Page 57 of Court of Rivals
Prince Gareth’s silver dragon suddenly lands beside Ebron. She tosses some kind of meat at Ebron, and Ebron catches it, eating it in one bite. Then, she steps away from him and spreads her beautiful wings, doing a little dance in front of Ebron.
What’s she doing?
Ebron sounds pleased.Trying to impress me.
Is it working?
Yes.
“What the hell is Sylvara doing?” Prince Gareth mutters.
I glance at Prince Gareth. “Sylvara is trying to impress Ebron, and apparently, he likes it.”
The prince’s gaze snaps to mind. “He likes her or just likes that she’s trying to impress him?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
It’s funny, I’m pretty damn sure Prince Gareth is trying to speak to his dragon. I’m also pretty sure that she’s completely ignoring him, which is irritating the crap out of him. It’s nice… as long as Ebron really isn’t enjoying his dragon too much. The king’s words still linger in my head, making me wonder if I really will feel compelled to be with the riders of the dragons Ebron chooses to be with.
I’ll have to ask Ebron about it.
Another dragon lands near Ebron. This one is Prince Lucien’s golden dragon Verdraxa. She begins to flick her tail around Ebron. He turns to regard her and watches her show of flicking her tail around him, sometimes touching him, sometimes moving around him. Then, she leans forward and rubs her neck against him.
Sylvara roars and blasts fire at her.
Verdraxa roars right back.
“Uh oh,” I mutter.
“Your fucking dragon is causing trouble again,” Prince Gareth hisses.
“Your dragons are the ones who are all hot and bothered,” I tell him, crossing my arms in front of my chest.
Then, Nythera, Prince Alaric’s white dragon lands. She breathes fire over the back of his scales, and he instantly turns to face her. She makes clicking noises, noises I’ve never heard a dragon make before, and Ebron leans forward, and they rub necks.
“Damn it, does he like them?” I whisper to myself.
“He better not,” Prince Gareth says, his tone threatening as he leans into my space. “Control your dragon.”
“You control your dragon.”
“You know she won’t listen to me.”
“So what makes you think he’ll listen to me?”
Prince Gareth’s eyes narrow, but his gaze runs over my face, like he’s thinking. Which can’t possibly be a good thing. Every time these princes “think” about something else, it ends badly for me.
“I guess I should start figuring out which dragon riders I want to bone though, right? I mean, if I’m fated to end up with the riders of the dragons Ebron chooses, maybe I should get to choosing whoIwant and guide Ebron toward those female dragons.”
He looks at me like I’ve lost your mind. “How the hell are you going to just pick a few riders to be your husbands?”
I glance over the training grounds with all the riders. “Bone my way through them? See if any of them are worth going a second round with?”
“You wouldn’t,” he says softly.
I shrug. “Why not?”
His jaw ticks. “Do you have any idea of the complications that would come from something like that? You’d ruin all the bonds, and careful relationships, that have formed over years of training together.”
