Zenaria hummed happily as she walked by Coral's side, making the young woman stare at her with a small smile.

"Did something good happen this morning?" Coral questioned.

Tutting, Zenaria pointed out a building they hadn't been in yet. "Get in there and kill everything. And if you must know, I got to cuddle with James."

Laughing lightly, Coral rolled her eyes. "You're like a lovestruck teen."

"I've never been in love before…"

Coral's mouth opened in surprise, but she quickly snapped it shut. "This building?"

Zenaria forced a smile. "Yeah. I'll follow you just in case you need me, but you shouldn't at this point."

Gripping her spear, Coral nodded and ran into the building. A roar from the monsters inside drowned out the pink woman's stomps before the back of the building blew out. A white crescent of energy was accompanied by blood splashing the ground as Zenaria hurried to follow.

She's good. Cocking her head to the side, Zenaria continued to judge the woman. Fine form. Good with her weapon, but it's clear she has only fought monsters. Maybe sparred with her men. Her footwork is impeccable while using that giant shield.

Coral tore through hound after hound, severing limbs or smashing skulls with her shield. Energy poured into her, bringing the small woman up to level three. They had only been fighting for a few hours, and she was already proving to be effective with her newfound strength.

Clapping her hands, Zenaria smiled as the last hound died. "Good job, Coral. We still have a few hours left before we leave. Are you good with going for more?"

Wiping blood from her cheek, Coral nodded. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Good." Taking the lead, Zenaria led her out of the building and to another. This one was slightly larger and had more monsters in it. Pushing Coral inside, she stood back and spread out her soul.

Across the city, a certain gold soul was walking while ripping souls out of all of the monsters she could. Amber was going to single handedly clean up the city. That was good. With The Pact being killed, they needed to remove as many monsters as they could to protect the innocent.

A scream broke her train of thought as she snapped her attention back to Coral. The woman was pinned down by three hounds that were tearing into her legs and stomach.

Snapping her fingers, Zenaria shredded all of the monsters in the room before walking over. "Sorry, Coral, lost focus for a minute."

Tears streamed down the woman's face. Her breathing was slowing. "My…sister…"

Frowning, Zenaria kneeled by the woman. "I'll make sure James takes care of your sister. Rest for now."

With one last breath, Coral passed over before her soul flared up and started repairing all of the damage. With a chuckle, Zenaria pulled out a somewhat fresh stag and set it down. Unlike when The Pact killed her family, they normally couldn't be killed.

Minutes passed in silence before Coral's eyes snapped open. "Wha…"

Her stomach protested in that moment and Zenaria shoved her face into the stag. "Eat, woman!" Pulling out bottles of gold water, she set them down and helped Coral through her meal.

Amber showed up partway through. "Did she die?"

"Yup. I lost focus," Zenaria explained.

Grunting, the nekorian moved to Coral's side. "Wounds are healed, but she's done fighting for the next four hours. I'll finish the city."

"Thanks, Amber." Returning her attention to Coral, Zenaria settled in to wait. Once Amber was gone, it was only a few minutes later when Coral stopped eating and drinking.

"How?" she asked.

"We can't die easily," Zenaria explained. "Only a select few things can kill us for good. The Pact being one of them."

"I just died," Coral mumbled. "Now I'm back."

"Yup!" Pulling the woman to her feet, Zenaria brushed her off. "Grab your weapons. Your reserves are shot for the day. We are going back."

"I can still fight," Coral protested.

Zenaria's happy demeanor changed to a growl. "Return to the house. I will not be the one to tell James that you endangered yourself without your reserves being full. I'm not letting him lose anyone else."

Eyes wide, Coral nodded and quickly grabbed her weapons. Returning them to her ring, she left the building.

Tail flitting angrily, Zenaria marched after the woman. James would know what happened the moment they showed up, and she wasn't looking forward to that talk.

***

James woke with a start when he felt a soul flare in the city. Spreading out his senses, he found Coral rebuilding her body and Zenaria fretting over her. A surge of anger spiked in his soul that he quickly cut off.

Getting up, he packed up the house before stepping outside. All three ladies were heading back to him, the city having been cleared. Amber was worried as she approached, her soul tentavily prodding him to check his mood.

Zenaria was shying away, while Coral felt confused on everything that was happening. It wasn't until they came within talking distance that Amber and Zenaria slumped and walked over with their ears flat.

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"You let her die?" he growled.

Zenaria whimpered. "I'm sorry."

Walking over to Coral, he started patting her down. "How are you feeling? Did you get enough to eat? Do you need a bath now, or can you wait until tonight? Are you okay with walking?"

Coral's jaw dropped as she was handled like glass. "I'm okay…"

"You don't have to be brave," James said before spinning on the others. "How did this happen?"

Zenaria looked up with real tears in her eyes. "I got distracted."

"I simply wasn't there," Amber added.

The spike of anger came back, washing over the group, making Coral squeak and step back. Zenaria and Amber kneeled and bowed their heads, waiting for him to calm.

Taking a deep breath, James pulled his soul back in. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

Coral nodded. "I feel fine. I reached level three!"

He could tell she was trying to ease the tension, so he chuckled. "That's good. Very good. When we reach the next nest, the monsters will be just as hard. Maybe I should fight with you."

"But I like Zenaria…"

Turning his attention to the kitsune, he made her whimper again. "Are you sure?"

Walking past him, Coral kneeled by Zenaria's side and hugged her. "She's my friend. She helps me get stronger."

Calming slightly, James nodded. "Very well. I'm sure this won't happen again."

"It won't!" Zenaria nearly shouted.

Before his anger could resurge, Priest walked over. "Mother is growing impatient."

Crossing his arms, James regarded the man. "Did you tell her that we are done here?"

"I did, but I think Everest is driving her nuts. They are set up around the gates of Norn, scaring the entire city."

"Oh…" Wincing, he tried to picture what the city was like after two hundred dragons strolled up to their cavern. "We'll leave now."

"That would be prudent." Turning, Priest walked away.

"I'm sorry," Zenaria said softly.

Amber copied her a second later.

"You two can bathe on your own tonight," he said before walking away. With a wave of his hand, he collapsed their temporary house, more out of anger than need.

Coral ran up to his side. "Are you okay?"

"You died," he said in a mere whisper.

"Kind of…If I pinch myself it hurts, so I'm pretty sure I'm alive."

Despite himself, he chuckled. "Yes, you're alive, but now you are vulnerable. With your reserves gone, you can be killed by anything."

"But you won't let that happen," she argued. "I don't think you should be so hard on the girls."

"Why's that?"

"Because I need to get stronger without my hand being held."

Coral's matter of fact answer made him frown. "You can get strong while fighting beside them."

"James," she said with a huff. "I'm not a child. Please don't treat me like one."

"But…" he knew she was right, but she had died… "I'll make sure Zenaria or Amber watch over you more closely next time."

"James!" she growled. Stomping her foot, she added, "I'm not made of glass!"

Looking over his shoulder, he caught Zenaria's eyes and watched her flinch. "I shouldn't have been napping."

Throwing up her arms, she gave up and walked back to the girls. Turning his attention back to the tunnel they were entering, he promised himself that he would make sure she didn't die again.

***

Amber winced when Coral stomped her foot. "It's not going well."

"You think?" Zenaria whimpered.

"You did nothing wrong, love." Amber started to cross her arms as she watched her mate ignore Coral's protests. This was the first time since losing the others that someone had been in danger. It was clear James was overreacting, but she also knew no one would be able to convince him of that.

When Coral marched back over to them, she growled. "That man!"

"I'm sorry," Zenaria whispered.

"I'm not made of glass!"

"You might as well be," Amber stated. "Did he say you'd at least be able to fight again?"

"Yes, at least he said that. He's beating himself up for taking a nap while it happened."

Sighing, Amber wanted to talk to him, but knew now wasn't the time. He needed to calm down if she was going to get through to him. In the meantime, she pulled Coral tight. "Hem her in, Zenaria."

Zenaria quickly pushed up against the pink haired woman and summoned her Soul Wires. Amber copied her by pulling out her claws.

"What are you two doing?" Coral asked.

"Reassuring him," Amber whispered. "Go along with it if you want him to relax."

Nodding, Coral relaxed and gave in to the protection. "I can't believe this is happening."

Zenaria whimpered again. "It's my fault…"

Amber could only nod. She should have seen something like this coming. All she could now was do her best to remind James that Coral would be safe for the next four hours.

***

James reached Norn as his mind was starting to get tired. He needed sleep, and yet he was worried about entering the city. He didn't know how he was going to do that now with the dragons taking up residence in the cavern.

Speaking of dragons, he found Mother waiting for him. Her claw was steadily tapping the stone, while an array of fighters were gathered outside the main gates of Norn.

Wincing, he walked over to her. "I think you scared the city."

"Thank you for finally joining me, James."

"You look angry…"

Everest bound over before crashing into him. Once he was successfully on his back, she started to growl. "You left me!"

Holding up his hands, he said, "I'm sorry! I wanted to finish the nest as quickly as possible!"

"You took the pink woman, but not me…" her quite tone pulled at his heart.

Closing his eyes, he flopped back onto the ground. "Lot of good that did me."

Laying down next to him, Everest pressed her snout against his head. "Did something happen?"

"She died," James whispered. "While I was sleeping."

"She looks alive."

"Only because her reserves were full. Zenaria was supposed to be watching her."

Mother laid down next to him. "Is that why she looks like she's been crying?"

Opening his eyes, he sighed. "Probably. I may have yelled at her."

Humming, Mother glanced back at the rest of the dragons. "Rest assured that tonight, Coral will be protected. You should talk with Zenaria."

"I don't want to," he grumbled.

"James," Everest said gently. "She's your mate. You can't let her go to sleep knowing that you are upset. That's not healthy. Talking is healthy. Talking is very healthy."

Before he could argue, Mother got up and walked over to the girls. "Amber, take Coral to Father for protection tonight. James wants to talk with Zenaria."

Frowning, James turned to Everest. "You two can't help but get involved, can you?"

"We love you, so no, we can't."

Shaking his head, James climbed to his feet and walked over to Zenaria. "Walk with me."

"Yes, Master…" Falling in next to him, they walked back to the tunnel before stopping.

"I'm scared," he admitted.

"We know," Zenaria whispered. "We all are."

"She died, Zenaria. I felt her soul flare."

"I know…"

Sitting down, he rested his back against the wall. "Is it always going to be like this now?"

Sitting next to him, she nodded. "It's likely. I'll never be perfect, James. If you want me to leave…I understand."

Grabbing her hand, he pulled her to him. "You aren't going anywhere!"

Relaxing against him, she said, "you know she has to be in danger to grow stronger. Or are you going to treat her like glass and stop her growth?"

Tapping his head against the stone, he didn't answer.

"You have to decide, James," Zenaria said as gently as she could. "Will our children have you hovering over their shoulders for their entire lives? If they are, then I don't won't children with you."

"Zenaria…"

Shaking her head, she started to get up. "We're all scared, James. But I have my future to worry about too. I can't have my children scared of danger or growing because their father is overprotective. I need to know now, so I can either stay or leave."

Pulling her back down, he closed his eyes. "Stay. I'll need your help."

"That's all you had to say, my mate. But don't think you get to treat me like that again."

"Yes, ma'am."

Wrapping her tails around him, she rested her head on his shoulder. "Let's find Amber and talk to her too. Then you need sleep, James. A full nights rest."

"I think you're right," he admitted. Yawning, he earned a giggle.

"Just a few minutes of snuggling before I take you over to her." Burrowing herself in, Zenaria hummed. "Everything will be fine, James. Trust your mates."

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