Page 2 of Dragon Prince of New York

“Fuck!” Throwing myself back, I slam my fist into the elevator button to close the doors.

Middle finger in the air, she scowls at me. “Well, fuck you too, weirdo.”

No. She won’t. Not for a long time.

When I reach the penthouse where my brother lives, I use myclaws to pick the lock, then storm into his office, grab a pen and a piece of paper, and scrawl out:

I resign my post. I’m flying solo. See you in six years.

Six years isn’t that long. I just need to keep myself away until she’s twenty-three—of age by dragon standards.

Then I’ll return.

And claim my mate.

Chapter 1

Cyrus

She’s a sight outof a vision, and she’s not supposed to be here. Then again, I’m not either.

Stopped at the top of the stairs in my brother’s apartment, her eyes meet mine, making something tug in my chest like someone’s pulling my heart through my rib cage and into hers. Everything narrows to a single point of focus. My mouth goes dry. The noise of the crowd fades.

She’s no longer the innocent looking seventeen-year-old she was six years ago. She carries herself differently now, although there’s still something fiery in the way she narrows her eyes, something guarded and abrasive in the way she walks down each step.

She’s wearing a teal dress that matches the teal streaks in her loose hair. There’s a little stud in her nose that wasn’t there six years ago. And a tattoo on her shoulder that bothers mebecause I don’t know if she had it before or only got it recently. I wish I knew. I want to know everything about her.

With each step she takes, I have to fight the urge to step forward, to take her in my arms and claim her right here and now in front of the whole horde and Jeslyn’s human friends so that everyone knows exactly who she is to me.

The battle within is torture. She’s mine, but I can’t have her yet.

I promised myself I wouldn’t come back to New York before Finley’s twenty-third birthday. I swore it. I'm only here now because Midas summoned me. It was supposed to be safe. Finley’s been living in Prague, studying art, and I didn’t see any reason she’d come back for a ceremony that’s only for dragons.

I didn’t realize Jeslyn planned a traditional baby shower at the same time. I should have guessed Finley wouldn’t miss anything about her sister’s pregnancy. The two of them are close.

Completely unlike me and my brother.

Midas and I have come a long way in the past few years, but things are still rocky at best. Ignoring my duty to the horde now, when my brother needs me, would be a giant step backwards.

So, here I am. At a baby shower that will later become the Blessing of New Life Ceremony at the Gold Horde’s Temple.

And there she is, my fated mate. My queen’s sister. The woman who stole my heart six years ago, before she was old enough to keep it.

Even now, I’m shackled, unable to pursue her for another two weeks when she’ll finally turn twenty-three.

I won’t ruin my fragile relationship with my brother, and my king, by breaking the law the second I rejoin the horde after years of being on my own. I need to prove to Midas I’m no longer the petulant youth who challenged him to the throne. That I’m deserving of his sister-in-law.

Why the fuck couldn’t she have stayed in Prague for a few more weeks?

Chapter 2

Finley

Midas’s brother is staringat me like he wants to kill me. Personally, I’d prefer if he fucked me. But having sex with your sister’s brother-in-law at her baby shower would probably be frowned upon. Not that societal opinions have ever stopped me before. If I thought I had half a chance with him, I’d probably take the risk and throw myself at him right here and now.

But his death-stare isn’t exactly encouraging. And neither was our last encounter six years ago.

“Finally!” My sister waddles over as I reach the bottom of the stairs, Midas right behind her. The man barely leaves her side. They’ve been married for six years, and I still can’t decide if it’s adorable or complete codependency crap. I’m leaning more and more toward adorable, but it fluctuates from day to day.

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