by C. D. Gorri
Being unable to find her amongst her family table, his dragon grumbled. ‘Where is our female?’
Nikai didn’t know, but he aimed to find out. Shit, he couldn’t. He was to keep distance between them until he took the throne or ruin his chance of claiming her. The way it stood, if his father made a final decree as King, he couldn’t change it for a thousand years. Fuck!
Chapter Two
Belle’s heart hurt watching Nikai throughout the meal and couldn’t wait to excuse herself. She left the great hall as soon as Nadim mentioned her in his oh so grating voice. How two men could be identical yet be total opposites, amazed her. Their differences weren’t just in how they dressed or acted, but their eyes held a different fire. Her Nikai…goddess, she needed to stop thinking of him as hers. He’d ended it with her. Yet she still loved the damn dragon. He always dressed the part of the future King, while Nadim liked to wear things for shock value.
Nadim was always trying to cause a scene wherever he went. It was as if he enjoyed looking like he was a vagabond one minute, then dripping gold and jewels the next. Nobody could argue Nadim was handsome, unless you looked closely, then you’d see the emptiness within his aura. His dark eyes, the same shade as Nikai’s, held no life. Well, that wasn’t true. They appeared to hold no emotion for anyone but himself. She always felt as though he was calculating his next evil move. He excelled at being a master manipulator.
She turned the corner and entered the huge, open garden space. The common grounds allowed any dragon to sit, shift, land, or gather as they wanted. There were times she’d wished for the freedom to shift with everyone else, like other dragons, without fear. Her back itched with the urge to shift and stretch her wings. She hated the beautiful green land with the rolling hills, because she wasn’t allowed to shift with everyone else. All eyes would zoom in on her as if she were a freak.
“Life is full of crazy. You learn to fly with them or be gobbled up by their nonsense. I choose to fly,” she said with a sigh.
“Look who’s talking to herself again. What’s the saying, crazy is as crazy does? The only one I see out here talking to herself is you, Mia Bella.”
She jerked to a stop and stared up at...Nikai. “My word, Nikai. You gave me a fright. I thought you had to stay in the great hall until the meal was finished?” Her heart fluttered at his closeness.
Nikai’s lips lifted in a slight grin that was so unlike himself. The look was one she’d seen his brother make, but Nadim would never be caught dead in the royal garb that Nikai had on.
“Ah, my love, I escaped as soon as I saw you leaving. Where do you plan on flying off to this fine afternoon?” He moved closer to her.
“I’m not sure. I needed to get some air.” She loved spending time with Nikai. However, in the back of her mind, doubts were niggling at her. Her dragon rumbled for them to move back and stay away. Nikai never called her his love, especially not in the seductive tone he’d just used. Her hand went to her stomach where a flight of little dragonflies set up flight inside her. The thought brought a smile to her lips.
“What has brought that radiant light to your face?” He ran the back of his hand down her cheek.
Whenever Nikai touched her, she melted with the need to touch him back. Yet now, an inexplicable urge to smack his hand away assailed her. Goddess, perhaps pregnancy hormones were making her crazy and hate males. She shook her head at the absurdity. The last night they’d been together, she wasn’t able to keep her hands or mouth off him. Her cheeks heated at how wanton she’d been. That was a lifetime ago.
“Oh, I was thinking how wonderful and freeing it would be to let my dragon fly. Would you like to fly together?” He looked up at the sky before moving a step closer to her.
Whenever she was flying next to Nikai, none of the other dragons gave her a sideways glance. She wondered if everyone knew that he’d dumped her. Why was he even asking her to fly when he’d told her they couldn’t be together...after he’d made love with her? Gah, not love. She loved him, but if he’d loved her the same, casting her aside wouldn’t have been easy.
He raised his face toward the sky again, then back at her. “I am needed back at the castle. I’ll catch up with you. Why don’t we meet in the field to the far west?”
She shivered, thinking of the many times they’d made love in the field. Her family cottage was there, but they’d abandoned the place once her father was accepted back into the royal palace. The first decade of her life, she and her parents lived in the beautiful little cottage. While her mother liked to pretend the place didn’t exist, she loved it. Belle tried remembering when either of her parents visited the land but was sure they avoided it like the plague. Neither of their scents could be detected. If she were to hazard a guess, she’d say it had been centuries. Once her father had become the King’s chief adviser, her mother vowed to never return. Belle didn’t understand why her mother hated the home so much, other than it was because they’d been outsiders then, and she wasn’t privy to the reason.
“Alright, I’ll be waiting,” she said, caving even though she’d hate herself for it later.
Nikai nodded, then spun away without bothering to say another word or even give her a kiss. Nothing he’d done or said was normal.
Belle tried not to let his rejection hurt, but she had to remember he was the future King. The way he’d looked away from her led her to think he’d gotten a call through a private path by someone. The King was the only other person she’d ever known to contact him when they were together. She understood what a queen had to sacrifice. She was prepared for the role since Nikai wasn’t shy in giving her lessons. Queen Shani handled everything without being ruffled. She wondered who the stranger was she’d seen as she’d slipped out, his aura too great for her to have missed. Gah. Why was life hard? And how could Nikai tell her one thing mere days ago, only to do an about-face today?
Before she became too morose, she shifted into her smaller dragon. She hated to draw attention to herself, plus if she wasn’t careful, she could destroy everything around her thanks to the fact her female dragon happened to be a huge-ass monster. With her wings flapping hard, she rose into the sky. Her dragon rumbled within her, wanting to stretch her much larger wings.
She adored the color of her shiny pink scales, but loathed being bigger than a lot of the other dragons, even the males. Her survival depended on her ability to stay out of sight, since she tended to instill fear amongst those who saw her. Plus, she hated the remarks she received because of her pinkness. A burst of flame escaped when she imagined the dragons below, watching her, mocking her. She blamed hormones for her crazy emotions.
She loved the freedom she gained while she was a dragon. The way the air caressed her scales, like a lover. The faster she flew, the softer the air felt. It was like nothing else in the entire realm. ‘Well, if you let me loose in our true form, we could really fly.’
Belle ignored her dragon’s deep rumble and scanned the sky, looking for danger. In her dragon form, her eyes were on the sides of her head. The placement allowed her to see clearer. Her vision picked up what was in front of her and over her shoulders at the same time. Belle also had a third eye on the top of her head unseen by anyone else. The anomaly gave her enhanced senses where she could discern shadows and sense things others of her kind couldn’t. She assumed it had something to do with her abnormal coloring and refrained from mentioning her—strangeness to anyone. Fear for her wellbeing was a daily constant. The third eye also gave her an advantage while flying in dragon form, and even when she was in her human skin. Although she didn’t have the third eye when she was on two legs, she possessed the extra senses. In the Ancient Tomes, she’d found mentions of ‘parietal eye’ and was stunned to see those who possessed them were supposed to hold great power. However, her kingdom treated her poorly because of her differences already. She didn’t need to give them another reason.
Belle arrowed her body toward the field behind the cottage, loving the burst of colors from the
flowers that grew around the home. If they’d grown anywhere else, she’d have picked a few and taken them back home to brighten up her room. The bright blooms were colorful and fragrant, unlike anything she’d seen in all the realms.
It wasn’t long before Nikai arrived, tearing the last of her heart and feelings for the dragon apart.
Nikai walked outside his rooms and ran into the last person he wanted. Fuck, why the hell is the Goddess testing his self-control? “Nadim, I thought you’d gone off to do whatever you do?” Laze about and screw anything that would have him. Nikai kept his thoughts to himself.
“Ah, Viejodrak, you are in a fine mood. What’s wrong, you missing your lovely dragon girl? I believe I saw her heading off to fly with her mama.”
Nikai counted to ten to keep from rising to the bait his brother tried to use by calling him ‘old dragon’. He shouldn’t have stooped to name calling. It was a foolish game, but old habits were hard to break.
“Ah, Fratellinodrak, I apologize if I have hurt your wittle feelings with my inattention.” He used his most condescending tone, smirking as his words hit their mark.
Anger flashed in Nadim’s dark orbs at being called little anything, just as Nikai had intended.
“Father wishes to see you, brother,” Nadim waved his hand toward the long hall. Anger flashed in his dark eyes.
Nikai narrowed his eyes, wondering why their father sent his twin after him instead of calling through their mental path.
“Do not worry, you’re still the golden child. I was near when he requested your presence. I believe it has something to do with the visitor and his extraordinary abilities. He’s an unknown, and Father didn’t want to risk being overheard if he were to broadcast a summons. Now that I’ve done my lowly duty of fetching the future King, I’m off to do my debauchery.” Nadim spun on his boot heels and stomped away.
Nikai thought of reaching out to Belle to see if she was alright, knowing how she disliked his brother. It didn’t help the way his brother was often crass with her. He stopped before going through with the knee-jerk reaction. If she were with her mother, his query wouldn’t be welcome. If his father sent Nadim to fetch him because of the dangerous stranger, reaching out to Belle could endanger her. Her safety was his primary concern. Besides he had an endgame but couldn’t keep pushing and pulling her the way he was without hurting her more. He had to stay the course, no matter how much he despised the rules.
He flashed outside his father’s office, listening for the two men’s voices. Silence on the other side greeted him, making his dragon rumble. He pressed on the lever without knocking, allowing his senses to open further. His father’s space where he worked was an immense room filled with books and ledgers. This was where he’d be taking over one day.
Nikai inhaled, finding no sign of either male. From the lack of smells, they hadn’t been there recently. His dragon raked at his insides.
“Fuck it,” he growled and sent a message to his father through their private path. ‘Father, you wished to see me?’
Ten seconds passed and then another before King Nadir responded, “I did no such, Nikai. What is wrong?”
Nikai listened for distress in his father’s tone but heard only mild irritation. “Nadim came to my rooms and said you wished to see me in your office. I’m here, yet you are not.”
Silence again greeted him, making his nerves stretch to the point he wished to shift into his dragon and fly to wherever the hell his father was and shake the King.
“I just asked your brother what the meaning of his summons was. He assures me he didn’t speak with you.”
Disbelief warred with worry. Why would his twin lie to him and then to their father? Nadim’s level on the power chain was lower than the both of them, making it laughable if he thought he could get away with deceiving them. Yet, he’d not only lied to Nikai, but their father. The offense to their King was death for anyone other than his son.
“You know I do not lie, father.” Utter disbelief filled him. His brother didn’t do things without a reason.
“This I know, Nikai. The question is why did your brother. I ordered him to be in my office in two minutes. Are you still there?”
Nikai gave a curt yes through their link. He paced back and forth in front of his father’s desk, hating having to wait for anyone, even his father. The one hundred and twenty seconds were the longest he had ever waited, especially when he’d prefer to be with—Belle. Thoughts of her had his gut tightening. He needed to claim her. Screw the fact he’d told her they were over. He’d only done so to secure the throne first. He’d claim her, then let the chips fall how they fell.
King Nadir’s powerful form appeared first, followed by the stranger. Nikai lifted one brow but kept his questions to himself.
“Nikai. I’d like you to formerly meet, Lord Mkikoa. He’s from The In Between Lands. He says there’s been an unrest that’s threatening the veil between there and here. He’s requesting my help to secure it.” His father motioned toward the two chairs in front of his desk.
“Lord, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” The Lord was the first being he’d met from the other realm. His kind and theirs avoided one another if they could. The fact the other man waltzed into their great hall was worrisome.
“Oh, I see you’re wondering why I could enter your domain without being killed on sight? Your father and I have been allies for many centuries, young dragon.” Lord Mkikoa took a seat as if unafraid.
“Mkikoa, I suggest you not tug my son’s tail, for his bite is worse than mine.” King Nadir sat behind the desk and folded his hands in front of him. King Nadir’s dragon came out to play as flames danced on top of his hands.
Nikai didn’t see his father flexing his powers much, but when he did, he did spectacularly.
“Put your flames away, Nadir. I am like your father is here when it comes to The In Between and The Mist. However, I’m not considered a King, more an—overlord, to both The Mist and The In Between. Since I watch over them, I tend to keep a closer eye on The Veil that separates The Mist from your realm. The Mist is a volatile place, which nobody wants to inhabit, trust me on that.” So, it’s true then? He’s more powerful than you?” Mkikoa asked.
Before his father answered, Nadim walked in, a smirk of satisfaction on his face.
“Oops, am I interrupting your circle...meeting?” Nadim laughed at his own joke. His brother, on more than one occasion, called their counsel a bunch of circle jerks and said they got together to see who had the biggest dick, and would tug one another’s cocks for fun. The council members were very stoic males, most Nikai had never seen joke. When they were in a meeting, they were all business. If they heard Nadim’s remarks, there wasn’t any doubt they’d demand retribution. It would be up to their father to handle Nadim then, the little asshole.
“Sit down, Nadim. Now,” King Nadir ordered, his voice booming loud enough the windows shook.
Nadim looked at him with hatred as he sat in the empty chair. “What is it you wished to speak to me about, Father?”
“Why did you lie to your brother and then lie to me?” King Nadir’s power flared, making Nadim flinch.
The King didn’t waste his words on pleasantries or fuck around. Nikai planned to be as direct as his father when he took the throne.
Nadim recovered, shrugging off the lash of power, and laughed. He tossed back with a chortle that grated on Nikai’s nerves.
“Is that what’s got you heated? Father dear, I was just tugging at his tail and thought he needed to go on an adventure. And look, where better should he go than the place he’ll be spending days on end? Tell me, what’re you going to change in here first, Nikai? I’d start with the drapery, myself. They are quite garish, don’t you think, Viejodrak?” Nadim walked over to the window, flicking the fabric in question back and forth.
“Enough, Nadim. Mkikoa. Please accept my apologies for having to cut our visit short. I assure you I’ll have this side reinforced by suns set this evening.” King Nadir
stood up and walked around the desk, giving the other male a formal dragon handshake, which was only given to the highly respected, gripping the other male’s forearm with one hand, slapping his shoulder once with his other hand, and then nodding.
“No worries, Nadir. I too have a child who likes to bicker with his siblings.” Mkikoa nodded toward Nadim, then turned to Nikai. “I look forward to working with you, Nikai. Your father has great things to say about you. I sense greatness within you, and don’t doubt you’ll do amazing things when you become King. Peace go with you.”
Nikai accepted the smaller male hand, surprised at the strength he felt flowing through the other being. Yes, he looked smaller in stature. However, as they shook hands, Nikai realized the image he was presented with wasn’t the true form of Lord Mkikoa. “With you as well, Lord Mkikoa. Any friend of my father’s is a friend of mine.” Meaning, if he wasn’t a friend of Nadir’s, then he wouldn’t be Nikai’s either.
“Very wise indeed. I shall leave you to see to your family business. Hopefully, the next time I visit, it’ll be for the coronation of your son taking the throne. You and I have been on our thrones too long, Nadir. It’s time to let the young take over, yes?”
His father laughed, but he didn’t speak again. Tension was high, and it had nothing to do with him taking his father’s place. Lord Mkikoa bowed and then disappeared, leaving behind a sweet peppermint scent.
“Good Goddess. Will you two quit acting as though I stole your favorite toy? I sent Mr. Perfect on a wild dragon chase. Nothing harmful in that.” Nadim sat in the chair Mkikoa had vacated, crossing his legs and resting his arms on the chair as if he hadn’t a care in the world.
