9. Chapter 9
Chapter nine
Change of Rules
Oh how Ana wished Celestia would have licked Julian’s face and tried to coddle him, but of course, Julian’s screams had Celestia huddled into a ball.
Ana couldn’t even enjoy a minute with her dragon before she suggested they go back to the inn.
If her lack of feelings wasn’t enough evidence for not choosing him as a suitor, this solidified her decision.
Julian and Ana went straight to the inn where they accepted the innkeeper’s fresh batch of coffee and waited for the others to return since she did not have the key to her room.
Ana didn’t know what to say about a man who was so frightened of dragons. Then again, her lack of aversion to dragons had everything to do with Federico. She’d grown up with the dragon trainer’s son and rode on dragons every chance she got.
“So, the beast out there is yours?” Julian mixed a few cubes of sugar into his milky coffee.
Ana stretched a practiced smile over her lips and nodded.
A maid brought two small loaves of bread to their table at the window of the inn.
When were the others to return from the beach establishment?
It had already been a couple of hours since the sun had set, and the stilted conversation between Ana and Julian tried her patience.
Beneath the lamplight, Lucia appeared beside Juan, followed by the others. Ana pressed closer to the window, trying to hurry them along with her eyes—though she knew this to be a futile effort. When the rest of the group came closer, Ana gave a jovial wave and risked shouting to them.
Everyone squished around the diminutive table and ordered coffee and bread to enjoy before bedtime as they discussed the dances, dresses, and news they’d heard from the establishment.
“I must say that the games are truly inspiring this year.” Lucia buttered her bread for the third time. “They say that the winner will get the largest grand prize in the history of the races.”
Federico sipped coffee with a wry grin, hiding an emotion that appeared like amusement, but Ana couldn’t be certain. She craned her neck to get a better view of Federico’s smile that climbed just high enough to be believable.
He should still be bothered by her lack of response. She sipped her coffee. The simple fact that he could be so content after her complete fumbled opportunity niggled at her conscience. He should be just as upset as her.
Natalia was kitty-corner to Federico; the girl kept her proximity close as if sharing some secret with him.
Ana pushed her bowl away, queasy from the scene and the memory from earlier that day. She possessed an ability to hold her tongue with her family, but for some reason had an extraordinary time keeping it tamed in her present company.
“What do you think about allowing female riders into the games?” Lucia elbowed Ana’s side with a meaningful look.
“What was the question?” Ana cleared her throat and sipped a cup of coffee. The bitter herbs burned as they dropped into her already swirling stomach.
“Women are allowed to race. Can you imagine that?” Lucia’s shock and censure coated her question with the response she expected from Ana.
“That’s ludicrous.” Ana poured cream into her cup and a heavy spoonful of sugar.
“Exactly what I was saying.” Julian leaned in closer to Lucia and Ana. “Rumor has it in Lourdes City that this move was done because the games have fallen from popularity. But the winner will most definitely never have to worry about a yearly income for the rest of their life.”
Ana put the warm clay edge of the mug to her lips and drank a new, sweet dream.
Celestia could spin circles around the others on the isle of Montebella.
Of course, they had a sparse population of dragons.
Even so, Ana eyed Julian with a new conviction.
His eyes crinkled at the corners in a most unpleasant way, and the smug expression dancing along his face settled that she would never marry him to please her family.
By the next morning, a carriage was packed, and Ana was deciding on how she would hide. When the rest of her company chose to visit the beach one last time, Ana opted to stay with the carriage, but bolted the moment the others turned a corner.