Orion noticed how his father's sharp words affected Skylar. She had shrunk back into him slightly and wouldn't meet Leo's gaze. His dragon, who would never disagree with his Alpha, rose up angrily, ready to defend Skylar.

"Dad," Orion said slowly, gently moving between his serious father and the woman he'd become oddly attached to in the last day. "I couldn't find them, just like I told you I wouldn't. But I found Skylar, who needs our help."

"Skylar," the older man said slowly, still staring at the female behind Orion. Victoria had a hand on Leo's forearm, and Orion could tell that she wanted to chastise her mate for his callous behavior, but wouldn't do so in front of Orion and Skylar. She would stand beside him, as was her place as Alpha female. "Where did you find her?"

"Percy and I encountered her in the kingdom of Trael, while searching for our lost members. She was being held hostage. Someone found out what she was, and Percy and I stepped in."

A growl tore from Leo's throat at Orion's words, and Orion couldn't stop himself from responding in kind. He loved his father dearly, looked up to him, but he wouldn't let him be so harsh with Skylar. Only Orion was allowed to do that. Anyone else who wanted to try would have to go through him. Leo noticed Orion's behavior and narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but relaxed.

"Step forward, Skylar," his father ordered. "Please."

Skylar obeyed, skirting around Orion slowly and raising her head to meet Leo's intense gaze. Leo studied her for a moment before speaking in a gentler tone. "How were you discovered?"

Skylar glanced at Orion before answering. Orion tried to look encouraging; he knew from experience what an intimidating man his father could be. "He suspected what I was. He provoked me into anger, and I couldn't stop my eyes from flashing."

Leo pursed his lips and narrowed his own coal black eyes. "And does this man know where you are now?"

"No, he does not."

Leo nodded. "Good. I would like a moment with my son, if you would please. Victoria, perhaps you could take her to the infirmary and see what Nana is up to, if she needs any help."

"Of course, darling," Victoria said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek before grabbing Skylar's hand and leading her away. Orion watched them leave, wanting nothing more than to accompany Skylar, but he knew he had to speak with his father. Leo motioned for Orion to follow him into his office, where he took a seat behind the large desk, facing Orion. Orion sat in one of the stuffed chairs across from his father and waited, ready to relay every scrap of information he had about Skylar.

Leo grabbed two crystal glasses and a bottle of whiskey from inside of his desk and poured them each a glass. Orion took his gratefully and waited for Leo to drink first. He was surprised when his father raised the glass slightly. "Don't think I'm not glad to have you home, Orion, because I am. I'm just surprised you brought home a strange dragon, that's all."

Orion shrugged. "She needed help. I couldn't just leave her."

"She couldn't help herself? She's a dragon."

"She's a special case."

"Hmm," Leo studied Orion closely, in the way that always made Orion believe the man knew more than he was letting on. "Tell me about her."

So Orion did. He relayed everything, from finding her, to her being afraid of him, to suppressing her dragon, and the knights that had chased them. He included their run in with the bear, and Leo found that incredibly amusing. Orion tried to keep emotion from leaking into his explanations, but despite his best efforts, he knew he was letting on to the fact that he was fond of Skylar. And Leo was one of the most observant men he'd ever met.

"So," Leo huffed when Orion finished, "all that, and you still decided to take her in. People are obviously looking for her, it would have been easy to let her go. Knights were after her, she's an important human, no matter what she tells you. She would have been protected."

Orion ran a hand through his hair. "She was a danger to us, with someone knowing she existed. She'd give away the secrets of our kind."

"And that's the only reason?"

"Should there be another one?"

Leo frowned and shook his head. "Not really. I'm just surprised you didn't recognize her."

Orion leaned back in his chair and stared at his father. Did he know who Skylar was? Orion didn't forget people, especially not with his sense of smell. He would have recognized her instantly, had he ever met her before, which he had not.

"Alright, perhaps not recognized her, but have pieced together something about her," Leo leaned forward to rest his elbows on his desk. "I'm a little disappointed Orion. I met her exactly ten minutes ago and I already have suspicions as to who she is. Dragons don't have human parents, son, they have to have dragon parents. She had to have come from somewhere."

Orion shrugged, having no clue as to what his father was getting at.

Leo sighed. "She's roughly twenty-one years old, red-hair, grew up among humans, and has an Alpha aura. Despite her meek response to me, I felt her strength. She's powerful, that one. Once she connects with her dragon, she'll never look down at her feet again, never refuse to meet someone's eyes. Because she's an Alpha. Which means she had at least one Alpha parent."

And then it clicked. Orion had only been three when it happened, but he had remembered his mother and father's panic trying to find Kiara, the lost infant of Kellan and Penelope. She'd been kidnapped, Kellan almost killed, his sister murdered right in front of him. If his brother-in-law hadn't returned, Kellan would likely have been killed as well. And then he and Penelope wouldn't have had Cassie, Orion's betrothed.

"Kiara," Orion breathed. How had he not realized it?

Leo nodded with a small smile pulling at his scarred face. "That's my hunch, of course there's no proof. It has happened that an Alpha has been born to non-Alpha parents, but it isn't often. And no first-generation Alpha is that strong. I never saw Kiara myself, never learned her scent, even though it's likely changed in twenty-one years."

Orion leaned back in his chair in shock. Had he really found the missing infant, completely by chance? The fact that Leo had realized within ten minutes of meeting Skylar reminded Orion that he still had so much to learn, despite the fact that he was getting ready to take over from Leo, taking on more responsibilities.

"Dad, what does this mean?"

"Nothing," Leo said quickly. "Not yet, anyway. We don't know for sure if it's her, even though it's likely. Besides, Kellan and Penelope... they've accepted that she's dead, and the poor girl doesn't know who she is. Turning her over to them would be difficult all around, especially since she has no idea how to be a dragon, or even how to shift on her own. All this means is that we have an important person in our midst, and it's our job to turn her into a respectable member of dragon society. And it's probably best that we don't tell Skylar. Poor thing has enough to wrap her head around."

Orion nodded in agreement. He wouldn't tell Leo, but he didn't like the idea of just handing Skylar over to Kellan and Penelope. He'd taken her into his care, and it didn't sit right with him thinking about sending her off with a bunch a strangers. Sure, he was a stranger, but she knew him better than she did any other dragon at the moment and at least trusted him a little bit. He ran his hands over his face. What a mess they'd fallen into, simply because he'd decided to save the dragon from a life of imprisonment.

"Kellan and his family are coming to visit in a few weeks, so that I can spend time with Cassie," Orion told Leo. "I was intending to be back by then, from our search. What if they see her?"

"We can't exactly hide her, that would be disrespectful to both parties. If they recognize her, they recognize her, and then we'll know for sure if she is who we suspect. We don't need to make a big deal of it, and a few weeks is enough time to train her and allow her to connect with her dragon. We'll have to play it by ear, I suppose." Leo shook his head and laughed. "I tell you to find two rogue dragons and instead you possibly find the lost daughter of one of my closest friends."

"What can I say? I go above and beyond," Orion shrugged, grinning at his father. Stern as Leo could be, he'd always been a loving father. Not particularly affectionate, but he was quick with words of praise and treated his sons with respect. He was supportive and patient with them, especially when they were younger and simply learning how to be people. Watching Leo cope after Valerie's death had been the hardest thing Orion had ever had to do. Leo had pulled away when Orion and Olly needed him most, and when he needed them most. Luckily Victoria had been there to help pick up the pieces.

"Do you think we should tell everyone about Skylar's... condition?" Leo asked, sipping his whiskey.

Orion shook his head. "I think we should explain that she's going to be staying with us, and that she isn't from a clan. Beyond that I think it would only cause problems for Skylar."

"I was thinking the same thing. I don't think we'll have to worry about her having troubles with her dragon for long; she strikes me as a fast learner."

"I think she will be," Orion nodded. "The problem is that she has to want to."

Leo rose from his seat. "If anyone can convince her that being a dragon is a good thing, it's you my boy. C'mon now, let's go make sure Victoria and Nana are taking good care of her."

Orion followed his father out of the Big House, toward the infirmary in the heart of the village. Nana lived in the apartment above the shop, declining to live in the Big House with the rest of the Alpha family. The woman loved her independence and wasn't convinced that she would have it while living under the watchful eye of her family.

"So, Olly started doing patrol?" Orion asked his father, recalling how his brother and his friend, Fiona, who happened to be Percy's future mate's younger sister, had greeted them as they had crossed over the line into the territory.

Leo chuckled. "Did he take it upon himself to do so? I never assigned him anything."

Orion shook his head at his brother's schemes. Olly was seventeen, seven years younger than Orion, and he was as stubborn as any Nogard man. He wanted more responsibilities as second in line for the title of Alpha. He wanted to be ready in case something happened to Orion that he wouldn't be able to take over. Leo was hesitant to give Olly those responsibilities, as Olly was a little too enthusiastic and had the attention span of a squirrel. He'd been going on patrol with Orion before he and Percy left, but he wanted to do it on his own. So apparently he had taken it upon himself to do so today.

"At least he's trying to work and not getting into trouble," Leo sighed.

"With Olly, work can be trouble," Orion pointed out.

His father nodded in agreement with an amused grin. They walked on, Leo asking about Orion's journeys and the affairs of the humans. They had very little interaction with humans, but it was always good to know what they were doing, what the news was. Nothing big was happening in the kingdoms that Orion had heard about, although plenty of royals and nobles had flocked to Trael for a party of some kind. That was the most exciting thing they'd heard. Everything was well with the humans, it seemed.

They were greeted enthusiastically by the members of the clan as they reached the village. With just over 100 members, even though a third of them were children, it was one of the larger clans in the area. The only one larger was the Eastern Clan, Kellan's clan, with about 150 dragons as a part of it.

The nice thing about a manageable number was that everybody knew everybody. The bad thing was that because everybody knew everybody, word traveled nearly as fast as someone could speak. Orion wasn't surprised to hear nearly everyone in the Square talking about Skylar. And the Square was at its busiest, as dusk was coming upon them and everyone was coming outside as shops closed and the herds of cattle and flocks of sheep were being driven back closer to home, rather than the far meadows where they spent their days.

The infirmary was quiet, likely because Nana had driven everyone away. She wouldn't appreciate nosy customers who simply wanted a look at Skylar and didn't really need anything.

"You really have to work it to get it ground up nice and fine. Don't worry about being too rough," Nana's voice carried out the door as Orion and Leo approached. Orion stuck his head in to see Skylar with a mortar and pestle being put to work. The tip of her tongue stuck out slightly as she concentrated on her work, causing Orion to smile. She was incredibly cute as she focused on following Nana's instructions.

Victoria sat on a chair in the corner next to the fire with her feet propped up on an empty basket. Her hands were folded neatly on her belly as she watched Nana teach Skylar how to properly use the mortar and pestle. It took her a moment to sense Orion and Leo's presence, but a smile broke out on her face when she saw them.

"I was wondering how long you boys would take. Skylar was on her way to being an expert by the time you got here," she teased. Leo rolled his eyes and moved over to kiss her forehead. Orion transferred his gaze over to Skylar to find her already watching him. Her cheeks reddened slightly and she went back to her work. Nana ran over and pulled Orion in for an embrace.

The tiny, white-haired woman was Orion's maternal grandmother and the greatest herbalist he'd ever known. She was passionate about plants and herbs and their uses, and that passion leaked into everyone around her. You only had to be around her for a few minutes before she began to teach you the art of medicine making. The fact that she was already letting Skylar use the mortar and pestle meant she saw great potential there.

"I knew you'd be back soon," Nana patted Orion's cheek sweetly. "And I like this new addition you brought with you. She knows her stuff."

Orion cocked and eyebrow at Skylar, who blushed deeply at the praise. "My... caretaker at home is an accomplished herbalist. She's very good, and I paid attention when she made mixes for me. I don't really know much beyond a few names and uses."

"Everyone has to start somewhere," Nana insisted. "And since I still have you here, I'm going to keep you at work, my dear. Orion, you too. Get over there."

Orion did as he was told, because no one said "no" to Nana. Leo laughed and pulled Victoria to her feet.

"I believe this is where we make our escape. Orion, we'll talk to everyone about our guest tomorrow," Leo said as he propelled Victoria out the door.

"Alright," Orion called after them. Nana ran by him to go collect something from her apartment upstairs, leaving him alone with Skylar for the first time since they were by the stream last night. His dragon was thrilled by this.

Skylar worked quietly for a moment, but it didn't last long. "Will people be angry I'm here?"

"No," Orion assured her. "And if they are, they can feel free to talk to me about it, and we'll see how well that goes for them."

Skylar laughed once. "Thanks."

"I'm the reason you're here, Skylar. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." He caught her gaze and held it. He could get lost in those blue eyes, he decided. They never stayed quite one shade, always changing. They weren't as vivid a blue as they were before, when she'd had the blue dress on. Now she had a brown shirt with black cloth pants Victoria had borrowed her, and her eyes were a softer tone of blue.

"I'm going to hold you to that," she said softly, her eyes glued to his. He wondered if she was as drawn to him as he was to her. He still wasn't sure what to make of this female, or her effect on him.

Orion didn't know what it was she stirred inside of him, but he'd never been so intrigued by a female before. Maybe it was her strange upbringing, or the fact that nearly everything about her was a mystery, but Orion was intent on figuring her out. Maybe that way he could back to being sure about everything in his life.

As he looked at her, he tried to connect her with Kiara, the infant no one in his clan had ever met. He tried to see the resemblance to Kellan, Penelope, Jed, or Cassie. The red hair certainly came from Penelope, and perhaps the full mouth and the set of the round eyes resembled Kellan, but she didn't look much like either of her possible siblings. There was really no way they could be sure of who she was, not until Kellan and Penelope saw her. He was reluctant to ever tell them about her, because then they would try to take her away and confuse her life even more.

The moment they were having was lost when Skylar broke their eye contact to look down at her work, her cheeks and neck reddening slightly. "Victoria is wonderful," she said to the table.

Orion nodded, even though she wasn't looking at him. "She's the best. I don't know what we would do without her. I'm sorry about my father, by the way. He usually isn't so... abrupt."

Skylar looked up at him again, her eyes shining mischievously. "He wasn't so bad. He reminded me of you."

"What? I'm not that bad!" Orion insisted.

"When we first met, yes you were," she laughed. "At least now I know you can't help it; the behavior runs in the family!"

Orion rolled his eyes, but chuckled with her. "Well, I hope your opinion of me improves as we get to know one another."

"Don't worry," she said gently, "it has improved greatly already."

"That's very good to hear," he smiled. "I suppose I can say the same about you."

"Why, thank you, Orion. I do try my hardest to please," she told him, smirking as she continued grinding herbs. She looked up the stairs and then at her work. "How do I know if I'm done?"

The fact that she was taking Nana's assignment seriously amused Orion, but also warmed his heart. Skylar had been through so much in the last day, and she was all alone in it. But she was taking everything in stride, and trying to make the best of her situation, when most people would have broken down and it would have been completely justified. A strange old woman told her to do something, and Skylar was doing it, and trying to do it well.

"Well, let's have a look," Orion abandoned his own work and walked around the table to look down at the mortar and pestle. The dried leaves were now a fine powder, due to Skylar's efforts. Her fine hands moved out of the way so he could see, and he wondered if it was the first real work they'd ever done, other than lady's work, like sewing and party planning. The soft skin of them was so different from his own work-hardened hands. He knew that the next few weeks would be hard on those soft hands, but she would get through it.

"It would appear that you're all done," he took the bowl from her and gave it a little shake to loosen the particles inside. The agitation caused the scent of rosemary to bombard his nostrils and he fought back the urge to sneeze. "Yeah, all done."

"How do you know? Maybe we should wait for Nana," she took the bowl and peered into it.

Orion scoffed mockingly. "You don't think I grew up with Nana, Victoria, and my mom, all expert herbalists, and manged to avoid learning how to prepare herbs and plants?"

"Really?" she looked around the infirmary, at the weathered table and shelves and shelves of salves and dried ingredients. "You spent a lot of time here as a child?"

"Everyday for as long as I can remember," he nodded, and she made a face. "Why? Is that bad?"

"No, I'm simply learning there's more layers to you than the hard exterior," she told him, setting the bowl aside.

Before Orion could respond, Nana came bustling down the stairs. "All done?"

"I think so, according to Orion," Skylar peered skeptically into her bowl. Nana waved her hand nonchalantly.

"The boy knows what he's doing, I trust his judgement." Nana winked one of her pale blue eyes, and took the rosemary from Skylar to put it in a container for safekeeping. She turned her intense gaze on him and motioned to the stool. "You, sit."

"Why?" he asked, even as he did as he was told. He perched on the stool in front of her as she placed some strips of cloth in the boiling cauldron of water that always hung over the fire. Nana never knew when she would need boiling water, and in her profession she often did.

"Don't play coy with me, Orion," she warned as she bustled around the room picking up various salves to study them before finding the right one. "Victoria told me about your arm. You didn't think you'd get away without being tended to, did you?"

Orion shook his head and glanced at Skylar, who watched the exchange with great interest. "Skylar did just fine, taking care of me."

"I'm sure she did, as a temporary solution. We need to clean it and possibly stitch it up if it's bad enough."

Orion made a face. "I really don't think it's that bad, Nana."

"I'll be the judge of that. Now off with your shirt," she tugged at it with impatience and he pulled the clean shirt over his head to give her access to his arm. His grandmother clicked her tongue as she studied the dirty, blood stained cloth wrapped around his upper arm. She muttered something about being as stubborn as his father and pulled the cloth off his arm. He hissed in surprise as the dried blood tugged at the wound and jerked away from her slightly.

Nana smacked his shoulder. "Sit still, boy." Skylar giggled quietly and covered her mouth with her hand, but her eyes were shining as she watched his grandmother push him around. He winked at her and let Nana get around to the ministrations.

"Skylar, love," she summoned Skylar with a tone that implied they were old friends, instead of having met less than an hour ago. "Could you grab those cloths out of the cauldron to let them set for a minute and then wring them out when they cool off?"

"Of course," Skylar grabbed a pair of tongs from the table next to the fire and went about her chore while Nana studied his wound. It had continued bleeding after Skylar had tied it, so it appeared worse than it was, but Nana would look at it closely to make sure nothing else was wrong, and that infection wasn't setting in.

"What's the verdict, Nana? Will I keep the arm?" Orion teased, although he was well aware that men could die from a lot less if they weren't taken care of properly.

Nana narrowed her eyes at him, but patted his shoulder. "Yes, I believe you'll be fine. And, no, you don't need stitches."

When Skylar returned with the hot clothes, Nana grabbed one and wiped the wound clean. She was far from gentle, probably punishing Orion for being careless, but she was quick about it. Skylar watched closely as Nana dabbed a cream over the wound.

"What is that?" Skylar asked as she sniffed daintily. "It smells wonderful."

"It does, doesn't it? It keeps the wound from getting inflamed. Rosemary and peppermint. Rosemary to heal, peppermint to relieve pain. Here, would you take over for a minute while I go get those cloths ready bandage him up?" she handed the vial to Skylar and bustled away. Orion watched her hesitate for a moment before gathering herself and scooping up the cream onto her finger. She began rubbing it onto his arm and he tried not to focus to much on the fact he quite liked her hands on him.

"Is this okay?" she asked softly. "I'm not hurting you?"

"No, Skylar, you're doing fine," he assured her, although she wouldn't meet his eyes. He looked over at Nana, who had a suspiciously smug smile on her face as she gathered up the strips of cloth, a job Skylar easily could have done.

Skylar's soft fingers dabbed a bit more cream on the wounds, gently pressing as she had seen Nana do. Orion was very aware that he did not have a shirt on, and Skylar was incredibly close. He wondered if she could hear his heart rate increase with every brush of her fingers.

Nana returned to them, holding up the bandages proudly. "Alright, let's get you all wrapped up." She handed Skylar the bandages and instructed her on how to properly tie them so they wouldn't fall off when he moved. Skylar was a fast learner, listening to the instructions once and then executing them efficiently and correctly. Orion was happy enough to be her first experiment in the art of healing. He felt that the infirmary would be a good place for her when they weren't training in the art of shifting and other basic necessities to being a dragon. He couldn't be with her all the time, no matter how much he wanted to, and he was happy with the knowledge that she'd have a place to go where she'd be effective, could learn, and allow the curious clan members to approach her without being rude.

"Wonderful job, Skylar," Nana praised her, placing her hands on Skylar's shoulders and squeezing. "You have a knack for healing, if I do say so myself. You two run off now. I'll be over to the Big House soon for dinner."

"Oh," Skylar looked around as Orion stood up, put his shirt back on, and moved toward the door. "I thought you needed more help?"

Nana laughed sweetly and put a hand on Skylar's arm. "You're too sweet, darling. I won't put you to anymore work, you just got here! Tomorrow you can come with me and I'll show you the places to find the best plants that I don't grow myself. I don't let Victoria come along anymore, not in her condition, so I would love some company."

"I think I would like that very much," Skylar grinned, her whole face lighting up. "Thank you."

"Of course, darling. Go on with Orion now, and I'll see you for dinner," she patted Skylar's shoulder before moving over to hug Orion. She pulled him down so she could whisper in his ear quietly enough so Skylar didn't hear. "I don't know where you found her, but she's a good one."

Orion agreed wholeheartedly as he led Skylar away from the infirmary, into the Square to head back to the Big House. He could feel curious glances from the clan members, but he ignored them, focused only on Skylar.

"That was very kind of you," Orion told her as they walked side by side. "Nana loves having help."

"Oh, it's not a big deal," Skylar twisted her fingers together in front of her shyly. "I want to learn. Your grandmother is sweet, and it's very interesting work. Besides, Greta would love if I could help her with her herbs when I go home."

Orion didn't have the heart to tell her that he didn't know if they'd ever let her go home, not until the threat of their exposure was eliminated and she understood her dragon enough that she could hide effectively. He didn't want to have that conversation now, not while they were getting along, so he focused on her slip up of a detail of her life. "Greta?"

"Oh," Skylar's eyes widened as she realized her mistake. "Greta- Greta is my caretaker. Or she was when I was little. Now she's my... lady's maid. I don't like to refer to her like that, though. She's far to important to me to simply be considered simply a servant."

So she had servants. Any doubt Orion had about her human parents being nobles was washed away with that statement. The only question was just how noble she was, how important she was, and how vigorously her parents would be searching for her.