Page 111 of Beautiful Beast

“I love it.” I scratched behind his ears and grinned at his preening. “You’re going to stay with me, right?”

Varí chirped, bringing laughter and joy from my other dragons. “I daresay you’ll be drawing more than one kind of envy tonight, Princess. Our small cousins are notoriously reclusive. They rarely stray from their forests in the east.” Sirrus reached out a hand for Varí to nuzzle against.

“Maybe it will help me,” I said. “It helped me with you.”

“It did.”

We weren’t flying into the circlet this time, and we weren’t sneaking in from any hidden alcoves. The main road through Doro Eche led straight here, and I couldn’t keep my eyes still. Beautiful, blooming buildings that were far more graceful and natural than human ones. They were also designed for an entirely different purpose. Most dragon architecture was porous, with larger windows and doors made for flight. Sometimes I saw giant passageways directly through so they didn’t even have to stop.

I sighed. “I suppose being your mate doesn’t mean I somehow get wings.”

Endre chuckled. “Sadly no. You would be beautiful with wings, but we have yet to find any artificial ones that work well.”

“You’ve tried?”

“Before the war, humans and dragons were working together on it. So that humans wouldn’t have to rely solely on us for flight.”

Now they had the draygs. Few of them that there were. Craisos was the kingdom who held them and most of the weapons against dragons, and, like the origin and breeding of the draygs, they guarded the secrets closely. If I had become their queen I might have found out. But based on what I knew of Andaros, I doubted it.

An inelegant snort fell out of me, drawing gazes from my mates and Idroal, and a few other dragons within hearing.

“Something funny?”

“The idea that Andaros would have actually shared anything with me had I become his queen.” Immediate, low growls had me smiling. “You marked me for life. Don’t worry.”

“I’m not worried,” Zovai muttered, unconvinced. “But I still should have killed him when I had the chance.”

I took his hand. “I think you almost did.”

“Almost isn’t enough.”

Laughing, I leaned my head on his shoulder, and then stopped. The giant archway leading to the court rose in front of us. I hadn’t had a chance to see it much last night. Not just a single, massive arch, but a curving row of them that blocked off half the circle and brought the central roads of Doro Eche together. The tree rose straight beyond it, the Elders holding court below. In the rosy light of evening, it truly was stunning. And the massive dragons were terrifying.

“Idroal?”

They looked over at me.

“Why are they so large?”

Both they and my mates laughed quietly. “If a dragon refuses to utilize their human form, their dragon can grow almost infinitely in size. It does not affect their power. Body only. But the Elders have not made the shift in a millennia, nor would their dragons allow it now.”

Relief flowed through me. “So the three of you aren’t going to be that large?”

Sirrus covered his mouth to stifle the laughter that flew from him. “No, mate. We won’t. I think we’re already big enough for you, or am I wrong?”

My entire body flushed with heat, and I cleared my throat, focusing back on the archway in front of us and pointedly ignoring the comment. I swallowed. “Do we have to make an entrance or something?”

“Do you want to?” There was a smile in Z’s voice.

“Stars, no. I’m sure I will already get more attention than any of us want.”

“Then no,” he said. “You are correct. Everyone will know we are present without us having to announce it. After all, the celebration is for us.”

“Right.” I tried to check the burst of fear that followed and failed.

Everyone we passed still bowed, the crowd growing thicker the closer we came to the arched entry. “Is all of Doro Eche in attendance?”

“Most of it.”

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