She pouted, and Max tousled his daughter's short hair. "Besides, we know you'll hit all the targets, even with the toy bow instead of a real one, and we can't have the others getting jealous so early, can we?"
Alena stood tall. "Maybe I can find a proper bow and show everyone my skills. It would be brilliant and make the opening that much better."
Lavinia rolled her eyes. "And this is why I wanted to wait until she was a little older before you taught her archery, Max."
Antony's wife, Iris—formerly Mahajan, but now Holbrook—spoke up. "It's never too early to learn how to use weapons. My boys could break bones with a slingshot, if needed."
Antony chuckled, putting an arm around his wife's waist. "They can indeed, my dear. Who needs hired guards when we have the twins to protect us?"
The two boys, who were a little younger than Alena, ignored the adults, and each took one of Alena's hands. "Come, Lena. Maybe we can find sharp rocks, throw them, and get them to stick in the trees."
Max raised his brows at his brother. "Please tell me you aren't encouraging knife throwing at this age?"
Antony shrugged. "Rocks were my compromise. Iris wants them to be able to protect themselves, no matter what their age is."
Lavinia laughed and leaned more against Max. "Well, as long as it's only trees and not anything else, I don't see what harm it could do. Make sure to stand clear of each other, though, when it comes to throwing."
The boys nodded. They were fraternal twins, and the slightly taller one replied, "Some boys want to do it with birds, but we would never. We never hurt the innocent and defenseless."
The statement might sound odd coming from a child, but since his parents were Antony and Iris, who'd worked most of their lives to protect others, it wasn't unexpected. "As it should be. Right, then be off but stay nearby. If I call and you can't hear me, you've gone too far."
Alena looked up at him. "Will you do a test shout, Dad?"
He raised his brows. "So you can get as far as possible without breaking the rules?" She grinned, and his heart melted.He added, "All right, love. Go, and in one minute, I'll shout for you."
The three children ran off to the nearby trees.
He slid a glance at his sister-in-law. "Please tell me you don't have sword training, or rifle training, or anything like that in the works until they're older."
Iris shook her head. "Of course not. But we're working on their hand-to-hand combat skills. Alena should learn that too."
As Lavinia and Iris debated what should or shouldn't be taught to young children, Max smiled at his brother for a second and hugged his wife close, grateful for all he had.
Not only had his and Lavinia's career taken off with the Dragon's Court dig, but they had also become part of Clan Skyhunter easily, and even saw Antony and Iris fairly regularly.
Max had everything he never knew he wanted. And to think, it'd all started with a rivalry and a spontaneous kiss.
Thankyou for reading Max and Lavinia’s story! I’m not sure when the next Stonefire Dragons Universe book will be out. However, while waiting for the next dragon-shifter book (Taught by the Dragon, out in 2023), you might want to try my vampire, fae witch, and shifter time-travel series,Dark Lords of London.
Her whole life, Yesenia Vale is told she’s a fae witch without magic. Branded an outcast, she lives on the sidelines and does her best to protect her siblings from their manipulative father. She even agrees to marry a ruthless vampire mob boss to do so. However, as the stranger puts a ring on her finger, she yearns to find her own happy ending. One minute she’s in 21st centuryBoston and the next? She’s in 1890 London, England, blooding a vampire leader she’s never met—and discovering maybe she does have magic after all. The kind that could save all of London…