Page 65 of No Ordinary Drakeling
Chapter 22
Wesley set the phone back in its cradle as he sent off another email. As usual, his workday was busy, which was just the way he preferred it. He didn’t like to lack for things to do, and he thrived in stressful situations. It made him perfect to run the Office of the Emperor, whose leader oversaw the Council of Sorcery and Shifters. Or at least it was perfect until that mutant elf walked through the doors.
Somehow Fate decided that she needed to torture Wesley by bringing that mongrel into his life. She certainly couldn’t believe that Ellery was in any way shape or form worthy of a man like Chrysander. Now he was planning a mating ceremony for a couple who would be separated by death perhaps a few weeks later. To Wesley, that Chrysander was willing to even go through with this farce spoke volumes about his character.
Still, just this once, Wesley would have preferred if Chrysander weren’t so honorable. Any other person would have simply given Ellery dragon training, then let him face his death in as quiet a way as possible. If Wesley found himself with a hybrid dragon, he wouldn’t have told a soul. He would have provided the resources his other half needed and not bothered to mourn him after his untimely demise.
Instead Wesley had to put together a ceremony worthy of an emperor, and he refused to even think of Ellery as anything beyond Chrysander’s mate. He couldn’t believe Chrysander was insisting they have matching titles. It was the height of stupidity as far as Wesley was concerned. Ellery walked into their lives from outside the Council in little more than rags, yet he was expected to slip into Chrysander’s role seamlessly.
It made Wesley wonder if all the centuries of waiting for his other half had simply blinded Chrysander to reality. Ellery was destined to die, and Wesley had already picked out the thank-you cards he would send to everyone who sent Chrysander condolences. Wesley wasn’t going to bother getting to know Ellery or do anything to make learning his new job easier. Chrysander wouldn’t fire Wesley; he’d run the office for centuries and was irreplaceable.
Wesley’s nose scrunched as Tiri skipped past his desk and walked into Ellery’s office without even knocking. As if the burden of dealing with this whole elf nonsense weren’t enough, Wesley also had to contend with a sprite running around. His race didn’t belong to the Council, and Wesley could understand why. They seemed to lack intelligence and that long, flowing white hair with teal highlights was ridiculous, as were the curled ears.
Zane had never been Wesley’s favorite person. The duke was the son of a traitor and to Wesley’s way of thinking, Chrysander bestowed him a title he didn’t deserve despite the darkness of his dragon. But even a man born of a murderer deserved better than someone like Tiri. Unfortunately there was no resolution to Tiri’s presence in Wesley’s life. Unlike Ellery, the sprite wasn’t going to die, so Wesley had a future ahead of him ordering special food for one person who couldn’t bring themselves to adapt to the world around them and eat like everyone else.
Firmly setting aside the subject of Tiri, Wesley’s troubled brain went back to the bane of his existence. Ellery was the worst thing to happen to his professional career, and he certainly wasn’t dragon enough to lead their people. It was ironic that the elven communities were growing just as irritated with Chrysander’s mate. The hybrid was never photographed in elven attire, even though he maintained a busy schedule with a wide array of public appearances.
Wesley should know—he made the arrangements and always pushed Chrysander to attend as many things as possible. He didn’t want anyone to forget who ran the Council of Sorcery and Shifters, and having his emperor in the news was important to Wesley. It was a constant reminder of how high the dragons had risen and that there was no race that was their equal. Wesley scowled as he thought of the elf-drakeling mutt in his office who somehow thought he’d earned the right to call himself Emperor and put on that shiny gold crown. Happy to pick up the ringing phone to clear his head, Wesley hoped they set a date soon for Ellery’s shift. He wanted desperately to put together a countdown calendar, so they could all put this messy business of Ellery behind them.
* * *
Chrysander raised his head in time to spot Ellery coming down the tall staircase. He smiled up at him, unable to help himself. Ellery’s face was a picture of serenity, and Chrysander had paid enough careful attention to the hybrid over the past few weeks to know it was his method of dealing with nerves.
The more anxious Ellery got about something, the calmer he projected his emotions. It was a skill of envy, and Chrysander wondered if it was something he was born with or if he taught it to himself along the way as he struggled through a world almost exclusively alone, barring a mother who was locked in madness.
Without a word, Chrysander held out a hand to Ellery when he reached his side. The elf-drakeling grabbed it, and the corners of his lips lifted slightly. As usual, he was stunning in his evening wear, though Chrysander still preferred him in his traditional attire—not that he would complain too much about Ellery’s choices. The hybrid was thrown into the deep end of not only a new matebond, but he was expected to learn the ropes of being an emperor while simultaneously preparing to shift into a beast who was likely to kill him.
It wasn’t something Chrysander wanted to think about and for the most part, he was training his mind to stray from the subject whenever it came up. He refused to consider life without him after the shift. He was trusting Fate to take care of his other half, and Chrysander didn’t want to lack faith in Ellery either, so he projected a confidence he did not feel.
“Is Tiri downstairs yet?” Ellery asked, gaining Chrysander’s attention.
“Not yet. Are you enjoying his company?”
Ellery’s nod was graceful. “He is delightful.”
“I agree, and I think he’s going to make Zane very happy.”
“Have there been any more robberies?”
“Interestingly enough, no…but Chesvarin’s still killing his people.”
“Is there nothing we can do to help them?” Ellery asked, his green eyes full of sadness.
“Alaric’s men have tried to speak with the sprites to invite them to Council land so we can help, but they run in fear from them. I don’t know how to save them. Chesvarin is determined to decimate his tribe.”
“I am so glad we were able to find Tiri before he was another victim.”
“Me too,” Chrysander responded. “He’s a great addition to our family, and he’s adjusting to his new life quickly.”
“Unlike me.”
Chrysander lifted a dark brow. “You don’t feel as if you’re adjusting well?”
“There is so much to learn.”
“No one’s expecting you to know everything. You have a great deal on your plate, and I’d prefer your priority to be your dragon training. You’ll still be Emperor when your first shift is done, and you have all the time in the world to learn your role.”
“Thank you for saying that. I did not think you believed I would survive.”
