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She shrugged her shoulders at him, “I thought it was funny.”
Enzo looked out to the water for a moment. Kaida watched the air blow through his hair and loved how the sun brought out a lighter shade of gray in his eyes. She almost commented about it, but Enzo opened his mouth to say something first.
“I’m guessing you've never flown your dragon over water like this before, right?”
Kaida squirmed at the question, “No, I haven’t.”
“It’s a lot of fun. My dragon loves the water and dives into it. We should take our dragons out for a bit. Let them get to know one another.”
“I-I-uhm, I don’t think so. My dragon isn’t too keen on showing herself to many people yet.”
Enzo glanced at her with a weird expression, “But I am your mate. She should want to get to know me.”
“Please, don’t take offense. She doesn’t even like my parents. She is very temperamental and just doesn't get along with others. It might just be best to let her come out on her terms.”
“I’ve never heard of a dragon being like that around her mate.”
Kaida bowed her head and shrugged her shoulders again. “I can’t force her. She has a mind of her own.”
Enzo nodded in agreement, but the look on his face seemed like a skeptical one. Kaida cheered when Enzo dropped the subject and mentioned going back to the castle for dinner. Their walk back to the market district was not as chatty as before. Kaida only hoped that Enzo wasn’t trying to pick apart her excuse and see it for the lie that it was. She had no idea if Enzo would be able to tell from their mate bond that her dragon didn’t exist, but she continued to silently pray to the Great Dragon that he wouldn’t find out.
Maybe after I bare his mark on my neck I will sit down with him and tell him everything. He even said it wasn't a reason to reject a mate…
Ten
Kaida spent the night staring at her ceiling. Lying about her dragon to Enzo ate away at her. Even if it was to protect her right now, it didn’t stop her from feeling it was wrong.
He is my fated mate… I shouldn’t be lying to him.
No matter how often Kaida told herself that she was only lying to him temporarily and would come clean after the mating ceremony, it still twisted her gut. Enzo mentioned that he would understand, but something told her he wouldn’t. Instead, Enzo would be infuriated that she kept this from him.
Maybe I need to talk to my parents about this.
The next morning, Kaida’s eyes were burned from how tired she felt. It was difficult to want to leave the bed, but she had to talk to her parents. If anyone knew how to progress in this situation, it would be them. They wouldn’t judge her for lying since they were the ones who told her to lie in the first place.
It took her a while to get ready from her sluggish movements. The amount of energy it took to wash herself was more than she thought, and she found herself sitting under the water on the floor. There was a moment when she laid her head on the wall and closed her eyes. Kaida didn’t know she had fallen asleep until her body fell forward a little. She managed to catch herself before she fell over completely.
Okay, I am taking a nap after I see my parents. Maybe a facial. I don’t need dark circles under my eyes for my wedding day.
It was good that Kaida knew most of their itinerary while here. Mostly meetings with the Council or with the wedding planner. Dragons tended to plan the ceremony and reception by themselves for their children. Kaida found it annoying that she had no say in what everything would be like. It was good that Kaida had a good relationship with her parents, and they were high on the Council because that boded well that things Kaida liked would be implemented into everything. She also knew they normally broke for lunch around noon, and that was the only window until dinner to be able to wiggle herself into their schedule.
Kaida waited outside the conference room for the last meeting before lunch was finished. On the outside, it looked like she was as cool as a cucumber, but her heart was hammering on the inside. She wasn’t sure if the guards would find it okay for her just to be hanging around like this. Over the last several days inside the castle, Kaida noticed that not many people just lingered around in the halls. Enzo hadn’t mentioned any rules or anyone else for that matter, but since she didn’t know for sure, she was going to worry.
I am the future queen, damn it. I should not be afraid to be caught anywhere in this castle. It’s going to be mine soon! Though, maybe I need to calm down because I am the future queen… my gawd, I need to calm myself before I get an ulcer.
Just as Kaida managed to calm her heart rate, the Gods knew she was relaxing and decided that wasn’t a state she was allowed to be in. Malinda’s voice bounced off the walls like a hyperactive child on sugar as she sauntered down the hall with the other three sidekicks from hell following her.
“Prince Enzo is such a sweetie. He personally took the time out of his day to stop by my room to apologize for what happened in that chocolate shop. He said that Kaida was more out of line than I was, but he couldn’t speak out against her then.”
“I can totally see that. He is always so nice when I am around him,” Ada practically chirped with giddiness to be able to add to the conversation.
“He also told me a little bit of a secret.”
A chorus of “ohs” rang through the corridor. Kaida was positive that it was coming from her right and leaned against the wall with her arms folded across her chest. Anger boiled in her chest at the thought of Enzo telling anyone a secret other than her. Kaida wanted to stomp down the hall and have Malinda crash right into her just to watch her sweat.
No, no, no… just wait. She will put her foot in her mouth like she always does.
“Apparently, the mate bond isn’t as strong as it should be. Enzo doesn’t feel as attracted to Kaida as much as she is to him. He is thinking of rejecting her before the ceremony. It’s so sad.”
