Page 110 of Castor
“Look at all that food!” Gray said, rushing toward it.
Raiden ran behind him, drool practically seeping from the side of his mouth.
“Both of you, come back,” Alastair said, sounding like a peeved parent getting on to his children. “Don’t embarrass me in front of all these people.”
Raiden pouted before obeying. He smiled though when Gray came back to their table and slyly slid over a piece of shrimp he’d stolen off the table.
Baxter had called us right before we left for Japan and said Titan was healing from his injuries, though the loss of his arm was hard for him to adjust to. The news had thrown Raiden into a funk. I didn’t know if he cared for Titan in a romantic way, but it was clear a bond had formed between them during our time in Greece. A friendship.
Tatsuya approached me and Kyo. The dragon king didn’t like me much. I could see it in the hard set of his eyes and the tightness around his mouth. But he seemed to like me more now than he had when we’d first met.
“Congratulations,” he said.
“Thank you.” Kyo beamed at him. In his hybrid form, his teeth were more pointed and his features sharper. Orange eyes popped against his blue-and-green skin, and his black hair looked softer.
Tatsuya’s ocean blue eyes moved to me. “Take care of my brother, Nephilim.”
“I will.” I put my arm around Kyo’s waist.
Members of Kyo’s clan brought forward a large barrel of sake.
“This is calledkagami-biraki,” Kyo whispered in my ear. “Because you can’t have a celebration without some sake.”
I grinned and watched as the lid of the barrel was broken open. Sake was poured for all the guests, and once everyone was seated, food was served. Kyo and I sat in the center of the longer table, with Tatsuya sitting beside him and Alastair beside me.
Food, drink, and entertainment filled the next few hours. Females from the water clan performed a ritualistic dance as we ate, and then the floor was opened up for the rest of the guests to dance. Laughs sounded from all around us, and the joy in the air was contagious.
The threat of war couldn’t reach us in that ballroom. Even Alastair looked to be enjoying himself.
Bellamy danced with Kyo’s sister, and she laughed as he spun her around the ballroom floor. His eyes shifted between five different colors. Probably the eye colors of the five males that watched from the sidelines, smiling at the two of them.
Kyo leaned over and told me their names. The ones named Sora and Akio walked to the dance floor and joined the fun.
Dragons from the earth and fire clans were in attendance, mainly because some of them had married members of the water clan.
“I have a question,” I said, leaning over to Kyo. We had sat back down after taking a spin around the dance floor. “Don’t laugh at me. But what happens when two dragons from different clans have kids? Does the kid have both elemental powers?”
“Yes. Though, one power is usually more prominent. Tatsuya’s daughters with Maebh have earth and water gifts, but earth is stronger.”
“Ah. Cool. Okay, another question. Where are all the dragon clans from?”
Kyo smiled. “The clans are spread out all over the globe. Water dragons are from Japan. The earth clan comes from Ireland, and the fire clan is from Egypt. The ice dragons are from Russia.”
“What about the fifth clan? Wind, right?”
He nodded. “They’re located in the mountains of New Zealand.”
“Daman probably knew all of this,” I said, looking over at my introverted brother. He stood against the far wall, arms crossed as he people-watched. “He’s the dragon freak in our family.”
“Go mingle,”I told Daman telepathically.“Quit being a wallflower.”
“I’ll do what I damn well please,”Daman answered, his gaze flickering to me.“So leave me alone, and go fuck your new husband.”
An explosion of jealousy hit me square in the chest, an echo of his feelings. Envy had him in its grip. My heart went out to him.
In all the years I’d known Daman, I didn’t think he’d ever been happy. The sin he embodied made him downright miserable. Jealous. Spiteful. Sad. It was why he enjoyed Konnar’s club so much. It gave him a small reprieve from all of that.
Suddenly, the ballroom doors burst open.
