Dragon Blood

Seventeen: Handsome

"Silence." Leo commanded the clan. Orion stood to his right, and then Skylar next to him. Orion glanced down at Skylar and saw her unable to look at the clan. She was staring down at where her fingers twisted together nervously. He couldn't blame her... the reception of the clan hadn't been as positive as he'd been hoping or expecting. Leo's order only quieted the crowd for a moment before they erupted into protests again.

"She a nomad! She's dangerous!" one man shouted. Leo remained quiet, as did Orion, although he wanted to shout "Look at her! She's terrified! Does she look dangerous to you?" But he didn't, following his father's example. They stood in the amphitheater, one of the few places in the village large enough to accommodate the entire clan at once. All one hundred members were gathered, staring at Leo and Orion from the rows of benches lining the circular walls of the amphitheater. Zachariah, Leo's Beta, stood in the front row of people with Percy, Olly, and Victoria. Leo and Orion had told the four of them everything the night before, which included Skylar's bad relationship with her dragon, and that she'd grown up among humans. Percy seemed relieved to understand some of the things Skylar had said when they'd found her, Zachariah had listened quietly and then promised to not tell anyone and to follow Leo's lead on this one, which was why the Beta wasn't on the stage with them. Olly had been quiet and then found the whole thing fascinating. He'd never been among humans, he hadn't been allowed to go on their trading routes before, and he had so many questions for Skylar. All of which he'd been forbidden to ask.

When Orion had told Leo about the lack of progress with Skylar's dragon, he hadn't seemed as worried as Orion thought he would be. He apparently hadn't been as optimistic as Orion, who wasn't known for his optimism. They'd had a long discussion about what path to take while Skylar had been out with Nana, learning about herbs and hopefully staying out of trouble. One never knew what Nana would get up to, and what she'd drag Skylar into.

Leo seemed to think that the pressure point trick would work, and that no matter what path they took, breaking down the cage would be painful for Skylar. Orion was still looking for a better way because the last thing he wanted to do was cause Skylar any pain. Orion had been impressed with her resilience that morning; she'd lasted longer than he thought she would, which made him think she was really dedicated to freeing her dragon. For that, he thought she deserved a break.

"Nomads are not exclusively dangerous," Leo answered the man calmly, but his voice was laced with Alpha power. "You're confusing them with Wildlings."

"You said someone was after her!" a woman shouted from the middle of the crowd. "What if they track her here?"

Orion hadn't wanted to tell the clan that there was someone looking for Skylar, but Leo wanted to be as honest with their people as they could. They should know what to expect, he said. Just in case, he said. Orion could not have agreed less with that. He wanted Skylar as far below the clan's radar as possible, and labeling her as someone's target was not the way to do that.

"Humans can't survive in our territory. We have it enchanted. No human is getting to us alive."

"But what about-"

"Enough!" Leo roared. It wasn't often that the stoic Alpha raised his voice. Even when Orion was a child, his father had fixed him with a cold stare when he'd done something wrong, but he didn't yell often. "The girl stays. I am your Alpha, I decide the future of the clan, and you all know I would do nothing to endanger you. Skylar is under our protection, and Orion has taken responsibility for her. She steps out of line, she answers to him."

The way Leo said that made Orion sound like some sort of hard ass. He didn't think he was that bad, but the nods and murmurs of the crowd said otherwise. In his defense, his father was Leo Nogard. Leo wasn't exactly known for his gentle approach to clan members. Orion looked over at Skylar to find her already looking up at him, an amused smile on her face. He just knew it was because of how Leo had phrased that Orion was in charge of her. The corner of his mouth twitched at her, but he didn't smile; he couldn't let the clan members think he'd gone soft towards the new female in the clan.