Chapter 1

A lthough Marquis Praxis Draconis was alone in his well-appointed office decorated in grayish-green and black—the colors of the two dragons he considered his true parents—he smiled like a fool.

"Thank you very much, Alpha Orcinus," Praxis said into the phone. "I don't suppose you're willing to have another discussion regarding the discount."

The Fate-chosen ruler of the orcas laughed. "For the last time, my lord, you are not paying full price. We're delighted to have your entire family at our newest theme park, and my staff is eager for the opportunity to serve you and your family. You are doing us a favor."

"Fine, but we owe you one, Alpha."

"Remember that when you send out the next fancy invitations to something, my lord. I'll be a hero to my mate if I can give her a reason to buy another formal gown. Our people are laidback, and she rarely gets the chance to dress up. She has space to fill up in her closet, and I love giving her a chance to pull out her fancy jewelry and crown."

"You'll be at the top of the list, I promise, Alpha," Praxis replied, then wished the kind shifter a good day and hung up.

Hopping out of his chair, Praxis brushed a stubborn curl off his temple and raced to his best friend's office.

"What's up?" Marquis Straton Kyrkosdraconis asked, his brown eyes curious.

"It's all set up."

Straton, Praxis's cousin and closest pal, grinned and rubbed his hands together. "This is going to be so much fun."

"What's going to be so much fun?" Imperial Duke Damianos Draconis asked from somewhere behind him. The Imperial Duke preferred to be called Damian by anyone other than Praxis's father, Niko, and by extension, Praxis.

Praxis had not been expecting anyone to be in the hall. His hand flew up to his chest, and he jumped with a curse.

"Don't you have an Emperor to protect?" Praxis asked his eldest brother.

"It's quitting time, boys," Damianos replied, a smirk on his handsome face. It was obvious the man wasn't the least bit repentant for frightening him. "If you're riding home with us, you need to get your butt in gear."

"I promised my mom I'd be home for dinner tonight," Straton said.

"What?" Praxis asked. "I thought we were—"

Damianos lifted a dark brow when Praxis cut off his sentence so he wouldn't accidentally give away his surprise. "You were what?"

"This is your thing, Prax. You don't need me there."

"No, it can wait. Are you eating with us tomorrow?"

"Probably, but don't wait to tell everyone. Do it without me."

It annoyed Praxis how Straton insisted on keeping himself separate from the royal family. As far as Straton was concerned, he was part of Court Kyrkos, and though he was biologically related to the Draconises, he'd drawn invisible lines between the two courts. Praxis failed to understand these lines. Narrowing his brown eyes, Praxis could tell his best friend was avoiding his gaze because he was lying.

"You're annoying," Praxis told Straton.

"Go shut your computer off and call me later to tell me how everyone reacts," Straton ordered.

"How we react to what?" Damianos asked.

"I guess I'm telling everyone tonight at dinner…by myself ," Praxis complained.

"It was your idea, and you did all the work," Straton reasoned. "All I did was cheerlead for you."

"Fine," Praxis retorted, hardly satisfied with Straton's reasoning or his desire to avoid revealing the fun ahead for everyone.

"Is anyone going to clue me in about what we're talking about?" Damianos asked as he followed Praxis down the hall to his office.

"You can wait until I explain it to everyone at dinner," Praxis said, grabbing his suit jacket from the back of his chair and sliding it on. Meandering to the closet in his office, Praxis plucked the dual-colored sash proudly proclaiming him as part of Court Draconis and tugged it on. Next, he placed his coronet of gold, grayish-green, and black over his loose curls.

"I'm not good at suspense," Damianos complained. Then he sighed dramatically. "I guess I'll go ask the Ducsarcelle to console me."

"Console you for what?" Praxis asked, but his brother had already disappeared from the doorway.

Ducsarcelle Marcus Draconis was the undisputed love of Damianos's life, and he adored his mate. It was only one of many strong relationships around Praxis, and although he was still a drakeling, he envied the tight bonds created by Fate. Someday he hoped to find a man to be his partner in everything, but he had some patience left for the goddess whose job it was to pair souls. After all, there were many men and women in his extended family who'd waited far longer than he had.

Praxis secured his office door and headed for the main reception area of the Office of the Emperor. Seated at a long desk was an exceptionally competent office manager—Praxis's dad. The dragon shifter with unique eyes the color of dried sage lifted his head to smile at Praxis.

For the first thirteen years of his life, Praxis had been told a hostile, selfish man was his father. Learning that his mother had lied, and that Royal Duke-mate Niko Draconis was his actual biological parent, had been a critical moment in Praxis's life. Although he loved his mother, there remained a part of him unwilling to forgive her for her lies and her treatment of Niko.

Praxis's mother, Andriana, and the man Praxis had been told had fathered him, had abused and mistreated Niko. His own birth had only resulted because Andriana had drugged Niko, then locked him into a tiny cottage until he was rescued by Lich Sentinel Alaric Daray at the behest of the Emperors.

Since joining the Council and meeting Niko at thirteen, Praxis had maintained a relationship with his mother, but it was difficult. She'd worked with a therapist for many years, and she'd improved as a person. However, she remained concerned with herself first and had trouble not considering herself the victim in any situation.

It was a far cry from the unconditional love Praxis was given by Niko and his other half, Royal Duke Costas Draconis. As far as Praxis was concerned, Niko and Costas were his parents. Not Andriana. And certainly not her cruel mate, Gelon. Thankfully, Gelon wanted nothing to do with Niko, and he appreciated the distance he'd kept from him since he was a teenager.

"Hey, Dad, how was your afternoon?" Praxis asked, heading straight for his parent to offer him a hug.

"Good, but why are you frowning?" Niko asked, concern on his face.

Shaking off thoughts of Andriana and Gelon, Praxis focused on the present. "Straton is annoying."

"What are you two fighting about now? Do I need to call Nitsa and tell her to have a word with her son?" Niko teased. Niko and Straton's mother, Nitsa, talked several times a day but had always allowed Praxis and Straton to work out their rare disagreements without interference.

"I wish he'd stop putting this distance between our two courts," Praxis complained. "He's here in Vegas more often than he's in California at Court Kyrkos."

"I know, but I'm not sure Nitsa will ever forgive me if we convince Straton to move in with us," Niko replied. "Not that she'd keep Straton from living his own life, but she does like having him home."

"The last thing I want is to get on Aunt Nitsa's bad side."

"Me neither," Niko said.

The door to the office where the two Emperors were likely wrapping up their afternoon swung open, and a tall black-haired man stepped out. Without pause or comment, the dragon shifter cupped Niko's face in his hands and kissed him softly.

Costas turned to Praxis. "So, what's your big secret?"

"Damianos has a big mouth," Praxis muttered.

"He sent a group text," Costas replied. "What do you need to tell us?"

"This is why siblings are annoying," Praxis retorted, taking a moment to hug Costas as Niko shut down his computer and grabbed his things. "I'm not telling anyone anything until we get home."

Another black dragon emerged, and behind him was a stunning man with thick streaks of white in his dark locks. On his head was a gleaming golden crown, and his heavily embroidered cloak glided across the carpet as the bright lights above them made the gold beads in his hair and on his clothing glitter.They were a perfect match for an elf-dragon hybrid with skin that sparkled as much as his noble personality.

"Where is Tiri?" asked the first dragon, Ducblanc Zane Draconis. Then, with a huff, he stalked around His Majesty, Emperor Ellery Draconis, to find his mate, Ducblanc-mate Tiridythas D'Vaire.

"I'm coming," Tiri called out, racing out as he stuffed fabric into a tote. "I dropped my bag."

"We are still missing several people, including my mate," Ellery commented.

"If he doesn't get off the phone, I say we leave him here," Zane teased.

It took a few minutes, but soon Praxis was downstairs and climbing into a waiting limousine with several dragons, a few sprites, an elf-dragon hybrid, a sentinel, and a harpy.

"Are you making dinner tonight, Marcus?" Costas asked as soon as the car swept into motion to make the short drive between their place of employment and the penthouse they called home.

"No, we don't have time for that," Emperor Chrysander Draconis stated as he toyed with the mating band he'd placed on Ellery's finger many years before. "Praxis has a secret to tell."

"I think being exposed to the D'Vaires for so many years has caused our family to thrive in chaos," Praxis muttered.

The High Draconis Court of D'Vaire was an integral part of Praxis's family, and he relished their monthly visits to the grand mansion High Kings Aleksander and Rafe owned. Along with several other families, the royal Draconises were among those lucky enough to be part of the extended D'Vaire clan. It was something Praxis never took for granted, and someday he hoped to stand in their backyard to make promises to his other half, just as his parents had done.

Tiri grinned. "I agree, isn't it wonderful?"

"You could tell us instead of prolonging the drama and waiting until we're eating," Damianos suggested.

"None of this would be an issue if you hadn't tattled to the entire family."

"Seriously, what are you, twelve?" Costas asked.

"I can tell from Praxis's face that this isn't anything bad, so I'm willing to tease the kid," Damianos replied. "Think of it as evening the odds since he so often likes to bust my balls."

"That's my duty as the youngest," Praxis said, then grinned. "But I can't wait to tell you this either, so here goes. I worked it out with Alpha Orcinus, and we're renting out his entire new theme park for a day. It's like a D'Vaire event, but this time, we can host it and give back a little to them. They're always inviting us for the most incredible experiences. So, we're going to ride roller coasters and get to play in the best water park in North America."

No one spoke, and Praxis's smile disappeared. He hadn't expected anyone to balk at his idea, so he hadn't prepared himself for how to deal with anything but joy.

"I have never been on a roller coaster," Ellery stated. "But I am intrigued."

"The last thing I want to do is offend anyone in this car, but I have to ask, what are the height requirements?" Zane asked. "We have some people who are not as tall as others."

"Forty-eight inches for most rides, and a few are fifty-four," Praxis replied, having anticipated the question. "Maximum height was designed with dragons and other large shifters in mind, so I think you have to be like seven feet tall before it becomes an issue."

"I was sure I'd be way too short," Warrior Chieftain Jace Cyrrien exclaimed with a bright grin lighting up his purple-and-teal eyes. The diminutive man was probably five-foot-two in his shoes, so Praxis understood his concern. "A theme park sounds fun."

"Were you planning on asking me to release more than your monthly dividends out of your account to pay for this?" asked Costas. He was the Chief Financial Officer of Draconis Enterprises and the Duke in charge of finances for the Office of the Emperors and Praxis's immediate family.

Praxis winced. "I may need some help with that. It's a big percentage of what's in my account. But Alpha Orcinus gave me a great discount. I mean, a stupid good price considering it's the entire park. Oh, and they're going to do a cake dessert bar for the Grand Warlock."

"You aren't paying a penny," Chrysander said. "Thank you for thinking of this and putting it together. You're right, we rarely get the chance to attempt to even the scoreboard with the D'Vaires. I think we'll have a great time. Ell and I will pay for it."

"Maybe we split it among several of us," Costas replied. "It was our son's idea."

"And I'm your Emperor, so pay it from our accounts and no arguing," Chrysander retorted.

"Are you guys really excited?" Praxis asked, relief replacing his concern. Although he'd wanted to pay for as much as he could himself and have his parents aid him, there was no use fighting Chrysander or Ellery. The last thing he wanted was another argument with a Fate-chosen leader; he'd done plenty of that with Alpha Orcinus, trying to convince the man that he didn't need to be so generous.

"I think it sounds exciting," Dragon Lord Findlay D'Vaire said. "If we have the entire park to ourselves, we should consider bringing the entire Sentinel Brotherhood. Is that a possibility, Praxis? Or have we negotiated a fixed number?"

There were just over eight thousand sentinels, and more people in the park meant a greater benefit for the staff, so Praxis was delighted by Findlay's suggestion. "I can double-check with Alpha Orcinus, but we should be able to bring in as big of a number as we want. Kitlivri, do you think your sprites would want to go?"

"I can ask," Kitlivri said. "I'd love for them to join us."

"We're connected to several small populations, and they're all people who won't freak out Aleksander or any other D'Vaire," Chrysander said. "We should include whoever we can. But any dragon beyond our family will have to be screened through me. I don't want Aleksander or anyone else to be uneasy or decide to sit this out."

"I ruined your surprise, so you get to tell the D'Vaires," Damianos remarked.

"Thank goodness this weekend is a D'Vaire one," Tiri exclaimed. "I wouldn't be able to keep it a secret long."

Thrilled that everyone was excited about the idea, Praxis smiled and decided he'd have to put more thought into other adventures he could arrange for his extended family. It would be fun for him and everyone else. He hoped everyone would gain memories at the amusement park that they would cherish forever.