Even so, she knew he was right. The far were exactly like that, even among themselves. She was a prime example of that.
“So, dragon war?” she asked, effectively admitting her thoughts to him.
“It’s messy, and hurt a lot of people.” His voice cracked, and realisation washed over her. She turned so she was facing into him, and placed a hand on his chest firmly.
“You lost someone?” she asked softly.
He nodded and looked away. “My mother.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Seeing him like this made her chest tighten and she longed to make the situation better for him. Even if she knew she really couldn’t.
“There’s no need for you-”
“Kinnon,” a voice boomed.
Aledwen noticed Drey’s eyes narrow as a dark haired man strode towards them.
“Drayce,” Drey replied, oddly stern.
“Can I have a word?”
Confusion crossed her dragon’s face. “Sure, but I can’t leave-”
“You have to.” Drayce seemed pretty sure of himself, and Aledwen found herself nodding in acceptance.
“I’m fine. Go,” she insisted with a smile.
Drey still looked unsure, but she gave him a knowing look until he nodded.
“Why don’t you get something to eat?” he suggested.
“Yes, I am rather hungry.” She wasn’t actually sure if she could eat or not, but didn’t want him worrying about her anymore than he no doubt would already.
“It’s all over there.” He pointed towards a long table at the back of the room. “I’ll be back soon.”
He looked at her with indecision written all over his face. It was almost like he was doing everything he could not to kiss her, and she couldn’t decide if she wanted that or not. Regardless, the anticipation was there. As was the disappointment as she watched him walk away with the other man already talking quickly in his ear.
Six
There was so much food, she wasn’t sure where to actually start. If she listened closely, she’d probably even be able to hear the table groaning under the weight of it all. Rather decadent, and rather extreme. Probably too much so. Even the most elaborate party back home didn’t have this much food available.
“You’re supposed to eat it, not just look at it,” an amused voice came from behind her, and she spun around quickly to discover who it was.
The man was tall and lean, but looked like he was still physically fit. A swimmer’s body she believed it was called. It reminded her a little bit of some of the elves. Not unlike the representative of House Paige, but a little bit younger looking. His hair had a slight auburn tinge to it, though she guessed that could have been the lighting. Most striking of all though, was that there was two of him.
She shook her head. No, not two of him. Just twins. Something had clouded her mind to the point she’d forgotten what the phenomenon was called. How annoying. She hoped that wouldn’t happen again.
“I was just deciding what to eat,” she replied truthfully. “Do you have any suggestions?”
Maybe she shouldn’t be talking to two strange men at a ball, but she felt comfortable despite the company, and she felt it best to just go with it, especially while her backup was off talking to another dragon.
She giggled slightly. Her backup was someone she’d only just met, and yet here she was trusting him to protect her. How stupid could she get? In fact, this whole trip was a stupid idea, there was so much wrong with it. And so much right too.
“That depends what you like,” he replied, a cheeky grin tugging at his lips. “I’m Brandon,” he said, holding out his hand. She took it in her own, and gave it a firm shake.
“Aledwen,” she replied.
“That’s quite a mouthful.”
“Using Dwen seems to be on the rise.” She let go of his hand and gave a shrug. If one person was going to shorten her name, then others might as well too. And she didn’t really mind Dwen. It was a lot easier to say.
“Okay then, Dwen. This is my brother, Cyprus, but everyone calls him Cy.”
The other brother held out his hand and she took that too. His grasp was firmer than his brother’s, and his face more serious, but she still found herself enjoying the warmth of his hand as they exchanged greetings.
“Good evening, Cy.”
He nodded to her once.
“He doesn’t really talk much,” Brandon supplied, shrugging like it wasn’t important. “And if he does, then you’re truly special. He barely even talks to Mum and Dad anymore. Only Ari when they’re alone.”
“Ari?” she squeaked, a surprising amount of jealousy unfurling within her. Where was that coming from? She wasn’t a jealous person by nature, and it seemed unlikely that two random twins should bring it out in her.
“One of our older sisters. She might come scold us if she sees us talking to you.”
Cyprus smiled at his twin’s words, and she just knew he was agreeing with the man. Though she wasn’t sure how. It was kind of odd to think she knew what one of them was thinking and feeling. It made no sense.
“Why would she do that?”
“They have a habit of hassling pretty women,” the auburn haired woman she’d spotted earlier interrupted. She smiled indulgently at the two men, and now they were all close, she could see the family resemblance.
“We weren’t hassling, Ari, we were just talking to Dwen.”
“Is that even your name?” Ari asked her.
“Yes.”
“You’re not a shifter?”
“No,” she answered instantly, slightly offended by the question.
“Not yet, anyway,” Ari replied cryptically. “As you were, little brothers. No causing a scene at my party.” With that, she strode away, leaving Aledwen completely flummoxed over what had just happened. She was pretty sure none of it made any sense to anyone but the other woman.
“Wonder what she meant by that,” Brandon said, amusement colouring his tone. She guessed he wasn’t worried about it in the slightest then. Somehow that wasn’t reassuring.
“I was hoping you could tell me.” True. She did hope they could shed some light on the words. There was a theory playing on her mind, but she didn’t want to think about that too much. While she did want love, and she wanted the truest kind, there was a big part of her that wasn’t sure she was actually ready for it. Especially not if it meant a shake up of life as she knew.
Then again, that was coming the moment everyone figured out she didn’t have enough magic to get through the Birth.
“So, any recommendations?” she prompted, turning back to the food laden table.
“Let us have a proper look.”
Both of the brothers wandered up and down the table, pointing out things to each other, before exchanging nods and shakes of the head. She watched in fascination. Cyprus really didn’t seem to speak, even to Brandon, and yet they were communicating with each other so seamlessly.
And she loved watching them. It was fascinating, and kind of beautiful. It was a bond that far transcended any other she’d witnessed.
Maybe that was just down to the rivalries that seemed to spring up between fae sisters. And the fact that fae brothers were looked down on for only being halflings. It was a stupid system. She’d have given anything for a sibling of her own. Someone to share the experience of growing up with, and getting into trouble with. A twin would have been perfect, but they just didn’t seem to be very common when it came to her people.
“Here, we think you’ll like this,” Brandon said, handing her a plate that appeared to have some bread, apple and cheese on it. She frowned at him. That wasn’t what she’d expected him to get. It wasn’t opulent or fancy.
“Okay...”
“Just trust me, Dwen.”
And weirdly, she did. She shrugged, and slowly raised the loaded up bread to her lips. She bit down, conscious of both the men’s eyes on her as she did so. Hopefully the thoughts accompanying their gazes weren’t too inappr
opriate. Though maybe she wouldn’t be complaining about that at a later date. Something told her this wasn’t the last time she was going to spend time with the twins.
She moaned slightly, the taste nothing like what she expected.
“See,” Brandon exclaimed proudly.
She opened the eyes she hadn’t realised she’d closed, to find them both staring at her with satisfaction written on their smug faces.
“What’s so special about it though?” she asked between bites. No way was she leaving this behind.
“It’s a local cheese, hand smoked. And the bread was made in the kitchen here.”
“You must have a wizard in there,” she joked.
“No, a rat shifter.”
Unexpected, but she could live with it.
“So your sister said it was her ball...” she trailed off, hoping Brandon would get the hint and fill her in as to why the redhead had thought that. Cyprus just smiled knowingly.
“Not hers per say. She means the Council’s.”
“The Shifter Council?” Now that had her interest. If Brandon and Cyprus’ sister was on the Council, it would mean she was a shifter. Meaning the twins were first. She found herself suddenly very curious about who was who.
“Yes. Don’t you know where you are?” Brandon asked. He handed her another plate, this one had a few chocolates on. She put one into her mouth and almost moaned again. What was it with the food here? It was so much better than just about anything they had at fae parties. Or the rest of the time for that matter.
“Sort of...”
“They throw one of these every year,” Brandon supplied once he realised she wasn’t going to say anymore. “There’s no real point to them, just a chance for a lot of shifters to come together. This is actually the first time Ari’s let us come. Personally, I think it’s because she’s convinced her mate will keep an eye on us. But he seems a little preoccupied.”
Brandon pointed over to the side where two large men appeared to be having an arm wrestle, the empty glasses by their sides revealing there was more than a little alcohol involved.
“That’s his cousin-in-law. He was meant to be the panther alpha, but when his parents died, he ran away to the woods. He lives there now with Bjorn’s cousin.”
“And that’s allowed?” Aledwen asked, her eyes widening. The thought of not accepting her responsibilities had never really been an option for her.
“Of course. Everyone has free will. Though it helped that his brother was willing to take on the role.” Brandon turned back to her and smiled. “You’re really not a shifter, are you?”
“Well, no. I’m-”
“With me,” Drey half-growled.
“That’s okay,” Brandon replied. “We were only talking.”
“Don’t get cocky just because you’re a Reed.” Drey’s hands balled into fists, and Aledwen soon gave into the urge to place one of hers over it and try and offer him comfort.
To her surprise, Brandon laughed heartily.
“The name Reed would hardly protect me. My sister would throw me under the bus the moment I did something wrong. She may love her family, but she’s not worked her entire life to get justice only to throw it away for us.”
Aledwen looked at him in wonder, unsure whether that was something to be proud of, or something that just kind of made her a little bit sad. From the expression on Brandon’s face, she decided that pride was the way to go. He was clearly impressed by his sister’s passion and drive. She could get on board with that. Those were the same qualities she wanted to be known for when she became Queen.
Something told her she was going to get on very well with the twins’ older sister. Which was definitely an odd thought. She’d probably never see the woman again after their brief interaction earlier. She couldn’t sneak to the human realm regularly and stay undetected, as much as she’d love to be able to.
Drey said nothing, but he still glared at the other man.
“Stop it,” she hissed at him.
“I can’t,” he replied through gritted teeth. Weirdly enough, she actually believed him. But that just made the whole situation all the more bizarre.
“What do you mean you can’t?” she asked, feeling her eyes widen.
“Here’s not the right place, Dwen,” he replied, warily eyeing the twins. Aledwen sighed. She didn’t like him seeming so dismissive of them. It hardly seemed fair.
“Okay, we’ll talk about it later,” she responded, already turning back to Brandon and trying to recall where they’d been in their conversation.
“We’ll talk about it now, just not here.” Drey’s voice was far more commanding than it had been before, and she wasn’t okay with that.
“No,” she responded instantly, and a look of horror crossed the dragon’s face. At least he knew he was in the wrong, that did stand for something at least.
“I’m sorry,” he said shakily after a moment’s silence. “I’m not sure what’s going on with me.”
“That’s okay,” she answered, his clear distress softening something within her, but raising far more questions than it answered. She didn’t want him to be bothered in the way he was, but she also didn’t know how to go about making it go away.
Aledwen guessed she’d learn in time how best to cheer him up and make him stronger. Another odd thought to be having about him, admittedly, but she was going to go with it. Sometimes it was easier to go about life that way.
“It’s not okay, Dwen. I...”
“It’s fine, we’ll talk about it in a little bit, let me just finish talking with-”
“Never mind us, Dwen,” Brandon answered, her name rolling off his tongue like a caress. She liked it. A lot. But ignored it. One man causing weird thoughts was one thing, but two - three even - was just uncalled for. Other than a few experiments, just cause she was intrigued, she’d not really felt half the flicker of interest she had in these three. It was an odd sensation, but she didn’t want to think about it quite so deeply. She’d do that later when she was alone in her bed mulling over the events of the evening.
“Are you sure?” She met his eyes, reassured by the swirling green irises that met hers. They were beautiful and captivating, but most of all comforting.
“Yes, we’ll see you again.” He winked at her, and a small giggle escaped, even as she tried to suppress it.
“I’m not so sure,” she replied nervously.
“I am. See you soon, Dwen. Go sort out your smoking dragon.”
Brandon turned away, and Cyprus gave her a quick wave before following. She lifted her hand to wave in return, more confused than she had been before.
She looked back at Drey and alarm coursed through her. Brandon hadn’t been joking, he really had started to smoke. It was curling up from the corners of his lips and he was beginning to shake.
“Let’s get you out of here,” she said, tugging on his arm. Surprisingly, he followed. He just needed to shift. At least, that’s what she kept repeating in her head. She just hoped she was right.
Seven
Even after the fast and furious flight back to the palace, Drey was still smoking, causing Aledwen to worry more by the second. She had no idea what the best way to deal with an angry dragon was. Or what an angry dragon would even do. If he shifted on her balcony then there was a good chance it would break and crumble, leaving her with a massive mess, and no way to clear it up.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, wanting him to stop his anxious pacing already. She didn’t say anything though. If that was what was keeping him human, then it was best just to leave him to it. At least, she assumed so. Her knowledge of angry shifters was somewhat limited to the past two hours or so.
“Nothing, everything, I don’t know.”
“Helpful,” she muttered.
“I’m sorry,” Drey offered, sighing.
“Are you though? Or are you just going to say that and keep steaming.”
“You noticed that?” A worried look crossed his face.
&nbs
p; “Hard not to, you’re steaming up the windows.”
“Sorry,” he said instantly, glancing around at the glass she was referring to. She smiled to herself, amused by his reaction.
“Don’t be sorry. Stop saying you are. It’s obviously an involuntary reaction to whatever is getting you so riled up. Now sit down, and tell me about it. Maybe I can help?” She hated seeing anyone so worked up. And deep within her, she hated even more that it was Drey that was worked up.
“I don’t know how to explain it.”
“Then just try,” she suggested, her curiosity right at the forefront. This was getting more and more intriguing by the moment.
“What do you know about shifter mating?”
Aledwen racked her brains. That hadn’t been anything like what she expected, and it took her a little aback.
“Not a lot. Shifters mate for life. I guess that’s about it, really.” She shrugged, not quite seeing why it was important.
“I suppose that’s the jist of it, but it’s a bit more complicated,” Drey said, finally sitting down on the sofa next to her. There was probably about half a person’s space between them, and Aledwen had to ignore the urge to move into that space so they were touching. It might even be a good idea if it offered him some level of comfort.
“It always is, fae mating is the same.”
“Can fae mate with the wrong person?” he looked at her, an eager look that she didn’t want to analyse, on his face.
“No. They can only mate with their fated one.”
“Or ones?”
“Well, yes. But it’s rare,” she responded, though as she was saying it, she realised it might just be rare because most fae didn’t get a chance to meet one mate, never mind more.
“And those mates aren’t just fae, right?”
“Most of them aren’t. There are no male fae after all. The male children are either half-fae or less.
“Ah. It’s different for dragons. There hasn’t been a dragon that didn’t mate with another dragon for centuries, maybe even longer.”
“Okay...”
Chasing Aledwen: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Novel (Fated Seasons: Spring Book 1) Page 4