The Arena novel Chapter 66

“What's that?” I ask, staring at my mate. Did she just say she’s 70 years old? How is that possible?

“I said, I’m nearly 70 years old, Cedric. Dragons live longer than humans and other shifters.”

“But you look like you’re in your 20s. Like me.”

“Dragons stop aging once we get to our mid-20s. So, until I met you, I could have looked like this for centuries. Avani is over 200 years old.”

I feel like my head’s about to explode. When Tana said dragons live longer than other shifters, I thought she meant maybe fifty years, not hundreds of years.

“Wait, you said until you met me. What does that mean?”

“Your lifespan will extend past that of a normal shifter, but my life will only continue as long as yours does. A dragon cannot live without their rider. I don’t actually know, since I’m too young, but I don’t remember hearing stories of dragons living hundreds of years with their riders. So, I assume my lifespan will be shorter than most dragons.”

“How long can you have children?” I ask.

Tana shrugs. “My mother was close to 200 years old when I hatched.”

I feel my mouth opening and closing, but nothing comes out. Tana waits me out.

“So, we could potentially have children for a hundred years?”

She shrugs again. “If you want that many, it’s possible.”

I’m just staring at her. My mind has gone completely blank. I still have so much to learn about being a dragon rider.

“So, back to the original discussion, I am an accomplished swordswoman. I’ve been wielding a sword since I was five, so nearly 65 years. And you don’t have to fight me if you don’t want to. I can still show you my ability without fighting you. But, just so we’re clear, you’d lose if you did fight me.”

I can't help but smile. Goddess, I love my fiery girl.

“Then, show me what you’ve got, beautiful.”

And she does. Her grace and strength make her moves look more like a dance than a fight. She swings her sword over her head, across her body, spinning and slicing the air.

“Okay. Hang on a minute.”?As much as I love watching her, I do want to see if she’s as good as she says she is.

I jog over to our training area and grab a shield and a long knife. I have no intention of using it, but based on the strength she just showed me, I’ll need something more than a shield to block her.

“Me, too,” I say to her. “I want to learn how to wield a sword like that, too. I doubt that it will be something that I need, but since we know another battle is coming, I’d like to be prepared.” I look at Kenna. “Plus, it’s something Kenna and I can do together.”

Kenna’s smile is huge, and she runs and jumps into my arms. “I’d like that, Papa.”

“Me too, beautiful. I need to know that my daughter can protect herself in more than just her dragon form. Like your Momma said, you can’t always use your fire, especially around the pack.”?

We fall into a routine with mornings being for pack warrior training. I have Kenna join me for that. She may be small in her human form, but her dragon is nearly mature, and her knowledge, strength, and intelligence are that of an adult. Tana insisted it was okay and that the stronger she is in her human form, the stronger she will be in her dragon form.

During the day, Tana works on our financials. She’s been getting things back to the place they should have been all along. She has a lot of ideas of alternate ways for us to bring in money, and I’ve given her complete control of our finances. We meet once a week to specifically discuss what she’s doing, where the money is going, and how it’s coming in. She’s even started presenting some investment ideas. I learned quickly that if Tana thinks it’s a good investment, then it is. The woman is amazing when it comes to money.

In the afternoons, Tana begins training me and Kenna in sword fighting. Several of my warriors wanted to participate, so I had Tana work with a metalsmith to create modern-day swords. Bastian and Galen also wanted to learn, and so did their mates. So, as the swords were forged, our afternoon class grew.

Over the next few months, Tana’s movements become increasingly limited as our son grows in her belly. He is an active baby, often waking Tana in the middle of the night with his kicks and punches. I love that he immediately responds when I touch her stomach, calming instantly. Some days, Tana will seek me out to have me touch her if he’s being too active and making her uncomfortable. I never mind stopping what I’m doing to touch my mate and calm my son. As he's grown, I've started purring at him, which not only relaxes him but also Tana. Kenna comes in every evening to talk to her brother before going to bed.

Life would be perfect if we didn’t have Troy looming over our heads. Neither Ishir nor my trackers have been able to find the newest arena, but we know it’s out there. Even the packs have started sending reports of missing pack members. I’ve had them increase security on their pack lands and have done the same on mine.

Tana is about a month from her due date when Troy attacks our pack with his army of shifters.