A sudden hush fell over the crowd as an angular man with long silver hair surrounding a pale, hostile face marched into the hall. His icy blue eyes glowed. His face was hard as stone. Six men followed close behind him, all with the same silver hair and cold stares. He was shirtless, and his broad muscles gleamed like inky metal. Each tattoo inked on his flesh seemed to move across his body like blue fire, and scales rippled then disappeared, making Kat wonder if she’d imagined it. A rope was tied around his waist, and he walked as quickly as any lethal animal on a hunt.
Kat turned toward Maeve, one of the mates she’d been introduced to, with a raised eyebrow. “Who is he?”
Maeve rolled her eyes. “Trouble. Draco is the leader of the dragon clan and the most arrogant beast of a man you’ll ever meet.”
“What’s he doing here?” Rae asked softly.
Maeve shrugged. “I have no idea, but it can’t be good.”
“He was horrible at Seren’s funeral--so disrespectful,” one of the other mates said, tsking and shaking her head.
“Draco came to pay his respects at Seren’s funeral,” Maeve said as she nodded. “But in addition to paying his respects to her, Draco got into a huge fistfight with Ferrix. He knocked over the table with all the flower arrangements and accused him of killing Seren.”
Rae gasped. “That’s horrible!”
“Yeah,” Maeve said. “Nin pulled Draco off his brother. And Lennox told Draco that if he ever set foot on Erion again, he’d be the one to knock him out. Ferrix and Nin hauled him out and threw him into the street.”
Kat winced. “Ferrix told me about Draco, but I didn’t know how disrespectful he was at Seren’s funeral.”
“He sounds awful,” Rae said.
Maeve sighed. “Draco is a royal pain in the ass. He thinks he’s better than everyone and expects to be honored even though he’s one of the biggest slavers. He wants to control us all.”
“Leave it to Draco to ruin a party,” one of the other mates said.
Rae laughed. “Oh, so we have drama in the halls of Erion too?”
Maeve shook her head. “This is serious. I’m sure he won’t be happy when Draco finds out there is a new princess. Draco will want Ferrix to pick a mate from Avenia.”
Kat frowned. “Why didn’t Ferrix choose an Avenian woman to keep the peace?”
“Nin’s research pointed him to Earth. After he lost his wife and child, his father sent him to find a mate. I can understand why he would travel the stars to find someone who wouldn’t die in childbirth,” Maeve explained.
Kat gasped. Ferrix didn’t want to lose another mate and instead found himself fated with someone with Huntington’s disease. Guilt ripped through her. She glanced at Ferrix as he stared down Draco and his small entourage. His shoulders were still tense, and he had a tight grip on his ale as if he was ready to pounce on anyone who confronted him. Draco looked back at Ferrix, a slow smirk spreading across his face.
Nin stood, and his chair scraped across the floor. “Sir, this is a private gathering. Please leave.”
Draco tilted his head. “I didn’t realize you were the welcoming committee. I’m here to see the human female you chose to replace my niece.”
Ferrix met her gaze across the hall, and her stomach clenched. Then he returned his attention to Draco, looking solid and fearless as he stared at the dragon king. Her heart pounded, and her palms felt damp. They were here for her.
“I understand if you are upset that your niece died, but I didn’t do anything to hurt her, and there was nothing anyone could do for her,” Ferrix said.
“You agreed to marry Avenian royalty and form an alliance with the dragons,” one of the clansmen standing behind Draco said. “You’ve broken the accord.”
She would have to run if a fight broke out. Her feet would be sliced open by the shattered glass from the toast. She was sure of that. Kat wished she had worn shoes.
Draco sneered at him. “My niece died, and you insult me by bringing this human to your planet.”
A muscle contracted in Nin’s jaw, his eyes were sharp with fury. “I understand why you’re angry, and I would be too, but this is not the way to grieve, Seren.”
Draco’s nostrils flared, but he ignored Nin and focused all his attention on Ferrix. “You’ve made a big mistake. You can’t mate with a human woman and expect to rule after your father is gone.”
Nin shook his head slowly. “Rae has the mark of a royal mate, and she’s fated to be queen. Kat bears the mark as well. Olethian law is clear on this matter: it honors the fates above the laws of man.”
Draco’s eyes widened, and the dragon stilled. His face twisted in anger, and he lunged toward the head table, but one of his clan members held him back. “You bastard! We had a deal, and I trusted you with my niece.”
“It appears fate has chosen a different path for each of us, and our paths don’t cross in this lifetime, Draco. I’m sorry for your loss, but you have no right to demand anything from me,” Ferrix said.
A muscle twitched in Draco’s cheek. “This isn’t over! You can’t change your mind because you believe a legend!”
“We have not had a fated pair bond in Erion in a hundred years,” Maeve revealed.
A low murmur rolled through the crowd, and Kat tried to ignore the people staring at her and Rae. Olethian rule was that a fated pair could bond despite their agreement with the dragon clan. Kat understood it could mean war, but she lifted her chin and stood tall.
Ferrix sighed. “You can’t turn back time. Kat is destined to be my mate, and no one can change it.”
Draco narrowed his eyes. “If you think I will allow you and your brother to bond with these humans and break your oath, you’re dreaming.”
Ferrix kept his gaze locked on Draco. “You can try to stop us, but we protect those we love. You won’t win, Draco.”
Draco spoke in a low voice to his clansmen and glared in her direction. His men drew their swords and moved toward her and Rae. She grabbed Rae’s arm and clenched her other fist at her side, prepared to fight if necessary. Ferrix leaped over the head table and lunged at the nearest clansmen advancing on Kat.
“You’re upsetting my mate. If you want to fight, I’ll take on all of you, but I won’t step aside and let you go after Kat,” Ferrix growled.
Lennox, Nin, and over a dozen of the largest men that Kat had ever seen fell in line behind Ferrix. Their faces were stern and set into scowls. Blue energy blades were like an extension of their fingers. The men looked ready to kill. Their shoulders were straight and set back, and their eyes were like staring into a black hole. Ready to fight with Draco and his clansmen. The dragon king and his men were outnumbered and didn’t have a home-court advantage.
Draco stilled. He raised his hands, and a trail of blue mist swirled around his feet. “You will regret your decision, but I’ll go before the party starts.”
The dragon king forced a wry smile and backed away from the men. His gaze fell on Kat, who trembled as he walked past her. Draco’s icy blue eyes flashed with hatred as he glared at her, his lips stretched taut over sharp teeth.
He let out a cold, hollow laugh that echoed through the hall. “Remember who you are and what you promised.”
Draco stood at the large doors and archway, his expression grim, before turning on his heel. His clansmen followed him through the large arched doorways, seemingly swallowing them up as they disappeared into the gloom beyond. The dragon’s shoulders were heavy and slumped as though he were carrying an unbearable weight. He’d been defeated, but the air was tense like an ominous shroud hung over them.
Maeve gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. “Let us celebrate, my friend. Draco was lashing out in his grief, and I’m sure his temper will calm down in a few days.”
“I’m so relieved that it’s over,” one of the other Olethian women chimed in.
“Princess Kat? Princess Rae? You must come with me,” the woman who had brought them over to meet the mates said. She gestured for them to follow her through the large arched doors.
Kat had almost forgotten that she was even there, so caught up was she talking to Maeve and the other mates. Her senses were abuzz with adrenaline and heady excitement.
“Where are we going?” Kat asked.
Her face remained neutral. “The women’s quarters to freshen up before dinner is served.”
Kat was glad to have the opportunity to step away from the festivities. She couldn’t ignore Draco’s icy gaze filled with so much rage and torment. His stare had been so intense it shook her to the core. Kat still didn’t understand why a human like her was chosen as a mate. Even if it was fated, it seemed like Ferrix was breaking an agreement that brought peace to be with her. She needed time to think and glanced at Rae. “Are you coming?”
Rae shook her head. “No. I want to stay with Maeve and the other mates. Go ahead without me.”
The woman regarded Rae with an arched brow. “You need refreshment before we dine.”
Rae laughed. “If I must, but I’m sure I’m fine!”
Maeve opened her mouth to speak, but one of the other mates drew her into a conversation. The woman motioned again for them to follow her. Kat and Rae left the hall and followed the woman through the dark corridor. A foreboding sensation pricked the back of her neck. There was movement in the shadows up ahead, but Kat couldn’t see because giant statues were on either side of the hall.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” Kat whispered.
Rae shrugged. "I'm sure that it's okay. Who knows if we’ll ever get invited to something this formal again?”
“Quiet down,” the woman said.
The woman stopped right before the statues and felt along the wall. A secret door creaked open, and the woman gestured for them to go inside. Kat tried to see into the room, but it was pitch black. A dim light flicked on, illuminating a long corridor with a high arched ceiling. The woman touched Rae’s arm, which glowed blue for a moment.
“I thought you said we were going to the women’s quarters?” Kat asked.
The woman shrugged. “This way is quicker. It’s a shortcut.”
Kat took a few steps forward, but the uneasiness in her stomach spread. She glanced at Rae, but her friend’s eyes were wide and glazed over. The woman grabbed their hands and pulled them into the passageway. Kat's arm glowed the way that Rae's had moments ago. Kat dug in her heels and tried to yank herself free, but her body went cold, and her fingers were numb. She struggled harder but was unable to move. The woman hadn’t touched her in the same place by accident. There was a blue band around her wrist, zapping her.
“What’s going on?” Kat asked.
“I’m taking you both to Draco,” the woman said.
Kat pulled against the energy band that held her, but she was trapped. Her eyes widened, and her heart pounded against her ribcage. One of the clansmen Kat saw earlier walked towards them through the passageway and clapped an energy band around Rae’s wrists, but the light flickered and dissolved every few seconds.
“You look lovely,” he said.
It would be easy to snap the band, and one flick of his wrist, one forceful yank, and Rae would be free. Kat turned toward him, then looked over at Rae, who swayed on her feet. If Kat kicked the brute and broke Rae’s bond, she wasn’t confident she wouldn’t fall against the stone wall and crack her skull.
The clansmen laughed. “You two are the guests of honor.” He turned toward the woman. “We must pick up the pace before they realize they’re missing.”
Kat pulled her wrists back, straining to escape the energy band. The bands glowed blue around her wrists, and her fingers clenched as she tried to get out, but they wouldn’t budge. She tightened her hands into fists and pulled hard against the bands again. Kat grunted and dug her heels into the stone floor.
The clansmen laughed. “I don’t think she wants to go with us.”
“Well, I’m sure she’ll get used to it once she’s mated to Draco,” the woman said.
Kat dragged her feet, and the clansman yanked her forward. “I will never mate with him, and I would rather die than be with Draco.”
The man grunted but didn’t answer her. The dragon clansmen felt like carved marble through the thin cloth of her dress. Kat stopped struggling because it only made him squeeze her arms harder, and her wrists hurt. She squinted into the darkness, unsure of where they were going. They were led through the corridor, taking her further away from Ferrix, and she wondered if she’d ever see him again.