“I just want him to have the option if he’s interested. I’m definitely not going to point him in a certain direction. Don’t worry,” Chrysander assured the Royal Duke.

“Great, write those notes and I’ll get that D’Vaire teleportation stone ready to go,” Dra’Kaedan said.

Chrysander promised to have it done within the hour, and Damian was already sprinting out into the office to get started. The last of their guests left, and Tiri and their other two dukes funneled out the door, leaving Ellery with the man he loved. He couldn’t resist the temptation of wrapping his arms around him.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, but what prompted that?” Chrysander asked.

“It does not go away. I always want to say it. You are always there. You are not only my heart but all of my soul too.”

Chrysander framed Ellery’s face in his hands and brushed their lips together. “I am merely a shadow without you,” he whispered. Ellery wasn’t content with a simple peck, so he pressed his mouth more firmly to Chrysander’s. In his life he’d gone back and forth on whether he wanted to be an elf or a dragon. Now he simply wanted to be himself—a combination of many things which could be described in a variety of ways. But if he had to be defined down to a single point, he wished for the world to know—the fuel that drove him was the love of His Majesty, Emperor Chrysander Draconis.