Page 57 of Dragon Prince of New York

“It means princess,” Cyrus whispers. “As our queen's sister, you are a princess of the Court of Gold, doubly as my mate, but right now, he’s referring to your niece.”

Princess. I hadn’t thought of that before. It's gonna take some getting used to. What do princesses do? Are there responsibilities that go along with being mated to Cyrus that I don’t know about?

Midas takes the child from Jeslyn and unwraps the blanket around her. He holds her up to the crowd in a way that reminds me of when the monkey held up baby Simba in The Lion King. Sunlight shines through the slits in the wall and hits the baby, illuminating bright swirls of gold along her chest, down her round little belly, and across her upper thighs.

“You tattooed a baby!” I gasp and backhand Cyrus as if he had anything to do with it.

A few people glare at me before returning their attention to Midas and the child.

Cyrus chuckles in my ear. “No, my flame. It’s not a tattoo. It’s a birthmark of sorts, given by the goddess to the royal line. Proof of legitimacy.”

“Legitimacy? Archaic.”

I can feel Cyrus’s shrug against my back.

“The child is our Ra’ia.” A man who seems to be a priest or something anoints the child’s forehead. “Her name?”

Midas looks to his wife, who smiles and steps forward. “Her name is Athena.”

A cheer goes up from the crowd, but it's quickly followed by Midas quieting everyone down.

“And now, I present proof that your Ra’a carried my child,that she is your true queen, and has a legitimate claim on the throne should anything happen to me or Athena.”

Midas hands the baby to his grandmother, and steps behind Jeslyn. Her eyes flash to me for just a moment. There’s a nervousness behind the look and something like an apology, but then her spine straightens and her attention lands on the crowd. At this moment, she looks exactly as I imagine a queen should.

With Midas’s help, she shucks off the silk robe she’s wearing and stands in front of the room, completely bare.

Okay, maybe I’m not completely un-shockable. My reserved sister undressing in front of a crowd of people is… mind-boggling. But then I see why. Intricate golden lines shimmer on her skin. They wrap her breasts and belly before vanishing between her legs.

The priest steps forward. “The queen is Ra’a indeed.” He anoints Jeslyn and the crowd cheers again.

“More heirs!” someone yells teasingly from the back.

Midas’s eyes darken and flame as he helps Jess back into her robe.

“Usually,” Cyrus says, leaning close enough to whisper, “the party would begin now, but…”

“Cyrus and Finley,” Midas calls. “Step forward.”

Chapter 32

Cyrus

“No!” My mate crossesher arms and glares at my brother, refusing to move. “Cyrus did nothing wrong.”

Midas tightens his lips, and Jeslyn puts a hand on his arm.

I step around Finley and sink to one knee. “I plead guilty, my Ra.”

“This is ridiculous.” Finley rolls her eyes, and I give her a slight smile. She stomps forward and points at Midas’s chest. “I get that you’re all obsessed with twenty-three, but I’m an adult. A human. Not a dragon. I knew nothing about your law. And fuck, it was two days before my birthday! Two damn days. You can’t punish him for that.”

“Make your case,” Midas says to me, ignoring his sister-in-law.

I stand and turn to face the horde and our guests. “She’s my mate. I knew from the first moment I saw her six years ago.”

A few sharp gasps sound, followed by whispers. Adrianna Ra’a tilts her head, searching me for the lie. I stand firm, meeting the gaze of the Silver Queen.

“The temple priests have confirmed this,” Midas says. “Cyrus spoke with one of them after first learning of Finley’s importance to him. He waited six years, which shows a strength of character beyond any I’ve seen before.”

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