Page 92 of No Ordinary Drakeling
Chrysander couldn’t hold back his sigh. “I know. I’m an idiot.”
“The good news is, we’ve learned a lot about Ellery’s character. He’s loyal and patient—otherwise he would have walked out on your ass.”
“Thanks so much.”
“It’s okay to be scared, you know. We all are, but Fate decided you two needed to be together even if it’s worst case scenario and it’s only for a short time.”
“I don’t want to think I’ve put this distance between us because I’m scared of losing him, but perhaps that’s why I have screwed this up. Isn’t that awful?” Chrysander asked.
“I’ll be honest. I’ve had some harsh words with Fate. This situation sucks.”
“Ellery’s so incredibly brave. He hasn’t complained once, and the only thing he shows is determination. I doubt I’d be so serene if I were in his place.”
“If he can work past his nerves, he’s going to be a wonderful emperor.”
“Give him time, Damian.”
“You kidding me? I’ll give him all the time in the world. Only mutants like you figure this shit out fast.”
“I get nervous, you know.”
“Rarely.”
“I’ve been ruling a long time.”
“Which is one of the reasons you’re so grouchy.”
“One of the reasons?”
Damian’s grin was evil. “Yeah, but not the biggest one. The main reason is that your mate’s sitting downstairs chatting with a sprite instead of up here tangled in the sheets with you.”
“If I was smart enough to have done this right, he’d be up here. But we wouldn’t waste our time with sheets, we’d toss those fuckers on the floor until we were done.”
His brother’s laugh was hearty. “You’ve got less than two weeks.”
“Trust me, I know. I’m counting down the days, and not only because a little part of me dies inside when I have to go to bed alone again.”
“I get it, you want to be closer to him and not only in the physical sense.”
“Exactly.”
Damian got to his feet. “Well, you’ve got your date on Thursday. Use your time wisely. Costas and I will be there to guard you two, but we’ll get our own table. That’ll give Tiri and Zane a night to themselves here.”
“What are you, the relationship fairy?”
“Whatever it takes,” his brother quipped as he left the room. Chrysander was piling up regrets right and left. He hoped Ellery wasn’t angry that Damian scheduled a date for them without speaking with him first. Meanwhile, Chrysander was going to spend his time wishing the hours would pass quickly so he could get to know Ellery better. His infatuation and interest in the hybrid grew by the minute. He could already see himself falling headlong into love, and all he could hope was that Fate wasn’t going to destroy Ellery. Chrysander truly had no idea how he’d survive a millennium or two until they were reunited in death.
* * *
Ellery traced his fingertips over a black rose with dark smoke rising from it. The plaque below it stated it was created by Killian the Dwyer, who was part of the ruling family for the Circle of Druids.
“I don’t remember meeting Killian the Dwyer,” Ellery said to his mate.
“I’ve only seen him once myself. He’s a recluse and has been for a few hundred years. He was once great friends with the Arch Lich, but they had a falling out when Killian wanted to allow his sister to rule alone. They’ve barely spoken since. He showed up at the party we threw to honor T’Eirick and Saura but only stayed for a few minutes. Apparently, he spends all his time working with his plants.”
“There are many of his flowers in this garden. He’s quite talented.”
“Yes, Chander says he has to be the strongest druid. Their power grows the more they spend plying their craft.”
