Searching for Thanksgiving (Dragonlings of Valdier)

Chapter 1

1

T he Massive Cavern Beneath The Palace of Valdier:

Prince Ha’ven Ha’darra of the Curizan strode into the noisy workroom, clutching a small piece of fabric in his hand. He warily scanned the room. The last thing he wanted was for any of the women to know why he wanted a meeting with the other fathers. He weaved his way through the hodgepodge of parts, tables, and equipment in the underground workshop, and as he came closer, Kelan Reykill met his gaze.

It looked like the Valdier prince was discussing a design with his younger brother, Creon, and Dulce, one of the lead designers for the underground amusement park that Kelan’s sister-in-law Cara had designed. At the sight of Ha’ven, however, Kelan wrapped up the conversation, and the group split up. Kelan and Creon started across the room in his direction, and Kelan raised an eyebrow at the wild look in Ha’ven’s eyes.

“What’s the matter?” Kelan demanded.

“ I need a—” He paused as he felt the energy in the room expanding. He took a deep breath, and it settled back to its former state.

“What’s the matter? Are you losing control? Do you want me to send for Emma?” Creon asked, gripping his forearm.

Ha’ven sighed and shook his head. “No. I… need a meeting with you—well, with all the dads.”

Creon and Kelan looked at each other with wide eyes before they muttered an expletive under their breaths and took off. Ha’ven impatiently waited as the two brothers rounded up the rest of the group. He fingered the material in his hand with a growing sense of panic.

What am I going to do? This might cause another war!

The thought of going to war with the men he respected and thought of as family made his stomach turn. He followed the group into a nearby office.

He nervously paced back and forth, silently counting as the men entered. Creon, Kelan, Zoran, Mandra, Viper, Vox, Paul, Cree, Calo, his own brother, Adalard… A low growl of frustration filled him when he noticed that Trelon was missing. He was about to ask when Trelon darted into the room with an apologetic grin.

“Sorry. When I heard there was a meeting with everyone, I figured it probably had something to do with my kids. Cara assured me that it wasn’t… at least not with Amber and Jade. They are helping Trisha and Morian make cookies,” Trelon breathlessly said before he slid into an empty chair at the long table.

“What’s the matter, Ha’ven?” Adalard quietly inquired, the way he was studying Ha’ven made it clear that he could see his brother’s energy pulsing.

The muscles in Ha’ven’s throat worked up and down as he tried to form the right words. He finally gave up, released a low savage curse, and tossed the material he had been clutching since early this morning onto the center of the table. His eyes flashed to Kelan as he imagined releasing his anger on the man.

Kelan frowned, leaned forward, and picked up the thin, dainty piece of material. Ha’ven gave a sharp nod when Kelan dropped the fabric as if he had been burned and sat back in his chair. Grim satisfaction coursed through Ha’ven that he wasn’t the only one who was shocked… disturbed… and horrified… at the realization of what was occurring.

Paul Grove reached over, picked up the fabric, and examined it before he looked at Ha’ven with barely suppressed amusement. “Ha’ven, you called an emergency meeting to discuss… bras?” Paul asked.

“Not just any bra! That bra— That bra belongs to Alice!” Ha’ven thundered, slapping his palms on the table.

He winced when the table cracked down the center. All the men except his brother, Adalard, scrambled out of the way. He glared at Adalard when his brother grinned and quickly repaired the damage he had caused. He pointed his finger at his brother and snarled.

“You think this is funny? Wait until you have to deal with the horny, aura-seeing boy who fancies Adaline!” Ha’ven snapped before he rounded on Kelan.

Kelan blanched. Ha’ven straightened, folding his arms across his chest, and he breathed deeply, trying to control his panic.

“Is this the first time you’ve folded Alice’s clothes? Amber and Jade have been wearing these for months now. You should have heard them shrieking the first time I pulled them out of the drying unit.” Trelon’s voice faded and he shook his head at the memory. “Yeah, the first time is a bit of a shock. It isn’t nearly as bad as when they both started their— Ouch! Why did you kick me?” he demanded, glaring at his brother.

“Because Kelan would like to live to see another day?” Creon retorted with a chuckle.

Trelon’s huff of exasperation and the rueful, commiserating look he gave Ha’ven was helping him calm down a little. Maybe he was overreacting… a touch.

Ha’ven pulled out the chair at the end of the table and warily flopped into it, studying the range of expressions on the men’s faces. Mandra and Viper looked relieved while Zoran grimaced and shook his head. Aurora, Zoran’s infant daughter, was still too young to worry about, but the kids grew fast! One day the Valdier king would appreciate his concern!

Ha’ven moodily studied the rest of the group. Cree and Calo were fastidiously looking at everything in the room except Alice’s pink training bra. Adalard had an expression that was a cross between wariness and sympathy. Vox looked clueless.

Nothing new there, Ha’ven thought with a sardonic shake of his head.

Creon’s eyes kept moving from the pink fabric to Vox, waiting for the inevitable outburst once the Sarafin understood the problem. Kelan’s eyes were beginning to show some panic, which made satisfaction course through Ha’ven. Only Paul sat calmly with an amused expression on his face.

“What do you find so amusing about this? You’ve got a daughter,” Ha’ven pointed out.

Paul chuckled. “Actually, I have two daughters. Have you forgotten that one of them is married to Kelan? I’ve already been through what you are experiencing. Trust me when I say, you’ll survive.”

“I know I’ll survive. I’m just not sure Kelan’s son will if he keeps looking at Alice the way he does,” he warned.

Kelan slammed his hands on the table and rose to his feet with a growl. “Are you threatening Bálint?”

“YES! I’ll threaten any damn male who looks at my daughter!” Ha’ven snapped.

“What’s wrong with Bálint looking at Alice? They’ve grown up together,” Vox said.

Trelon lifted his arms above his head and yawned. “Obviously, you haven’t been paying enough attention, Vox. Haven’t you noticed the way Roam is always sniffing around Spring?”

Vox scoffed. “You don’t think— They are just kids— Roam isn’t?—”

Trelon lounged back in his chair and waited. Almost immediately, the Sarafin King’s eyes locked on the pink fabric, and he paled. Vox launched himself to his feet with his hands on the table.

“That’s it. We’re at war,” Vox announced.