This station was their first line of defense against anyone who might potentially want to invade Rhyacia. Troops would be stationed here on permanent assignment, with several experienced magic users. There were barracks and customs offices, along with a state-of-the-art security system and weaponry. There was barbed wire atop a high wall, and they had ground-to-air missile capability.

Eva was an experienced soldier and took it all in stride, but Pia hadn’t seen the crossover passageway since the station had been built. She stared at everything silently, her face pale.

He waited.

After a moment, she said, “I guess the other two crossover passageways have similar guard stations?”

“Correct.” His voice was hard. “Nobody is getting onto my land without my say-so.”

He would do all of this and more to keep Pia safe, but it wasn’t just about her anymore. Niall bore the same Wyr form that she did, and there were creatures in the world who would do anything and pay any amount of money, would go to war and bankrupt nations, just to get ahold of one of them.

She stared off, her head turned away. He waited a few moments more.

In a whisper, she asked, “Do you ever regret… any of this?”

Rage like lightning whited out his mind. How could she ask him that? Because he was so angry, he moved with care when he took her shoulders and turned her to face him. The sadness in her expression kept him from shouting, and he remembered that, even though she was a more than competent fighter, unlike him she was a creature of peace at heart. So for her sake, he curbed his temper.

“Never once,” he whispered through his teeth. “Never, on any day for the rest of my very long life, could I regret any of this. In fact, if it were possible, I would choose it all over again. If I could, it would be my extreme pleasure to hunt down and kill anyone who might even potentially think of doing harm to you and our son.” Her expression lightened, and when that happened, he found that his anger did too. He added, “And we’re having sex tonight, goddammit.”

The last of her odd sadness broke apart as she laughed.

And there it was, that moment, with happiness dancing in her aquamarine gaze and the air around her effervescent with her Power—that moment was what the dragon would do anything and kill anyone for.

That moment was what he lived for.

That one, and then the one after that, and the one after that, all grouped together in his mind like luminous pearls on a string. Each one came to him new, a perpetual gift of joyful surprise, and as rich as he was, and as many jewels as he’d acquired, those moments were the sum total of the dragon’s true treasure.