Page 15 of The Dragon’s Emberlinked Mate (Dragon Flight Academy #3)

Emmen

“You know, I’m totally going to be a superfan, right?” Rhythe looked me up and down, his eyes heated.

“No, I didn’t realize that,” I said as I looked at my mate wearing his academy jersey that we had designed to mimic the types of jerseys humans wore to support their teams. He also had dragon wings, similar to our emblem, painted on both his cheeks; his regular diamond stud he kept in his ear matched our school colors.

“Am I too over the top?” he asked.

I pulled him closer to me and kissed his forehead, careful not to mess up the makeup he had on. “Absolutely not. I love your passion for the games.” And even if it was over the top, who cared if it made him smile like this.

“I’ve always loved them,” he said. “Ever since I was a kid I’d beg my dad to take me. I’ve only ever been a spectator. Competing was never my thing.”

“I was never quite good enough to be on the teams. Honestly, I didn't have a knack for formation flying when I was young.”

“But you fought in the wars, and you coached.” He straightened his jersey.

“True.” I sometimes forgot that my mate could’ve written a thesis on me long before we ever crossed paths. “And that’s one of the reasons I love how the games cater to all ages. Any age can participate, and in such a multitude of ways.”

In addition to our academy teams, we had professional teams. There weren’t as many since most dragons graduated from the academy and went on to regular jobs. But similar to how humans had their professional teams, we had them as well.

“It’s just so exciting. I can’t believe I get to see our team in action. They’ve come a long way since last season.”

“Indeed, they have.”

It took us a while to walk to our designated box where we would sit and enjoy the competition. We were going to experience the games in a way most dragons never could.

It wasn’t free, though. I had a job to do while I was here. I had to smile and wave at a lot of people, all while my mate was at my side. It made the games all that more electrifying to have him there.

Inside the box, Rhythe’s brother Pip and his parents were waiting for us.

Lord Malric and Ollie stood by the window observing the opening ceremony.

We were going to have the best afternoon.

I’d gone through my life alone for the most part.

Having my extended family surrounding me was new, and I loved it.

“I can’t believe you get to watch the games like this all the time. Do you ever miss sitting in the stands?” Rhythe was practically bouncing he was so excited.

I chuckled. “Can’t say that I do. Bleacher seats are not made for old bones like mine.”

Rhythe rolled his eyes. “You don’t sit. You stand the whole time cheering.

That’s the whole point. It’s a lot of fun!

It’s a whole experience. When I was going to school, we used to sit in the student section, and we’d hold up cards to spell words and we had cheers.

It was awesome. I’m surprised not everybody’s watching the games. ”

He looked around the suite, where we had video monitors with the games on display, and of course the open windows where you could see everything happening.

“The suite is also an experience. Most of the people here are here for the food and the socializing, not necessarily to watch our dragons.”

The speakers announced the lineup for the day. There were a total of ten teams here, and we had two of them.

“Is there anything special I’m supposed to do?” Rhythe asked.

“No, mate, just enjoy yourself.”

“Oh, I am.” He snagged a seat in the front row. He likely didn’t even realize he was sitting next to Raoal, one of the flight trainers who was recently promoted to flight leader at another academy.

“Your mate seems to be fitting in well,” Lord Malric said as he sat next to me.

“I think so.”

“So I don’t have to worry about you stepping down from your post?” Lord Malric’s words caught me off guard. Had that been a worry? Should it be one?

I shot him a look. “Rhythe and I haven’t spoken about it, but I see no reason to think that I will. Do you want me to?”

“Fuck no,” Lord Malric said. “You were hired on indefinitely, and that’s how I want to keep it. I have no desire to find another commander.”

“Then you haven’t heard any rumblings of concerns about me having a young mate?” I spoke as low as I could, not wanting my mate to hear me verbalize his biggest insecurity.

Malric raised a brow. “You think that would be a concern of mine? Have you met Ollie? As far as age gaps go, I think I have you beat.”

“I didn’t realize it was a competition,” I said. “I just ask because we have encountered the situation a few times. And I thought maybe others had raised the concern with you.”

I didn’t care what anyone else thought, personally. But I was sure as rain going to protect my mate from any negativity.

“If any concerns are raised, we will address them promptly. But unless your mate does something inappropriate, then there’s no reason for you to leave your post. And as far as I can tell, based on how much my mate loves him, he’s going to do just fine.”

“He really is,” I said.

Rhythe, despite his concerns about his age and lack of qualifications, was amazing at being the mate that I needed and being the person the academy needed.

Even though he wasn’t required to be there every day, he came to the school, spoke with the teachers, the students, everybody, including the janitors.

Whenever there was a concern brought up, he handled it promptly, taking care of things that I hadn’t even realized weighed on people’s minds.

He was the listening ear that had been missing. Most of the time, the people expressing their frustrations simply wanted to be heard. My mate heard them loud and clear.

Being the commander meant that I wasn’t always approachable for the little things, not that they were little to the people they impacted.

With Rhythe, no one worried about that, and he was a natural at setting people at ease.

He was so approachable and kind. If only he could see himself the way I saw him.

“Ollie says the two of you are expecting a trio of eggs.”

“Indeed, with the possibility of twins.” Vexus was pretty sure it was twins, but until they were here, it was best not to make it sound like a done deal to anyone but the closest to us.

If hatch day came and there were only three dragonets, we were going to be disappointed, and having our family there to support us was great.

Needing to spread the news to others, not so much.

“Good luck with that,” Malric said. He himself had had two clutches before his third with Ollie. I doubted the Lord would have any more after this one, though I had been surprised when he and Ollie had one, so perhaps it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Malric clapped me on the back. “I’m really happy for you. Politics aside, it’s good to see my friends settled, and I’m sorry for having pushed you into potentially seeking out someone who wasn’t your mate.”

“Water under the bridge,” I said. “All’s well that ends well.”

“And you managed to keep that special gift of yours a secret.”

I laughed at that. “Yes, the hospital staff kept that to themselves, although I did have a conversation with Rhythe’s parents about it. They had been a little shocked to learn what I could do.”

“Was that a joke?” Malric said.

I laughed loudly, and my mate turned to look at me. He smiled.

“It wasn’t a joke, but I suppose it works that way, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed. Like I said, it’s good to see you happy.”

“Thank you, Malric. I do owe it all to my mate. I never realized just how much of my life was missing.”

“Agreed. I never thought I would be blessed with a second mate, but I know that Chas is smiling down upon both of us.”

I remembered how broken he’d been when his mate passed. He’d been not much more than a shell of his former self. And now? Now he was the dragon I used to know.

“Indeed,” I said.

“Well, you ought to enjoy these games with your mate before he climbs out the window.”

I looked over at my mate, who was on his feet, whooping and hollering at the dragons in flight.