“Hank.” Riva put a gentle hand on her husband’s forearm, but gave him a stern look before turning back to Sybil with a sweet smile. “Have a good time, sweetie, and say hi to Dutchy.”
“I haven’t seen Dutchy in ages either,” Kate said, standing up from her chair. “I should come with you.”
Sybil saw Kate give Amelia a gentle nudge, then what was probably a not-so-gentle kick in the shins under the table, based on the wince on her face. “Uh, yeah, me too,” Amelia added, then flashed Kate a dirty look. “Why don’t I join you?” She gave Mason an apologetic look.
“Great, I’ll drive. I’ll grab my keys and meet you downstairs, yeah?”
Sybil rolled her eyes. “All right.”
Since she was already dressed to go, Sybil went downstairs to wait for her friends. She sent a quick text to Dutchy, and thankfully, she had already replied yes as Kate pulled up to the driveway.
“I know what you guys are doing,” she said to Kate as the three of them drove to town.
“Oh, yeah, what?”
“You guys are being all protective,” she said. “Why the heck does everyone think I’m some fragile thing that has to be taken care of all the time? I’m a dragon, for Pete’s sake.”
“First of all,” Kate said. “If what those dragons are saying is true, we all need to stick together. What if one of those Knight guys jumps out of the bushes and zaps you with that wand?”
Sybil chewed on her lip. She hated to admit it, but Kate was right. Any one of them could be a target.
“It’s best we stick together,” Amelia said.
“Plus, I don’t want to miss any fireworks,” Kate added with a gleeful cackle.
“Fireworks?” Sybil asked, confused.
“Do you think Prince Aleksei’s going to be swatted away like a fly?” Kate slowed down as they approached a curve. “He’s a dragon. And a prince.”
“And an alpha,” Amelia added.
“Exactly,” Kate finished. “He’s not going to give up. I bet, the moment you step into town, he’ll know it and come panting after you.”
“What?” Sybil asked in an incredulous voice. “You’re insane.”
“He’s your mate, Sybil. You may not know what that means, but you will.”
Sybil crossed her arms and sank back against the seat. “You’re both crazy."
“Why are you denying him?” Amelia asked. “You’ve met him for five minutes.”
“Yeah, and in those five minutes, he insulted our family,” Sybil said. “He’s an arrogant SOB who thinks the world revolves around him and his whims.”
“You don’t even know him,” Kate said.
“And that whole thing with Silas and Anastasia was generations ago.” Amelia rolled her eyes. “This isn’t the Hatfields and McCoys, you know. Besides, wouldn’t it be cool if you guys did settle some kind of feud?”
“Ha ha. Very funny.” But her friends’ words did make her pause. What was it about Prince Aleksei that rubbed her wrong? Maybe she was being too quick to judge. “Look, we’ve got other things to worry about. Maybe we can put aside this whole mate thing until we’ve taken care of The Knights. I’m sure we can all be adults and control ourselves.”
A look passed between Kate and Amelia, one that said, yeah, right.
“It’ll all be fine,” she assured them. “They’ll have the meeting tomorrow, and we’ll figure something out. Maybe I won’t even have to see him until all of this is over.”
It took about half an hour to drive from the castle all the way to Main Street in Blackstone town. Sybil and Dutchy agreed on Rosie’s Bakery and Cafe. Being a Sunday morning, it was busy, which was a good thing Dutchy was already there to save them a table by the time the trio had arrived.
“Dutchy, nice to see you,” Kate exclaimed, pulling the petite redhead in for a hug.
“Nice to see you girls, too,” she replied. Duchess “Dutchy” Forrester was a fox shifter who was originally from New York. She had come to visit her aunts—one of whom was Rosie, the owner of the cafe—and decided afterwards to relocate to Blackstone.
Kate sat in the empty chair across from the fox shifter. “I really need to come see you at your studio so we can talk about my wedding dress.” Dutchy was also a fashion designer, and she’d done almost all of their friends’ wedding gowns in the last couple of months.
“Sure, whenever you’re free,” Dutchy said.
“And maybe one for me, too?” Amelia suddenly added.
Three pairs of eyes turned to the bear shifter.
“What?” Sybil squealed.
“Congratulations,” Dutchy said.
“Maybe we can make it a double wedding,” Kate laughed. “When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell us?”
“Well, there was so much excitement yesterday, I didn’t know when I was supposed to tell you guys,” Amelia said.
“This is great,” Kate said. “I’m glad. I mean, I know I was kinda hating on Mason a lot, but I know now he’s a good guy.”
“Thank you, Kate.”
“I’m so happy for you and Mason.” Sybil smiled brightly at Amelia. “At least that’s one more good thing we can talk about today.”
“Wait, what’s going on?” Dutchy’s delicate brows furrowed together. “Did I miss something?”
Sybil groaned. “It’s not anything important.”
Amelia laughed. “Not important? You met your mate yesterday.”
Dutchy’s eyes went wide. “You did? Oh, my Lord. Tell me what happened.”
“There’s more to it than that,” Sybil sighed, then began to relay what had transpired the day before, keeping her voice low just in case. After all, though they hadn’t agreed to keep it a secret, if someone overheard them and started spreading rumors, it might cause a panic through the town. “… and so, the Dragon Alphas will be meeting with everyone tomorrow to figure out what to do.”
“Way to go on glossing over the most important part, Sybil.” Kate turned to Dutchy. “One of those alphas is Sybil’s mate.”
Dutchy placed her chin in her palms. “Tell me more.”
“Well, he rose up from the lake, wearing nothing but leather pants, looking like a cross between a rock star and a sex God, then walked over to Sybil and proclaimed her as his mate and future queen.”
“Kate,” Sybil groaned.
Dutchy dropped her fork onto her plate with a loud clatter. “What do you mean, queen?”
“Oh, did we forgot to mention that?” Kate snickered. “Sybil’s mate is also a prince.”
“A prince? A real prince?” Dutchy asked.
“Yeah,” Kate said.
“An arrogant and conceited prince,” Sybil added. “Who thought I would just fall into his arms because he said so.”
“So, he’s not your mate?” Dutchy asked, her brows drawing together.
Sybil opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Her dragon roared in protest, and seemed to take control of their body, preventing her from denying it. She shut her mouth so hard, her teeth rattled. Stupid dragon! The animal just flicked its tail and shook its head.
“So, you’re going to be a princess?” Dutchy asked. “That’s so romantic. I mean, what girl doesn’t want to be a princess?”
“Not Sybil, apparently,” Kate said.
“Yeah, that’s not what she wrote in her essay in third grade,” Amelia guffawed.
“Amelia,” Sybil groaned. “Don’t you dare tell that story!”
“Well, now you have to,” Dutchy said.
“What story?” Kate added. “Why don’t I know this?”
Amelia looked around. “Sybil made me promise not to tell anyone.”
“I’m still holding you to that pinky promise.”
“You have to tell it now!” Kate said. “I swear to God, I’m going to hack into your email.” When neither Sybil nor Amelia said anything, she pouted. “How dare you keep secrets from me!” Tears began to form at the corner of her eyes. “I thought we were friends. I thought you guys loved
me.”
Amelia looked stricken. “Sybil …”
Sybil’s gaze ping-ponged from Amelia to Kate, who was now dabbing at the corner of her eyes with a napkin. “Fine. Go ahead.” She crossed her arms under her chest.
“Well,” Amelia began. “When we were in Miss Wyatt’s class, we were supposed to write what we wanted to be when we grew up. I put in architect, of course,” she said smugly. “And Sybil put down—”
Sybil groaned and then banged her head on the table.
“Escort.”
“What?” Dutchy said.
“Seriously?” Kate exclaimed, the tears of sadness disappearing from her eyes. They were soon replaced by tears of mirth. “Escort? You, Sybil?”
“Stop!” she said, her face turning aflame. “I thought escort meant you went on dates! Meg would sometimes turn on some trashy soap opera on TV while she was in the kitchen, and I would sneak in and watch it. That’s where I got the idea from.”
Amelia chuckled. “Needless to say, Miss Wyatt called in Aunt Riva. She was so embarrassed.”
“Not as much as I am right now,” Sybil muttered. “I’m glad you all are having fun at my expense.”
“Aww, c’mon, Sybil.” Kate nudged her affectionately. “You have to admit, even you didn’t think you’d have a prince for a mate.”
“Yeah,” Amelia added. “And he’s hot too.”
“So … this prince,” Dutchy began, her eyes narrowing, “is he super tall and good-looking?”
“Yeah,” Kate said, then covered her mouth. “Don’t tell Petros I said that. But really, you’d have to be some kind of monk not to notice.”
“And,” the fox shifter continued, “does he have broad shoulders and kind of an arrogant swagger.”
“Exactly,” Sybil said. “About the swagger, I mean.”
“And does he have long brown hair, blue-green eyes, and tattoos down his arms like scales?”
“Wow, that’s super specific, Dutchy,” Kate said. “How do you know?”
“Because I think he’s coming over here right now.”
“What?” Sybil squeaked. Oh no. Slowly, she turned around, then let out a groan. It was Aleksei, and he was walking right toward them, a determined look on his face.
“At least he’s wearing a top today,” Amelia said under her breath.
If you could call it that, Sybil thought to herself. Aleksei was wearing a dark leather vest, which gave tantalizing views of his chest and showed off his arms. His hair was dry today and fell down to his shoulders, and Sybil couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like between her fingers. And those eyes, a mesmerizing shade of blue-green that reminded her of the sea, seemed to look straight into her. Her dragon perked up in excitement at the sight of Aleksei.
Mine. Mate.
The force of his dragon’s power as it roared in reply would have knocked her over if she wasn’t sitting down. Even his animal seemed haughty and demanding, as if telling her, how dare you deny me?
“What are you doing here?” Sybil bit out. The words sounded harsher than she wanted it to, and her dragon admonished her for using such a tone with their mate. Pipe down, you!
“I’m here for you,” he said, his voice low and silky as his eyes traveled down from her face and over her body.
She felt the heat spike in her belly but promptly ignored it. “How did you know I was here? Wait—are you following me?”
“Of course,” he said matter-of-factly. “I must protect you from all threats.”
“Since when have you been following me?” She still couldn’t believe it.
“Since you left last night,” he stated.
“But I’ve been at home.”
“I know.”
Her jaw dropped. “So, you were creeping around the castle?” Oh my God. “How the heck did no one see you?” Luke was out patrolling around the grounds last night, and surely would have seen Aleksei.
“I was Cloaked, of course.”
Oh God, this was too much. “Well, you need to stop following me around.”
Aleksei clenched his teeth. “Why do you keep denying what is inevitable? I’m your mate.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “This is preposterous. I should not even have to pursue you.”
His words made anger rise in her. He really was a conceited ass! “Then stop and stay away from me.”
There was a flash of outrage in his eyes. “That is out of the question.”
“Maybe you should listen to her, Aleksei,” a drab voice interrupted. “If she doesn’t want you, she doesn’t have to be with you.”
Aleksei’s entire body tensed and a frown spread over his face. “What are you doing here, Matthias?”
The other alpha’s face remained cool and impassive. “I’m having brunch.”
“We both are,” said another voice. It was that other alpha, the one with the Scottish accent. “Ladies, good morning,” he said, a smile spreading over his handsome face. He ran a hand through his dark hair, tousling it and giving it that “just rolled out of bed” look. “Ian MacGregor, Alpha of the Silver Dragons of Avermore.”
“Good morning, ladies,” Matthias began. “I’m afraid we weren’t formally introduced yesterday. I’m Matthias Thorne, Alpha of the Air Dragons of Chicago. You all look lovely today, especially you, Sybil.”
Aleksei’s hands turned to fists at his side. “I swear to the Gods, Matthias, if you dare get in my way—”
“You’ll what, Aleksei?” Matthias challenged. “We’ve all heard that she did not accept your mating.”
“She has yet to,” Aleksei corrected.
“She is sitting right here,” Sybil interjected.
Someone clearing their throat made them all stop and turn their heads.
“Are you all sitting together?” Rosie asked, hands on her hips.
“No—” But it was too late. Aleksei quickly commandeered the empty seat to Sybil’s right. Matthias frowned, but sat himself next to Aleksei as Sybil muttered introductions to her friends. Meanwhile, the Scottish alpha walked over to the other side and sat next to Dutchy.
“Why, hello lass. I don’t think I’ve seen you before,” he said, leaning toward her and flashing her a grin. “What’s yer name?”
Dutchy raised a brow. “I’m Duchess Forrester. Dutchy for short,” she said with a shrug.
“Ah, a Duchess, that’s perfect isn’t it,” he drawled in his Scottish burr. “I’m looking for a Duchess.”
“Really?” Dutchy cocked her head to the side. “And why is that?”
“I’m a Duke, don’t ye know?” He wiggled his eyebrows at her and Dutchy giggled. “My, aren’t ye a sight. And ye’ve beautiful hair. Gorgeous color.” He eyed Dutchy’s coppery red locks, which was styled in waves around her heart-shaped face and made her look like a ’50s movie star. “Ye wouldn’t happen to have a little Scottish in ye, by chance?”
“Uh, I don’t think so?”
“Would ye like one, lass?” he asked in a light-hearted tone.
Dutchy burst out laughing, then covered her mouth quickly. Even Kate giggled and Amelia grinned.
Sybil rolled her eyes. These alphas sure were something. Speaking of which … “Will you two quit it, please?” she muttered to Aleksei and Matthias. The two alphas were staring at each other with such intensity, she could feel their barely-leashed animals hissing at each other. In fact, everyone around them felt it, and nearly every shifter in the room was looking at them.
They broke off eye contact at the same time, then leaned back on their chairs. “Why are you here?” Aleksei asked.
“I heard this was the best place for food,” Matthias drawled.
“Why did you not have breakfast in your suite?” Aleksei said. “You do have the best suite in the Blackstone Hotel.”
“Are you still sore you didn’t get the presidential suite?” Matthias asked. “I’m sure whatever room they put you in is better than that hovel you live in on your dinky little island,” he scoffed.
“You guys
are staying at the Blackstone Hotel?” Kate asked.
“Your alpha said we could stay in town,” Matthias said.
“I don’t see why you needed the suite and an entire floor to yourself,” Aleksei grumbled. “You only did it to show off.”
“Oh, is it my fault you Water Dragons can’t fly fast and therefore came too late?” Matthias asked, then turned to Sybil. “You know, Air Dragons are known for their superior flying ability.”
“And for being greedy and power-hungry,” Aleksei added.
“We’re dragons,” Matthias said. “We all covet something.”
The look he gave Sybil made her shiver. Aleksei noticed her reaction and he scowled. She cleared her throat, trying to find some way to change the subject. “So, you’re an Air Dragon? And you’re a Water Dragon?” she asked Aleksei.
He nodded. “Yes.”
“How many other dragon types are there?” Kate asked.
“Well,” Matthias began. “His Grace,” he motioned to Ian, “is Alpha of the Silver Dragons. Then Kal, he was the one with that gigantic axe strapped to his back, is Alpha of the Rock Dragons, while Tarek is Alpha of the Desert Dragons.”
And of course, there was—were—the Ice Dragons, but Sybil didn’t ask about them. It was a somber subject after all.
“Wait, if there are different kinds of dragons, then what’s Sybil?” Kate asked.
“Technically, she is a Mountain Dragon,” Matthias explained.
“Technically?” Sybil was now curious.
“Yes, well, when your clan was banished, the Dragon Council took away your titles, lands, and treasure hoards. The Lennoxes were not allowed to keep the title of Mountain Dragon. I believe your territory was composed of most of the northwest United States and Canada.”
“’Tis a very big deal,” Ian assured them.
“Wait, you all have treasure hoards?” Amelia asked.
“Yes,” Matthias said. “We are dragons, after all, it’s in our nature to want and keep things.”
“Though we do treasure some things more than others,” Ian said. “For example, it’s quite obvious what my dragon wants—silver, though any type of currency will do.”
Kate chuckled. “Oh my God, do you have like, a vault full of silver where you can swim in like Scrooge McDuck?” The other women laughed, but the alphas remained silent and Ian sat back with a smug look on his face, which made Sybil think that he really did have such a treasure room.
The Blackstone She-Dragon: Blackstone Mountain Book 8 Page 4
