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More thoughts of how she would change the realm once she was seated on the throne filled her mind as she lay in bed. Kaida even thought of how to pitch her ideas to the Council so they would be accepted and made into law. Gemar and Nande might have hated the idea of more people like her walking around the kingdom, but Kaida only saw it as an opportunity to improve things. There needed to be more acceptance of situations instead of fear and reprimand. She knew it was at no fault to the person that their dragon didn’t emerge, and they did not need to be punished over something they couldn’t control.
And I will make it so no one fears if their dragon will emerge or not. It won’t be a big deal anymore. Instead, it will be accepted, and they will be offered help for their dragon to emerge, or they will have other opportunities to be functioning members of society. No dragon doesn’t mean useless or incapable. Whatever they choose, it’ll be up to them,Kaida thought to herself as she climbed into her bed. The pit in her stomach was still there since she couldn’t talk to Enzo, but it wasn’t as hard as before, and that allowed her to drift off to sleep.
* * *
The pit in her stomach returned the next morning while Kaida was being helped into her dress for the party. It was another made by the Fae, and it was just as amazing and beautiful as the first dress. Kaida stared at herself in the mirror as her mother and maiden helped fasten the millions of buttons to secure it in the back. The dress was white with the fabric in the front falling to her knees but then gradually getting longer until it reached the floor in the back. The straps tied around the back, and the neckline dipped into her chest. Purple scales lined the entire dress, which was the pop of color it needed.
Seeing the dress be simple but elegant made Kaida have high hopes that her ceremonial dress would be the same. This one was right up her wheelhouse and something she could see herself in when walking toward Enzo tomorrow. There was even a small train on this one, and she made sure to tell her mother that this was a preference if she could have any say in the design.
Enzo’s face lit up like flames inside a dark room the moment she walked through the doors into the ballroom. Just like the flames, there was a heat inside of his gaze that made Kaida immediately remember the kiss they had shared the day before. If it weren’t for the hundred or so people inside the room watching their every move, she would have run across the floor and enticed him to give her more than he did. It made her want to growl, knowing that she couldn’t do such a thing because it was out of tradition for them to show that kind of affection until after the ceremony.
Yeah, Kaida. Think about how Enzo is a bad boy who broke the rules by kissing you and touching you since you met him. That’s what you need.
Enzo walked over to her, took her hand into his, bowed his head, and gave it a gentle kiss. Everything about the gesture only made her wish harder that everyone would disappear so that kiss could turn into something more. When his eyes locked onto hers, the heat in his look returned, and she could feel her panties becoming wet with need.
Calm down… otherwise, everyone in this room will be able to tell how much you want your mate. That is not what you need to happen with over a hundred people in the room at once.
It was tradition for Enzo and Kaida to make their way around the room and talk to their subjects throughout the entire party. She wasn’t someone who enjoyed this much interaction with people, but Enzo’s hand around hers or on the small of her back made it worth it. The heat from his touch brought her a sense of calm that helped her through every interaction.
Throughout the entire experience, Kaida learned how vast their kingdom truly was and that she needed to take some time to visit each territory someday. It was one thing to learn about it during her lessons, but it was another to hear about it from someone who lived there. For the most part, everyone seemed delighted with their pairing and wished them luck and strength from the Great Dragon during their reign. Kaida could feel the truth of their words as they spoke them, which threw her off, but she did her best not to call attention to it.
Once they could sit down to begin their meal, Kaida made a mental note to ask her parents why she would have felt the truth inside of the words. She almost leaned into Enzo to ask him but reminded herself that what she wanted to know seemed like something she should know already. Fearing he would see her as weird or unintelligent for now knowing, Kaida kept her mouth shut.
The clanging of glass grabbed everyone’s attention as the staff brought the first course to the table. Kaida was seated next to Enzo at the royal table in front of the rest of the ballroom. When she looked out to the sea of people in front of her, her stomach twisted, making her nauseated. The air in the room seemed thicker than before, and Kaida found it hard to breathe. She looked at Enzo and noticed that he seemed fine but had a worried look on his face as he looked at her.
What’s going on with me?
She didn’t have enough time to figure it out before Gemar began his speech.
“People of Dragaal! We bring you here today to celebrate the engagement between my son, Prince Enzo Stymir, and Kaida Hilmir of Dracul and Audra Hilmir. To know the Great Dragon has given my son a powerful mate brings me joy that I cannot possibly explain in words. Coming together to form their bond will bring Dragaal to a new generation. May they have a long and peaceful reign!”
“May they have a long and peaceful reign!” the crowd echoed.
Kaida noticed that Gemar stared at her the entire time he spoke. His eyes flashed a bright green when he mentioned their bond, and the twisting of her stomach only grew. An accompaniment of pain inside the top of her back followed, and Kaida rolled her shoulders to aid the tension.
That is so weird. Why am I this nervous? There isn’t even anything to be nervous about!
Enzo placed his hand on her knee under the table, and some of the tension inside her stomach eased. She gave him a reassuring smile before she spooned some of the soup into her mouth. There was no taste at all, and Kaida forced herself to swallow it. No one else seemed to have the reaction she did as she looked around and noticed everyone eating the soup just fine. Kaida looked at Enzo but couldn’t ask him anything before his mother interrupted her.
“Kaida, my dear. There is something we need to ask of you to do before the party ends if that is okay with you.”
Kaida bowed her head, “Absolutely, Your Highness. What is it that I need to do?”
With a wicked smile forming on the queen’s face, Kaida immediately regretted agreeing to the task. She already knew what was coming. The one thing that she dreaded.
“We are going to need you to shift for us. Never mind the excuse of her not getting along with others,” Nande said to her while holding up her hand to show Kaida to keep her mouth shut, “it’s either you shift, or there is no ceremony tomorrow.”
“Excuse me?” Enzo challenged and blocked Kaida’s body by turning his toward his mother.
“Well, we need to be sure that she is powerful enough to rule this kingdom, my dear, or we have failed Dragaal as King and Queen.”
“Bullshit, this is just your way of controlling everything. You do not get to decidemyfate withmymate,” Enzo continued to defend her.
Nande ignored her son, “Shift, Kaida. Now.”
Kaida felt the queen’s words roll over her skin. It was a way to assist in shifts that the King and Queen could do. It was usual for a dragon to shift back into their human form when they got stuck. She could feel the command’s magic sink into her skin… but nothing happened. Kaida hoped that it was due to her not being in her dragon form, but she knew that wasn’t the case.
Time seemed to be going slower than usual as Kaida stared into Nande’s eyes. Gemar was standing behind his mate, and Kaida could feel all eyes inside the room on her. Kaida began to shake as her nerves went crazy inside of her, knowing that the shift was never going to come.
