“When will the Imperial return?” I ask Flash as we make our way to the little shack that classifies as an eatery.

Jed and Barry are ahead with Essie and a few of the other children. Jed nods shyly as one of the Were about his age asks something. He gestures wildly, and by the sound of it, he's describing flying. His stutters are still there, but the other children listen with rapt attention, not a bit concerned about what other human children always teased him for. Now, they’ll probably tease him for his lack of strength when they arm wrestle... Were have an obsession with strength and scars, I’ve found. And the gifting of small animals.

Speaking of... I accept a dead mouse from a smiling woman who has a dagger strapped to her hip. I accept it with a nod and continue on, not sure what to do with the thing except for hold it by the tail like I would a squirrel.

Flash looks like he’s choking back a laugh even as he responds to my question. “Father will be back in a few days. He’s bringing the sickly and elderly here, where we can begin growing food and creating pens for the animals. If this place is summer year round—“ Flash shakes his head, then pushes black hair from his eyes. “This will be a haven we have needed for quite some time.”

Barry and Jed keep shooting glances at me. I ignore it for now, but know they will want to talk. Jed especially needs to know some things, things I kept from his family and am now regretting.

“What of Bridget's family?” I ask softly, my eyes on the canopied trees above and not paying attention to my surroundings.

Flash turns and catches my shoulder. Before he can blink, I have him on the ground, the dead rat flying from my hands into some bushes.

That's one way to get rid of the thing, I suppose, Cynic comments, a sneer at what he finds a repulsive creature in his voice.

Flash holds his hands up, and fear flashes through his eyes at something he sees on my face. “Easy, Roland.” He juts his chin at the kids and some adults from the town who are accompanying us, and I see all of them turned and watching us with fear in their slit eyes. A few hiss, arching their backs and curling their fingers into claws. “Let me take you down, ok?”

My eyes dart back to Flash. I give a minuscule, jerky nod, even if it goes against the survival drilled into my brain.

He twists, hooking the hand that has a knife to his throat, and throwing me to the ground beside him. He keeps hold of my hand and puts me into a chicken wing hold.

A forced laugh escapes my throat and I pat the ground. “Merci!”

He laughs, a much more natural sound than my own, and gets off, but not before musing my hair as if I were a younger brother. I glare at him, warning him not to press his luck, but his grin only grows to encompass his eyes in a true smile.

“That’s what you get,” he says, satisfaction coating the words.

The other Were laugh or jostle Flash in congratulations for winning, one even putting him into a headlock.

Jed is the only one who watches with suspicion, his eyes calculating. When I meet his gaze, he looks away.

I hold in a sigh. He might be trying to forgive me, but he’s still afraid of me.

~~~

“Who are you? R-r-really?”

Barry is passed out beneath my dragon’s wing, his high-pitched snores causing humor to come from She-Dragon. It scared her at first, and... trying to explain snoring to a dragon through images? Not fun.

I mean, really? It’s not like she and her brood don’t snore.

But explaining how snoring is because your air passages are partly blocked caused panic. She almost woke my brother up to check on him, but I stopped her just in time, and Barry only rolled over, mumbling in his sleep, before snoring again.

That’s when I sent an image of her sleeping and the bellows of her snores coming over the bond. She settled when she realized it was perfectly normal and my little brother wasn’t in danger of being choked to death in his sleep.

Especially when her own brood under her wing began making lower-pitched rumblings. Jed and I had shared a big grin while She-Dragon let out a disgruntled breath.

Jed and the dragon are the only two left awake, except for me and and a few sentries posted around. And Flash just outside my dragon's wing.

I keep my face carefully blank. “Jed—my life before coming into your family was not pretty. Do you truly want to know?”

He doesn’t respond right away, picking at a rock beneath his bare foot. He finally looks up, meeting my gaze with a frankness that is wise beyond his years. “I need to know, kino.”

I sigh, a frown marring my lips, but know I owe him the truth. “Where would you like me to start?”

“Are you truly Bloodfang?” One succinct nod, and he blows out a breath. “You killed so many.”

I run a shaking hand over my long hair that needs cut, not able to meet his eyes. “Yes. I did. I thought I had no choice.”

“There is always a choice.” His words, so like his father in that moment my heart almost sees the lad in the future, robes of office cinched about his waist and commanding attention through words of power and wisdom.

I squeeze a rock in my fist until it bites into my hand, the slight pain grounding me. Then it crumbles, just like everything I touch. “Yes, there is.” My voice is low, almost indistinct.

“Why did you do it?”

My eyes snap up, and I meet his calm eyes, as if something I said actually made him fear me less.

No one has ever asked me why before.

I close my eyes, tipping my head back against She-Dragon’s warm flank. She trills softly, blowing a soft breath out her nose.

“It began when my father sold me to the assassins’ guild.”