Melanie picked up her pace. As curious as she was about Kai, she was even more curious about the reaction to their interview. She just wanted to cuddle her children, sit next to her mate, and find out what their future held.
~~~
An hour and a half later, Mel was waiting for the relief gel to start working on her son. When they had come home, Ella had suggested the boy was teething. Checking his gums, which were warm and slightly swollen, Mel knew it was true.
Leave it to Tristan’s son to make a fuss when he didn’t feel well. Father and son were identical, in that regard. Annabel also had warm gums, but her daughter was taking it a hundred times better than her brother.
Rocking her baby boy, hoping the soothing gel would help Jack fall asleep, she looked over at Tristan. Her mate was grinning at her. He cuddled Annabel tighter to emphasize he had the sleeping half of their children.
Mel scowled and Tristan grinned even wider. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who volunteered to take Jack. He’ll fall asleep eventually.”
“Gee, thanks. While I do this, I don’t know, maybe you could check the news and see what’s happening? An hour and a half is enough time to delay the inevitable.”
“If it weren’t for the children and the impending doom for all dragon-shifter kind, I’d rile you up more. I like it when your eyes flash and your face f
lushes.”
She sighed. “Please tell me you aren’t thinking of sex right now, Tristan.”
He shrugged. “Hey, when a dragonman has a mate as beautiful as you, he always thinks about sex.”
Battling a smile, she lost. “Just turn on the TV and check the news.”
Tristan chuckled. She knew he’d be cocky and bloody unbearable when they were alone later in the evening.
Picking up the remote, he waved it toward her. “I wouldn’t worry too much. Bram and Kai would’ve come banging on our doors if something were wrong.”
“Still, I want to know. If things aren’t going as well as I like, I have to think of something else.”
Tristan raised an eyebrow. “We all will think of something else. Taking on the world by yourself will kill you, love.”
Jack squirmed in her arms as if he were going to wake up so she bounced him. Once he settled, she looked at Tristan. “If it means you’ll turn on the damn TV, then I’ll agree to a costume party meeting.”
He gave her a once-over. “That I would like to see.”
Mel rolled her eyes and she heard the TV blip on.
Looking to the TV screen, the view was Stonefire’s front gates. The sight of the crowd made her stomach drop. Were they waiting to attack? Or, were they just curious?
Then she looked at the crowd more closely. Some people were holding signs, but she couldn’t quite make them out. Since the crowd members were waving and moving around, it was difficult.
Finally, after stepping closer to the TV, she could read one, “Stop the Torture.” Another one read, “Justice for Arabella.”
Mel blinked. “Am I going crazy or does Arabella now have a fan club of sorts?”
Tristan grunted. “It seems so. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
A voiceover started and she waved a hand at Tristan. “Shush a second. I want to hear what they’re saying.”
For once, her dragonman didn’t challenge her.
The voiceover filled the silence. “No one was certain of how our earlier interview with members of Clan Stonefire would be received. Yet a scant two hours after the broadcast, a group has already assembled outside Stonefire’s gates. The crowd, while still small, is passionate about justice for the dragon-shifters. Our own Jane Hartley is at the scene. Let’s go to her now to hear what some of the participants have to say.”
The screen changed to show Jane Hartley’s smiling face. “I’m outside Stonefire’s gates, and as you can see, there is a crowd of about fifty people behind me. Unlike the incident with the press conference, all of the people behind me appear to be supporters of the dragon-shifters. A few of them have agreed to talk with me. Let’s talk to our first person now.” Jane looked over and the shot panned out to include a woman wearing glasses. Jane asked, “Why did you decide to drive out here today?”
The woman’s voice was from the North, probably from a neighboring village. “Hearing those stories on TV made me feel ill. When one human kills another or sets a woman on fire, they are brought to justice. Yet we never hear of dragon hunters or haters being brought to justice. It’s time to change some of the old laws, especially given what happened to the DDA offices earlier today. Something needs to be done.”
Jane asked, “Have you been a life-long supporter of dragon-shifter rights?”