Free Resurrecting Her Dragon (Dragon Guard Series Book 13) by Julia Mills

schoolgirl, and “Glad it was you and not me,” coming from the kitchen.
    Shaking his head and trying so hard to hold in his chuckle that his shoulder bounced up and down, Royce finally finished his sentence. “As I was about to say, Kell and Kyra are in the kitchen making you something to eat. I was supposed to keep you busy until they were ready.”
    Before Rory could answer, Kell yelled, “Sorry about the plates, Ror.”
    And Kyra added, “It was Kellan, not me,” just before barking out a laugh.
    “No worries,” Rory called back before finishing his shave.
    He could tell Royce had something he wanted to say, something that was obviously weighing on him. Even if they hadn’t been brothers and linked so tightly, they almost always knew what the other was thinking. His older brother’s pacing around the room behind him was a dead giveaway.
    Needing to have clothes on before a serious discussion, Rory made his way to the closet. Without looking, he grabbed his favorite pair of tattered jeans and old blue T-shirt. It took less than two minutes for him to throw them on before returning to his bedroom to find Roy staring out the window.
    Walking across the room, Rory stepped up to the window and mimicked his big brother’s actions. He could hear the grandfather clock in the hall tick away one minute then another and another before Royce finally spoke.
    “I thought we’d lost you.”
    His older brother shifted from one foot to the other and uncrossed his arms. “For the first time in a long time, I couldn’t feel you.” He paused and took a deep breath. “It wasn’t like when Rian cut our connection so he could hide out in the woods. This was different. There was just nothing...not an echo...not a shadow...just dead air...” Royce cleared his throat, widened his stance a bit more, and let his head fall forward before he finally added, “...like when dad was gone.”
    And there it was. The real reason Roy was freaked out. Rory could relate but knew Ronin’s choice to leave the clan and die alone had been the hardest for Royce. The middle O’Reilly son had always been the closest to their father. The most like him in so many ways and the most devastated when he joined their mother and sister in the Heavens.
    Laying his hand on Royce’s shoulder, Rory let the love and comradery he felt for his brother flow between them. Starting with a heartfelt response but ending with his trademark joke, Rory said, “I know bro, I know. But I’m still here and kicking. You can’t get rid of me that easy.”
    “If anyone ever asks, I’ll never admit to saying this, but thank the Heavens you’re still around, little brother. Life would be seriously boring without you.” Royce looked up and Rory could see the honesty in his middle brother’s words but couldn’t resist the urge to give him a hard time.
    Turning and diving for the bed where his belongings were still in the plastic bag from the clinic, Rory teased, “Oh hell, no! Let me grab my phone. Can you say that again? I’m recording that shit and playing it the next time everyone’s watching football.”
    The brothers howled with laughter as the sounds of more visitors arriving drifted from below. “Sounds like the gang’s all here,” Roy called over his shoulder as he headed for the door.
    “Speaking of the gang, where’s Liam and Hannah and Drago and Alicia?” Rory asked as he followed his brother out of the room.
    “Liam and all the McKennons are at my house across the pond, Drago and Alicia, too. They all went home with Lance and Sam. After rescuing the Assassin, a trip to Hell, and bringing Kayne back, besides missing the hell outta Melanie, Sarah Beth and the girls needed a vacation. So when Kyndel invited them over, it seemed perfect. Kyra is thrilled to have someone at our house who knows how to take care of her plants and it also gives her more time with her mom.”
    “Cool, I just wanted to make sure everyone was okay. I thought we all made it