Chapter 10 #2
After a minute, Ebron says into my mind, I have chosen Sylvara, Verdraxa, and Nythera as members of my harem.
“He says that he’s chosen Sylvara, Verdraxa, and Nythera.”
The king smiles. “My sons’ dragons. Perfect.”
But I will not officially claim them until I am certain that their riders can be the husbands Harper needs.
I try to make my voice come out confident. “But he says he will not officially claim their dragons until he’s certain that the princes can be the husbands I need.”
King Stormvale frowns and turns to his sons. “Can you be the husbands she needs?”
There’s a painfully long pause, one in which I’m certain they’re trying to map out every possible future that their responses might bring.
It makes the air rush in and out of my lungs noisily, as I wonder what they might say.
Beside me, I can tell that Arthur is drinking in every word of this conversation, probably to use to tease me with later.
“I can be,” Prince Alaric says. “I’m already the kind of man who would be good for her.”
“I’m better than she deserves,” Prince Lucien adds, his tone cocky, but his gaze guarded.
“I am,” Prince Gareth answers quietly.
It’s hard not to laugh, but I’m standing in front of the king. Laughing while his sons are basically agreeing to marry me seems like a very poor choice. Especially because, as friendly as the king seems, I know he’s a hardened warrior under all his soft smiles.
“Good,” King Stormvale says, then looks at Ebron. “Thank you for coming to speak with me and letting me see you in all your magnificent glory. Your words, and my sons’ answers, are exactly what I needed to hear. Now, I have much to do before the party tonight.”
“Your Highness, none of this means–” his advisor begins.
The king waves his words away. “Let’s be gone. Too much time has already passed.”
He strides back out of the training yard. His advisor looks angry as he trails behind him. I have no idea what any of this means, but I have more pressing matters to tend to.
“Ebron, I know you guys saw each other before, but I’d officially like you to meet the exceptionally wonderful human known as Arthur. Arthur, meet my exceptionally wonderful dragon, Ebron.”
My dragon regards him for a long moment. He certainly… looks like a human.
I laugh. He’s trying. I’ll give him that.
“Nice to meet you,” Arthur says, sticking out a hand, then seeming to realize what he’s doing, he drops it.
“Aren’t you a fine looking beast? Your scales could be obsidian, they’re so glossy and beautiful.
And look at those sharp teeth, I bet you could tear an animal into little itty bitty pieces like it was nothing at all. ”
I like this one.
Ebron begins flapping his wings again, sending air rushing all around us, and shoots off into the sky, not waiting for further talk. Human ways don’t interest him much.
“Wow,” Arthur whispers beside me. “I never thought I’d see anything like this, as long as I lived.”
“He’s pretty amazing,” I tell him, giving him a quick side hug.
Immediately, all three princes are tense, looking pissed. Arthur’s thoughts about their feelings claws at the back of my mind, but I push the thoughts aside. They don’t like me. The problem is how much they dislike me.
“I can’t believe you told your father you could be the husbands I need. What a pile of crock.”
Prince Lucien steps forward, his gaze jumping from Arthur to me. “You would be lucky to have the three princes of our realm as your husbands. This is the kind of thing girls dream about.”
I huff. “Until they meet you and realize that everything about you is tiny. Tiny egos. Tiny–”
“Harper!” Arthur says, sounding shocked.
“Nothing is tiny about me,” Prince Lucien argues, eyes flashing with rage.
And, unfortunately, I suddenly have a flash of his very large cock in my mind, and my cheeks burn. He seems to realize what I’m thinking about, and his darkens, drifting to my lips.
Fuck.
“We have… gotten off on the wrong foot,” Prince Alaric begins, “but if we’re going to marry, we’re going to have to start working some things out.”
Prince Gareth huffs, crossing his arms over his chest. “We’re not marrying.”
“You guys act like any of us are going to have a choice in this. If the king decides we’ll marry, then we’ll marry.
That was your chance to tell him that we’d never work in a relationship.
That was your chance to tell him that we actively hate each other, and you pack of cowards didn’t say a damn thing, just to prove that each of you was better than the other, as usual. ”
Arthur’s voice comes out a little too high. “Maybe we should watch how we speak to our princes–”
“Listen to your little boy toy,” Prince Lucien says, eyeing both of us. “He seems to have at least an ounce of sense.”
“You’re the ones who have no sense! You’re princes for gods’ sake. Speak up and tell your father that we’ll never work.”
Prince Gareth’s voice is loud and angry. “You think our father has ever listened to a fucking thing we want? Well, he hasn’t. How about that?”
I stiffen. Their dad wouldn’t listen to them? I just assumed if they spoke up, their dad might find another way. Maybe leave fate to it and see if all this dragon magic really did draw the three of us together.
“Listen–”
Arthur steps between me and them. “Isn’t there a ball to get ready for tonight? I have to find a suit, and you probably have to get ready, right?”
He’s right, but I always have time for a good argument.
Still, I recognize I’m not putting him in the best position. “Alright. Let’s find something for you. You can hang out in my room–”
“We can find him a room to stay in and a suit,” Prince Alaric offers quickly.
I hesitate, feeling like I’m entrusting a baby bird to a pack of cats. “I don’t know…”
Arthur smiles. “It’ll be fine. The princes can set me up properly, and I’ll see you come dance time.”
“You’ll take care of him?” I ask Prince Alaric, because he’s the only one of them I have an ounce of faith in.
“I’ll take care of him,” he promises.
The group of men walk away, and I stare after them, praying Arthur will be okay. I mean, the princes are assholes, but they’re not monsters, right?