Page 76 of No Ordinary Drakeling
“At least Tiri didn’t wake up Damian too, or we’d never hear the end of it,” Zane remarked.
The rich laughter of Chrysander’s twin brother reached his ears only seconds later. “Tiri was making enough noise to wake the dead,” Damian called up to him from just outside his own door. “What kind of Imperial Duke would I be if I slept through it?”
“Just once, Dame…just once, can’t you be a less than stellar guard?” Zane asked as he continued his journey to his bedroom.
“Can’t do it, Zane, and neither could you. Good night, gentlemen. Good luck with your mates in the morning.”
“Everybody just go the fuck to bed,” Chrysander growled, and Zane did what he was told. He doubted he would get much sleep but somehow, he had to get Tiri to understand he hadn’t meant to dishonor him. There was no way he could’ve known his mate would be a sprite. Until the day he met Tiri, Zane hadn’t wanted his other half to show up at all, so it wasn’t anything important on his radar.
Perhaps if he explained that to Tiri, he’d calm down. Zane hoped so; he didn’t want to do anything to ruin the relationship they were building. Tiri was captivating and Zane was quickly succumbing to his many charms. Letting out a breath, Zane took a moment to thank Fate for her gift. He hadn’t known how much he wanted someone like Tiri in his life until the enchanting sprite had walked into it, and now he would do anything to keep him there.
* * *
“Are you all right?” Ellery asked once he and Tiri were inside his guest space.
“Did you know dragons can have relations with people other than their mates?” Tiri demanded.
With an apologetic frown, Ellery sat down on the couch. “I am sorry. I thought you already knew.”
“How can you handle the thought of Chrysander laying with another?”
“It happened before we met, so I accepted that it has no consequence on our relationship.” Ellery shrugged. “I assume it is not happening any longer. I read that dragons can continue to have sex with others, even after they meet their mates.”
Tiri’s teal eyes widened. “You don’t know for sure that he’s not having sex with others?”
“We have separate rooms. We do not even talk as much as I would like. I cannot say for sure.”
“Oh, this is justhorrible.”
“It is okay. Zane is too honorable of a man to turn to another now that you have exchanged blood. You do not have to worry.”
Tiri swiped an angry arm through the air. “I know where he sleeps at night. My brain is catching up with all I’ve learned. Those men were the past just as you said. I’m upset for you. Chrysander is treating you unfairly.”
“In elven culture it is considered unjust, but for dragons it is not.”
“You want to be a dragon, Ellery, but you mustn’t forget that you’re also an elf.”
“What good was being an elf? I had no friends. My mother is dead. I lived alone in a shack,” Ellery shot out. They were words he’d hardly dared think, let alone say out loud. He wanted to be a dragon and forget how uncomfortable his life was as a Fen-Lynthi elf.
“You cannot simply wash away a century of life. I know Chrysander’s decisions have upset you. We’re friends enough that I see it in your eyes.”
“I simply need to learn to be the drakeling that I am.”
“Do you believe being a drakeling is so much better than being an elf?”
“Elves and dragons are equal, but my life with my tribe was miserable. I want to be happy.”
“You explain to me how you can be happy with your other half living a floor beneath you.”
“Tiri, it is temporary. Our matebond ceremony is not long from now.”
“Fate wants you to be both elf and dragon. You must remember that. If she wanted you to be ordinary, you’d be up in the sky now flying.”
“Right now, I am focused on my dragon side.”
“Then you tell your dragon mate to be kind to you,” Tiri demanded and dropped his head into his hands. “And I’ll apologize to mine for acting crazy.”
“You were just surprised to learn Zane has a past.”
“He’ll be missing a few vital parts should he disgrace our matebond,” Tiri vowed.
“I am not going to tolerate Chrysander looking for sex elsewhere either once we are bound.”
“I must make amends with Zane, but do you think I might be able to stay here tonight?”
Ellery smiled. “I will grab a blanket for you. I believe the couch pulls out into a bed.”
“Thank you, you’re a good friend.”
“I cannot imagine a more caring friend than you,” Ellery responded truthfully. It meant a great deal to him that Tiri grew so enraged on his behalf. As for himself, he wasn’t angry with Chrysander. Like Ellery, he wasn’t ordinary, and their lives were complicated. In just a few short weeks they would be side-by-side, and he hoped the distance between them would evaporate. He had to trust in that, and he knew he was doing the right thing by focusing his energy on being a dragon, because the last thing he wanted to think about was what it felt like to be an elf.
