Kieran and Ronan caught up to me after training, and I rolled my eyes in annoyance. I had wanted to take a flight alone, and I wasn’t a child who needed handling. I ignored them as they flanked either side of me. It was tempting to simply shift away, but I refused to hide from my own bondmates. Wren’s voice taunted me.

You’re a coward.

I wasn’t. I looked over, seeing Ronan practically vibrating next to me.

“Say it before you explode,” I grumbled.

He flared his wings and reared back, wonder in his eyes. “Do you really think the witches could be the answer for our species?”

I wasn’t sure why I resisted the idea, why the thought of having to rely on anyone else filled me with such dread. Kieran’s judging gaze weighed heavily on me. This was a big deal, so I should at least pretend to act like it.

“It could be nothing. We don’t know that witches can even conceive drakens, let alone birth them. What if it simply kills the witch?”

Kieran looked away, his eyes across the horizon. “Have you told Astrid this?”

I blew air out through my nose, frustrated. “I just thought of it, to be honest.”

Kieran nodded. “Magick has done stranger things. If it is truly about balance, then there is a possibility. Dorea has been out of balance since the demon wars. This could be a chance to restore the inequality. We will be cautious, but hopeful.”

I could get behind that statement. Kieran was good at that; putting feelings into words. He fell silent, and for a while the three of us simply flew.

“We miss her too, you know. We’re in this together.”

I took in Kieran’s words, trying to internalize them. “I won’t relax fully until she’s back in my arms. No thanks to you.”

Kieran jerked, and I regretted the low blow. I would be lying if I said I had forgiven him for letting her get captured. He could have left me for the dogs for all I cared, if it meant she was back home, safe and sound.

“You are fine with what he did?” I asked Ronan, genuinely curious. Kieran and Ronan had always been close, never one without the other ever since Kieran had taken the much younger draken under his wing. Ronan shot a glance at Kieran, then met my eyes fully, brimming with self-confidence. I had left Lyoness in his trembling hands and had found a leader when I’d returned from Cantrada.

“I’m not thrilled, but I understand. It was Wren’s choice. She gave Kieran a non-verbal order, and you were unconscious. Kieran obeyed his queen.”

I growled, turning away and flying harder. They struggled to keep up. “Our job is to protect our mate from any harm! We—”

“Have evolved as a species, Benedict,” Ronan interrupted. “We aren’t animals living in the woods any longer where survival instincts were the only things that kept us alive. Wren has earned the right to make her own decisions. You gave her that right by making her queen.”