Page 87 of Dragon Tempted

He squeezed her shoulders. “I know that Father’s affection was conditional and it messed up all of us. I was always second-guessing myself as clan leader. And I almost died because I took everything on my shoulders and kept what was happening a secret. But you don’t have anything to prove, and you can learn from my mistakes. Which means you can let the rest of us help you when you need it. Asking for help doesn’t make you weak.”

She smiled. “You sound like John. He told me the same thing.”

Adam looked at her for a moment before speaking, “You’ve been spending a lot of time with John.”

“I have. Is that a problem?” she asked.

“No.” He blew out a hard breath. “I guess I still don’t trust him.”

“You ended up with Tessa, Adam. You don’t have anything to worry about. The picture Lily drew of John and Tessa holding hands didn’t happen.”

“I’m not worried about Tessa and my relationship. But John has made it clear that he’s only interested in breaking this curse. He’s spent his whole life mired in it, and that has left some big scars that none of us can understand.”

She nodded. “We all have scars. It’s a matter of choosing to dwell on them as past failures or seeing them as trials we’ve overcome along the way.”

“True. Just be careful when it comes to John. And before you ask, that’s big brother advice, not prior clan leader advice.” Adam pulled her in for a hug and her heart warmed at the show of affection. “When it comes to this clan, there is no one better suited to run it. Don’t doubt yourself.”

Chapter 30

Sienna looked around the office at her family by blood and by choice. Adam, Tessa, Eric, and Megan were there along with Marcus who was like an uncle to her, which made Jonas her too-smart-for-his-own good cousin. Of course her bestie, Ryan, was there too. She could rely on all of them which is why she really needed to stop letting the weight of the world rest on her shoulders.

And then there was John. She watched him standing to the side, his arms folded across his chest to keep everyone at bay. In reality, he wanted to be a part of their clan as well, he just didn’t know it yet. Or, refused to entertain the idea that he was worthy of having a family.

Jonas had given them the green light on the file Mia sent, so Megan had been reviewing it and wanted to talk through what she’d found.

Megan stood next to a whiteboard. Her inner teacher really appeared to be kicking in with all this research. “The file Mia sent is a compilation of what she’s been able to collect regarding the dragon sentries. As John already told us along with the little bit of history I found in the archives, the sentries kept the peace in the magical world. What’s interesting was that according to Mia’s research, dragons weren’t born as sentries. The job was bestowed to them.”

“What does that mean?” Eric asked.

“It means that dragons were chosen to become sentries,” Megan responded.

“How?” Tessa asked. “Were they given jewelry with the symbol like Adam and Eric wear?”

“Possibly. But I think it’s more complicated than that.”

Sienna sighed. “Does it say in the research who in the clan got to choose the sentries?”

Megan shook her head. “Not really. In the storybook the oldest brother was given the shield by an oracle. And Adam got his pendant from your mother.”

Eric frowned. “Maybe Mom was an oracle and she kept it a secret.”

“In the very least, she was a descendent, as is Sienna. And you gave Eric his ring,” Megan added.

“So are we saying that oracles pick the sentries?” Sienna asked.

Tessa leaned forward. “How could Bella and Lily do that? They’re too young.”

“Possibly.” Megan looked at her notes. “But I think it’s more than that. Mia’s research has notations about sentries having special powers.”

“What kind of powers?” Adam asked.

Megan pointed to the board. “Nothing specific so far. It just keeps saying peacekeepers.”

John uncrossed his arms. “If they were all powerful, how did the Templars destroy them?”

“A combination of sheer numbers and surprise back then. According to Mia’s notes, the Templars have shrunk in size until only a handful exist today.”

“She said the same thing to Ryan and me at the hotel. She called them the Templar Ten. Does it say how dragons get these powers or become sentries?” Sienna asked.