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He leans over and kisses me on the cheek.When we get back home.
Of course he wants to be in my head while we’re on this trip. He knows how nervous I am and how much I want my mom’s family to like me.
They will adore you, Stellan assures me.
Venali clears his throat. “You two are mates, correct?”
I say, “No,” at the same time that Stellan says, “Yes.”
Venali looks between us, raising his eyebrows. “Which one is it?”
I tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. “Well, we’re not soulmates, but we do have a complete mate bond.”
He nods. “It makes sense. Elves don’t have soulmates, but we do get a mate bond.”
“Are you mated?” I ask.
“No.” He frowns. “I’m the heir, which means whoever I marry is going to be a queen. Women are either scared of the crown or they covet it. It makes falling in love difficult.”
Stellan puts his arm around me. “Are you scared of being queen?”
His question makes me laugh. “You’re kidding, right? I’m going to be a queen, but before marrying you, I wasgoing to be an empress. Somehow, being at your side as you rule the dragons seems a far less terrifying option.”
Venali shivers dramatically. “Anything is better than the fae.”
Stellan glares at my cousin, ready to stand up for me. It’s sweet, even if not necessary.
I scoot closer to Stellan’s side. “Not all the fae are bad, you know?”
“I do know.” Venali studies me. “You are nothing like I thought you would be. Even though you look more like a fae, with your eyes that change colors and your tiny structure.”
“I’m notthatshort.” I frown at him.
Venali and Stellan both laugh. Of course this would be the one thing they agree on.
“My younger brother isn’t like other fae,” I say, trying to ignore their reaction.
“Your brother?” Venali looks at me. “He will be emperor, right?”
I nod. “Yes, Cypress will be emperor because of the marriage alliance.”
“But the fae are willing to fight to have you back.” Venali watches me as he tries to piece it together.
“Yes, because of my magic. I guess it never was fae magic.” I shrug. “But Cypress has strong fae magic. His magic is even stronger than our father’s, which is rare.”
“I heard that fae magic is dying.” Venali leans back in his seat. “It must be nature’s way of punishing them for their own self righteous indignation.”
“I’m surprised you know. It’s not something they’re advertising,” I admit. “My father also wanted to keep the information away from the dragons. He didn’t want you guys to back out of the alliance. The fae don’t want to admit it, but they need the dragons.”
“Yet they’re willing to go to war with us to get you.” Stellan shakes his head.
“The strongest fae wouldn’t stand a chance against the weakest dragon shifter,” Venali says. “Just as no supernatural in the world can match the strength of an elf.”
Speaking of self righteous behavior…
Stellan grins at me and I know he’s heard my thoughts.
Venali shifts his gaze between Stellan and me. “I am curious what your children will be like. We already know that fae blood makes dragons stronger, but adding elf blood to the mix is interesting. I imagine nobody will want to mess with your children. The supernatural community will be even more frightened of them than they are of King Basilicus.”
