Chapter Twenty-Eight
Oakley
It took thirty minutes for Keryth and the girls to arrive home, and another fifteen after that for the pizza to get there. In all of that time, Roman didn’t move a muscle.
I honestly thought he’d fallen asleep, but anytime someone asked him a question, he answered them right away without moving, speaking right into my neck.
Even though I was happy to have him glued to my side like an octopus, I was worried about him.
I was pretty sure some of this random neediness came from the fact that my dad, his best friend and the man he’d been standing beside for thousands of years, had knocked him out with magic glitter and thrown him into a dungeon cell.
Sure, the cell was in good condition, but that didn’t stop the hurt feelings I knew he had to be feeling.
My dad and Roman had been the only two members of their den for over two decades after my mom betrayed them, kidnapped me, and had many of their den killed. And before that, they’d been den mates their entire lives.
Dad was Roman’s only family, and he’d been a total asshole today.
They should’ve been celebrating together—finding your viramore was an amazing, wonderful thing—not fighting and being dickheads.
I was going to have to go talk to my dad.
As much as I just wanted to hide out here and pretend the problem didn’t exist, I needed to go talk to him and get him to relax and realize that Rome wasn’t going to steal me away.
Nothing would change for him, not really.
Roman and I would eventually live together, I was sure, and we’d be in a relationship, but for my dad, nothing would change.
We’d both still do our jobs, we’d still live in the tower—technically, I’d be even closer to his condo since Rome was right about his being bigger—we’d still both go to family dinners, only we’d be together.
Once he realized that, he’d calm down.
Hopefully.
Jed offered me a plate with three slices of pizza on it, grinning at me as he did so. “If your barnacle wants something, I’ll make him a plate too. And if you need more, just let me know.”
Roman sighed and finally moved, sitting up but staying pressed to my side. He looked up at Jed with a frown on his handsome face. “Sorry about earlier.”
Jed waved him away. “No worries. I know what viramores are like, especially when they’re new. What kind of pizza do you want?” And just like that, all was forgiven.
Jed was such a good guy and always so laid-back and fun. And funny. It was why we’d become friends.
“Meat lovers,” Roman said with a grin. “Thanks, Jed.”
Jed gave him a nod and headed back out of the family room.
Roman looked at me, kind of sheepishly. “I’m sorry.”
“You already apologized, and it’s really not a big deal. Today was a lot, and my dad was an asshole to you. Plus, like I said, I like hugs.” I gave him a wink.
His tension softened a bit as he smiled at me and gave me a nod.
Jed was back already with Rome’s plate—pretty sure he used a little vampire speed—and handed it over before zooming across the room to Zellya and throwing the little fae over his shoulder, earning squeals of delight.
“You’re coming with me, little one.”
“Nooooo… whhyyyy meeee?” she yelled, but she was laughing, clearly enjoying herself.
Jed started tickling her as he walked into the kitchen, saying, “Because you need to eat, goof.”
After we finished eating, Keryth asked me, “Do you want me to show you which rooms you guys can use?”
I nodded. “Sure.”
Rooms, as in plural? I was kind of hoping we could stay in the same room, even though all I wanted to do was sleep next to Roman.
Well, I wanted to do other things, many other things, but my head felt like it was too full of… too many emotions and so much crap, and I didn’t want to mess anything up.
I’d never even had a serious relationship before.
Well, that wasn’t exactly true, but… but that relationship hadn’t really been my idea.
I blinked as her face flashed across my mind, and I sucked in a breath as a memory hit me out of the blue.
“Listen, Oakley, you need to set your feelings aside and deal with it because this is what the grand master wants for you,” my mother said, glaring at me with something like hate in her gaze.
I hated that look, I hated the way it made me feel small, like I was only a foot tall and ready to be stomped on, like maybe I should just go hide in a corner and hope I disappeared into the shadows, never to be found again.
“But, Mom, I don’t even like girls.” I mean, I did. But not in the way she wanted me to, not in the way that was expected of me. I honestly wasn’t sure I liked anyone at all. I liked looking at all types of people, but the thought of touching someone I didn’t know gave me the heebie jeebies.
“Too bad. Fake it till you make it, Oakley.” She gave me a push toward the door. “Go on.”
I walked out of our yurt, unsurprised to find Filverel Gremyar, the leader of the Emissaries of Gepisha’s Iron, standing there with Coral Heliot and her parents. I tried not to breathe too deeply with the grand master standing right there—he always smelled like blood and death.
All eyes turned to me, and Master Gremyar smiled at me, although the look was more like a you-do-as-I-say look rather than a I’m-happy-to-see-you one.
I knew that look all too well, and it was another one that made me want to shrink back into the shadows.
“Master,” I said with a small bow of my head.
“Oakley, it’s wonderful to see you, my boy.”
I clenched my jaw, doing my best not to make a face at the purposeful misgendering.
I’d told everyone I was nonbinary over a year ago, and still, no one ever respected my pronouns, not even my own mother.
Every time someone referred to me as a boy or used he or him, it felt like a little bit of my soul died.
The older I got, I swore it felt like the magic of my dragon was fading away when it should’ve been doing the opposite.
Perhaps part of that was because of the things they made me do when in dragon form. Or more like, the things they did to me.
But I just knew some of it was the fact that no one in my life ever saw me. No one ever wanted to. No one cared at all about how I felt. Ever.
Had they ever cared? Would they ever?
Was I meant to go through this life without ever feeling seen?
I wrapped my arms around myself in a strange self-hug fashion, trying to let go of all the bad feelings before I was punished for having them at all.
Master Gremyar said, “Now, you and Coral will spend the day together, and in a few months, we’ll make your union official.”
I blinked at that in surprise, considering I was only sixteen. Usually, couples had a few years to get to know one another, and the grand master married them when they were eighteen.
Why would he change now? Why me? Why did he want me coupled off so young? Why couldn’t we wait like everyone else?
Did he really see through me so easily? Did he know how much I hated it here? Did he know I wished to be anywhere but here with anyone but these people? These people who were supposed to be my family?
Did Master Gremyar even know what a family was supposed to look like?
Did I?
“Yes, Master,” Coral said without looking up from the ground.
We knew each other, obviously, having grown up together in the same community, but we were never friends.
I didn’t have many friends.
Scratch that. I didn’t have any friends.
Most of my community was filled with blood witches—including Coral—so being the lone dragon my age always put me on the outside of the other kids. As bad as I felt for myself, though, I felt even worse for Coral. She was going to be ostracized by her friends for being with a dragon.
At least I was used to it.
She’d always had lots of friends, and I had no doubt they’d all turn their backs on her when they found out Master Gremyar’s plans for the two of us.
My mom walked over to the grand master and Coral’s parents, and all of them smiled at us as if picking a mate for teenagers was the best thing ever. As if this was something to celebrate.
It was gross.
I knew this practice was frowned upon in other communities because I read books that were banned from the Emissaries of Gepisha’s Iron, and I’d watched shows and movies that showed how a family was supposed to work, how people were supposed to fall in love.
This wasn’t it.
But what was I supposed to do? If I told Master Gremyar I didn’t want to mate with Coral, he’d punish me. He’d probably force me to shift so he could collect my blood and scales, so he could saw into me for days on end, never giving my body a break.
Just because I healed quickly didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
The thought of going through that again, especially so soon after my last punishment—I’d been caught sneaking off the community property—was too terrifying to even consider.
And what if… what if he punished Coral as well?
He would do it, I had no doubt. He’d do it because he’d know the guilt would hurt me more than any pain he could inflict on my body.
Master hated me, and I couldn’t let poor Coral pay for my misdeeds. I’d never do that to her. Maybe we weren’t friends, but I couldn’t watch another person be hurt because of my actions.
So I gave my mom a small nod, said, “Thank you, Master Gremyar,” then turned to Coral and waved her toward the food tent.
When we were far enough away they couldn’t hear, I whispered, “I’m sorry you got stuck with me. I know… I know I’m everyone’s last choice. I tried to get out of it, but…” But there was nothing I could do. I had no control here, no one did. No one but the grand master.
Coral stopped walking and finally glanced up to meet my eyes. “I’m sorry you got stuck with me too. And you’re not my last choice, but…”
“I’m also not your first choice either.”
She nodded, wincing a little.