Page 16 of No Ordinary Drakeling
Chapter 6
Ellery had a restless night. He spent most of it staring out the window watching the few dragons in the air soar over the desert landscape and multitude of flashy buildings while wondering what he was doing in this fancy condo. Finding a mate was the most important part of elven culture, but Ellery didn’t know anything about dragons. He also had no clue how to be an emperor or how to shift. He’d spent his entire life in a tiny two-room hut doing the chores he needed to survive. His mother had been central to it for nine decades before she’d wandered off.
He’d taken some time to locate her, but he came up empty-handed, and it weighed heavily on him. Aynleth was dead, and he was at least partially responsible for her demise. For Ellery, Harry took most of the blame, though. Aynleth was driven mad by the man who abandoned her, and Ellery was determined not to follow in her footsteps. Though he’d just met Chrysander and his instincts told him to build a life around him, Ellery had other priorities as well—the first being his survival.
Now that he knew there was a beast inside him, he opened his arms and embraced it. He wanted to go from elf to dragon and soar through the sky. Since he had weeks until his mating ceremony, his priorities were going to be shifter training and learning what he needed to know of the Council. If he was meant to be an emperor, then he was determined to be good at it—even if it scared him out of his mind.
So he woke up with resolve at the forefront and pushed back his fear. He took a wonderful shower with piping hot water, which delighted him. Ellery donned his best clothing and took a deep breath to gather his courage. He pulled open the door to his bedroom—he wouldn’t even allow himself to think about the insult Chrysander handed him by sticking him in guest quarters instead of his own space in the condo—and ventured downstairs. His presence was immediately noted.
“Good morning,” Chrysander offered. He was dressed in his suit and crown again. Even at this early hour, he was immaculately put together, and Ellery’s belly flopped in arousal. He was growing used to his body’s responses to Chrysander and hoped the feelings were mutual. Chrysander’s regal bearing thus far left little for Ellery to gauge of his emotions.
Ellery returned his greeting, then stood there awkwardly wondering what his next move should be.
“Zane’s going to take you around today. I ordered up a pair of sandals for you to wear. There are a couple of sizes, so hopefully one of them fits. We’re going to get you a temporary identification card without your title since the press release hasn’t gone out yet, and you don’t have your crown. Once those things are taken care of, we’ll get it updated,” Chrysander informed him. “I have Council session to attend, but Zane can text or call me if you need anything.”
“Thank you,” Ellery replied, humbled by his generosity not just in buying him the footwear and the other things he’d purchase for him before the day was out but that he’d planned for what Ellery required in his new role. Ellery ignored his urge to wave as Chrysander strode out of the room with the Imperial Duke at his side.
“Breakfast?” Zane asked.
“I would love some. Is there fresh fruit available?”
“The building has quite a few amenities, including a full-service kitchen that delivers. I’ll get you an elven meal. The only thing our fridge has in it is drinks since most of the time we aren’t here or if we are, there’s a catered event taking place.”
Zane made a call and promised Ellery his food would be there in a few minutes.
“I’ve got a phone for you,” Zane told him as he handed him a shiny device which he slipped into his pocket. “I’ll show you how to use it later. Your dragon trainer is named Jeremiah, and he’ll give you a call this afternoon or evening to get you started.”
“I was wondering if there are any books available on the Council?” Ellery asked as they waited. One thing that was at the forefront of his mind was that he needed to educate himself on the Council and his new duties. He tugged a pair of sandals from one box and was delighted to find they fit nicely.
“Absolutely. There are a ton of them in the office, including the primer we give to new races. I’ll dig a copy out for you after our errands today as well as some others I think might be helpful. You can go into the office and grab whatever you want too.”
Ellery offered his gratitude and before they could discuss anything else, Zane went to the door to grab his meal. With pleasure, Ellery sat down to eat a mountainous heap of fresh fruit, some of which he couldn’t identify, but it was all delicious. When he was done, his plate was whisked away and minutes later, they were striding toward the horrible elevator outside the condo. Once downstairs, they climbed into a waiting vehicle and drove off.
When the car came to a stop, Zane led him into a giant building with a busy hive of people in black uniforms. He was instructed to stand in front of a blue wall, and he swore his retinas were burned when an intense light flashed. Zane handed him a card with his image on it as he furiously blinked away the bright spots in his vision. Ellery was shuffled back to the car, and it pulled away from the curb yet again.
“We’re going to start with an elven boutique. They can braid and bead your hair for you since Chrysander doesn’t have a clue how to do that, and I’m not sure you want him making a mess of it,” Zane revealed.
Ellery thought about his long mane and though it was elven tradition to keep it down his back, he’d always hated it. The length and thickness were a nuisance, and he reminded himself he was half dragon. No longer Fen-Lynthi, he didn’t have to show off his tribe affiliation by having his tresses down to his waist, so everyone could view the green on the bottom few inches. He nodded at Zane as his mind came up with an alternative that shocked his elven side while the dragon part of him cheered.
After following Zane into the salon, Ellery was ushered into a seat while a stunning elf with red hair with a rich yellowish-gold at the ends greeted him.
“I’m Vylendri, what color beads did you want us to use for you today?”
“It is nice to meet you, Vylendri. I do not want beads. I would like it cut.”
She stopped still in the process of trying to cover him with a smock. “Cut? I can certainly trim it for you before we start.”
“No, I want it short.”
“Ellery, are you insane?” Zane asked.
“I do not think so, but Iamsick of my hair. There is no reason to keep it long. Dragons do not wear it this way.”
Zane tugged on his own ponytail which fell down his back several inches. “My hair is long.”
“I have a great deal more hair than you, and I would prefer to have mine short. Vylendri, can you do it?”
Vylendri blinked and came out of her trance as she finished placing the striped cover around Ellery. “Yes, I can do that. Many Tristis elves wear theirs quite short, and I have cut plenty of them.”
