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She won’t kill him?”
    “Nah, she’s just pissed he’s avoided her for so long.” He sat with a thump and then I realized we were by ourselves. I Tracked the others in the household and found them either still asleep or, in Liam’s case, out for a run with Alex.
    I kept my back to him and watched the dueling dragons, seeing now they were both holding back. Blaz was no longer yelling inside my head—hell, how did he think I was going to help anyway?
    “How do I know you are really my uncle, or if you are my uncle, you’re not some evil ass relative who’s waited for years to get your revenge on my parents by trying to take me out?” Fuck, I felt like some twisted Disney princess saying that, but the possibility was there. Especially with my life.
    The sound of someone choking came behind me and then a cup being set on the table. I turned to see a very amused Erik leaning back in his chair.
    Before he said anything, a rather loud and peevish female dragon interrupted, her voice echoing inside my head loud enough that I knew I was not the only one hearing her words.
    Tracker. Come and deal with your lily-assed blue boy; I cannot talk any sense into his pea brain head.
    I didn’t wait for Erik to follow me; I was pretty sure he would. Hell, I had no doubt he’d set this up, even though he’d said he wouldn’t call Ophelia.
    Which went to prove my distrust was well placed. Already I knew I needed whatever knowledge he had about demons and fighting them, but I was keeping him on the outskirts of my circle. No need to let the viper in the front door, even if you needed his venom to poison the bad guys.
    Walking across the muddy farmyard, I circled to the back of the barn. Tracking Eve, I found her sound asleep too. It was like everyone was still on vacation, sleeping in, resting their bodies as much as possible. That we were all on the same page made me a bit jittery. Like we all knew the “big game” was coming and we were prepping. I didn’t like it, not one bit.
    Around the back of the barn I found the two dragons. Ophelia sat on her haunches, still as a statue, glaring at Blaz with his wings spread wide and his jaw open as if warning her off.
    “You two kids having fun?” I stopped and put my hands on my hips. Blaz tipped one eye toward me.
    This is not fucking funny, Tracker.
    I lifted my hands overhead. “Look, you two big-assed lizards figure this the hell out. I’m not a negotiator and I don’t relish the idea of trying to work out your breeding rights or who takes out the fucking garbage in your dragon relationship.”
    Ophelia’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened, showing off the deep brown edging the purple of her iris. I am not here for breeding rights. That is months away. I am here to help my rider. And quite frankly, I am here to help your scrawny ass, Tracker.
    Blaz snaked his head toward her going nose to nose. Don’t talk about my rider that way, bitch.
    Ophelia snarled and shoved him away. So, you do have some spine in there after all.
    Again, I held up my hands. “Stuff it, both of you. I’m going to Portland; Blaz is taking Liam and me.” I glanced at Erik leaning against the barn. “I suppose you and Ophelia are coming too?”
    Erik nodded the same time Ophelia did. Though on him, it looked like he held back a laugh, and Ophelia just looked smug.
    A black streak of fur ripped across the yard, mud flying in all directions. “Alex tooooooooooo!”
    Liam in his wolf form loped lazily along behind Alex, his tongue lolling out. He gave me a wink over one silvery golden eye as he stepped beside me, Alex right behind him. Alex pushed hard against my leg on one side, and Liam pressed against the other, heat from their bodies warming my legs in a split second. Submissive he was no more; Alex pressed harder, begging with his eyes as round as he could get them, his lips whispering “please, please, please.”
    “Fine, Alex, you can come too.”
    He leapt up and mud sprayed around him,