Chapter Twelve #3
The music went from fast-paced to slow, a sultry beat.
Elouan nearly suggested they sit the number out while he caught his breath and regained his composure, but Jules stepped into place like they’d practiced for years, placing his hands on Elouan’s forearms. Without thinking, Elouan copied the movements on Jules’s upper arms. They whirled on the floor until Elouan caught other couples staring from their more traditional human poses.
Elouan stopped.
“Is something wrong?” Jules asked.
Was there? Elouan shook his head, taking Jules into his arms, mimicking the other dancers.
Somehow, Jules had begun a traditional Adrakus waltz.
The outside air felt cool against Elouan’s face.
Doubts clouded his mind ever since that waltz.
That was definitely a dance Elouan had learned young to prepare for formal gatherings.
No mistaking the distinct movements. “What was that dance you were doing when the music slowed?” Through the dimness in front of the club, he watched color creep up Jules's neck.
“It’s something Moira taught me when I was younger. Said I’d need to know how one day. That’s the dance I told you I do in my room sometimes, but it’s totally different without a partner. I didn’t do anything wrong, did I?”
“No! Nothing wrong. It’s just that I haven’t seen anyone dance like that in a long time.
” Not since leaving Adrakus. Once more, Elouan sniffed, half expecting to smell dragon.
Nothing. He should be able to smell if Moira was a dragon, shouldn’t he?
Or maybe not. He’d never tried secondhand sniffing.
“I’m sorry. I won’t do that again.”
“Nonsense.” Elouan pulled Jules to him, placing their hands on each other’s arms. To a beat hummed under his breath, he went through the steps of a dance that had taken him seasons to learn.
Jules followed every motion without hesitation. He knew an Adrakus formal waltz. Coincidence? Elouan didn’t believe in coincidences.
Jules said Moira taught him. Elouan needed to meet Moira, and soon.
Elouan parked near Jules’s house, then walked with him the rest of the way.
While he didn’t want to apply any pressure, he had questions.
He highly suspected Moira might be a dragon, which would explain her overprotectiveness.
If so, did Jules know? Had he figured out anything about Elouan, because a dragon probably would’ve smelled another dragon on Jules when Elouan brought him home?
“I’d like to meet Moira and Ray one day. ”
Jules stiffened, then relaxed. “I’d like that too. It’s not a good time for Moira, but soon.” He gave Elouan a soft kiss before drifting away like mist.
Elouan stood on the sidewalk for a while after Jules disappeared inside the house, breathing in the crisp fall air. After midnight, most of the houses had turned off their decorations for the night, though a couple of inflatable ghosts bobbed in the light breeze.
He’d almost bitten Julien. Still wanted to, truth be told. The primitive part of him where his dragon lived wanted that too. Then came the dance Jules said Moira had taught him.
I live with my aunt and uncle, and they’re particular about who I bring home.
Another conversation invaded his mind, this one with Teron. The boy would be about twenty now, I think. An omega. No one has seen him for over sixteen summers.
What had Sakaris said? You won’t be alone, Prince Elouan. Keep your eyes open. There’s no telling what—or who—you might find.
That blond hair. Those blue eyes. An older version of Jules came to mind, along with more of Teron’s words. Rumor says Donovan hid him on Terra to keep him safe.
Elouan didn’t recall Jules ever mentioning his brother’s name. Jules Carter. Nothing said you couldn’t change a name. Elouan didn’t use his family name here.
Wait! Hadn’t Jules called his brother Don? Short for Donovan? But not Carter. Donovan Craigh, perhaps?
Moira and Ray weren’t Jules’s blood kin and were protective of him. In fact, he still lived with them. What if they were more than simply caregivers? Donovan wouldn’t have sent a near-hatchling to Terra alone. He’d have sent guardians.
But Elouan would’ve sensed dragons, wouldn’t he?
Something Curtis said regarding Jules invaded Elouan’s thoughts. Everyone gives off vibes, human, dragon, or a mix like me. Him? A total void. How can you trust someone you can’t feel?
Elouan’s breath caught. Could Jules possibly be a dragon, somehow hidden from Elouan’s senses? He recalled the night he’d gotten a brief flash of Jules as a dragon, gone so quickly he brushed the image off as imagination.
So many things fell into place: how Elouan’s dragon reacted, the need to bite. It all made sense if Jules was indeed an omega dragon.
An omega for an alpha. If Elouan wasn’t losing his mind and Jules was a dragon, did he know? Could someone have hidden him so well, even from himself? Wouldn’t Jules know Elouan was a dragon? Was he playing innocent to win a king?
No, he’d never do such a thing, Elouan was certain. Still, maybe best to wait until Jules was ready to talk.
But, Goddess, he hoped Jules talked soon.