Chapter 5

5

T he dress fit. It flowed around her and clung in all the right places when she spun around and made her feel just a little bit like a princess.

Pine was looking at her like she was something out of a fairy tale. His mouth hung slightly open, and his eyes blazed with an impossible light. Then he shook his head a little, and the expression was gone as if it had never been there at all.

But Neve had definitely seen it.

Her lips tingled in memory of their kiss, and she tried to banish the thought. In the days since then, she'd barely seen Pine and had, instead, been ferried around by his sister, who showed her everything the estate had to offer.

It didn't matter that she was a bit disappointed not to spend time with the dragon who could light her up from inside with one kiss. After tonight, she'd be going home. That was good. She could hold these memories close until they started to fade into nothing but a pleasant thought she wasn't sure was real or a dream. No need to dwell on the less than perfect parts.

Pine offered his arm and lead her to the entryway of the manor where Briar was waiting in a similarly elegant gown, her hair done up in a complicated style with a large ornament sticking out from the back of her head that looked a bit like a hand fan painted with an intricate design.

Neve's hair was gently styled, a bit of curling, a bit of the dragon equivalent of hairspray, and it hung down past her shoulders. Simple and elegant. But she felt understlyed next to Briar.

"You look amazing!" Briar said. "I knew the dress would be perfect. Everyone's going to want to see you. Especially since they've been hearing rumors about the human that Pine's been keeping to himself."

"Briar!" A puff of smoke burst out of Pine's mouth, and he glared. "You know this isn't real. She'll be gone after tonight. What are you doing?"

This isn't real.

It echoed in Neve's mind. Of course it wasn't. She'd spent maybe a half an hour alone with Pine since she got here, and most of that had been spent arguing.

Or kissing.

But the kissing was irrelevant. Pine didn't want her. He didn't want anyone. And she wasn't here to fall in love with a strange dragon man. She had a life back on Earth, and she had to make it through tonight to get back there.

Briar was unrepentant. "You'll thank me later."

Before things could erupt into a sibling blowout, a servant cleared his throat and announced that their carriage was ready.

This was a different vehicle than the one Pine had used to drive her around the property earlier. There was still something vaguely golf cart-ish to the shape of it, but it was like a golf cart and a carriage out of a fairy tale had a baby. Gold and silver weaved together to form the walls of the traveling compartment, and a driver sat at the front in a simple but finely decorated area all to himself.

A door on the side slid open, and a set of stairs automatically descended. Briar was first into the carriage, followed by Neve. Pine took her hand and assist her in before following.

She didn't dare look at him. He was just being polite. Probably acting on instinct and nothing more.

There were two padded benches facing each other in the cabin. Pine sat beside Neve, their legs pressed together.

Again, nothing to read into it. He just didn't want to be crammed in next to his sister.

The carriage drove them towards the city and the castle on the hill in the middle of it. Neve couldn't bring herself to do more than glance out the windows once or twice. She'd be leaving tomorrow. She didn't want to see something in town she'd regret not having visited. Better not to know than to miss it forever.

Briar had no such compunction. She was looking outside like she'd never seen the city before and kept saying things like "we need to go to that bakery next week" or "did you see the new bookshop? Why didn't you tell me?"

Neve didn't respond. Briar and her brother could do whatever they wanted next week. There were bakeries and bookstores on Earth. Neve wasn't really missing out.

The carriage slowed to a crawl as they joined the line of attendees for the king's Yule Ball.

Briar sat for several moments, energy thrumming under her skin and barely contained. Then she reached for the latch on the door. "You guys can wait. I'm walking the rest of the way." She was out of the car before either Neve or Pine could reach to stop her.

Pine knocked his head against the headrest. "I have no idea where she gets the energy."

It was a little exhausting just watching her, but Neve didn't say it out loud. "Is walking to the entrance a faux pas?" They'd been in the line of carriages for about ten minutes and had only moved a few dozen feet.

"Not when it's Briar. She'll charm anyone she meets and probably be leading a brigade of attendees with muddy shoes to be announced as one group. The king's lucky she has no desire to rule. I dread to think what kind of revolution she'd lead." He turned towards her with a faint smile. "I hope you don't mind waiting until we arrive at the entrance."

"No problem." Neve looked right back at him and felt an answering smile threatening to tug at her lips. That way lay danger. And monsters. And bottomless pits of despair.

She forced herself to look away.

If there had been an opportunity there, it vanished as the silence between them dragged on. Neve wished she knew what to say, but every moment was a reminder that she was that much closer to home, and there was no need to start anything; she couldn't finish it.

If Pine had let that kiss draw to its natural conclusion three days ago, it would be a different story. But he'd run away. She refused to put herself out there again.

Finally, the carriage pulled up to the entrance, and Pine exited first, putting out a hand to help her down the steps.

Despite what he'd said, the way was paved with gleaming marble stones that seemed to have flecks of gold in them. The entrance was an archway out of a fantasy novel's dream, gold weaved together to look like tree branches. None of the other people getting out of their carriages paid the entrance any mind.

She was surrounded by dragons. This was real.

Neve stopped gawking. It was time to do her job.

She pasted on a smile and put her hand in the crook of Pine's arm, letting him lead her in. A few moments later, they were announced by a man in a fine black robe who stood at the other end of the golden archway. Some curious attendees looked their way, but not many. Hopefully Briar's promise of curious dragons was an empty threat.

The inside of the palace was no less ornate than the outside. It reminded her a little of Versailles, which she'd gone to on a school trip her senior year of high school. Four years of French class had finally paid off. Not because she could actually speak it, because she really couldn't, but the sights had been amazing.

Apparently the dragon king didn't know what all that opulence had done for King Louis. But she didn't see hoards of angry peasants armed with a guillotine, so maybe things were going alright here.

"What are you thinking about?" Pine asked as he led her farther into the ballroom.

"Um … monarchy?" Now was not the time to talk about the French Revolution. She needed to remember why she was here. "Any special instructions? Are we trying to impress anyone? Or do you just need me to keep my mouth shut, smile, and look pretty?"

"Do what you wish with your mouth; you're beautiful enough as it is." He seemed to realize what he said only after the words came out, and his eyes widened.

Neve couldn't help it. She laughed.

Somewhere, musicians were tuning their instruments, and attendees began to line up in a formation that Neve recognized from her dancing lessons. Pine held out a hand, and they joined them.

Then the music started, and she let her worries float away.

She was going to have fun, and then she was going to go home.