Page 49 of No Ordinary Drakeling
“Would you like to sit with me and talk, Tiri?” Ellery invited.
Tiri raced to the Emperor’s side, and Zane followed in a more sedate fashion.
“Do you want to send out a press release or wait until you complete your matebond?” Damian asked him.
“Our matebond’s not complete?” Tiri asked. “But we exchanged blood.”
“I’m a dragon. It’s mostly completed but won’t be done until I bite you,” Zane explained.
“Bite me?”
“Yes, it’ll be something we do once we get to know one another.”
“But our matebond must be completed. I thought it was. I don’t understand. Can’t you just bite me now?”
Zane had a headache starting at the base of his skull. “The bite will be very painful unless we’re mating in the physical sense.”
“You wish to wait to have sexual intercourse with me?” Tiri squeaked.
“Just until we get to know one another,” Zane responded. “Damian, send it out. I want the entire world to know Tiri’s my mate. I don’t wish to dishonor him in any way.” His words were more for Tiri’s benefit than Damian’s, as his brother didn’t need all the details.
“Tiri, do you mind me asking why you have to wear a cloak? Do you have a sensitivity to the sun?” Costas asked.
“No, it’s not because of the sun. We hide ourselves from Warrior Sprites. They hunt us,” Tiri revealed. “Just last night, Ninthali was taken from his bed by the evil ones.”
Zane exchanged looks with the other dragons in the room. Did the Warrior Sprites even exist, or were they simply a tale told by Chesvarin to put fear in their hearts? If they weren’t real, why would he prefer his people walk around cloaked all the time?
“We hope you’ll feel safe enough with us to be comfortable without your cloak someday, but we understand if you wish to keep yourself covered,” Zane offered. “We’re dragons and there’s no way Warrior Sprites are going to get anywhere close to you.”
“Are the men with the glowing daggers nearby? I think even the Warrior Sprites would run from them.”
“Their leaders live in a building next to ours, and there are thousands of them in a complex just a few streets over,” Zane told him. “The other men with us, they were fallen knights. They’re scary too. Those Warrior Sprites don’t have a chance in the Council world.”
“As Duke-mate Tiridythas, you won’t ever be without a guard yourself,” Damian remarked.
“Do you have a last name, Tiri?” Costas asked.
“Sprites have only one name.”
“Well, that’s a problem,” Chrysander said. “He can’t use Draconis—he’s not a dragon.”
“We can ask another court to essentially sponsor Tiri and gain the use of their last name,” Damian suggested. “We need to pick carefully though, because of Tiri’s rank. It’s going to be a great amount of prestige for that court. We don’t want a king who suddenly thinks he can call Chrys and Ellery every five minutes with his opinions about how things should be run or using it to gain invitations to events.”
“If you do not want a king to use it to affect his social or political status, why not Aleksander?” Ellery asked. “We have our own guest rooms in his home, and he has no use for social events to gain influence.”
“Wonderful idea, though I would prefer if he’d get more political. I guess Fate really did know what she was doing when she put those gold circles around his pupils,” Chrysander replied. “Maybe she knew he’d be connected to our family. I’ll call him.”
Chrysander spoke with Aleksander and was smiling when he hung up. “King Aleksander D’Vairedraconis would be honored to give you his last name, and he says he can’t wait to meet you.”
“That was very kind of him. I’ll thank him when we meet,” Tiri said. He was silent for several minutes. Then he asked, “How did you talk to him with that black thing?”
Ellery explained phones to Tiri, who nodded as he listened.
“I have a great deal to learn,” Tiri muttered.
“Don’t worry, we’ll help you,” Zane responded.
“Am I truly safe?”
