MY HOME IS IN YOUR ARMS

Chapter 8

Between the two of us, we were able to whittle down the pile of paperwork to a manageable level. We handled the simple stuff, while organizing the remainder by levels of complexity. There were a few items that would require consultation with our legal department, and one item in particular on which we would have our investigative team do a deep dive. Something about it didn't feel right, especially the time-line requested. It felt like someone was trying to railroad us into a hurried and ill-considered decision. I would have the legal team draft a letter to the author of the submission stating the time-line requested was unacceptable. If they insisted on sticking to their time-line, then we would respectfully decline this, and all other proposals from them.

By the time we were satisfied with the decisions made, I saw it was time for us to get ready for training. Gavin had been taking an active part in training Jaxon and Sophie. He was a strategist at heart, and had devised a complex flight training regime that he could adjust to on the fly. Pardon the pun.

We quickly went to our suite to change into our training gear. We always spent the first ten minutes warming up so it was important our gear could withstand the type of warm-up Gavin had planned for us. Today it was cardio, so I made sure I selected my favorite running shoes. He had already mind-linked Jaxon and Sophie to wear theirs, so I knew we would have no delays when we got to the arena.

Entering the flight training arena, we were greeted by Jaxon and Sophie. The four of us immediately began our run, starting slowly at first, then speeding up once we warmed up a bit. The kids really enjoyed this as they knew that once our run was over, we three dragons would shift mid-stride and take off in flight. We trained all the young dragons to do this, as we felt it would give us the edge in any battle. So far, Jaxon and Sophie were our youngest dragon shifters, though their skill level far out-stripped the dragons twice their age.

Gavin's voice echoed in our heads. "Shift!" In unison, Jaxon, Sophie and I shifted into our dragon forms and with massive beats of our wings we rose steadily in the air. Jaxon's dragon, Abel, is so protective of Sophie's dragon, Jodie, while at the same time being the bossy older brother. My dragon, Jade, gives a deep belly laugh as she watches them playing a bit before the serious training begins.

As Gavin issues various commands for us to follow via the mind-link, I make sure Abel and Jodie are executing the maneuvers correctly. He then has us practicing our fire stream, which the young dragons are mastering well. They are still struggling a bit with the laser-thin fire stream that can light a candle, but not melt it, but they have plenty of time to perfect that particular feat

We spend about fifteen minutes feigning aerial combat, soaring, diving, rolling, and hovering, with the last ten minutes of our session just spent in play. Suddenly, out of nowhere, we are joined by a male dragon that kept trying to get close to me. Jade and I did not react well to his attempts to dominate me, by attempting to mount Jade in the air. Jade and I immediately turned on him in fury and grabbed his neck in our jaws, biting hard enough to let him know we wouldn't tolerate his behavior. Both Abel and Jodie got into an attack formation, preparing to unleash their full stream of fire. They may be small dragons, but with their combined powers, they could easily roast this intruder alive.

The male dragon, seeing he was outnumbered, and on the brink of being roasted alive, dropped his head in defeat. Dragon Jade dragged him to the ground and, upon landing, held him there, forcing him to show complete submission. He shifted back to his human form, and begged Dragon Jade to let him go, with a promise to behave. Jade slowly released her jaw's grip and exhaled a snort of steam.

She stepped back and allowed me to shift into my human form. Gavin was being held back from attacking the male by Jason and Kalem. Jaxon and Sophie had also shifted back, and were now standing beside Pa, who was sternly berating the male dragon shifter.

"How dare you come onto my pack lands and attack my pack member! " Pa's dragon was as upset as Dragon Jade. He was having a hard time restraining himself from shifting and putting an end to the impudent male.

A powerful man stepped forward and tried to intervene. "Your Majesty, I apologize on behalf of my son, and only heir. Please give him a chance to explain."

I didn't wait for any more conversation, I just stepped forward, drew back my arm, and then let fly with all my supernatural strength, landing a punch on the dragon shifter's jaw. The impact was so hard, he flew backwards through the air, landing on the ground ten feet away from me. I was on him in a flash, grabbing him by the throat, squeezing him until his face turned red.

"You ever f*cking touch me again, and I will end you! I don't care who or what you are! Do I make myself clear?" I hissed at him with so much venom in my voice that he looked completely cowed.

I flung him to the side, and strode up to the dragon shifter's father. "And you! You control your spawn, or I will give you the same treatment I gave him!" I gathered Jaxon and Sophie to me, then I grabbed Gavin's hand, and we stalked away together. I was fuming. I had no idea who those two dragons were, and I didn't care. Absolutely no one would ever be allowed to get away with what the dragon shifter had tried to do.

The four of us went up to the alpha floor. I hugged Jaxon and Sophie, thanking them profusely for their readiness to fight for, and with me against the intruder. Their courage in the face of a much larger opponent spoke volumes about their love and concern for me. We had vowed we would fight to the death to defend each other and our pack. Today they proved their commitment to that vow.

Lily and Callum were there to take charge of Jaxon and Sophie. Ma had returned home early from the hospital with baby Finlay. She didn't want to stay in the hospital when Pa had to leave early to attend to the visiting council members. I checked on her and the baby, giving her a hug and a 'welcome home'. Finlay was sleeping soundly, and it was easy to see that Ma also needed her sleep. So I left her and the baby in her bedroom, and joined Gavin in the main living area.

Jaxon and Sophie wer regaling Lily and Callum about the recent events in the flight arena. "You should have seen Dragon Jade. I thought she was going to rip the other dragon's head right off!" Jaxon described the scene excitedly. "Then Jade dragged him to the ground and pinned him there! Then when that guy shifted back, and Ellie shifted back, she punched him! Hard! That guy is lucky to be alive right now!"

Lily and Callum were enthralled by the tale. Gavin's face showed a mixture of anger and immense pride. He knew just how fierce I could be when under attack. Many supernaturals didn't realize that when I gave Pa the throne, I only shared my Goddess' gifted powers with him. I didn't give them up. I was still as powerful as the Goddess intended. Just because Gabriel Savage was no longer a threat, didn't mean that others wouldn't try to take advantage of me and my power. But anyone who tried was in for a very rude awakening.

Gavin placed his hand on my lower back and urged me towards the door. "Come, my love. We have to get showered and ready for the meeting with the Council members. Though I am sure that after the earlier events, they will understand if we are a few minutes late."

We got back to our suite, and I immediately pulled Gavin into my arms, pressing my body to his, and kissing him deeply. "Come, my love, is that what you're going to say to me in the shower?" I mind-linked to him.

With a little growl, Gavin swept me up in his arms and made his way to our bathroom. Placing me on my feet, his hands roamed my body, stripping off my training gear. My hands frantically tugged his shirt over his head, breaking our kiss for only a moment. Soon we were lost in pure bliss.