Page 4 of The Dragon of her Dreams

I inhaled sharply and forced myself to say what I’d come here to say. “There are three reasons I’m here. Number one, I promised my mother I’d come and meet you all after she died. I’m not here to try and usurp the throne or anything. I don’t want that.” I shook my head violently. “It’s quite the opposite. Why do you think I stayed hidden for so long?”

“Well, can I be the first to say it’s nice to meet you,” Barry said, smiling at me, albeit a little cooly. “But any particular reason your mother asked you to come up after she passed away, rather than before?”

I groaned at the question, as I didn’t want to explain. I rocked back on my heels. “Because she was my only family. She was an orphan, without any siblings. She hated the idea of me being alone. Not that I care, of course, but she thought I needed family. And I promised. So, I’m here.”

The rest of the room all looked at each other in a way that made my cheeks heat with blood.

Fuck!

I wasn’t some pitiful case that needed them. This was my mother’s dying wish, and if I’d loved her any less, I would have been able to ignore the request. “Look! It’s not just that... I... fuck it. Forget about it.” I couldn’t do it. It was too difficult. My head felt like it was going to explode with the pressure of just being in the room, surrounded by them all—staring at me like I was some kind of unwanted freak. “Just forget I even exist.”

I stormed for the huge double doors, my heart in my throat, ready to disappear once and for all.

But a mere breath later, King Damon flew across the room and stood in front of me, barring the way and blocking my path.

I skidded to a halt, so I didn’t crash directly into him, my eyes wide. “Fuck, you’re fast.”

My sire lifted an eyebrow at as if to say,“I’m the king, or did you forget?”“You said there were three reasons you were here,” he prompted.

I shook my shoulders, the hairs on the back of my neck bristling with unease as someone else approached. It was the younger of the two princes, Theo. He was about my height, which was saying something, as we weren’t short men, and had kind, dark blue eyes.

“Please come back,” he implored, gesturing to the couches behind us. “I know my family is a little full on, but trust me, you’re lucky Veronica’s not here. We’re the calm bunch.”

A strangled feminine giggle caught my attention, and I turned around to see a most unexpected sight, given my cold welcome.

The queen was snorting to herself on her chair as she waved me over. “Come back, Jaegar. Please forgive an old woman her jealousies. None of this is your fault.”

I was drawn back to the center of the room despite my misgivings.

Anselm dragged a chair from the dining area over to the fireplace. “Here,” he said, gesturing to it with a smile.

I sat, as did everyone else except the king.

He remained standing beside his wife, keeping a weathered eye on me.

I had to assume it was because he wanted the advantage if I tried to leave again. But I’d learned from my mistake. He wasfast, shockingly so, and I’d need to be faster if I wanted to run.

The queen spoke again, her hand on her husband’s. “Forgive me?” she asked again, hopefully.

I nodded stiffly, not sure how to respond to her earlier declaration.

Jealousies? What could she be jealous of?

She was the one my father had ultimately married. She’d become queen, had three healthy children,andruled over a formidable kingdom. We’d had next to nothing the entire time I was growing up. It’d been difficult and as a result, it’d made me hard, forging me into a dragon shifter not to be trifled with.

“What were the other two reasons you’ve come now?” Theo asked.

I sat up straighter, swallowing the lump in my throat. Now that my anger had somewhat dissipated, I was left with an unfamiliar discomfort. “Well, the second is that... well, Dymitri saw my tattoo the other day—he wasn’t meant to—I’m generally very good at hiding it. But there was an accident, and my clothes were torn, and... he saw.”

“Dymitri saw the tattoo?” the king asked, his lips twisting into a grimace.

I sighed. “He gave me three days to tell you, or he was, and I quote, ‘dragging my sorry ass into the castle himself.’” I couldn’t help but be proud that a man with such strength and integrity was my uncle. Sort of. I’d always admired Dymitri and his brother, Lucian.

The queen glanced up at her husband. “Sounds about right.”

“And the third reason?” Theo asked, not letting it go.

I stared at the young prince. He was quietly tenacious, which I could see now. “Well,” I coughed to clear my throat, embarrassment keeping me from announcing my news any louder. “I’m afraid that I have been dreaming of a woman. One that doesn’t exist in this kingdom. Believe me, I’ve looked.”

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