"Are you sure you're okay?""Yeah I'm fine, let's go.""No, you're not you're bleeding again. Ash stop, we're taking a break.""No I'm fine let's keep―fuck!"I swear under my breath. "We're taking a break," I growl.He nods, clutching at his side. "Yeah okay," he mutters, his face twisted in pain.I help him over to a tree where he collapses against the trunk. "This trip is going to take forever; your mother is probably worried sick―""Ash I'm not going to leave you here," I growl.He snorts. "Your mother made me promise to travel with you and make sure you were safe so if you showed up by yourself, she'd have my head for sure. No, I was going to say we should send a hawk to let her know what happened."My eyebrows furrow. "A hawk? They still use those?""The witches do sometimes but not really anymore. I have one because your mother gave it to me. It was hers but she wanted to make sure nothing happened to me whi

"Yeah that'd be fine.""Are you sure?" I ask.She nods. "Yeah I trust you and you both can take care of yourselves," she shrugs.I grin. "Thank you, is there anything you need before we leave?""Actually yeah, can you check on Ash? He usually makes the trip to werewolf territory and back in less than a week and I'm starting to worry. Especially since my son Jax is probably with him," she says."Of course. I will send Rexall over the Mountains, he'll find them," I assure her."Thanks," she murmurs with a heavy sigh.I walk out of her office and down the hall where I run into Kaine. "What's going on?" he asks."I have to go back home for a few days check on things, and you're coming with me."He raises an eyebrow at me. "Really?""Yeah I just talked to your mom and she said it's okay.""I've always wanted to see the witch clans," he says with a smile. He leans down and kisses me lightly on the lips."W

Anyone who says that brown eyes aren't beautiful is an idiot, I think as I pull Ash's hair into a bun again.The early morning sun shines directly into the cave, turning Ash's blonde hair to bright gold and his brown eyes to molten copper. The freckles scattered across his nose are faintly visible in the light too.I use the wet strip of cloth to wipe the blood off his face. He lets out a sharp wince making me sigh. "You know if you didn't move so much, I wouldn't have to keep doing this," I tell him."Maybe I'm doing it on purpose, so you have to keep cleaning it," he mutters.I grin with a small shake of my head. "Gods Ash, why do I get the feeling you're just going to be more and more trouble the healthier you get?""More like the longer I'm away from everyone else," he says."Is it bad in the Circle too?" I ask gently."It's better than it is out here, your mother helps a lot, she's one of the nicest dragons I've eve

"Taylor!"I sigh heavily into my pillow. "What?" I yell but it's muffled.I hear my door open. "Alpha Dorian is here to see you," Logan says.I groan. "Why the fuck can't he come at a normal time? Why must he show up so early in the morning?" I grumble."He's an alpha Tay, he has a pack to run. Honestly, you're lucky he's putting in this much effort and showing up at all," he snorts."Get out," I spit. I hear the floor creak as he moves closer and a growl escapes my lips. "Logan get the fuck out of my room before I put my foot up your ass."The door slams shut and a few moments later, there's a soft knock. "You can come in Shawn," I mutter, rolling over with a small sigh. It's dark in my room but I can still see.The door slowly opens and my mate steps inside. I can't help the smile that creeps onto my face at the sight of his childish grin. "I apologize for coming so early in the morning," he says.I sit up with a yawn. "Why d

"―a few here actually. They're staying in the tent-hut things just outside the main clearing."I frown. "Syrra did you say you brought someone here?" I ask, looking up from my book."Yes, I apologize Queen Zari, I meant to inform you but it slipped my mind. A few of the vampires living on my territory wanted to see the Circle and meet some dragons," she explains."This place is turning into a tourist attraction," I mutter. "If they cause any problems they will have to leave.""They're very docile creatures, all the ferocity and aggression has left them after centuries of being endangered. They wouldn't dare cause any problems, they're too afraid of extinction," she tells me.I nod and she turns away. A smile crawls onto my lips as I watch her begin to speak again. She sits on Kaine's lap and they face Jaxon and Ash. The boys are all intensely focused, listening to Syrra's stories with animated faces.I notice Jax is braiding Ash's hair and s