Looking over his shoulder, he caught Nikki smiling at him. Before he could say anything, Devon chanted, “Kit, kit, kit.”
Scanning the room, he spotted Ella, Devon’s mother, and answered, “You’re still going to have to ask your mum. Come on.”
Once Rafe had managed to hand Devon back to his mother, he looked for Nikki. But she was nowhere to be found in the great hall. Spotting Aaron near the front stuffing his face with sweets, Rafe frowned and approached him. “Where did Nikki go?”
Aaron popped a biscuit into his mouth and swallowed before answering, “I sent her to do a patrol by the dragonwing. She’ll be back when she’s finished.”
It was on the tip of Rafe’s tongue to remind Aaron that Nikki was pregnant, but he held back. If he didn’t allow her to do her job, she’d never be willing to start a family with him. This would be his first real test.
Nikki was a competent soldier; he trusted her to stay alive and not do anything daft.
Studying him, Aaron finally added, “Good human.”
“I’m not a dog, Caruso,” he bit out.
“I never said you were. You have quite the imagination, Hartley.”
Clenching his fingers, Rafe forced his tone to be neutral. “Just tell me if I have any other duties, or am I free to go?”
“I have one more task for you today, and then you can spend the next few days reaching out to your contacts for information and spending it with your female.”
Rafe relaxed a fraction at Aaron referring to Nikki as Rafe’s female. “Care to tell me or do I have to pass some ridiculous test first?”
Aaron grinned. “Adding tests would make things more interesting. Unfortunately, I doubt Kai would approve, so you’re in luck.” Rafe raised his brows in question and Aaron pointed behind Rafe. “Mel and Evie need some help running the games for the children. Arabella was supposed to do it, but she’s not feeling well.”
Rafe spotted Arabella to one side, sitting in Finn’s lap. At her pale face, all of Rafe’s protests died. He had a weakness for women who needed help.
“Surely the one-year-olds can’t cause too much trouble in the way of games, though,” Rafe stated.
“Of course not. But one-year celebrations are celebrated with all the children of the clan. Dragon-shifters only survive because they work together. Having our young interact from an early age helps foster relationships that will last a lifetime.”
Gone was the grin and teasing. Rafe asked, “I’m half-expecting a punchline.”
Aaron shook his head. “Not this time. Children are our treasures. They must be protected and raised well at all costs.” He paused and then added, “I suspect you’ll find that out yourself.”
Rafe wasn’t one to air his private life with a near-stranger, so he merely motioned his head toward Evie and Melanie on the other side of the hall. “I’ll just go help them, then.”
Not giving Aaron a chance to answer, Rafe strode toward the two women. But Aaron’s words kept repeating inside his head: I suspect you’ll find that out yourself.
He was counting on it. But first, he hoped to finish wooing Nikki Gray.
~~~
As Nikki soared high above Clan Stonefire, she reveled in the wind against her hide and the solitude of the skies.
Her dragon spoke up. What about me?
She mentally sighed. I know you’re there. Do you really have to break my peace and quiet?
Yes. You shouldn’t have run away from Rafe.
I didn’t run away from him. Sebastian mentioned needing a hand with the patrols, so I volunteered.
Sebastian Randall was a fellow Protector and only a few months younger than Nikki.
Her beast huffed. Stop lying. As soon as you started imagining Rafe holding our child instead of Ella’s, you panicked.
Nikki paused but gave up trying to hide anything from her dragon. Maybe.