Chapter Seventeen

The King”s demeanor brightened even more as we rolled through the streets of Enleran. He smiled at me a lot but also stared out the window as if he had never seen the world outside the castle gates. Maybe he hadn”t, not in a hundred and fifty years. That”s enough time to not only turn a garden into a wilderness but to also change the face of a city.

I didn”t speak, proving that I could indeed be still and silent. But I had the motivation to remain quiet. The King. His reactions. I loved watching him. He looked enchanted. And through him, my first look at the night version of the crown city of Enleran was just as magical as seeing it from above. Whenever the King”s eyes widened or his lips parted, I eagerly searched for whatever had delighted him, and it always delighted me too. It was like experiencing the city with a fellow traveler, someone as new to it as I was. But this was its king.

I didn”t want to ruin that with words.

So, I waited until we had stopped before a grand building, right at an extension that covered part of the walkway, going up to the street. The underbelly of the extension”s roof was bowed upward and gilded. I stared up at it as the King escorted me to the building. Up ahead of us, two men waited at a pair of heavily carved doors. They opened the doors for us and bowed.

One of the Dragon knights stepped in ahead of us, and the other behind. They didn”t say a word, just focused on scanning the restaurant as we entered it. The knight in the lead immediately strode past the host and did a circle around the room while the other waited beside us, watching the door.

The host”s eyes went wide, he made some stuttering sounds, then dropped into a deep bow. “Welcome, Your Majesty! We are so honored to serve you.”

“My knights speak highly of this place,” the King said. “They enjoy your food.”

“Oh, how wonderful!” the man, an Eljaffna, flushed with pleasure and smiled wide enough to show off his sharp fangs. “We will do our best not to disappoint you, Sire. Please, follow me. I have the perfect table for you.”

“Somewhere private if possible,” the King said as his knight rejoined us.

“Oh, yes! Very private. It”s our special table in the courtyard garden.”

“A garden?” The King lifted a brow at me.

“Well, that is perfect,” I said.

The Eljaffna blinked—the only indication that he was surprised by the Dragon King”s choice of a dining companion. Then he scooped up two leather folders from a shelf beneath his lectern and waved us past a low wall adorned with potted plants and brass statuary. Elephants featured almost as much in the décor there as they did at the castle. There were marble elephants holding planters on their backs, fabric elephants adorned with glass jewels, and brass elephants proudly bearing statues of dragons on their backs. The walls were draped with bright lengths of silk woven with gold thread, colorful lanterns hung from the ceiling, and all the dining tables were as low as the ones in the castle. People lounged on short chairs and couches, dining languidly, some even reclined. But they all straightened, then shot to their feet when they saw the King. They bowed as we passed them. The King nodded.

Then we were leaving the main room through an elaborate archway. The scent of green things hit me, and I breathed in deeply. Lanterns came on and a tiny paradise was revealed. Marble columns bordered the space, sandstone slabs covered the ground, and far above us, a glass ceiling arched. I smiled at that. Someone wanted to protect this place. It was probably for the customers, but it also maintained the garden.

Holes in the sandstone erupted with sprays of green, brown, and rust-red foliage. Tropical plants from all over the world gathered there, many with blooms that refused to close at night. Their beauty never slept. So amid the neutral colors were slashes of crimson, orange, turquoise, yellow, and bright pink. In the center of it all was a gazebo, its domed roof cut through with designs and its low walls similarly adorned. The host led us through the gazebo”s doorway and to the table within. It was round, near the ground, and surrounded by a circular bench, the gazebo walls serving as the bench”s back. A yellow glass lantern hung from the apex of the domed and gilded gazebo roof, its light magnified by the gold.

The Dragon King waved me toward the table, and I scooted along the bench to sit facing the doorway. He went around the other way to sit beside me. When we were settled against the thick cushions, the host handed us some menus.

“Is there anything I could get you immediately, Your Majesty?” the man asked, his pale skin shining like the moon in the lantern light.

“Wine. Your best,” the King said.

“Nothing less will be served to you tonight, Your Majesty. I assure you.” He bowed and hurried away.

I stared after him. There was something about the man that made my brain tingle. What was it?

“Is the garden not to your liking?” The King asked.

I looked at him. “Are you kidding? This is wonderful. Thank you for bringing me here.”

King Shaleros grinned. “You”re welcome.” Then he cleared his throat and opened his menu.

I smiled at his nervousness and opened my menu too. I was on a date with the Dragon King. Holy. Fuck. I could barely read the words on the menu, I was so excited. When our server came by, bringing our wine with him, I got flustered and couldn”t decide on my main course. But the man took his time pouring the wine, giving me a few moments to figure out what I wanted. Of course, what I really wanted wasn”t on the menu.

The King ordered most of the food, including several appetizers and sides, and once I made my choice, the server hurried away. Suddenly, I didn”t know what to do. I busied myself gathering the cylindrical pillows they used as armrests in Enleran and setting them where I wanted. The King”s lips twitched when I offered him one.

“Cease, Sebastian,” he said as he took the pillow and tossed it aside. “Drink your wine. It”s very good.”

I sat back and did as I was told. But as I sipped my wine, I stared at the King, and it came to me. What was bothering me about the Eljaffna?

I put my glass down and looked away, processing the information. How did I feel about it? Verall had thought it would deter me. It didn”t. Far from it. I was . . . fascinated. Would a man of mixed race still have the needs inherent to both races? The King had mated, which meant his Dragon nature had come through. But was his Dragon half dominant? Maybe all he got from his mother”s people was superficial. But if it wasn”t, he would need things from his lover that Dragons didn”t.

My heart raced, and a flush warmed my cheeks.

“What naughty thoughts are you thinking now?” the King whispered.

I flinched and looked at him. “Um. All right. I”m going to be honest with you.”

The King frowned and leaned back. “I would prefer that.”

“Tonight, before you arrived, some of the courtiers told me about your mixed blood.”

His face twitched.

I hurried on, “They didn”t tell me your mother”s race. But they hinted at it. It sounds as if they believe you survived because of it.”

The King”s throat worked roughly before he said, “That is what most believe, yes.”

“But it”s not true, is it?”

“What part?”

“You know what part. You didn”t survive because of your ancestry.”

King Shaleros stared at me a long time before saying, “No. Not exactly.”

Before I could ask, the server appeared with our appetizers. The King and I sat in tense silence, waiting for the man to leave. It took a while since he insisted on putting a few selections on our plates.

Once he was gone, I asked, “How did you do it?”

“I”m not ready to talk about this with you,” he said stiffly.

I held up my hands in surrender. “I understand. You barely know me. And it”s none of my business. Not yet.”

His expression softened. “If it becomes your business, I will tell you, Sebastian.”

“Thank you.”

The King nodded, then speared a mushroom with his fork. He stuck it into his mouth and chewed. I caught the glint of a fang and stared.

After swallowing, he asked, “What is it now?”

“Your mother is Eljaffna, isn”t she?”

He sighed and leaned back. “Yes.”

I frowned. “You sound as if that”s a bad thing. Why?”

“You don”t think less of me for it?”

“No, of course not. And neither do your courtiers.”

“What?” He scowled at me. “They think it”s because I”m Eljaffna that I survived.”

“Yes, but even if it was the reason you lived, that doesn”t make the Eljaffna part of you evil.”

The King went still.

“Your Majesty, I—”

“Shaleros,” he interrupted. “When we”re alone, you may call me Shaleros.”

I couldn”t speak for a second, then I said, “Shaleros.”

His expression softened.

“Thank you,” I said. “For the honor.”

“You”re welcome. Now, tell me why you haven”t started looking at me as everyone else does.”

“How does everyone else look at you?”

“As if I”m only half a king.”

“I don”t think that”s true.”

“It is. Trust me. All my life I”ve been treated as if I”m only half of what I should be. Never enough.”

“I”m sorry for that. Why didn”t your mother stand up for you?”

“She did. As much as she could in a Dragon enclave.”

“She was seen as an outsider?”

“No, not at all. When someone of another race mates a Dragon, they”re usually accepted into their mate”s dread. Even if they aren”t fully accepted, they will be treated with respect. Only Kings must present their mates for full acceptance and risk rejection. My mother was accepted.”

“She was, but you weren”t?”

“I was. I am. I have always been a proud member of the Latur Dread. But I”ve also been pushed harder, demanded more of, and . . . gawked at. Only Erelis—” He stopped short, hung his head, then whispered, “Dear Gods. I haven”t spoken or heard my mate”s name in so long. It”s wrong.”

“No, it isn”t.” I laid my hand on his shoulder. “It was necessary for your survival. And that”s a testimony to your love.”

Shaleros looked up at me. “She was beautiful.”

“I have no doubt she was.”

“And kind, especially for a Dragon woman.” His lips twitched. “They”re vicious, you know? More so than men.”

“I”ve met a few. So, yes, I know.” I grinned as I thought of King Rianvar”s grandmother. “But even the vicious ones can be kind when they want to.”

“Yes, I suppose. But my mate was special. She was always kind. Practically timid for a Dragon. When she died, the world went dark for me.”

“I”m so sorry, Shaleros. Truly sorry for your loss.”

He nodded. “Thank you.”

“So, Duchess Erelis never saw you as half a Dragon?”

Shaleros grinned. “No, never. Of course, that may have been the mating magic drawing us together. You can”t deny the Goddess. Maybe if Erelis had been of another race.” He glanced at me. “But . . . oh, fuck, what am I doing?”

“You”re moving on. Trying to live,” I said. “And that doesn”t have to mean more than taking whatever pleasure you can find. I know you”ll never have another mate. I will never be what she was to you. But maybe we can find some happiness together, at least for a little while.”

“You will die,” he whispered. “Like her.”

“Yes,” I said. “But maybe by then, if we last that long, you will have learned to live.”

Shaleros grabbed the back of my neck and yanked me forward. I fell against his chest, both hands pressed over his rapidly beating heart, and met his lips with mine. The kiss was soft, yet bursting with desire. Tingling with it. And with possibility. It unfolded like a flower, blossoming even as it grew. His hands clutched at my back, then pulled me closer. I was in his lap, then straddling him. But I didn”t push forward, didn”t grind against him as I wanted to. This was our first kiss, and something told me to savor the sweetness.

I was glad I did because when Shaleros ended the kiss, I leaned back and opened my eyes to find him staring at me in wonder.

“I see you”ve decided,” I whispered.

“I have,” he whispered back. “I want you, Sebastian. I think you will be good for me.”

“I want you too, Shale.” I grinned. “Can I call you Shale?”

The Dragon King snorted. “You always push things further. I give a little, and you demand more.”

“I ask for more. Which means you can say no. You can push back.”

He chuckled. “Right. Because I”m the top?”

I lifted a brow. “I thought you weren”t anything sexual to me?”

“If you recall, I said yet.”

“So, the yet has passed?”

Shaleros canted his hips up, pushing his erection into my ass. “It has.” And then he rolled me, taking me down onto the cushions and pinning me there. “You may have to lead a little at first, but then I will take over. And you will give me what I need. All of it.”

My lips parted on an excited and shaky breath. “I will.”

“Sebastian, do you understand what I”m—”

“I know exactly what I”m agreeing to,” I cut him off and yanked him toward me by the back of the neck, just as he”d done to me.

I felt Shale grin against my lips, then it was all groaning and grasping. Tongues twining together in my mouth, not his, so his teeth wouldn”t cut me—and because my soon-to-be lover was dominant as all fuck.