Page 36 of No Ordinary Drakeling
“Food looks good,” Damian observed as the duke in charge of the entrance to the condo swung the doors open wide for their guests.
Ellery took his attention away from the first of the beautifully dressed people entering the condo and examined the different offerings of cuisine for the night. Vessels of steaming dishes were abundant, and something struck him as odd, though he couldn’t immediately identify it. But as he moved his eyes from one table to the next, the feeling grew deeper.
It wasn’t until he surveyed all of it that he realized there wasn’t a single fresh vegetable or uncooked fruit to be had. Whoever planned the menu had apparently forgotten there would be at least one elf in attendance. Not that he needed to ask whose fault it was—Wesley ran everything like the captain of a particularly demanding ship.
“Ellery,” Chrysander said. He turned slightly to give his other half his attention, grateful for the distraction from his nerves over their evening. Chrysander smiled and gestured toward two men he’d only seen from afar. They were dressed elegantly in uniforms with mandarin collars and plenty of silver embellishment. The one on the right had eyes as gold as Ellery’s crown with a twisted stripe of the same silver as his suit decorations. To his left was a man a few inches taller with dark hair and the scaly eyes of a black dragon. “Reverent Knight Drystan and Reverent Knight Conley Gylde-Kempe, allow me to introduce you to my mate, Emperor Ellery Draconis.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty,” Reverent Knight Conley said.
“The honor is mine, Reverent Knight. I have not spoken with His Majesty about this yet, but I would like to sincerely offer you the crown of your previous post,” Ellery responded with a grin.
“Oh, I can already tell you’re going to be trouble, Your Majesty. I like that about you. It’s going to make Chrys’s life hell and hey, no way am I taking your job—but nice try,” Conley replied. “And I prefer Conley to Reverent Knight when I’m with friends.”
Ellery shrugged. “Call me Ellery, and it was worth a shot.”
“We’ve got a bet going about what color dragon you’re going to be,” Conley revealed. “What’s your favorite color?”
“I am not sure it is my favorite, but I have always been drawn to white. I think it is because it has been such a rarity in my life.”
“Well, that’s no help. There aren’t white dragons,” Conley complained. “It’s like Fate’s given you a blank slate. I was expecting you to say black or a dark color.”
“I do wish to point out that you are a gold dragon,” Drystan drawled, which earned him a glare from his other half. “Theonlygold dragon. Anything is possible.”
“I like black.”
Conley shook his head. “It wasn’t the first thing that sprang to mind, so it’s definitely not going to be black. I guess Arvandus put his ten bucks down too fast on that color.”
“I apologize, Your Majesty. My mate’s a menace,” Reverent Knight Drystan said.
“I like him, Reverent Knight.”
“Be glad you don’t have to live with him, Your Majesty,” Drystan joked.
Conley cackled and gave Drystan’s butt a swat. “Let’s go demolish a food table so Ellery can meet some of his other guests.”
Ellery liked seeing two people so in love and wondered if he would ever have that kind of emotion for someone else. He glanced at Chrysander, who was surveying the crowd with his regal chin lifted, and wished he knew him better. All he knew was that he was well-respected, and Ellery was a recipient of his kindness, but he wanted to learn everything. His soul and perhaps his dragon desired a relationship as Fate intended.
He turned his head as Drystan popped a piece of what appeared to be chicken into Conley’s mouth; then their lips met. Once these two men had ruled the dragons, and their bond was so close it radiated from them in waves. It was the first real evidence Ellery had that two emperors could share their hearts as well as their duties, but it didn’t tell him anything about his own uncertain future.
