Page 25 of The Final Battle

“We shall do it together, dear Cass. Now that you are aware of the problem, I don’t foresee you making the same mistake quite so easily. Trust your men when they tell you something is off and don’t dismiss their feelings quite so quickly. They know you better than you realize. Now, I suggest you head back to the castle and apologize to all your guardians. They have been doing their best for you, despite your actions and words.“

Standing, I ran my hand along his neck until I reached his head and scratched his eye ridges. “We hope to fly to Creisal in the next few days, but I can push it back if you won’t be strong enough.“

“Give me two days, I shall be ready to fly in two days. My wings are healing well and the poison has fully cleared my system, but I need a little time. You won’t be leaving me here, I’ll tell you that right now. It’s only been two days and look at the mess you made, no I won’t be letting you leave to another kingdom without me.“

“I wouldn’t dream of it. Get your rest and I will check in on you later,“ I murmured, pressing a kiss to his giant scaly head.

The guys saw me approaching and started to clear up the card game they’d been playing. Each watched me with careful observation, probably having gathered that Vasin and I fought. Reaching out, I took a hand from each of them and pulled them in close, so I was sandwiched between them.

“Everything’s fine, I had some hard truths given to me, but they were all things I needed to hear. I’m sorry that I brushed off your concerns and if I’ve made you feel like your opinion doesn’t matter, I’m so sorry,“ I shared, looking from one man to the other. “The truth of the matter is, I don’t deserve men like you watching out for me. So, the only thing I can do in return is to try and not make it harder on you all.“

“Cassy-bear,“ Dayson said, his voice rumbled in my ear as he pressed a kiss to my temple. “This has been hard on each of us, but most of all you. The choices you make affect a whole kingdom—one that you are still learning about, I might add. Mistakes will be made by both you and us while we adjust to this new life.“

Paxton wrapped his free arm around me, pulling me against him as he nuzzled into my hair. “What Day said. Fights happen, disagreements in how things are handled are par for the course with any relationship, and you have eight of us, plus the girls. That’s ten people you have to consider at all times. We have it easy, since we only have to worry about you, but if we are being honest, we didn’t support you the best way while Vasin was healing. All of us can learn from how things have gone the last few days and do better.“

Hearing how easily they forgave me worried me as much as it was a balm to my emotions. Never did I want to take advantage of them and their love for me, so even though they forgave me, I needed to earn that forgiveness a little.

“Let’s head back and have dinner, just the ten of us in our chambers. I’ll make sure the palace staff knows we are not to be bothered unless it’s urgent,“ I offered, hugging them each in turn before we climbed back up on the dragons.

This time I flew back with Dayson, making sure that Paxton took a few extra minutes to take a flight, just him and Nannat. I might not be the best at relationships, but I knew for him to take the time for her would help. The past few days I’ve been so self-focused I truly wanted to try to be more mindful of what was happening around me with the people I loved better.

“Cassy-bear, will you sleep in my bed tonight?“ Dayson asked, running his nose along the shell of my ear. “I’d really love some alone time with you, I feel like you and I haven’t done that much.“

“That sounds perfect,“ I answered. “I think it would be a wise idea for us to work out a way that each of us can have time together. Like having a meal one on one or spending the night together. While you all understand I’m with all of you, I don’t need to be with all of you all the time. I think it will help me to focus on the individual needs of each of my relationships.“

“Why don’t we bring it up at dinner, see what the others think would be a good idea,“ Dayson suggested.

Hegg landed abruptly, tossing us both forward. Thankfully, the harness kept us where we should be on his back. Hegg let out a snort accompanied with sparks as he shook his head before looking back at us to make sure we were good. I could feel him sending the emotions of an apology for the rough landing.

“It’s alright, Hegg, we appreciate the ride and you’ve gotten us back safe and sound,“ I said rubbing his shoulder before I slipped off his back.

Walking to the front, Hegg dropped his head and I saw there were a bunch of feathers sticking to his face. Chuckling, I started to pluck them off his face. “Did you catch a snack on the way back? This is why you shouldn’t eat and fly at the same time.“

“I swear, this dragon is a bottomless pit, he’s skinny as a runt but eats like there’s no tomorrow. What I’d like to know is where does the food he eats go?“ Dayson questioned, resting his hand on his hips looking his dragon over. “Some days, I wonder if I’m too heavy for him to handle.“

Hegg growled at that, swinging his head over to his pair-bond and snapped his teeth at him.

“Alright you two, Dayson leave poor Hegg alone. Clearly, he needs large amounts of food to support himself, or maybe he hasn’t been able to get a decent meal until he came here. Vasin tells me how the Unclaimed lands are desolate in many areas,“ I scolded Dayson, getting an approving hum from Hegg.

Dayson just grinned at me. “I know I’m not going to win this argument, so I’m not even going to try, I’ll just agree with my lady and queen on this matter.“

Punching him in the arm, I gave Hegg one last scratch and headed inside. A palace guard, who had been stationed at the entrance, saw me and bowed as I walked down the hall towards our personal chambers. While I knew they were there as a precaution during this time of high alert, I would be glad when the amount of guards posted on our level was reduced. It was becoming clearer to me that I needed space to get away from being queen for just a bit, and our floor of the castle was that vestige. There was another guard posted just outside the main door into my personal rooms with my consorts. Slightly further down the hall was Becka and May’s rooms, ensuring they didn’t need to hear the more salacious things that happened.

The guard bowed and opened the door for me. “Do you know if everyone is here?“ I asked before entering.

“Yes, your majesty, all your guardians and consorts are in the common rooms,“ he answered.

“Thank you, I am relieving you of your post for the night. Could you inform the staff that my guardians and I will be having dinner here. We also wish to be left in peace unless there is an urgent matter,“ I informed the guard.

He hesitated a moment before bowing once more in acknowledgement. Entering, I found the front sitting room was empty, so I moved into the library that also acted as my personal office. Becka was at my desk working on something while the others sat around the table, gambling by the looks of it.

“What are you gonna do, Zan, three others have already tossed in their hand, you think you have what it takes to beat me?“ Cole taunted, tapping his card on the table.

Ezzu hissed in response before Zan tossed in a few coins. “I’ll see your bet, I don’t think you have the hand you’re making it out to be.“

Smiling at the sight of them all spending time together, I walked over to Becka so I didn’t disturb them. “What are you working on so diligently?“

Becka’s head snapped up her eyes wide with surprise. “Oh, when did you get back?“