My Drake’s massive body tensed and he roared once—an ear-splitting sound that seemed to incorporate an alarm klaxon, the trumpeting of an enraged elephant, and the growl of an angry lion—somehow all at the same time. Was this Ari defying his father? And if so, were things going to end badly?
I clapped my hands over my ears and felt my stomach twist in knots. I had expected Ari’s family not to like me, but I hadn’t anticipated anything like this. If it came down to a battle between the two dragons, I was going to be caught right in the middle of it—collateral damage, so to speak. There would be no surviving such a conflict any more than I could survive if I was caught between two T-rexes. I would either be trampled and squished by the massive, taloned feet, or possibly bitten in half. Or…
I felt another burst of possessive protectiveness coming from my Drake. He would never let that happen to me, he assured me firmly. I must be strong—must be brave and patient. He simply had to explain the situation to his Sire—which was apparently the scarlet and gold Drake. This was the Drake way of explaining.
I really hoped the Drake way didn’t involve any more fire. But after a moment, the immense scarlet and gold dragon folded his wings and bobbed his head in a formal sort of motion.
My Drake bobbed back, in that same formal manner and then the scarlet dragon spoke a word I understood, “Robes.”
It was said in a low, growling voice and the human servants on the ground quickly rushed around to all the Drakes, each of them holding a pile of rich-looking, silky fabric in their arms.
A servant came over to my Drake as well and waited quietly. The Drake reached up with one taloned forehand and I understood that he wanted me to dismount. Though I was nervous about leaving the safety of his broad back, I knew I had no choice. Taking a deep breath, I stepped into his palm and waited as the talons closed like protective bars around me. Smoothly, as though he was used to lifting people, the Drake put me down, and I climbed out of his talons and stood on shaky legs on the black marble floor.
As soon as I was safely down, the Drake began to shrink. In the blink of an eye, it was Ari standing there—completely naked.
I turned my eyes away, feeling my cheeks heat in embarrassment, but a human servant was already rushing over with a long, silky robe for Ari to wear. He draped the golden fabric around Ari’s broad shoulders and I saw that all around the hall, the other servants were doing the same for the other Drakes who had now become men. There were no women, though, and I remembered that only the males of the Sky Lands had Drakes—none of the females had one.
“My son.” The man who had been the scarlet and gold Drake stepped forward. He had Ari’s same clear, amber eyes but his hair was darker, with hints of gray at the temples, though he seemed to be a strong man in his forties.
“Sire.” Ari stepped forward to meet him and then beckoned to me.
I came forward uncertainly, not sure what to expect. Ari took my hand firmly in his and looked into his father’s eyes.
“Sire,” he said again and pulled me forward. “May I present Kaitlyn Fellows, my L’lorna and the future Queen of the Sky Lands.”
74
Kaitlyn
The assembled men who had been Drakes looked me over and began muttering angrily among themselves.
“She’s not even a Drake!” I heard one of them say.
“He’s breaking the Edict!” another exclaimed. “Tossing it aside with impunity!”
“What’s wrong with her face? With her skin?” I heard a third mutter.
Others were talking in a mixture of Spanish and the Drake language I couldn’t understand at all—but I didn’t need to in order to know what they were saying about me was not good.
“Son,” Ari’s father said, frowning. “This is not the place or the time for such a declaration. You know perfectly well that as the prince of our people and the Alpha-to-be, your mating must be discussed by the Council and—”
‘There can be no discussion.” Ari’s eyes flashed dangerously. “Kaitlyn is my L’lorna and I will not give her up. My Drake has chosen her and his decision is final.”
His father’s face grew dark.
“I said we will not speak of this in public!” He spread his hands. “You have interrupted a meeting of my Chamberlains.”
“I know who this girl is,” one of the men said, coming forward. I thought he was the one who had been the bottle-green Drake, though I wasn’t completely sure.
Ari turned on him, frowning.
“And how can you know her, Chamberlain Sanchez?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow at the older man.
“Because she is the one who got my son expelled from the human school—from that Nocturne Academy.” The man—who did look like Pedro Sanchez around his shifty eyes and narrow mouth—pointed at me. “I know because her skin is scarred all over. My son was kicked out because of her, though she is nothing but a deformed orphan with no family to speak for her!”
He glared at me, his dark eyes angry and disgusted, as though I wasn’t even fit to live.
Ari put himself between me and the other Drake, his face rigid with rage.
“Your son was expelled because he attacked my L’lorna,” he growled. “He attacked a female—attacked one who was weaker than him and acted like nothing but a vrota. I was ashamed that day for our whole race!” He spat on the ground at the other man’s feet.
“How dare you?” Chamberlain Sanchez demanded. “You and this deformed puta will pay for such an insult.”
Suddenly Ari had a knife in his hand. No, not a knife, I saw—somehow he had managed a partial shift and his hand had become one of the long, razor-sharp talons which belonged to his Drake.
“Insult my L’lorna again,” he growled, pressing the edge of the wickedly sharp talon to the other man’s throat. “See how long you live once the words leave your lips, cabron!”
Chamberlain Sanchez’s eyes widened and he took an involuntary step back. I wondered if being able to do a partial shift like that was a sign of power. It couldn’t be easy for Ari to let only a small part of the huge Drake he kept inside himself out.
“That is enough!” Ari’s father roared. Striding forward, he put a hand on Ari’s chest and one on Sanchez’s and pushed to make room between them. He glared at Ari.
“You know I will not tolerate blood being spilled in the Audience Chamber! Leave now or suffer my severe displeasure!”
Ari looked like he wanted to fight with his father some more or maybe go after Sanchez again, but I darted forward and put a hand on his arm.
“Ari, please,” I murmured. “Can we not do this now?” With all these angry old men staring at me, I added mentally but didn’t say.
Ari must have seen the upset look on my face, because at last he nodded. Despite my firm promise to myself that I wouldn’t let anyone make me feel inferior, it was incredibly hard to keep my resolution after what Sanchez had called me. It also didn’t help that the rest of the men who had been Drakes were all glaring at me like I was a piece of dog crap Ari had dragged home on the bottom of his shoe.
“All right,” Ari said, looking at his father, not me as he spoke. “We can talk in private later. But I want it to be known that Kaitlyn is mine and no one is to harm her.”
There was a growl of protective possessiveness in his voice—an echo of his Drake that I knew everyone in the Audience Chamber could hear.
His father stared at Ari for a long moment and then nodded.
“Fine. No one is to harm the girl,” he said, raising his voice. “Now get her out of my sight!”
This last seemed to be directed to the human servants, several of whom rushed up to me, as though to hustle me away.
The moment they touched me, however, Mr. Seahorse—who had been hiding close to my neck, camouflaged by my long hair—flew up into the air in front of me. He chimed angrily and blew his tiny, two-inch jet of fire at the man who had taken hold of my arm, causing the servant to gasp and pull his hand away.
“What’s thi
s?” he gasped. “A chimeling? Here in the palace?”
“But such a thing has not been in the last ten generations!” the other servant exclaimed.
“His name is, uh, Mr. Seahorse,” I told them, feeling a bit foolish. “I think he’s just worried you’re going to hurt me.”
I was a little anxious about that myself. Although I knew Ari wouldn’t tolerate anyone doing anything to me in front of him, it seemed like they were trying to take me away from the big Drake. And who knew what might happen to me in the depths of this huge castle?
“Kaitlyn saved the chimeling from a hisser when we stopped for the night.” I thought there was a hint of laughter in Ari’s voice—he seemed to be over his anger and was enjoying seeing the awe on the faces of the servants and the other assembled Drakes. “I think he’s adopted her. Best be careful—he’s a fierce as my Drake.”
This provoked a general round of laughter from everyone but Sanchez and the mood in the Audience Chamber lightened maybe just a tiny bit. The Drakes still weren’t happy about me being there—especially as Ari’s bride-to-be—which sounded kind of extreme, when I actually thought about it. But they were looking at me differently, now that Mr. Seahorse had made an appearance.
Speaking of my new pet, he was still flying back and forth in front of me, his golden wings a humming blur, as he chimed in anger and warning at the waiting servants.
“It’s okay,” I told him, holding out a finger for him to perch on. “It’s all right, Mr. Seahorse. They aren’t going to hurt me.”
My assurances seemed to calm him down because, with a final tiny finger of flame towards the nearest servant, he came to rest on my extended hand. I put him on my shoulder and he sat there, still staring alertly at the servants, as though daring them to put their hands on me again.
There were more murmurs of amazement at this little performance and the servants didn’t try to touch me again. Instead, they bowed and the one who had tried to grab my arm before asked respectfully,
“Will you come with us, Miss? We will bring you to a place where you can refresh yourself and choose clothing more fitting to your station.”
He nodded at my rumpled and creased Nocturne Academy uniform with a hint of distaste on his face, as though I had arrived wearing dirty rags. Well, given the magnificently embroidered silk and satin robes Ari and his father were wearing, maybe I had—at least in their estimation.
“Thank you,” I said, nodding. “I’d be pleased to.”
“And I would be pleased to go with you,” Ari said firmly, when the servants started to lead me away.
I shot him a grateful look—I really didn’t want to go off on my own in this enormous palace. If I got separated from him, who knew when or how we would ever find each other again?
“Fine. Go and see your mother.” Ari’s father’s voice was little more than a growl—there was definitely a hint of his own Drake in it. “We will speak of this later.” He nodded at the servants. “Take them away.”
“Yes, my Alpha!” the servants said in unison. They both bowed and then they led the way to the back of the Audience Chamber, where I saw a small, human sized door in the corner.
Well, the first part of meeting the parents was over, at least. And it had gone pretty much as badly as I had thought it would. I wondered if Ari’s mother would be as upset as his father.
I was betting the answer was yes.
75
Kaitlyn
“That went well,” Ari said, as we followed the servants and crossed through the human doorway and into another long , marble hallway. But at least it wasn’t as huge and vast as one that also served as a portrait gallery. This part of the palace seemed to be built to human dimensions, I noticed with some relief. It was much less intimidating than the enormous, vaulted marble ceiling of the Audience Chamber.
“You think it went well?” I asked, unable to keep the incredulity out of my voice. “Ari, your father and all those other Drakes in there hate me! Especially Pedro Sanchez’s father.”
“They just don’t know you, yet,” he said firmly. “But they will, Kaitlyn—I’ll see to that. And don’t worry about Sanchez—he’s as much a vrota as his son. Someday my father will realize it and kick him off the Board of Chamberlains.”
“But—” I began, but at that moment, a door opened somewhere down the long hallway and a girl a few years younger than me came out. She had a very pretty face with delicate features, long dark hair, and big brown eyes. When she saw Ari, she squealed in delight and held out her arms.
“Ari!” she exclaimed as he ran to greet her. He grabbed her up and swung her around and around while she giggled madly.
I tried to smile as I watched, but a felt a little stab of jealousy, like a tiny, sharp knife in my heart. I couldn’t help remembering my earlier thoughts, of how Ari’s parents had probably already picked him the perfect Drake girl to be his bride. Was this her? Was she my competition?
At last Ari sat the girl down, a broad smile on his face.
“Jalli, it’s good to see you!”
“It’s good to see you too.” She grinned up at him. “I thought I heard your voice! But what are you doing back?”
Ari’s face grew serious.
“Father summoned me.”
“He did?” She frowned, looking confused. “But isn’t it still in the middle of the school year back in the human world? Why would he call for you now?”
“Because…” Ari reached for me. Taking my hand, he brought me forward to meet the new girl. “May I present, my L’lorna, Kaitlyn.”
“Your L’lorna? Goddess above, Ari—you found your L’lorna?” Her dark eyes grew wide and the girl looked at me with something like awe.
Ari nodded. “Dios, Jalli—don’t act so shocked. Kaitlyn,” he said, turning to me, “This is my little sister, Jalissa.”
His little sister? I breathed an inward sigh of relief and smiled a bit awkwardly at the girl as I held out my hand.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
She looked at my hand uncertainly as though she wasn’t sure what to do with it.
“It’s all right,” Ari told her. “It’s a human gesture called ‘shaking hands.’ You put out your hand and clasp the hand of the other person and the two of you shake your hands up and down a few times together.”
“Oh, okay.” His little sister shrugged and reached for me. When she started to touch me though, Mr. Seahorse—who had gone back behind my hair—flew out again, chiming angrily at her.
“Goddess above!” Jalli gasped again. She jumped back—or tried to—but something made her stumble and she started to fall. She would have hit the marble floor pretty hard but Ari was there to catch her—just as he always caught me. Lifting her lightly, he set her back on her feet.
“Be more careful, Jalli! It’s only a chimeling.”
“Only a chimeling?” she exclaimed, staring at Mr. Seahorse who was still chiming warningly. “Ari, you know how rare they are! Some people don’t even believe they exist at all!”
“Well, they do exist and this one has adopted my Kaitlyn,” Ari said, smiling proudly. “He’s just a little protective of her, that’s all.”
“Hey now, Mr. Seahorse,” I chided my little pet as I got him to perch on my finger. “It’s all right. You don’t have to get all defensive every time someone tries to touch me. This is Ari’s little sister—she’s all right.”
“He’s beautiful!” Jalli breathed, staring with awe-struck eyes at the delicate little creature sitting on my finger.
“Thanks,” I said, smiling. “He is pretty adorable.”
“Where did you get him at?” she wanted to know, still staring. It was as though I had brought home a unicorn, I thought, or some other mythical, magical creature that beggared belief. In a land where dragons were real, that was something.
“I saved him from a spider as big as my head,” I told her. “He got tangled up in its web and I couldn’t stand by and watch the little guy get eaten.”
&nb
sp; “Well of course not! Chimelings are so rare!” Jalli exclaimed. “And such good luck—it’s wonderful that you brought one into the palace. All the old abuelas are going to say what a blessing it is. Que lindo! Buena suerte!” she added, in a croaky old lady voice that made us all laugh while Mr. Seahorse chimed indignantly.
Clearly Jalli had a sense of humor and, as yet, she hadn’t said a thing about how unfit I was to be with her brother. That made her a keeper in my book.
“Does he do any tricks?” she wanted to know, once we stopped laughing at Mr. Seahorse who was preening his golden wings with great care and doing his best to look dignified.
“He can breathe fire,” I said, doubtful if that counted or not in a land where half the population could say the same thing. “Um…if you have any insects around, he likes to roast them before he eats them.”
“We don’t have any in the palace but I know where we can find some!” Jalli exclaimed. “Come on—let’s go to the Scented Gardens!” She beckoned to me and started off with an odd, limping gait but Ari shook his head.
“Jalli, no! Father sent us to get cleaned up before I introduce Kaitlyn to Mother,” he exclaimed. “We don’t have time for Kaitlyn’s chimeling to roast bugs for you—the servants were about to bring us to the cleansing pools.”
“Oh, I can bring you there,” Jalli said quickly, doing an about-face and hobbling back to me. I wondered if she had twisted her ankle somehow. If so, she didn’t seem to show any pain. “Please let me,” she begged. “We don’t need any servants—I’ll take you to my private bathing chamber so you don’t have to be naked in front of everyone else at court,” she added.
Well, this decided me pretty quickly. Even if I hadn’t been scarred all over from The Fire, I most certainly would not have wanted to be naked in front of a bunch of strangers.
Fang and Claw: Nocturne Academy, Book 2 Page 29