Page 19

“Thank you for doing my nails, Daddy,” Rimi said, studying the pale pink color he’d applied. Digging through the stone had done a number on her talons. She’d loved his pampering when they had finished.

“My pleasure, Snowflake.”

“You really didn’t have to seal that section between our hoards,” she suggested.

He’d carefully filled in the passage with the stones they’d displaced while connecting to the hallway. Then Keres had heated them to melt the metal veins running through the rocks together to lock them in place. She could dig a door again, but he’d hear it for sure.

A shimmer caught her eye, and she launched herself from his lap to scramble under his desk. Grabbing the gold coin from the floor, she danced around it, chanting, “Mine, mine, mine!”

When he only smiled at her and wasn’t concerned about having dropped the treasure, she studied him carefully. This was the third coin she’d found this morning. “Are you hiding these for me to find?”

“Dragons never give away their treasure. ”

“You already gifted me a bunch of stuff! Remember the tiara, the gems, the castle?” she reminded him, tapping her foot. “Admit it. You’re leaving these for me to find.”

“A shrewd dragon never questions the source of wealth. She just enjoys it.”

“She does, huh?” Rimi considered the coin in her hand for a second and then thrust it into her pocket. She needed to cultivate her greedy dragon side. Might as well start now.

“Is everyone still coming over today for the hunt?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Yes. Look, here’s Slate,” Keres said.

“Slate, I think you grow two feet every time I see you. You need to spend more time with your mother,” Rimi fussed, walking over to hug her son.

“Mom. I’m not a baby anymore. This hunt is more ceremonial than anything else. I’ve eaten a ton of cows from the field already,” Slate told her.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.” Keres drew his eyebrows together in a gesture Rimi recognized as the precursor of a lecture.

“Oops, it will have to be later. I think Skye and her dragons are getting ready to land,” Rimi said quickly.

“Oldrik and Ardon haven’t announced their arrival yet, Rimi,” Keres told her, turning to stare at her in confusion.

Permission to land.

Of course, Drake, Rimi answered, before shrugging. “Sorry. I guess I felt Aurora arriving instead of Skye.”

Keres simply shook his head and ushered her toward the door to greet their guests. Slate fell in behind them. She could feel his eagerness to hunt together with the group of dragons.

Is there any way Slate could remain here as part of your horde? she asked Keres .

No, Snowflake. I’m sorry. He’s not part of our pact. Slate would not find a mate here. He needs to find his own place.

I’m going to miss him.

We both will. We’ll have to practice making more dragonets, Keres suggested.

Meeting his gaze, she didn’t need to answer. The silent message that flew between the mated pair said everything.

“Ewww,” Slate commented from behind them, making Rimi laugh.

“Sorry.” She lied. Rimi wasn’t repentant at all.

As they emerged into the fresh air, more calls sounded as dragons and their mates arrived.

Each of Rimi’s new friends carried a large velvet bag.

Soon, they divided into two groups: the horde and the excited, fated partners.

When the sun became too hot, Rimi linked her arms with Ciel and Brooks. “Come on. Let’s go inside.”

“Good idea,” Aurora agreed as she shielded her eyes. Lalani wrapped an arm around her waist and guided her toward the door. The others followed as they chatted.

We will leave as well, Keres messaged Rimi.

She paused and turned to wave. Be careful. Take care of Slate!

After watching their mates shift and take off, the group continued inside. The women took turns taking their tiaras out of the protective bags and pinning them securely in place. Brooks produced a crown made of rubies and diamonds that everyone admired.

As the group streamed into the dining room, Rimi waved everyone into their chairs.

“Thank you all for joining me and having some fancy fun.” She stopped and touched her tiara to make sure it was still in place before continuing, “I’m a little nervous even though both Slate and Keres assure me I don’t need to be. ”

“Are you worried about the hunt or this tea party?” Lalani asked with a gentle smile.

“Both?” Rimi answered.

“I’d be nervous, too, if I had a child going off with the big dragons for the first time,” Brooks admitted.

“No need to be nervous about us. We’ll only bite the scones,” Ciel promised and gnashed her teeth.

Since Ciel was the least threatening creature in the room, Rimi had to laugh. The others joined in, and the tension eased a bit from Rimi’s shoulders. At least this part was going to be fun. She turned and looked out the window where the dragons stood together.

Aurora pointed at the youngest dragon as all of them launched into the air. “Slate is almost as big as Keres! Dragons grow fast.”

“They do. Having control of all their powers takes a while to understand. Flying without running into something while you flap your wings, targeting prey with your flame, or grabbing at something with your talons is challenging,” Rimi said.

“That sounds more complicated than some of the old video games,” Brooks pointed out.

“I was always bad at those,” Ciel confessed. “I just ran straight into the bad guys and died. Shortest games ever.”

Laughter filled the dining room as everyone found their chairs. Keres’s staff brought in fancy teacups for everyone and filled them with fragrant tea.

“I thought we’d have an almost traditional British tea. I hope that’s okay with everyone,” Rimi said hesitantly.

“I enjoyed afternoon tea in Scotland once. It was amazing. I ate so much I rolled out of the restaurant,” Brooks shared.

“I’m crossing my fingers that you’ll enjoy this as much. You’ll find some of the traditional goodies on the displays as well as items I had the cook make for us,” Rimi said .

The staff brought in three layered serving displays and placed them on the table between the mates to share. Everyone leaned forward to admire the display.

“Who knows what we eat first?” Lalani asked. “Brooks?”

“You eat the savory items first. Those are the items on the bottom here. There are two of everything, so each person gets to try everything,” Brooks said. “Unless Rimi suggests a different way?”

“Heavens, no. I’ve been living in a cave. I just read about tea in a book and someone mentioned a tea party…” Her voice dwindled away. Had this been a good idea?

“This is so fun. Everything’s so pretty. I hate to eat anything,” Aurora said.

“No way. I’m starting with this one.” Brooks helped himself to what appeared to be a cucumber sandwich. He took a bite and chewed with a happy expression.

That broke the ice. Everyone dug into their treats. “Mmm” and “Yum” sounded around the table. A few mates practiced drinking their tea with their pinkies out, provoking giggles around the table. The room grew quiet as they ate.

Rimi checked out the sweets displayed at the top and slumped against her chair back.

She couldn’t eat another bite. A heavy thud against the window made Rimi spin to see what had struck it.

A purple eye stared inside. She jumped to her feet and ran toward the dragon pressed to the glass. “Slate! What happened?”

Her son’s eye rolled back inside his head, and he disappeared from view.

Her heart rate skyrocketed with immediate panic.

Peering out the window, she searched for her offspring.

Rimi’s tiara tumbled unheeded to the carpet in her panic.

Slate had collapsed in a pile on the grass below.

She turned and ran toward the door, explaining, “He’s hurt! ”

Everyone leapt to their feet inside the room, knocking a couple of chairs over in their haste. They immediately followed Rimi.

Outside, she ran to Slate’s side and dropped to her knees beside him.

Running her hands over his scales, she couldn’t find any injuries, just something gritty.

Looking down at her palms, Rimi rubbed at the powdery grit.

Suddenly, she felt dizzy. Her head drooped down onto her son’s body as she fought for consciousness.

Skye! Get everyone back. There’s something coating…