put.
“It could think like Illarion that it is undefeatable,” Valerius murmured.
“Then it wouldn’t be hiding,” Caden pointed out.He stared at the chicken wing in his hands and devoured it.BBQ sauce was now on hisear…
That required another rescue mission by Valerius’ napkin even as he said, “It is amazing how beings like Illarion can believe one thing and do another, which contradicts it.”
