The Arena novel Chapter 53

As I walk to the door, I hear Cedric ask if she’s his daughter. My heart stutters in my chest. I can’t lose her.

“Shh, shh.” I hear him cooing to her, trying to calm her. I see him holding her, gently rocking his body to soothe her as the elevator pings behind him.

He pulls back and looks at her. “You’re a dragon,” he says and looks up at me.

Her lips quiver as she nods. “Do you not want me because I’m a dragon?” she asks him.

She’s worried he won’t want her, and I’m worried that he’ll steal her away from me.

“Baby girl, I’d want you even if you were a human. You’re mine. My beautiful baby girl.” He scoops her up and carries her into our apartment as she cries on his shoulder.

He kisses her hair and her face, and when she lifts her head, he kisses her nose and forehead before looking at her as if he’s never seen a child before.

He turns and looks at me. “How? How is my daughter a dragon?”

“She’s a hybrid.” I shrug. “She could have been a wolf or a dragon. She got my dragon genes. But apparently, she got your Alpha aura.” I look at him for a moment. “You may as well come in. You, too, Bastian.”

Cedric turns to see Bastian walking in with Ishir. He looks from Ishir, back to me. “You live here? Together?”

“Separate rooms, idiot,” Ishir says as he passes Cedric, kissing Kenna’s head before running his hand over her hair.

“Jena and Palila live here, too,” my daughter tells him. He’s still holding her like he never intends to let her go.

“And who are Jena and Palila?” he asks her.

“Mate,” Bastian says, his voice full of wonder as he looks toward the kitchen where Jena just walked out. She is staring back at him wide-eyed.

Ishir stops, turning to look at Bastian before turning to her. “Jena?”

She glances at Ishir before looking back at Bastian and nodding her head. I blow out a breath.

“Why don’t the two of you go out onto the balcony and get to know each other? Palila, can you set the table for two more, please?”

Palila is standing, watching her sister. Her eyes have a mixture of happiness and sadness in them. I would guess she is happy that her sister met her mate, sad that she hasn’t, and that she will now be separated from her sister.

I’m also losing my babysitter, so I’m glad that Kenna is almost of age in dragon years.

“Do you want to see my room?” Kenna asks Cedric.

“I would love that,” he says, looking at me. The smile on his face is brilliant. I knew my daughter had nothing to worry about. Of course, Cedric would want her. She’s perfect. Thankfully, I know him well enough to know it’s not because she’s a dragon but because she’s his daughter.

As they walk toward Kenna’s bedroom, I turn to help Palila.

“Are you okay, Tana?”

I look at Ishir for a long moment before shaking my head. He pulls me into a hug and whispers in my ear. “I won’t let him take her. I promise.”