Page 6

6

A rctic

We’re standing at the entrance to the human accommodation as the new staff members pour into the room. They are looking around and talking among themselves.

“This place is unreal,” a female says, her eyes moving about the large room.

“I can’t believe we have a gym,” a male says. “Did you see the—?” he starts to say when Marcel turns and claps his hands.

“If I can have all of your attention, please.”

It takes a moment or two, but everyone is soon silent.

Steel, Thorn, and I move into the room, and all eyes fall on us.

“I will be leaving first thing tomorrow to collect the Tributes. That means that you have twenty-four hours to settle in and become familiar with your respective positions, work conditions, and living arrangements.” He pauses and smiles. “Before we continue…” He turns to us. “My apologies, Your Majesty…Sire.” He bows first to me and then to Frost before turning back to the humans. “I need to introduce you to some important people. The dragon shifters on Mistveil—”

The humans start whispering among themselves. I catch snippets of conversation, trying to drown them out.

“They’re shifters…”

“…hot…yowza…”

“A king…he’s a king…”

“I wonder if their hair color is natural.”

“…do you think…?”

Everyone speaks at once except for one female, who doesn’t say so much as a word. Her eyes are trained on me, but she looks away as soon as she catches me staring. But not before I discover the color of her eyes; they’re moss green. Her fiery red hair is swept back in a ponytail at the nape of her neck. All of her visible skin is covered in tiny freckles, from the bridge of her nose right down her neck. I suspect that if you stripped her naked, you might find them everywhere.

The human is very unusual looking and yet not unattractive. Just so damned small. Then again, they all are. Are most human females this tiny? Since the males aren’t very impressive, either, I think it must be a human trait.

“Settle down!” Marcel tries for a third time, raising his voice. “I know this is new and exciting, but I need you to be silent for a few minutes. This is important, please.”

Once again, the humans settle.

“I would like to introduce you to the king, His Royal Highness, King Arctic of Mistveil Island, and his brother, the Crown Prince Frost.” Marcel waves his hand toward us.

The room falls silent as all eyes turn back to us. I feel the weight of their gazes, their open curiosity apparent.

“Welcome,” I say simply. “You all have an important role to play. We hope that this pilot program is a success. It is imperative for the continuation of our species. You are here to ensure the comfort and well-being of each and every human on this island. I assure you that you are safe and very welcome among our people.” I turn to the males on my left. “This is Steel, my head of security. You will see guards posted outside this building day and night. They will accompany you everywhere. Thorn is heading up the pilot program. Should you have any concerns that can’t be addressed directly with your superior, you should contact him.”

“Yes.” Thorn steps forward. “I’m here to ensure the smooth running of this operation. Feel free to come and speak with me at any time. I’m here to help facilitate communication between the humans and our kind. Do you have any questions at this time?”

A male puts up his hand.

“Yes, Russel,” Thorn says, reading from his name tag. All of them have tags clipped onto their clothing.

“You say that guards will be posted outside and accompany us at all times; does that mean that we can’t move freely on the island?” The human is frowning.

“To answer your question, the Tributes arrive tomorrow. We’ll introduce you to our species up close. There will be a demonstration from the male candidates,” Thorn says.

“What kind of demonstration?” another human asks. She’s standing next to the redhead. Her name is Maggie.

“All the candidates will shift for the human females,” I say. “They will get to meet us in our dragon forms. The plan is to put on a show for them and to welcome them to our island. This will be followed by an elaborate dinner.”

“You will all be invited to the demonstration,” Thorn says.

“How exciting!” Maggie says, her eyes glinting.

“Forgive me, um, Your Lordship…Highness…King…um… Apologies, I’ve never had to address a king before,” the redhead says. There is a ruffle in her blouse; it’s covering her name tag, which annoys me. I like to know who I am talking to.

“It’s Sire or Your Majesty,” I tell her.

“Sire.” She smiles for a moment, standing a little taller, and her badge appears.

Paisley

Her name is a little different. I guess it suits her.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Shifting into your dragon forms, that is. Perhaps you should meet the Tributes first as men. I mean, you don’t want to scare them, do you? That wouldn’t be a good way to make a first impression.” She shakes her head.

Interesting. She looks timid but is anything but. Right now, she’s questioning the king, which some would say is a bad idea. Since the humans are not used to hierarchy, I will let it slide. Also, we can use all the help we can get. We all have very little experience with humans, particularly females of the species.

“Does the thought of seeing us in our dragon form scare you, human?”

“No.” She shakes her head, swallowing thickly. “Maybe a little, but I’m not a Tribute. I chose to come here knowing who I was working for…namely for you…for dragon shifters. I would be fine with it, but then again, I’m not here against my will or being made to meet with men…who are not even human.” Her voice lowers to almost a whisper as she says the last. “With the intention of getting them to date you and settle down here.”

“No, you’re not a Tribute, and we are not human. We are made up of two parts that make us whole. Our dragons are very much a part of who we are. It’s not something we will ever shy away from,” I tell her. “The sooner the Tributes face up to that, the better.”

“I get it. I do, but you need to understand that these women will be scared out of their minds and maybe even a little angry. You can’t blame them for it. They will blame you, by the way. Well, not you directly, but…um…you know what I mean. They’re being uprooted from their lives, their families. From their jobs, from everything they hold dear, everything they know. They didn’t ask to come here. They were forced. You need to treat them with kid gloves, at least initially. Let them know the candidates as men first and then introduce them to their dragon side. At least consider it, I urge you.”

“Remind me of your position here on the island?” I ask, my voice clipped.

She lifts her chin, maintaining eye contact. “I’m an ER nurse. I will be assisting Dr. du Pont.” She turns to the older male, who nods once. One of his bushy brows is raised.

“Thank you for your input, Paisley,” Thorn says. “We will take your thoughts into consideration. You make some valid points. With regard to moving around the island freely.” He looks at the male who asked the original question. “Once you’ve seen us shift and met a couple of dragons up close, you will be taken around the island so that you can familiarize yourself with its layout. There are large areas of jungle that are out of bounds, areas that are unsafe for humans, but otherwise, you will be permitted to move around freely. I hope that answers your question.”

“It does.” Russel nods.

“There was a question earlier regarding relations between humans and shifters outside of the pilot program,” Thorn says.

Maggie puts her hand up. “I asked. A year is a very long time. What if we want to…um…date?” She smiles.

“No intimate relations with a direct superior,” Thorn says. “No dating any of the candidates. We hand-picked fifty males in the hopes that all thirty Tributes end up settling on the island. You may date outside of that pool. Otherwise, there will be no restrictions made. If it interferes with your job, there will be recourse.”

“Great.” Maggie smiles from ear to ear, as do all the females, barring Paisley, whose expression remains impassive.

Another male puts his hand up. He’s younger than most of the others.

“Yes, Carter,” Thorn says.

“What about us? Can we date, too? The men.”

Steel steps forward and clears his throat. “If I may?” he asks Thorn, who nods. “It’s my job to keep you safe while you are on Mistveil Island.” He snorts. “If you so much as look at a Tribute in the wrong way, I can’t guarantee your safety. You’ll be dead for sure if you go anywhere near a shifter female. In short, you’d be taking your life in your hands. I wouldn’t do it.”

The human males pale as Steel speaks. All except the older doctor, who puts his hands in his pockets, looking bored.

“Um…I’m sure you’re exaggerating.” Carter laughs, but the sound doesn’t hold much humor.

“I’m not joking. We’re part beast. We have an animal side that is quick to come to the fore. We’re highly possessive. If you encroach on another male’s territory – or what he considers to be his territory – you might not make it out alive. In fact, I can almost guarantee it.”

Carter swallows thickly. “Jeez…” He shakes his head. “I don’t like the sound of that. I mean, it’s hardly fair. It should be equal rights.” He looks over at the females. “They can date, so why can’t we?”

“It should be equal rights, but it isn’t, by virtue of our situation. We have too many males and not enough females to go around. Competition is fierce. You can’t and will never win against a shifter male, so take my advice and stay away.” Steel folds his arms over his chest. “While we’re on the subject, fights can break out between candidates vying for the same human female. Get out of the way. Run! If two males see red, you don’t want to be caught in the crossfire. Is that understood?”

There are a few muttered yesses. Most of the humans look terrified. I can’t blame them.

“I suppose that’s part of why we are here,” Paisley says. “I hope I don’t have to patch up any Tributes.”

The doctor sucks in a breath and nods. “That would be unfortunate.”

“We will do everything in our power to prevent that from happening,” I tell the humans, but my focus is on Paisley. “I assure you.”

“There’s something else we need to discuss,” Thorn says. “Something of importance. It’s a secret you need to keep.”

I step forward. I don’t need him to speak for me. “The secret is mine. I need your help to keep it.” I look at each of them in the eye.