Page 91 of Dragon Keeper
“Of course.” They walked out to where Sloan could shift. That huge gemstone colored dragon body grew out of Sloan’s human form, and then Sloan cradled him in one paw, tucking him up against that scaled body for safety while Sloan took off flying.
Riley followed, and he took a moment to wonder where Brayden and Tor had disappeared to before they were soaring, and he felt the wind on his face. So cool and perfect, and his mood improved right away.
He closed his eyes, smiling hugely.
The village seemed busy. The thought made him smile, the way it reminded him of his bees. The hives bustled like this—the flying and flitting about. The hard work and hard resting. The dancing. It was all…
A hubbub of activity at Poe and Cade’s house caught his eye. The scent of food was strong, eating tables set up in the small clearing, and all around was lit up with fairy lights. How odd.
Do Cade and Poe have plans? Are they having a party?
Had they forgotten to invite him?
Surely not. Cade was his dearest friend, his cormdai. They were his family.
Perhaps the children were having a party. Now that they were a bit older, they could have friends to visit, he supposed—especially from the Rocky Mountain clutch. There were always babies up there who wanted to go and see and fly.
Coming in for a landing.He noticed that Sloan didn’t answer his question.
Sloan seemed very distracted these days. He thought maybe it was because the baby was so close to coming. He was the size of a house; this baby was going to be the size of a muktun by the time she showed up, he had no doubt.
He was almost sure that he was bigger than Poe was when he gave birth to triplets.
Speaking of, he couldn’t wait to see his triplets—Sherlock, Watson, and Mycroft were… in a wild phase, so Cadeyrn had kept them away from the hives.
Sloan carefully sat him down, helping him get his balance, before shifting back to human form.
Tyr handed him his clothes even as he called out, “Hullo to the house! I’m here to see my triplets, Watson, Sherlock, and Mycroft. Where are you? Are you having a party? It looks so lovely out here with so many lights!”
Poe came bustling out, grinning from ear to ear. “Here you are!” He held out his hands, and Tyr took them, getting a kiss on each cheek. “Come on! I have a surprise for you.”
“Surprise? Where are the babies? What are the lights for? Why are all the tables out? What smells so good?” He followed along, rocking from side to side, as he worked to keep his balance. He felt like a gigantic bear just swaying with this big baby hanging out in his front.
“Curious dragon,” Poe teased. “It’s a surprise.”
“I like surprises.” He really did, especially ones that made people smile. “Should I close my eyes?”
“Not while you’re walking,” Sloan growled. “Last thing I need is for you to fall.”
“I would never let him fall.” Poe’s laughter was warm and honeyed as he led Tyr into the clearing.
“I could carry you.” Sloan loved to haul him around like a sack of gurey tubers. It was so alpha of him. But he wanted to follow Poe on his own.
“You just did,” Tyr pointed out.
“No, that was me cradling you very gently in my strong, clawed hand.” Sloan was so silly.
“Very gently, huh?” Poe’s laughter filled the air.
“Incredibly.”
“Vastly.”
Tyr was still laughing when the lights came up brighter, and everyone jumped out. “Surprise! Happy baby!”
He gasped. The place was decorated in bears and honeybees and little pigs and donkeys. It was adorable with all the perfect bees and little pots. It was the most beautiful party he’d ever seen.
Even the cake looked like a hive.
