Gunther was used to spending a lot of time with the dragons. He had to work around his coven’s demands, but he’d rather be with the dragons than with the people he’d grown up with.

There was no deep meaning to it. The dragons were more welcoming and better people as far as Gunther was concerned. He wouldn’t say that every mage in his coven was a bad person, but unfortunately the leaders were quite selfish. That was why they’d never seen Gunther’s activities with the clan with a good eye. They hated that Gunther didn’t make the clan pay when they needed his help, but Gunther would rather die than ask Elijah to pay for what he did. They were friends, and he was happy to keep the clan safe in any way he could for free.

The clan had a desperate need to be kept safe.

Gunther looked around the breakfast table. He knew almost everyone sitting there, some of them quite well. He couldn’t imagine them having to fight to the death and losing so many people. What the cockatrices were doing wasn’t right, but it was too late to try and stop them. The only thing Elijah and his dragons could do was fight when the cockatrices and the Guillory coven finally struck.

Gunther tightened his hand around his fork. He hated the Guillory coven even more than his own coven. The leaders of his coven were selfish and thought only about gaining power and money and ensuring that the coven had a good reputation. But the Guillory coven didn’t care about reputation. If anything, Elijah suspected they enjoyed being feared. Why else would they have allied with the cockatrices? Why else would they want to take down Elijah and his clan? They wanted power, and they wouldn’t stop at anything to obtain it. They were using the cockatrices, and while that gave him a bitter feeling, Gunther was pleased with the knowledge that eventually, the cockatrice leader would become their target. The Guillory coven wouldn’t stop with the dragons, and the cockatrices would find out soon enough.

“What did that fork do to you?” Roslin asked from Elijah’s left.

Elijah smiled at him and tried to banish the bad thoughts filling his mind. Yes, the war was coming, but he couldn’t think about that right now. He had a new home with the dragons, and he wanted to enjoy the feeling that for once, someone cared about him. “Thinking about family.”

Roslin grimaced. “They can be infuriating sometimes, and I actually like my family. I can’t imagine what it’s like for you.”

“I like part of my family. My parents are too close to the coven leaders, but my siblings have always been on my side.”

Roslin didn’t look convinced. “I haven’t met them. They’ve never helped the clan, have they?”

Gunther sighed. “Not because they don’t want to. I’ve kept them away. I already knew  I’d leave the coven, and I’ve been planning for it. The coven is their entire life, though. It wouldn’t have been fair to drag them into my problems.”

Roslin hummed as he took a bite of pancakes. “Are you sure it wouldn’t have been? They’re adults, aren’t they?”

“They are,” Elijah confirmed.

“Then maybe you should let them make their own decisions. We’ve tried to keep Olsen away from all this mess, considering he doesn’t have any kind of ability, but he told us to fuck off, and he was right. He might not be a psychic, but that doesn’t mean we should keep him out of what’s happening. I mean, we don’t love him just because he’s useful. Besides, it’s not like we’re any better protected. We can see ghosts and manipulate them, but that won’t help us against a cockatrice shifter. The same goes for you. I know you want to protect your siblings, but maybe you’re doing the opposite and forcing them to stay with the coven. Maybe they don’t believe they have alternatives.”

Gunther frowned at his bacon. Was Roslin correct? Gunther had always tried to keep his brother and sister out of what he was doing with the clan because of how clearly the coven disliked it. He hadn’t wanted to create more trouble for Judd and Margaret. He didn’t care what the coven leaders thought of him, and he spent a lot of his time away from the coven house anyway, but they didn’t. They lived there full-time and worked with the leaders. They’d both found their jobs through the coven leaders, so they needed them.

Or maybe not.

It was worth thinking about. Gunther didn’t want to involve them in the fight against the cockatrices and the Guillory coven, but like Roslin had said, it wasn’t his choice to make. His siblings were both adults, so maybe he should tell them what was happening and let them decide.

“What’s going on?” Elijah asked from Gunther’s other side.

Gunther turned to look at him. Like always, his chest squeezed at the sight of his best friend. Gunther both loved and hated the strong feelings he had for his dragon. He wasn’t sure he would survive if Elijah weren’t his friend, but at the same time, how was he supposed to not be in love with him when he was so perfect?

There were deep wounds in Elijah’s past, but he’d healed, and as he’d done so, he’d created the clan. It was a safe place for dragons who didn’t have another place to go, or at least it was supposed to be. With the cockatrices deciding to attack them, it was getting harder, and the clan dragons were paying for it, which hurt Elijah. Gunther wished there was more he could do for him, but he couldn’t face the Guillory coven on his own.