I bowed my head, admitting we did owe her that. Astrid grasped Xana’s hands, and Xana snatched them back in panic.

“I’m sorry,” Astrid said, putting her hands up and moving away. “Just . . . thank you. If there is anything the air coven can do for you, please let me know.”

Xana’s hood bobbed with her head, and she gestured for me to get on with it. I stepped out into the cool night air, the child’s cries quieting to grizzled grumblings as I held him out to Trego.

“He is fine, and Cassie will recover. Astrid can give you further information on her care.” I looked up in alarm to find an entire crowd before me. Word must have quickly spread of a draken birth. Trego’s eyes were wide in disbelief even as he held out his hands to accept his son. Benedict looked completely gob smacked as well and then turned his head to gaze at me with heat in his eyes. I knew what he was thinking.

“I’ll just return the—”

Xana poked her head out of the hut to see what was taking me so long. She froze at the crowd spread out in front of her, her hand shaking as she fell back into the hut. Xana wasn’t quick enough to evade the cross breeze of wind that swept through the back window and out the door, carrying her scent to every unmated draken the moment she broke Benedict’s barrier.

“Shit,” Benedict breathed out, his blood magick glowing on his chest and his wings spread wide. “Go!”

Trego dove back inside the hut with us and the newborn as Benedict’s shield exploded around us, and the remaining drakens dove as one towards the entrance. I grabbed Xana with one hand, ignoring her shriek and flinch. We disappeared and reappeared back in front of the lava tube. Xana ripped her hand from my mind, shaking with uncontrolled fear and anxiety. I moved to reach out to her, then drew back.

“I’m sorry!”

“Just don’t come back until my house is ready.”

I watched her retreat in sad silence. Enya narrowed her eyes at me from the entrance. I scowled at her retreating back.

“It was a boy in case you’re wondering. The first draken born in a millennium.”

I turned away and didn’t look back.

Chapter Nineteen

Wren

It was chaos when I appeared back at the hut. The drakens were raging at Benedict, shouting and practically frothing at the mouth, demanding to know where the unmated females were and how many there were. Benedict stood unflinching in front of them, taking all of the abuse and not saying a single word in his own defense. I put one hand on his back, below his wings and felt how tense his muscles were. Just as they normally did, the crowd went silent as I approached, my eyes narrowed.

I was not amused. “The female has expressed an interest to live among you, and this is how you act?” I wrinkled my face in disgust, and their faces shifted from angry to inquisitive. “I will tell her we will build her lodgings elsewhere, since clearly our males are nothing but animalistic savages.”