Page 45 of No Ordinary Drakeling
Chapter 16
Zane got out of the car and was glad the eight deadliest assassins on the planet were already gathered outside the limousine Ellery and Chrysander were stepping out of. The Lich Sentinel’s glowing daggers were on full display and except for Skeleton Lord Albrecht Ruarc-Daray, so were the rest of the Skeleton Sevens’. Albrecht rarely went anywhere without his cloak on, but it didn’t seem to bother his mate, Venerable Knight Arvandus, who grabbed his hand as he came up alongside him with the rest of the fallen knight contingent of their group.
They’d stopped just outside the village, so they could walk in with their attention focused in every direction. No one had any intention of allowing these almost-elves to harm their Emperors. Ellery adjusted the thick dragonskin cloak the D’Vaires made for him. It looked nice with the heavily beaded tunic and pants he was wearing. The only hints to the fact that he was more than an ordinary elf were the Draconis sash across his chest and the brilliant crown on his head.
“Are we ready?” Chrysander asked.
“Geddy and I did a quick circuit around the village,” Skeleton Lord Gavrael D’Vaire said, referring to his other half, Skeleton Lord Gedeon D’Vaire. “The only people outdoors were the guards posted at each hut.”
“We’re going to walk straight in, and then what? Where’s the chieftain’s hut?” Damian asked as they trekked toward the village.
“It is impossible to miss,” Gavrael replied. “Not only is it the largest, but it is dead center in the middle of everything.”
They walked quietly, and Zane scanned the terrain, though he didn’t know what he expected. No one knew they were coming, and these almost-elves with their primitive weapons were no threat to the dragons, sentinels, or fallen knights. In the distance was a semicircle of large huts and just as Gavrael explained, his eye was drawn to the one in the center. It was a patchwork of bright colors, and two cloaked men stood on either side of the open flap. A second later, the entrance of the structure to the right of the chieftain’s residence was pushed open, and a covered figure only about five inches over five feet scurried out.
He took several steps and stopped, almost frozen in place. At that moment, Zane’s body went crazy. His cock jerked up so fast, he got a little dizzy, and a sense of euphoria permeated his every cell. The short, cloaked person was his mate, and Zane’s mouth dropped open. His other half turned on his heel and ran back into the place he emerged from.
“You okay?” Costas asked.
Zane shook his head to clear it. “I’m fine,” he lied. He had no idea what to do. Was he supposed to say something? Did his mate not want him?
“Then why did you stop?” Ellery asked.
“Oh sorry,” Zane replied, aware he didn’t answer His Majesty’s question but not sure how to even if he wanted to, which he did not. He got annoyed when the guards in front of the chieftain’s hut stopped them. Not only was he irritated at those idiots, he was cross with Fate for not listening to him. He wasn’t ready for a mate and doubted he ever would be but dammit, he could not leave the man intended for him in this horrid place.
“Remove yourself from our village,” one shouted in accented English.
“I am Emperor Ellery Draconis, and I wish to speak with Chieftain Chesvarin.”
“He’ll speak to you, but only if you’re alone.”
“With all due respect, I cannot do that,” Ellery stated before anyone else could disabuse the moron with the spear of the notion. “My escorts will not allow it. I am the co-ruler of the Council of Sorcery and Shifters. Perhaps your chieftain would be willing to join us outdoors to speak of our matters.”
Without a word, the guard nearly tripped over himself to get into the hut. He emerged several minutes later with a taller man in tow. “Greetings, Emperor Ellery,” the man said as if he wasn’t surrounded by others. “I am Chieftain Chesvarin.”
“Chieftain, I am honored to meet you.”
The Chieftain spat out a few words Zane couldn’t understand and seconds later, a guard emerged with two chairs. Chesvarin took a seat and gestured to the empty one. “Will you sit with me, Emperor Ellery?”
“Of course, Chieftain,” Ellery replied. Heedless of the filthy wooden chair, Ellery gracefully sat next to him as Alaric positioned himself next to Zane, who’d automatically followed His Majesty. He was only inches from Ellery’s crowned head, and he glared at the guards who were standing too close for his comfort.
“What can our humble people do for you, Emperor Ellery?” Chesvarin asked. The man clearly did not know he should address Ellery as His Majesty instead of using his title as elves did with chieftains. He might have learned enough to know there were now two emperors, but he was obviously ignorant of their customs.
“Chieftain, would you allow me to introduce my companions?”
“I will not, Emperor Ellery.”
Ellery was not given a chance to say anything; a cloaked figure emerged from the same hut Zane’s mate had disappeared into. His body was still going haywire, but it was not his other half—this person was several inches taller. He barreled toward the chieftain, and Alaric grasped one of his daggers but a spear to the stranger’s throat stopped him from getting close to Ellery or Chesvarin. Words spilled out of the man like a fountain as he handed off a piece of paper to the guard who quickly marched it over to Chesvarin.
Chesvarin unfolded the slip and quietly read it, then tilted his head up to look at Zane. A heartbeat later, he returned his attention to Ellery. “Emperor Ellery, will you please call forward the man standing behind you with his hair tied back?”
All the eyes of Zane’s group turned toward him since he was the only one with a ponytail. He closed his eyes and wondered what was going to happen next. Never a coward, he gave a signal to Costas, who quickly switched positions with him. Zane walked around to stand in front of Ellery. The elf-drakeling’s eyes were confused, so Zane offered him a small smile of reassurance.Nothing to see here, he thought with an almost hysterical edge to his mind. Just a dragon who’d found a mate of an unidentifiable race in a village in the middle of fucking nowhere.
“Chieftain, allow me to present His Grace, Duke Zane Draconis,” Ellery said.
“Shifters are nothing more than heathens. Unclean and unworthy of being close to my people,” the chieftain spat out.
“With all due respect, Chieftain, I am half dragon and do not take kindly to my people and especially a member of my own family being disparaged,” Ellery stated. If Zane had ever harbored any doubts of Ellery’s ability to rule—and he had not—they would’ve been squelched in that moment.
