Page 54 of Courting the Dragon King

Sitting across from him, Elias, Gerard, Senta, and Juniper talked and drank wine, having also finished their meals.

Konrad cleared his throat. “Elias, Gerard, when did you last see Wraith?”

“We left him a little before dinner to get ready. We had a lovely chat with him this afternoon. It was most enjoyable. I assumed we’d meet him here.” Elias frowned at the empty seat. “I wonder where he is?”

“I have not spoken much with Wraith.” Senta paused. “I have to admit, I haven’t been keen. What’s he like?”

“Shy and a bit nervous around people. But he is nice when he opens up,” Elias said.

Shy. Nervous. Lonely. Is Wraith really those things?

“I confess, I’ve never been a fan of Necros and their necromancers,” Juniper said.

Elias laughed. “I don’t think many people are.”

“They’ve always terrified me, even though they were our allies during the war. I always avoided them.” Juniper smiled. “But if Wraith is as nice as you say, then I’m curious to get to know him.”

“We’ll have to make sure we all do tea together sometimes,” Elias said. “And honestly, I think he could use some friends.”

Konrad wanted to point out that Wraith was Konrad’s husband, and therefore Konrad should be the one organising gatherings with him and others and helping Wraith make friends. But he couldn’t deny that Elias got along with Wraith. And Konrad didn’t.

Elias had gotten Wraith to smile. Konrad never had.

“And Umbra, his pet hellhound, is lovely. She returned, happy and playful, after Konrad left for whatever business Konrad had to take care of,” Elias said that without looking at Konrad. But Konrad could feel the dig in his brother-in-law’s words.

“You just have to meet Umbra!” Elias said to Senta and Juniper. “She’s amazing and not as scary as she looks.” Then he looked at Gerard. “You liked her, didn’t you?”

Gerard cleared his throat. “Yes. She is actually quite sweet.”

Traitor! Konrad had not expected this from his own brother.

Then Gerard looked at Konrad. “I thought it good to see what she is like, to assess if she was a threat. From what I could see, she is just like any dog. Actually, she reminds me of our old dog. You remember Bones, right?”

“Of course I remember Bones.” Konrad had adored that dog. It had been his dog. He’d been distraught when he died. But Konrad struggled to see how that ghostly apparition had any resemblance to his old mastiff.

“Anyway,” Gerard said, “after interacting with Umbra, I don’t believe her to be a threat to our security.”

Konrad bit his tongue, stopping himself from snapping at his brother.

“She actually does not have the ability to touch the living so would be unable to attack or harm us. Of course, there may be other aspects to her that could be a threat to us. We do not know enough about hellhounds and their capabilities. So I think it best to be cautious and gather further information about her,” Gerard said.

At least his brother hadn’t completely softened.

And Draconian guards had been assigned to Wraith and would have started following him around. So that meant they could inform about not only Wraith but Umbra too.

“So, Konrad, you don’t know where your spouse is? I hope he is okay,” Elias said. “Your actions earlier seemed to upset him quite a lot.”

Konrad could feel everyone’s gaze on him. He gritted his teeth. Guilt gnawed at his stomach.

As the dinner wrapped up, they all stood. But Elias came over to him. Konrad considered making a swift exit. He’d had enough of his brother-in-law’s commentary for one day.

“You know, I spoke to Wraith about the whole fucking ghosts thing. Personally, I thought it sounded very sexy. Not despicable, gross, or vile in the slightest.” Absently, Elias stroked a finger down his own throat. “Honestly, I’m kind of jealous that I never got to experience something like that.”

Konrad scowled, and Elias laughed. Then he sashayed away. Elias really could be an annoying little shit. Unfortunately, it seemed his meddling family weren’t done with him. Gerard came up next.

“What is it? Are you going to tell me you want to fuck a ghost too?” Konrad asked.

“What?” Gerard’s eye widened. “What? Why— What?”