“Kitty!” Elaina said, stroking the cat’s silky fur as she ambled through their midst and then fearlessly jumped up onto Zayrgrud’s crossed paws. She rubbed her nose against his snout and then leaped from there to Leandre’s lap.
“Hello, kitten,” Leandre said, jerking and whimpering when the cat made biscuits on his pant leg with claws extended. “Watch the Gucci.”
“Did you say Gucci?” Elaina asked.
“Oh, you have no idea,” Caresse said with a giggle. “Leandre is a clothes horse if ever there was one.”
Angel giggled and said, “Everyone, this is Fleur. In addition to being the feline who got us into this adventure, she is also Bestiale and Charmeur’s younger sister, and a good ally to have in a pinch. Right, Selena?”
“Right!” Selena said.
The cat jumped down, gave a playful stretch, and then transformed into a pretty teenaged girl with long platinum-blond hair. “Hello, everyone! I’m so glad to see you ladies all together again.”
“You sure led us on a merry chase,” Elaina said, getting up to give the girl a hug. If not for her…
Caresse pointed at one of Zayrgrud’s claws, made a hilarious squeaking sound, and then said, “Elaina, is that one of your flowered headbands he’s wearing?”
“Yep, I have a matching one for his bride-to-be,” she added, pointing at to her shoulder.
“Awwww!” both girls intoned.
Caresse said, “How old is she? He’s gonna have to wait a long time, huh?”
“Faerhyss hatched today, and Zayrgrud hatched…how long ago, Flappy?”
He grinned and flexed two fingers, including the one bearing the headband. Two weeks.
“Two weeks, today.”
They giggled, and Elaina said, “I know, right? Nothing surprises me anymore.”
Caresse and Angel leaned closer so they could interact with Faerhyss, and the baby dragon seemed to take a liking to them, coming out of her hideaway so she could sniff at their fingers before letting loose an adorable sneeze.
“Can you stay for a while?” Angel asked as she checked the light in the sky. “It’ll be dark soon.”
Selena said, “I think we’ve all earned a much-deserved vacation. If it’s all right with you, and I assume it is because you wisely left all these plans to me, Lord Violet will be arriving in the morning, with the Knights of the Order of the Dragon and the other royal families, and he can perform your weddings.”
“Lord Violet can do that?”
“He was an ordained priest before King Farald made him Commander of the Knights of the Order of the Dragon. He also has a very romantic poetic streak when he gets going,” she added, blushing a little.
“Awwww! Selena has a boyfriend!” Elaina chirped, dodging when her friend took a playful swipe at her. It was even funnier when she noticed the shock and consternation on the faces of all the men. Even Fleur looked a little surprised.
Priceless. These were her people, and she loved being with her best friends, new friends, and all their loved ones.
Elaina grasped both Basile’s and Rainger’s hands, and they leaned close, and she gazed at both of them and said, “Guys, I have a confession to make.”
Everyone quieted, and they tilted their heads, looking concerned. “What is it, Glorious One?” Basile asked, his brow furrowed over his dark blue eyes. “Whatever you wish to tell us, we can handle.”
She could hardly hold it in a second longer.
“My love, no matter what, we are here for you, as you say.”
Elaina, you are a piece of work, you know that?
I’m the Dragon Nanny, gotta love me!
She let out a sigh as she unzipped her backpack and pulled out the Star Wars lightsaber, flicked it lightly so the plastic tubing would extend all the way, and triggered the whirring sound effect button. “This is a child’s toy where I come from.”
Caresse and Angel burst into laughter, and the others joined them as Elaina explained the scam she perpetrated on the fearless knights of the Order of the Dragon and the wicked queen.
“We forgive you, Elaina the Prankster,” Basile said.
“Elaina the Sorceress,” Rainger said as he took the toy and examined it. “This is quite a thing. I think we should keep this knowledge a secret and use it to keep Bleu in line.”
“That’s mean! He was just starting to like me a little!”
“Like you?” Basile muttered. “He loves you. Otherwise, he would not pick on you so, the bastard.”
“Grrr,” was all Rainger offered in the way of agreement before stealing a kiss from her.
Elaina pulled them close and kissed them both. “I love you, both of you, so much. Could we stay for a while?”
“Long as you want, my love. Consider this your honeymoon.”
Selena lifted her glass high. “My friends, you overcame daunting odds to find the loves of your lives.”
“Thank you, Selena,” Angel said, her voice grown a little husky as she raised her glass. Her men echoed her.
“Thank you, sister,” Leandre intoned as he grasped Caresse’s hand in his and raised his glass to her, along with Sebastien.
“Thank you for helping me to find the power inside me, Selena,” Caresse said, raising her glass.
“Enchantress, thank you for helping us to stop the slaughter of the baby dragons,” Basile said.
Angel murmured, “That’s a story I wanna hear.”
Along with Basile, Rainger lifted his glass and said, “Thank you, Selena, for sacrificing your time and unbounded energy to bring all of us together. We’ll never be able to thank you properly.”
Selena’s eyes were welling as she sniffled and then scowled when she noticed one of her fingernails was chipped. “Damn it! I just got these done!”
Elaina raised her glass and said, “You know, if you let me fix that crooked nail, I help you find boyfriend.” She placed her hand over her heart and mouthed, thank you, my friend.
Selena burst into laughter, and tears fell onto her cheeks as she clinked glasses with Elaina and the others all in turn. “Thank me by living happily ever after.”
THE END
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Dance of the Dragon Sorceress [Tangere Tales 3] (Siren Publishing Menage Everlasting) Page 24