Light Dragons 01 - Love in the Time of Dragons

trail of blood at that moment. The dragons were all on edge enough; I would have to speak later with Baltic, when we could discuss what it meant.
    “No,” Gabriel said, shaking his head as he looked at his mate. “I can’t believe that. It doesn’t make sense. Constantine wouldn’t do that.”
    Baltic growled something very rude. “Did you know him?”
    “No.” Gabriel’s fingers flexed. “But my father served as his guard. He would not have done so had Constantine been without honor.”
    “Well, I did know him. There was no one else with Ysolde’s body. I myself witnessed him telling her that he would do what he had to do. Is that not so, mate?”
    I nodded. “He was furious with Baltic, and wanted nothing more than to destroy him. He said he felt affection for me, but . . .”
    I stopped speaking, unwilling to speculate in front of the other dragons.
    “Do not distress yourself again, mate,” Baltic murmured in my ear, his arms tightening around me.
    “That doesn’t make sense,” Gabriel said, shaking his head, his hand seeking May’s hand as if for comfort.
    “Believe it, or don’t believe it—I don’t really care. In fact, at this moment, I’m inclined to go along with Baltic’s assertion that we don’t need anything to do with any of you, or with the weyr.” I clutched the love token I’d hung on a silver chain, sick of the constant struggle that seemed to fill my life now.
    “Well, I have no idea what to say to that,” Aisling said, glancing at Drake. “I have to admit, though, that I’m starting to think that maybe talking with Baltic is a good thing.”
    Bastian strolled over to us, and before either Baltic or I could react, punched Baltic smack-dab in the nose. “They tell me you’re Baltic even though you do not look like him. I am glad. You will suffer for a very long time before you die for the deaths of my dragons.”
    I held Baltic back when he would have jumped on Bastian. “Please, don’t,” I begged him. “He’ll just hit you back, and then I’ll end up turning him into a banana, which means I’ll have to ask Dr. Kostich for help, and he’ll just call you fat again, and that’ll lead to me wanting to punch out his lights, and we’ll all end up brawling until there’s nothing left but you, me, and a bunch of bananas. And some melted lemon sorbet.”
    Baltic looked like he was going to go ahead and deck Bastian anyway, but when I touched his cheek and said, “Please?” he refrained.
    “Febales!” he grumbled, his expression as black as his eyes. “I hope you like the looks of be with a crooked dose, because he just broke it.”
    “Oh!” I said, examining his face. His nose was swelling rapidly and had a decided list to the right. “Oh, dear. I don’t know how to set a nose. Gabriel, do you?”
    Gabriel stood silent, his lips in a mutinous line.
    “I’m sure he does,” May said, prodding her mate in the side. “Go on.”
    “No,” Gabriel said, staring daggers at Baltic.
    Bastian and Kostya nodded their agreement with Gabriel’s obstinate stand.
    “Oh, for the love of all the saints!” I said, pushed almost past my point of patience. “It’s just a nose!”
    “I’b fide,” Baltic said nasally.
    “You’re not fine. You need that set properly. Gabriel, please do this. If you insist on being stubborn, you can do it for my benefit, not for Baltic’s.”
    “Do you have any idea how many times he’s tried to kill me, kill my mate, or steal her in the last few months?” Gabriel said, pointing at Baltic. “I’m not going to set his damned nose.”
    “I nebber tried to kill your bate,” Baltic said with as much dignity as one could have with a nose approaching the approximate size, shape, and color of a ripe apple. “Steal her, yes. But not kill her.”
    “I won’t do it!” Gabriel said, but at a look from May, he marched forward, muttering things under his breath that I felt were better to pretend I didn’t hear, grabbed Baltic’s nose between his thumb and forefinger, and gave it a quick jerk. A horrible snapping sound made everyone present cringe. Everyone but Baltic, who swore profanely as he felt his poor, abused nose.
    “There. It’s set. Can we get on to the part of the day where we sentence Baltic to death?”
    A banana clipped him alongside his head. He shot a startled look at me.
    I, wearing an innocent expression, tended to the tiny bit of blood that seeped out of Baltic’s nostril, and said, “Why don’t all of