I laugh and turn to him. “I’m lucky to have you, Ebron.”
After a long minute, he finishes the cow, then flops down beside me.
“Ebron, how has your search for your mates gone?” We’d talked before, but I wonder if anything has changed. Since our fates seem to be linked together, I want the most information possible on what my future will look like.
I would like to choose Sylvara, Verdraxa, and Nythera. I thought when I chose my mates it would be simple, but you are a complication. As much as I wish to simply do what I want, I do not want to hurt my rider in the process. The females press for an answer, and I delay making them my mates.
“I’m sorry,” I say, and I mean it. “I wish our romantic fates weren’t entwined the way they are. The three princes would objectively make good husbands. They’re princes, of course, with wealth, privilege, and power. They’re also handsome and intelligent. But when I pictured having a partner, I never thought of any of those things. I just wanted someone who would be kind to me. Someone who would make me laugh.”
Kindness and laughter are important. Even for dragons. We live a long time. The world can grow boring. Our partner should always bring life and laughter into even our darkest days.
“Man, I think I should’ve been born a dragon,” I joke.
You would make a fine dragon.
“I think that might be the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.” I pause, and think. “Is there any way that Sylvara, Verdraxa, and Nythera won’t become your mates?”
Ebron is quiet for a really long time.I do not think so. I have gone my long lifetime without claiming anystray females as my mates. I simply mated them. None made my heart feel the kind of heat and fire that it was meant to feel with my mates. It’s what I now feel with Sylvara, Verdraxa, and Nythera, even though I’ve tried to suppress you feeling my emotions as much as possible. I know that I can delay choosing them to give you time, but it will happen. And you should also know two things: I do not feel that my harem is complete, so there may be others. And you will grow attached to my mates’ dragon riders. It is not something you can escape. It’s fate.
That’s a lot to digest. I get another honeysuckle and chew on it, trying to process his words. “I guess I’ll be stuck with at least three awful husbands. I just hope the fourth will be wonderful.”
Ebron laughs low in his mind.You do not understand. When I accept my fated mates, their riders will become yours. Not simply because that is the way things are done, but because they are who you were meant to be with. I just suspect your mates have not done enough growing yet. They seem like men who know swords and dragons, but do not understand that a female’s heart requires not just a strong male, but a soft touch. All females deserve a mate with a soft touch when it is important. Those three have had too much sharpness and fire to know such a lesson. Those who raised them failed them.
It’s strange. I never considered that, never really thought about the way the three of them were raised, but now that Ebron mentions it, it seems terribly important. I’ve met the king. He’s a man who seems to make decisions without thinking about his sons’ feelings. But I’ve never met their mothers. I wonder what they were like, who they were, that their sons know so little of gentleness.
All their parents failed them.
Harper, are you not troubled by the thought of other mates to come?
My thoughts swing back to that particular nugget. “To be honest, that’s a problem for the future. The princes are a problem for now.”
As if thinking of them brings them to life, I see dots of approaching dragons in the sky, and know it’s them before I even see them. Ebron stretches back further, but he glances to the sky. His movements are lazy and relaxed, but I know he’s aware that they’re approaching us too.
“This should be fun,” I say.
He snorts.For me, but not you. Your mates are currently hot turds.
I laugh, hard, and I’m still laughing when their dragons land near us. Sylvara’s silver scales glitter beneath the light of the sun. Verdraxa’s golden body seems to fit in far too perfectly with the honeysuckle spreading in all directions on the cliff. And Nythera’s white body matches the swell of the waves as they crash against the rocks on the shoreline around us. I can see, just by staring at the three beautiful dragons, why they might have stolen Ebron’s heart. Beside me, his black scales and massive body are at such odds with the pale beauties, but he’s incredible to look at in his own way.
The three princes unmount in smooth motions, and their dragons bow to me, drawing quick looks of irritation from the men. All three princes are dressed in leathers, although Prince Gareth is dressed in black, matching his shoulder-length dark hair. His piercing blue eyes fall on me, and I already know he’s not happy. Prince Alaric stops as he stares at the beautiful sight in front of us. His soft brown eyes hold less anger and more curiosity, and his brown leather matches his short, brown hair. My gaze slides onto Prince Lucien, then away. His blond hair,unlike Prince Gareth’s, has been secured at his nape, drawing attention to the sharp lines of his face and his brilliant green eyes, which are currently narrowed in anger.
“What the fuck?” Prince Lucien shouts.
I pointedly ignore him and glance at the other two.
Prince Gareth stops above me, his shadow blocking out the son. “You can’t just disappear,” he says, his low voice rolling along my skin like a caress.
I sigh and glance at Prince Alaric. After a second, he asks, “Why did you just disappear like that? We went searching for you and were informed you’d simply… left.”
Unable to help myself, I shrug. “Ebron and I needed some bonding time.”
The female dragons move to stand closer to Ebron, then lie down beside him. It’s interesting to see the large creatures so relaxed. So happy. They really do like being with each other but it further shows the clear divide between how they’re feeling about each other and how we’re feeling about each other.
Prince Lucien snorts and folds his arms over his chest. “Dragons don’t need time to bond with us.”
“Your dragons might not, because they don’t like you very much,” I say, snagging more honeysuckle and popping it into my mouth.
Ebron laughs, and the men all stiffen and look in his direction.
