Page 52 of No Ordinary Drakeling
“No, I have to work for my things. To take handouts is unworthy of the Sprite Grove.”
Zane scrubbed his hands over his face, and the frustration was evident in every line of his body. “I have plenty of money, Tiri. You don’t have to work to earn the things you need. You literally have a change of clothing, a toothbrush, one for your hair, and your nightclothes. How do you expect to manage as a Duke-mate with so little?”
“I’m sorry you don’t put value on those things, but I worked hard for each one. I made many pieces of clothing for my tribe.”
“I apologize. I didn’t mean to make you feel like the things you cherish aren’t important,” Zane offered, properly chastised. “I was simply trying to point out that you’re missing essentials, and I’m happy to provide you with everything.”
“Chrys, we’re going to be late,” Damian said.
“You kidding me?” Chrysander retorted as he leaned against the counter. “Mates come first. We need them to work this out.”
“Bullshit. You just want to watch Zane get his ass handed to him by a little sprite,” Costas threw in.
“Six bad words,” Tiri mumbled, not really looking at anyone.
Ellery pulled off his crown and blew the hair out of his eyes. The worst thing about cutting it all off was learning how fast it grew. He was going to need to visit Vylendri every other week to keep up with it. “Zane and I will stay home to work things out for Tiri. The rest of you should go to the Main Assembly Hall so Council session is on time.”
Chrysander straightened and offered him a wry smile. “You heard His Majesty, let’s get going. I’m sure they’ll get Tiri squared away.” He finished off his coffee and put it in the dishwasher, then headed out of the kitchen. When he was a foot from Ellery, he stopped. “I’ll text you to keep you updated. If you need something during the morning, call Damian and he’ll grab me so we can talk.”
“Thank you, have a good day,” Ellery responded, nearly blushing at the warm, almost intimate tone Chrysander had used.
After the three men headed out, Zane got his attention. “Thanks, Ellery. I’m going to order breakfast for the three of us. Tiri, what do you normally eat?”
“I haven’t reached enough mastery to qualify for breakfast. I get one meal in the evening.”
The muscle of Zane’s jaw jumped. “Tiri, you don’t have to earn your food here. You can have what you want whenever you want. Tell me what kind of foods you eat in the evening.”
“Whatever’s being served. Usually lettuce but sometimes I get melon.”
Even growing up poor, Ellery had experienced more variety and quantity in his life than Tiri. It made him want to return to Tiri’s village and hurt Chesvarin.
“Elven meal it is,” Zane grumbled, then barked into his cellphone.
“Why don’t you have a seat at the table?” Ellery suggested to Tiri. “I am going to go upstairs and get changed, but I will be right back.”
The sprite thanked him and pulled out a chair as Ellery left the kitchen. He raced to his room and peeled off his suit, returning it to its hanger. After fishing out a simple linen tunic and pants, Ellery pulled them on. Forgoing shoes for the moment since he was still unaccustomed to wearing them, he ventured downstairs to the kitchen. Zane was gone, and Ellery figured he was switching clothes too.
“Things are very different here,” Tiri observed as Ellery sat in a chair across from him.
“Yes, they are, and the dragons are sure of themselves. They sometimes forget to ask before they start making their plans.”
“But you’re a dragon too.”
“I only just found out I was a drakeling. I have only known Chrysander for a couple of weeks now.”
“Elves don’t normally wait to be mated?”
Out of the corner of his eye Ellery noticed Zane had returned, but he didn’t particularly care if the dragon heard his answer. “No, we do not. Our ceremonies take place within a day or two of meeting. Like you, we believe Fate lets us know easily for a purpose,” he responded, then grinned. “We also lack sexuality before we run into our other halves. If we indulge in those desires before we are bloodbound, Fate will not give us a second hoop in our ear, so everyone knows we could not resist our urges.”
“We lack sexuality too, but Fate doesn’t mark us that way. The coil Fate gave us when we bound our blood will grow up toward the top of our ear as we learn to love our other half. When it reaches the top, the colored globes will burn brightly to show we honor Fate. Then the twist will work its way down the other ear,” Tiri explained.
“So you were born with the teal ball?” Zane asked. “I wondered if it was given to you by Fate or if your tribe added them later.”
“No, they’re soft just like the flesh of our ear, and we’re born with them.”
“They are beautiful,” Ellery told him.
Zane’s phone beeped. “Breakfast is here. I’m going to go grab it.”
