Page 30 of Dragon Mine (Dragon Kings 2)
Behind her, Vaughn replied, “It is.”
Eurwen didn’t look at him. She moved to the side and said, “Please, come in.”
Rhi entered, followed by Con. Eurwen then looked at Vaughn. He started toward the door when Con said his name.
“Before you go, there’s something I’d like both you and Eurwen to know,” Con said.
Eurwen’s heart thumped in her chest. She prayed this wasn’t anything about Vaughn spending the night with her. She could barely think about it herself. The last thing she wanted was to discuss it with the two people in front of her. Or Vaughn.
Instead, Con’s black eyes slid to Eurwen. “Your mother and I have a request.”
“What is that?” she asked.
“We’re asking for an exchange of sorts.”
Eurwen immediately became wary. “Explain.”
Rhi put her hand on Con’s arm and then said to Eurwen, “I’m sure you know of V and his mate, Claire.”
“The pregnant one,” Eurwen said with a nod.
“Her babe is due, and we’re concerned.”
Eurwen looked between her parents. “You want to bring Claire here? Why?”
“We want to give Claire and V every opportunity to have their bairn born alive,” Con said. “It may no’ mean much to you, but since you and your brother are the last dragons—”
“Half,” Eurwen corrected him.
“—born, there is call for concern.”
Vaughn said, “None of us have had children since the dragons left our realm.”
It was on the tip of Eurwen’s tongue to say that was their fault, but she managed to keep the comment to herself. “The exchange would be what, exactly?”
“I’d like Varek to take Jeyra to Dreagan and get her looked over by one of the mates who is a human doctor. Test her blood and the like to see if we can determine why she ages differently than the others on this realm,” Con explained.
Rhi shrugged. “And maybe try to decipher where and why the babies are brought to Zora.”
It seemed like a fair trade, though Eurwen wasn’t sure Brandr would agree. But he wasn’t here. She was. Yet, if she continued in that vein, it was a slippery slope. If the situation were reversed and Brandr made a decision she disagreed with, she wouldn’t just sit back and accept it. They had always ruled Zora together. Why did it feel like that was about to change?
“Eurwen?” Vaughn pressed.
She looked his way, all the while trying to decide if she would let Brandr know what was going on or not. Eurwen knew Brandr would refuse more Kings coming to Zora for any reason. And while she understood his side of things, she also empathized with Claire and V.
“All right,” she finally agreed.
Con smiled. “Thank you. The final decision rests with Claire and V.”
“As it should. Are you returning to Earth to tell them?”
“We were hoping to stay and speak with you,” Rhi said.
Con glanced at his mate. “Varek can tell them.”
“Unless you’d like to go,” Vaughn said.
Eurwen’s head snapped to him. “What?”
“You’ve never been to Dreagan. This could be your chance to see that side of things. I could accompany you.”
The thought of getting to walk on Dreagan land, to feel the magic beneath her feet, was entirely too tempting. The indecision must have shown on her face because Vaughn gave her a soft smile.
“I’ll let you talk to Rhi and Con first. Then you can make your decision,” Vaughn said before walking out and closing the door behind him.
Eurwen stared at it, not at all sure what to think of someone coming into her life and making decisions for her. Vaughn wasn’t actually making the big decisions, though. He was only maneuvering her in a way that she could reach conclusions.
Brandr would no doubt call Vaughn manipulative.
Was it? Or was she looking for something that wasn’t there? She didn’t like how out of balance she felt. Everything was tilting one way and then the next. She didn’t feel as if she had any say in any of it. Which was ridiculous because she was the one who had begun it all by opening the doorway.
Eurwen finally remembered that she wasn’t alone. She turned to her parents to find them watching her. In an attempt to stop any questions, she smoothed her brow and motioned to the same seats they had taken the day before.
“I want to apologize for yesterday,” she began.
Con shook his head as he sat beside Rhi. “You spoke your mind, as you should.”
“It wasn’t how I wanted our first conversation to go.”
Rhi grinned and put a hand on Con’s leg. “I think all of us felt that way. We wanted you to know that we understand your and Brandr’s concerns.”
“We only ask that you give Rhi and I a chance to get to know both of you,” Con added.
Eurwen crossed one leg over the other. “I can’t promise anything for Brandr. If I didn’t want to know the two of you, I wouldn’t have created the doorway.”
“But?” Rhi pressed.
Eurwen shrugged and folded her hands in her lap. “It has created a rift between my twin and me.”
“Siblings fight,” Con said.
Rhi nodded. “All of them.”
“This is different,” Eurwen told them. “I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is, but I feel it. Brandr and I have argued before. It isn’t harsh words we’ve exchanged. Instead, it feels as if he’s…” She paused, trying to find the right word. “Cold. Indifferent, almost.”
Con’s gaze was intense as he leveled it on her. “Is this about us being here? Or is it about Vaughn?”
Eurwen lowered her gaze to her lap. So much for her not wanting to talk about Vaughn. She took a deep breath and raised her eyes to her parents. “I didn’t tell Brandr about my encounter with Vaughn until yesterday.”
“He must be hurt,” Rhi said.
“Maybe.” Eurwen shrugged. “I can’t tell if it’s because you two are here or if it’s Vaughn.”
Con scratched his forehead. “Or a combination.”
“Is that why you’re hesitant to go with Vaughn to Dreagan?” Rhi asked.
Eurwen didn’t like being put on the spot, but maybe it was better if she answered. “I’ve seen Dreagan from afar. I would like to walk it.”
“But?” Con asked, a blond brow quirked.
“I don’t know.”
