Chapter 19

Just as Elenore had suggested, Lalani devoured the section about the first mates. All such amazingly different stories about incredibly brave women. When Khadar had announced they would attend the harvest festival, Lalani planned to visit the mates’ stairway.

Now, standing at the bottom of the steps, she picked out the first names carved on the bottom step. Such brave women who allowed themselves to love a dragon. Their dragon mate.

“You are staring so hard. Is everything okay, Princess?” Khadar asked, wrapping his arm around her waist.

“The book brought these ladies alive for me. Seeing their names now means so much more than before,” she shared.

“They aren’t names anymore. They’re people,” he suggested.

“That’s it exactly. Your first mate was Brigitte O’Neil.” Lalani pointed to her name. “You met picking berries by the river.”

“She was picking berries. I was cleaning the blood off my scales from a battle. Brigitte did not like violence. She was a very peaceful woman.”

“What did you think when she didn’t run?” Lalani asked.

“Her scent had lured me there. The bath was an attempt to not turn her off completely. Brigitte proceeded to lecture me about the need for talking before fighting.”

“Didn’t you have to kill some people that attacked you?” Lalani asked.

“Yes. She shouldn’t have been out there alone. It wasn’t safe. I took care of the problem quickly. In the aftermath, Brigitte decided maybe having a dragon around was okay,” Khadar said with a laugh.

“It was a violent time back then.”

“It was. Surviving was difficult for humans. Between diseases and lack of medical knowledge, many didn’t survive to see forty. Especially women. Brigitte was my mate for over a hundred years.”

“How long do you think I’ll live?” Lalani asked.

“My heart says forever. The future is never sure. We’ll enjoy every minute together, Princess.”

She smiled and had opened her mouth to celebrate that idea with him when hands clasped over her eyes. Knowing with Khadar there, it had to be someone safe. She didn’t panic.

“Guess who?”

“Aurora?” she guessed, deliberately choosing the wrong mate.

“Aurora? Do I sound like this?” Ciel launched into a description of the epic party on the square in the exact tone that their friend would have spoken.

“That’s amazing, Ciel. I really knew it was you,” Lalani revealed as she turned around to hug her friend.

“She sounded just like me, didn’t she?” Aurora said, stepping forward to get her hug as well.

“She could be a perfect imitator. You probably could have made millions on scam calls,” Lalani suggested.

“Too bad there aren’t any phones. There’s one job possibility that tanked now,” Ciel joked.

“The watermelon contest is next. Let’s go watch,” Aurora suggested.

“That sounds like fun,” Lalani agreed. She looked up at Khadar for permission.

“Go, Princess. Stay with the group.”

“Yes, sir!” Lalani answered, snapping to attention and saluting.

“Oh, you’re going to get in trouble for that one,” Ciel whispered as they hurried away.

“Maybe he’ll forget,” Lalani said, crossing her fingers, already regretting her mocking movement.

“Dragons never forget,” Aurora reminded her.

They joined the crowd, standing in front of the long tables set together. Fifteen contestants stood behind the tables with their hands clasped behind their backs. In front of each person sat a large watermelon wedge.

“Who talked Ardon into competing?” Lalani asked, staring at the immense man who looked like he could eat the whole thing, rind and all, in a bite.

“He lost a bet with Oldrik,” Ciel explained.

“Those other contestants don’t look too happy to be competing against a dragon, even in human form,” Aurora said.

The whistle blew, starting the watermelon eating challenge, just as an enormous shadow passed over the area. People scrambled out of the dragon landing area as the black dragon dropped to the earth. Trapped in his claws were two men who cursed like sailors while a woman clung to his neck with desperate determination.

Ardon ran off the stage and toward Keres. Lalani hooked her arms with Ciel and Aurora and towed them over to find out what was going on. As soon as the woman slid down to the ground, Keres shifted and held the two men by their collars.

“Caught these two sneaking over the border,” Keres announced, shaking the men slightly.

“You didn’t just drop them a few miles away?” Drake asked.

“The border people vouched for them. One is part of the founding families that gave us Khadar’s mate,” Keres explained.

“Derek Lowe?” Lalani said, stepping away from the others.

A man a few years younger than her turned to smile at her. “I see my reputation as a ladykiller is still active in Wyvern.”

Lalani had to laugh at his rakish smile. “I don’t know about that, but I just found out my birth mother had a son named Derek Lowe.”

“You couldn’t be Lalani?” he guessed, shrugging off Keres’s hold and walking toward her.

“Suzanne told you about me?” Lalani asked.

“Your name was on an ornament on our Christmas tree every year. And I loved celebrating your birthday. Cake is important to kids. Your birthday was a fun day. I still remember it, March twenty-sixth.”

“That’s amazing. Our mother was amazing.” Lalani felt tears coursing down her cheeks and didn’t even try to wipe them away. She felt Khadar’s presence behind her and leaned back to let him support her.

“You’re a dragon’s mate?” Derek said as his eyes widened in shock.

“This is Khadar.” Lalani introduced him.

The man and shifter nodded at each other as they silently sized up each other.

“Can I give you a hug?” Lalani asked.

“Every time we see each other from now on. We have lots of time to make up,” Derek said, stepping forward to hold out his arms. He squeezed her tightly before releasing her and stepping back.

“Did I hear you say our mother was amazing?” he asked, emphasizing the past tense she used.

“I’m sorry. You probably hadn’t heard. She was killed in an accident just after I came to visit. Did you know your dad is gone, too?”

“Yes, friends clued me in. I thought about coming back then, but figured I’d been gone too long already. That was a mistake. I never considered I wouldn’t get to see Mom again.”

“I’m glad you’re here now. The dragons make Wyvern safe.”

“It’s taken me a while to make it back. The world is crazy out there. Being picked up by a dragon wasn’t anything I expected to experience today.”

“I’m sure Keres didn’t explain,” Lalani said, looking over her shoulder at Khadar. “Who’s the other man?”

“That guy and I found each other about two hundred miles from here as we each tried to get the last bottle of Pappy Van Winkle, the finest bourbon around. We decided to both enjoy it and discovered we had more than a common love of aged whiskey. He’s from Wyvern, too.”

“Brooks? Oh, good heavens. Is that you?”

Lalani turned at the sound of her friend’s voice. Elenore rushed toward the other man, who immediately shrugged out of the leather jacket Keres had him trapped by. He ran to wrap his arms around the older woman and turned in a happy circle.

“Grandma!”

“You’ve been traveling with Brooks Battlefield?” she asked Derek with complete astonishment.

“Yep. We recognized each other’s names as we talked. It seemed like a good idea that two men from Wyvern should stick together. I don’t think either of us would have gotten home alone.”

“We have a lot of catching up to do,” Lalani said.

A movement in the sky caught her attention, interrupting her next thought. She turned to see Oldrik land and shift. He seemed to sniff the air and strode forward toward Keres and the young woman.

“Who’s the woman?” Lalani asked.

“That’s Skye. We saved her from a bunch of thugs. It’s not safe for anyone to be by themselves, but women are an easy target,” Derek told her quietly. “She doesn’t talk much. We don’t know exactly what she went through before we found her. Somehow, we earned her trust and kept her with us.”

“There’s no way she’s from Wyvern, too,” Khadar said.

“There is, actually. That and home are the only words we’ve heard her say. She chimed in with both when we were talking about people we knew back here. We brought her with us. She’s one hell of an artist. We left incredible drawings of dragons everywhere we stopped.”

“I thought she was Oldrik’s mate from his reaction, but he’s leaving,” Khadar shared. “Ardon is there now.”

Lalani saw the younger dragon repeat that same sniffing motion as he strode forward. She focused on eavesdropping.

“Introduce me,” Ardon demanded of Keres as he stopped in front of the black dragon.

“I’ll tell you the same thing I told Oldrik. I don’t know her,” Keres said, shaking his head.

“What is your name, Little one?” Ardon asked.

“Skye,” she whispered, facing the crowd for the first time.

Ardon stared at the young woman as if trying to figure out a puzzle missing a vital piece.

“Skye? Is that you? Please, let me through. I think that’s my daughter,” a woman called from the assembly as she pushed her way through the people. Immediately, an aisle formed for her.

Ardon eased back as the worried mother ran forward to wrap her arms around the new arrival. “I’m so glad to see you. A dragon visited the art college to collect you, but you’d already left.”

“Hi, Mom.”

“Let’s get you home. You need a bath and something to eat.”

“There are dragons here, Mom. I need paper. I want to draw them.”

“You can draw dragons later, Skye.”

“No, Mom. I need to capture them now,” Skye stressed. “It’s important.”

“You don’t even have paper, Skye. Don’t be silly. Come home with me.”

“I have that paper I brought to make a pencil rubbing of the names. I’ll be right back,” Lalani told Khadar. Something told her this was important. When he nodded, she rushed forward, opening the tote bag draped over her shoulder.

“Hi. I’m Lalani. I couldn’t help overhearing. Would this work for you?” Lalani said, offering the tablet. “I have pencils, too.”

“Thank you.” The grateful look on Skye’s face told her everything. Lalani remembered both Ardon and Oldrik’s reactions to her. Was she one of their mates?

As the woman sat down on the grass to open the tablet, Ardon shifted into dragon form. He stood as still as a statue as Skye put the tip of her pencil on the blank page.

This is going to be fun to watch.

Mate, do not interfere in the affairs of dragons.

I’d never do that. Lalani crossed her fingers behind her back as she lied. Something was going on. She couldn’t wait to find out what happened next.

Thank you for reading Khadar: Fated Dragon Daddies 3!