Dragon's Fire [PUP Squad Alpha 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) by Abby Blake Page B

her coat.

Chapter Eight
     
    “She’s the one,” Keira said with a wobble in her voice. “Sh–She’s the one from the prophesy.”
    Ava’s first reaction was to explain to the child that prophesy wasn’t real, that nobody could predict what would happen in the future, but Brody seemed to tense up even more so she stayed quiet.
    “What prophesy, Keira?”
    “The one m–my grandmother showed me. It said a non-dragon woman would come. One who couldn’t be harmed by fire. It said she’d be the mother of the chosen one—the dragon who would bring peace to our people.”
    “So why did they attack Ava?” Nathan asked curiously. “If they thought she was the woman from the prophesy, the harbinger of peace, why would they try to kill her?”
    “Because my parents don’t want peace,” Brody said tiredly. “It didn’t even occur to them that the prophesy could be about their own grandchild. They only saw a threat to their superiority, and they moved to destroy it.”
    “But,” Ava said quietly as her mind raced with different theories, “if they thought I was the chosen one, wouldn’t they have known setting the house on fire wouldn’t kill me?”
    Brody smiled at her sadly. “I can see where your mind is going, Ava. You’ve got such a kind heart that you would try to see their actions in the best light.” He adjusted Keira in his arms, and touched a hand to Ava’s face. “They may have been testing you with the fire, sweetheart, but they had every intention of ripping you apart if you made it outside.”
    “Oh.” It seemed such an inadequate word, but what did one say when faced with that sort of unwarranted hatred? Ava set the thought aside, determined to show a young dragon that she had nothing to fear. “How are you feeling, sweetie? Did the shift heal your breaks and bruises?”
    “Hey,” she said, wriggling in Brody’s arms, “it did.” She squirmed like a little kid until her uncle put her on her feet. She dragged the coat around her and turned to face Ava. “I’m really sorry about the…um…you know.”
    “No harm done,” Ava said with a smile. It was obvious that in dragon terms she was very young.
    “Will I do that again?” she asked Brody worriedly.
    “Probably not for a few more years. Dragons don’t usually get their wings until at least their twentieth year.”
    “Hear that?” Ava asked. “You’re actually quite clever.” Keira raised an eyebrow and waited. Okay, so maybe she did have something in common with human teenagers her age. Ava leaned in and whispered, “You shifted long enough to fix your injuries years before you should have been able. In my book that makes you rather special.” She glanced up at Brody and said the words he was probably both wishing for and dreading. “The best part is that now that you don’t need to be in the hospital anymore, you can come home with us.”
    She expected an argument, maybe even a flat-out “no” from one of her men, but she got neither. Instead Brody wrapped her in his embrace, kissed her soundly, and led them to the nurses’ station.
    “How bad is the room, sweet pea?” the nurse who also happened to be a bear-shifter asked in a kind voice.
    “Pretty bad,” Keira answered with a shy, nervous little laugh.
    The nurse smiled widely. “I just knew you were going to be trouble the moment I laid eyes on you.” She winked and Keira smiled just a little more brightly. “You head on home with your family, and I’ll get someone in to clean the mess up.”
    “My fam—” But Brody cut off whatever Keira was going to say.
    “Thanks. Do I need to sign any paperwork?”
    “Oh, honey,” the nurse said with a jovial laugh, “there is always paperwork.”

Epilogue
     
    Ava leaned on the rail of the new deck and watched the horizon, sighing with contentment as the fiery red and orange sunset bled into the tree line. She smiled as the sun dipped lower and the night crickets began their familiar evening