Page 24 of No Ordinary Drakeling
“I’ll read them tonight,” Chrysander replied. The time complaint wasn’t a new one; they’d reached a point where his office was simply moving too fast for the rest of the Council. “Don’t hire anyone else, Wesley. The rest of the Council has to keep up with us, or we aren’t serving them well.”
“They should accommodate our timetable, not the other way around. They can always hire more staff just as we do.”
“Not every office has the resources to do so.”
“I think we need to put together an advisory panel to determine what the appropriate length of time should be for these things,” Damian suggested.
Wesley shook his head violently. “That smacks of the former elder council for the Order of Necromancia, and look how that turned out. They ousted the Arch Lich, and one of them murdered the other. The other three were taken down by some crazy ex-warlocks. We set the standard, but if we need to stop getting faster, that’s fine. I think we’re at a good speed now. Our office has no trouble putting together notes for each day.”
“Thank you, Wesley. Let’s get the press release corrected. I want it out today.”
The office manager took his leave, and Damian lifted a brow at Chrysander. “What?”
“You know, you might not have any choice in the matter when it comes to slowing things down around here.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, you might want to have a life now that you have Ellery. The only reason we manage to keep this schedule of ours is because we never stop working.”
“Yes, I know. I’m not sure yet how to manage everything. I think it’ll be easier when Ellery’s involved in things around here.”
“With his short hair and what does he call them? His dragon clothes?”
A flash of annoyance flowed over Chrysander as he recalled Ellery’s new look. “I didn’t even know where the hell to start when I saw him.”
“I know, you should’ve seen your face. You looked like someone had killed your best friend,” Damian teased.
“Well, what do you expect? My elf decided to become a dragon.”
“You and your obsession with pointy-eared men.”
“I guess I should be glad he can’t get rid of those, at least.”
“Relax, he had on elven attire this morning.”
“I noticed in the five whole seconds I got to see him,” Chrysander complained.
“He’ll be coming with us next week. Settle down.”
“Do you realize I have yet to be alone with him in a room?”
“That’s because the only time you’re alone is when you’re in bed.”
“Well, I sure as hell can’t invite him there—it would disgrace him,” Chrysander retorted. If he was with Ellery and there was no one around, he doubted he would be able to contain his desire for the enticing elf. “And you’re the reason I’m never alone.”
“If you think I’m going to apologize for protecting you, then Your Majesty, with all due respect, you’ve lost your fucking mind.”
“I think I’m safe with Ellery.”
Damian smiled. “I already like him. Relax. But I don’t like the two of you apart. Zane and I should be guarding you both together.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Have I told you congratulations yet?”
“Only a hundred times. Listen, your mates will be here soon. We’ve always done everything together.”
“I’ll be gracious and let Zane have his first. I need you both happy before I can concentrate on both my men, because you know with all that action in my bed, I’m going to expend a lot of energy.”
“Damian, I have six weeks before I can touch Ellery. We’re not going to have sex discussions.”
Damian laughed. “You know, I’d feel sorry for you if you didn’t have an immortal lifetime with your mate to look forward to.”
A chill swept over Chrysander at Damian’s words. Not only did he have to fear losing Ellery to his dragon, but if he happened to survive, at some point in the future Chrysander would have to say good-bye to the men in his family. For the first time in his life, he wondered what the hell was so great about being a shifter anyway. If they were born elven or strong magickind, none of them would have to worry about the end.
“Do you realize you’re going to be Emperor for eternity?”
“Good, then I’m not going to feel guilty for taking a damn vacation,” Chrysander retorted. He made the decision in that moment to take time off to be with Ellery after their mating ceremony. His priority was to be there for Ellery and to be right at his side as he transitioned from drakeling to dragon. The rest of the world could figure out a way to make it without him for a week or two while he enjoyed the company of the man who was already tying him into lovely knots of want and need.
