Page 45 of Dragon Rivals of New York

“Said he wanted to see who you were going to choose.” That’s what he said, but something about it felt off. Why would he or his horde care? It seemed clear he knew more than I did about double matings, but he wouldn’t give me anymore information.

Those little nervous ticks of Sora’s get worse. She rubs her fingers back and forth over her lip rather than just chewing on it. I want to reassure her it’ll be alright, but I’m not sure it will be. Not fully.

When the elevator door opens, Jethro is waiting in the hall for us. There are only two penthouses on this floor. His and Midas’s. His eyes search mine first, and he doesn’t make one of his typical snarky, flirty remarks. In fact, he’s almost awkward, shifting his weight, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

I hold my arm across the open elevator door and wait for Sora to step out.

Jethro finally smiles, pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. “Missed you, lovely.”

It’s clear he really cares about her. They’ve known each other for an entire year, and I can tell it’s more than just physical attraction. The tenderness in his eyes is undeniable as he asksher about work. She looks at him with just as much care and concern, if a little more hesitancy.

I was wrong to be so confident she’ll pick me just because I was hurt and angry and thought the goddess willed it. If it really comes down to it, she’ll pick him. And maybe she should. The thought twists in my chest like a pinched nerve. I walk past Jethro and Sora to knock on Midas’s door. “Come on, let’s see what this is about.”

Jeslyn answers with her daughter on her hip. The kid’s got to be about a year, but she’s already jabbering away in mostly understandable sentences. From what I hear, she’s a handful, and was that way even in the womb. Tried to come out as a dragon, if the rumors are true. Jeslyn seems pretty happy though, smiling down at her daughter, and quietly telling her who we are.

We follow them into the living room where Adrianna and a few other Silver Horde dragons are gathered along with Midas, his grandmother, and Damian. A priest and a priestess stand in front of the group.

“So it’s happened before?” Midas asks.

“Only once,” the priest confirms. He’s an ashen man with the look of someone who spends too much time around books. As is common for priests and priestesses, he’s not wearing any clothes. They spend so little of their time in humansociety, they don’t often conform to social constructs. When they do dress, it’s usually in loose swaths of fabric that allow them to transform easily and quickly.

Sora’s eyes widen before she averts them. She must not have noticed the most notable feature of a priest when she saw them during Finley’s transformation, because her eyes are as wide as little moons. Priests are voluntary eunuchs.

Fuck, I’m glad I didn’t join the priesthood after Nadia died.

I pull Sora to my side, not minding that Jethro still has his arm around her. Our arms cross behind her back. I think about the intricate knots that crisscrossed their bodies last night.

“It has consequences,” the priestess says. “It will combine the two hordes.”

“This is what happened to the Ruby Diamond Horde,” Midas’s grandmother (I’m not sure anyone knows her name anymore) says. The woman is as old as dirt, but looks like she’s only in her fifties. She gave up her throne to her son when her husband died, but from what I understand, still advises on matters of importance.

She wasn’t in favor of the new treaty with my horde.

“I’d heard rumors,” she shakes her head, “but the joining happened at least two generations before my time.”

We’ve all heard stories about how the Ruby Horde and the Diamond Horde joined together and became one of the biggest and most powerful Hordes in history. Their size gives them a controlling vote in the Dragon Council, and the power to control most of European trade, regulating what any of the other hordes can do there.

They used to be at each other's throats, until they joined forces. The most extreme story I ever heard about the joining was that the goddess herself came down to stop the bloodshed and demand the hordes combine.

“There was a double mating. Like yours.” The priestess swings her gaze to where the three of us are standing. “The human male decided to mate with both dragons, from two different hordes. No one knew what would happen, but they took the risk. When they entered the diamond pool, it changed. Rubies appeared mixed with the diamonds and the Ruby temple vanished. No one could find it after that night.”

“What of their rulers?” Adrianna asks, eyeing Midas.

The priest and priestess share a look. “One royal house lost their proof of legitimacy and the other took over both hordes. It’s unclear why the Diamond King and Queen lost their blessing.”

Every ruler of a dragon horde is given something like a tattoo or birthmark by the goddess. It’s a sign of her blessing andwhat legitimatizes their claim to the throne. It wouldn’t be fair formychoice to meanAdriannaloses her horde—or Midas loses his. Neither option seems right. Adrianna is a good leader—unlike her parents. And from what I know, Midas is, too.

“Our choice shouldn’t affect everyone in both hordes,” Jethro says. Exactly what I’m thinking.

“That may be,” the priest replies. “But the fact of the matter is that this is as the goddess wills it.”

“So, the goddess wants our two hordes to combine?” I ask.

“Possibly,” the priestess says noncommittally.

“What if we don’t mate at all?” Sora asks.

My hand flexes on her hip, and I feel the muscles in Jethro’s arm tighten as well.

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