Chapter 16
Blunze kept Skye company as she wandered around inside Ardon’s lair. She enjoyed coming here with her mates. A change of scenery was great, of course, but exploring this closely guarded fortress was the best ever. Around every corner, nook, and cranny lay a prize she could discover. Skye suspected all dragons were very meticulous in setting up the security of their treasures. Ardon amazed her with the extensive safeguards he'd put into place.
Today, as she walked down one hallway she’d walked down a thousand times, Skye noticed a new door. Stopping, she studied it carefully. Surely, she hadn’t missed it.
“Curiosity killed the cat” popped into her mind. Skye hesitated before turning the doorknob. Walking inside, she couldn’t figure out where to look first. Along one side hung a rainbow of beautiful gowns of different lengths and degrees of frilliness. And over there against the far wall, tiaras and jewelry shimmered.
Skye didn’t consider herself to be a girly girl. She did, however, love beautiful things. Walking to the sky-blue gown, she brushed her fingers over the silky material. It took her exactly seventeen seconds for her to set Blunze down and whip her T-shirt and her leggings off.
Pulling the gown over her head, she felt it settle into place and struggled to zip up the back. No matter how she tried, Skye couldn’t get it closed. She abandoned the effort. Her reflection in the mirror revealed it didn’t matter. Swishing the full skirt back and forth, she admired the gorgeous style.
She tore herself away and focused on adding all the special accessories. Sparkling silver straps decorated exquisite heels. She sat on a stool and slid her foot into one. Perfect! What man actually knew his girlfriend’s sizes? Without worrying about that answer, Skye fastened the shoes on her feet.
Smiling as her heels clicked over the floor, she walked over to choose earrings. Her gaze landed on a tiara that had shimmery crystal stones as well as ones that matched her dress perfectly. Feeling silly, Skye placed it on her head. A glance in the mirror at her tousled hair under the jewels made her remove the headdress before smoothing her hair into place with the silver-backed brush. When she replaced the stunning tiara, Skye giggled with delight. She was a princess.
Taking Blunze with her to give her his tips, she sat on the stool at a makeup bench and smoothed on a light coating of makeup. Of course, she needed blue eyeshadow and pink lipstick. The supplies even included a small set of gem stickers. Skye added a small one to her cheek.
This is so much fun!
“You are beautiful, Skye. May I help you with your frock?” Ardon asked.
Oh! Daddy! I found this room and everything’s my size.
“It’s your new dress-up chamber. I’m glad you’re having fun. Would you like me to zip you up?” Ardon reminded her of his question.
“Please!” She whirled and had so much fun as the skirt flared around her legs. “Oh, check this out!” Skye repeated her twirl.
“Come here, my ballerina.” Ardon wrapped an arm around her to pin her in place against him. Quickly, he fastened the top of her dress.
She noticed he wore a dark suit and tie. Y ou’re all dressed up.
“We are. Oldrik and I thought you might like to have tea together. Perhaps a bit of dancing?”
Is he all spiffy too?
“He is waiting for us. Shall we join him?” Ardon asked, holding out his elbow.
We shall. Skye dashed over to pick up Blunze. He had to see this. Returning to her mate’s side, she placed her hand in the crook of his arm and giggled.
Ardon patted her hand and escorted her out the door. Oldrik waited in the main room. He was as handsome as Ardon. Skye loved the huge smile that spread his lips when he spotted her.
“You are lovely, Blueberry.”
Look, Daddy! She released Ardon’s arm to turn a tight circle. She loved this dress so hard.
“Gorgeous!” He clapped his appreciation of her display. “Are you ready for a cucumber sandwich?”
Are those good?
“Surprisingly, yes. There might also be a few sweet treats as well. Let’s have tea and then we’ll swirl that dress around a bit,” Oldrik told her.
Will you dance with me, Daddy O?
“It would be my pleasure, Blueberry,” Oldrik said with a slight bow before offering her his arm. He guided her to the elaborately decorated table with vertical trays of goodies and a large pot of steaming tea. Oldrik pulled out the pink chair and helped Skye sit down before taking the blue chair while Ardon claimed the bronze one.
Who did all this? Did your household manager set this up, Ardon?
“Oldrik and I worked on the table together. My kitchen created the snacks. My chef is concocting treats for us in an adjacent chamber here. He is pleased to cook for my mate.”
Without an idea of how to act, Skye decided to copy her mates. When they lifted their beautifully folded napkins to drape the material over their laps, she quickly followed their example. Leaning forward, she inhaled the delicious scent of the fragrant beverage. This was going to be so much fun.
Ardon poured tea for everyone. He warned Skye as he placed the cup near her, “This is hot, My Treasure. Let it cool slightly.”
“I will. Can I have one of those?” she asked, pointing to the sweets tray at a pink cake with multicolored sprinkles.
“It is traditional that the savory items are eaten first,” Oldrik informed her before relenting when faced with Skye’s disappointed look. “Perhaps today we should start with dessert first.”
Clapping with excitement, she watched him use fancy silver tongs to select the one with the most decorations on top. He placed it on her plate. Unable to resist, Skye dipped a finger in the frosting and tasted it.
“Yum!”
“Go ahead and try it, Skye.”
Eagerly, she forked up a bite and devoured it. This might be the best cake I’ve ever tried.
Quickly, she finished it and checked to see if she could have another. The tray held two more. Scanning the other delicacies, Skye noted there were three pieces of each type. Those others must belong to her dragons.
“You can have mine, Skye,” Ardon told her, putting another on her plate.
You can have anything of mine , she offered.
“There will be plenty to eat. How about if I let you try everything, and I’ll finish the ones you don’t like,” Ardon suggested.
That turned out to work perfectly. Skye took a bite of each delicacy her Daddies served her. There weren’t many selections that she didn’t like. When she wrinkled her nose and shook her head, one of the men would pop that food into his mouth, making it disappear.
“These are good,” Skye commented, waving her cucumber sandwich around.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, mate,” Oldrik warned before commenting, “They are so simple but yummy.”
A long time later, Skye pushed back her chair. She was absolutely stuffed. Why am I so full? That was just a bunch of small bites.
Ardon patted his flat stomach and nodded. “I think it’s the tea’s fault.”
Instantly, Skye needed to use the bathroom. Her face must have revealed her thought because Oldrik lifted the napkin from Skye’s lap and placed it on the table.
“Go, Blueberry. We’ll dance when you get back,” he told her.
Music filled the room when she returned. They’d pushed the table to the side, and Ardon stood in the middle of the floor. He held a hand out to invite her to join him.
I don’t really know how to dance.
“I do. We always move well together, mate. We’ll be fine.”
What about Oldrik?
“He’ll get his chance next. He’s a fast music kind of dragon.”
“Oh!” Skye looked at Oldrik and found him smiling.
“You’ll get to boogie with me, Blueberry,” Oldrik said.
Amused by the thought of the large shifter getting down, Skye stepped nearer to Ardon. His powerful arms closed around her. He gently pulled her to him.
“We’ll go slowly, mate. We’re just going to make a box. That’s easy, isn’t it? Step forward with your left foot.”
Trying to remember her left and right was easy when dancing with Ardon. He led her gracefully through a few basic steps. “Want to try a turn? Let’s see how that dress sways as we move.”
Clinging to him, Skye abandoned any inhibitions and concern that she would make a mistake. That wasn’t possible with Ardon. He was such a superb dancer. He swept her along in beautiful swooping steps that thrilled her and made her dress almost come alive.
When the song ended, he stepped back and bowed slightly. “Thank you, Skye.”
A few notes of a popular song from the seventies came on. “Disco!” She identified it with a laugh.
“My turn,” Oldrik told her, stepping up to take her hand. “Let’s dance like it’s 1999.”
Skye didn’t quite understand that statement, but Oldrik didn’t give her any time to worry. The music was addictive, drawing her in. Grabbing the sides of her dress, Skye swished them around as she tried to complement Oldrik’s moves.
After a couple of hours, Skye’s energy evaporated. She attempted to force herself to continue. When she started tripping over the steps and her mates’ feet, Ardon scooped her up into his arms and walked off the dance floor.
“I need a nap, mate. Will you rest with me?” Ardon asked.
With Oldrik too?
“I’m following you, Blueberry.”
In a few minutes, they carefully unwrapped her from the beautiful frock and hung it up in her new dress-up room.
I get to wear that again, don’t I?
“Of course, mate,” Ardon assured her. “Or you can choose another next time if you’d prefer.”
Thank goodness. I was going to steal it .
“Let’s avoid the red bottom that would result from that,” Oldrik suggested with an arched eyebrow. “Time to get you in bed to recover.”