The Arena novel Chapter 64

After talking to Ishir, I realize there is no way that I'm leaving Tana unprotected. I don't care that she's a dragon. She can't shift, and she's pregnant with my son. I also contact Bastian and tell him that he needs to put a 24-hour guard on Kenna.

The conversation with Kenna went over about as well as I expected it to. She has been enjoying her newfound freedom, and now I'm taking it away, or at least she perceives me as taking it away. It's Tana who finds a way to get her to concede.

"Kenna, these are the same people that shot harpoons into our wings and brought us to the ground. Both of us. Even if I'm there, I can't shift. Avani, Kaylani, and Zephyr may not get there in time, and Cedric's entire pack would die trying to save you. Do you really want their deaths on your conscience just because you wanted to fly?"

I hear her sigh over the phone. "No, Momma. I don't want anyone dying trying to save me, especially if I was being selfish."

"That’s my girl. You can still fly, and when you do, make sure you are looking around to see if anyone is trying to sneak up on the pack …”

“Actually, that’s a great idea,” I jump in. “Kenna, would you be willing to fly patrols with my patrol teams? They could be on the ground in case they catch a scent, but you could be in the air, searching for threats.”

“Really, Papa? I could help protect the pack?” Kenna asks excitedly.

“That would be a great help, sweet girl. Would you do that for me?”

“Yes, Papa. I could do that. I can fly all day if you need me to.”

I chuckle at her enthusiasm. “I don’t want you to overextend yourself, Kenna. If someone attacks when I’m not there, I need you to be ready to fight with the pack. I’ll talk to Bastian and have him put you on the schedule.”

In an instant, I hear her feet running and the sound of air whooshing through the phone as she pulls it from her ear, racing through the packhouse. “Bastian! Bastian!”

“Kenna, what’s wrong?” I hear my Beta ask her.

“Here, my Papa wants to talk to you.” I can hear the phone changing hands.

“Cedric?”

“Bastian, can you put Kenna in the patrol cycle? She’s going to fly with the patrols and help keep watch over the pack lands.”

He chuckles. “Is that why she’s jumping around like she’s got ants in her pants?” he asks, and I can hear the fondness for my daughter in his voice.

“That would be it,” I reply with a laugh.

“I’ll get her put into the rotation.”

“Also, I’m staying here during the week until Tana can move home permanently. If you need me for anything, let me know.”

Over the next several weeks, I practice with both Tana and Kenna. My fire gets a little stronger, but it’s a lot harder than I was expecting. I was able to heal Tana easily, but drawing the fire from within me and pulling it into my hand takes a lot of effort and concentration. They make it look so easy.

“It will be easy for you one day, too, Papa. It’ll be just like howling or any other wolfy thing you do that comes naturally,” Kenna says to me after a particularly difficult session.

When Tana’s notice is finally over, I’m relieved. This month has been good for her to get used to being in the pack. She’s adjusted to the pack life slowly, and now that she’s showing, her boss was more understanding of her moving to contract work, just like Edur said he would.

The mural on our bedroom wall took longer than Tana thought, but in the end, it’s incredible. She had my artists paint an image that feels like you’re in a cave, looking out onto an expanse of ocean and sky. The only ‘land’ that you can see is what looks like the cave entrance.

When it’s done, I wrap my arms around her from behind. “Do you feel better now, feeling like our bedroom is a cave?”

She turns her head, looking at me over her shoulder. “This room is my new cave of treasures. All of my most precious possessions are here. I just created the look of it so it would make my dragon feel more comfortable.”

I turn her in my arms. “I am your most precious possession?”

“Cedric, you are my everything. I love our children, of course, and I’m learning to love our pack. But you are now and will always be the most important thing to me.”

My love and passion for this woman washes over me. I’m not sure if it’s her feelings for me or mine for her. It doesn’t matter. Our all-encompassing love for each other is the same. And I spend the next few hours showing my mate just how precious she is to me.