Destiny of Dragons Read Online Free Page B

through the twisted hallways while dodging the flow of people coming and going. Finally, they reached the library and settled in comfy leather chairs facing each other.
    “What can I do for you, Dad?” Carey asked.
    “Would it be possible for me and Gallen to move in? I don’t think it’s safe at my place anymore. If Gallen were to be captured by my enemies, no one would be safe.”
    Carey sat for a moment without saying a word. “This is as much your house as it is mine. I have no problem with the two of you moving in. Did you discuss it with him?”
    “Yes. He thinks I should be closer to my treasure anyway.”
    Carey laughed. “He’s probably right.”
    “He usually is.”
    Leaning back in his chair, Carey seemed to be considering something.
    “What is it?” His son didn’t usually hesitate to say whatever was on his mind. This new pondering side disquieted Aden.
    “I’m wondering where to put you. Maybe we should knock out a wall between two rooms to make you a master suite. After all, if you’re truly the king of dragons then we can’t put you in a small attic room.”
    Aden snorted. “Do you really think a title has changed me?”
    “No, but it might change how other shifters react to you. We need them to feel you’re in charge of everything here. If you are truly the king of dragons they’ll expect you to have the best.”
    “I don’t want to take away your leadership, I just want a safe place for Gallen to live. He might be a powerful sorcerer, but the emperor has lots of people willing take his life or use him for his magic.”
    “Are you still going to let him go back to school?”
    Aden’s skin crawled at the thought, the mere idea of his beloved wandering across campus unprotected set Aden’s inner dragon snarling. Aden clenched his fingers around the arms of the chair. “I’m hoping he can take some of his classes remotely. If not, I’ll have to send him to school with bodyguards and we both know how well that will go over. I don’t want to make him a prisoner, even if it’s for his own safety.”
    As much as he loved his mate, he was under no illusion that Gallen would appreciate having guards follow him from class to class. Gallen had worked hard to break free of his father’s dictatorship and Aden didn’t wish to make him feel crowded once again.
    “Don’t worry, Dad, you’ll figure it out.”
    “Then you’re more optimistic about it than I am.” Still, Carey’s faith eased some of Aden’s anxiety. Together they would figure out a way to let Gallen study without putting Aden’s mate in danger.
    A knock at the library door startled the men out of their discussion.
    “Yes?” Carey shouted.
    The door swung open and Zhou stuck his head inside. “We have a problem. Liang had to leave his mate behind. We need to go to Australia and fetch him.”
    “Why didn’t he bring his mate with him?” Aden didn’t understand how the dragon could bear to abandon the other half of his soul. His opinion of Liang took a hit.
    “Apparently he can’t shift into his human form right now for some reason,” Zhou said. “He’s a leafy sea dragon and the change in temperature could have killed him.”
    “Oh, I saw an exhibit of those at the Seattle Aquarium. They’re fascinating creatures.” Aden stood to face the dragon leader. “But they’re pretty delicate.”
    “We don’t know why he can’t change?” Carey asked.
    It did seem quite peculiar that a shifter wouldn’t be willing to change back into a human to travel with his mate. “Didn’t he want to come back here?”
    Maybe it was the shifter’s way of escaping his mating. Aden knew not all shifters appreciated the mating compulsion, they saw it as a way to control them.
    “I thought I’d go back to help fight the Coral Sea king if necessary,” Zhou said. “Maybe we can learn more then.”
    Aden raised his eyebrows. He didn’t like things that didn’t make sense.
    “How are we going to solve the water issue? We