Chapter Seven
After breakfast, Jucai gave me a tour of Kansu.
Bigger than Zaru, the city had a park, an amphitheater for performances, a racing track (for enormous crustaceans), schools for basic education and trades, a hospital, a compound for his soldiers, and a public library.
Jucai was polite but distant during the tour.
It annoyed me, but I couldn't complain. I knew he'd take it as a sign that I wanted more attention. And attention, by Jucai’s definition, would be fucking.
Like a beast hunting prey, the Sea King watched me even as he remained aloof.
One misstep and he would pounce. I didn't like feeling hunted.
Some men do. Not me. I preferred to be the hunter.
I teased. I flirted. I lured. Running was not in my nature.
I'd have to end things with Jucai or find another way to hunt.
Now, that was an interesting thought. Two predators hunting each other. A lot of men hated mind games, but that was only because they were bad at them. I excelled at mental manipulation. I just needed to figure out what I wanted. What was my goal?
Sex, of course. I wanted that from my first sight of Jucai.
I would have been perfectly fine with just sex.
If we were any other two people, I would have gone to his bedroom every night and left after we were both satisfied.
No complications. No getting to know each other.
I wouldn't have called him my lover, though.
Dragons on land saw sex as a foundation for a relationship.
Not just because of our mating magic, but also because it made sense.
We preferred to discover if we were sexually compatible before we moved on to the stuff that could lead to a lasting relationship.
If you're not sexually compatible, there's no point in continuing as anything more than friends.
I, however, was not interested in finding my mate, not yet, nor was I looking for a lasting relationship.
So, as I said, just sex would have been wonderful.
But we weren't two courtiers in a Dragon court.
He was a sea king, and I was a diplomat on a mission to his court to learn about him and his people in the hopes that our kingdoms might become allies or at least friendly enough to establish trade.
We needed to do more than fuck. When Jucai asked for a degree of commitment from me, albeit temporary, I assumed we would talk as well as fuck.
But I was wrong. He simply wanted me at his beck and call.
As much as I loved having sex with him, and would have happily spent the week doing only that, we both had jobs to do.
He said we were lovers, calling it a great honor.
Well, a lover requires conversation, and a diplomat needs it even more.
So, here we were—the Sea King throwing a royal fit, and me trying to figure out how to have my king and eat him too.
Perhaps this was my fault. I had set the course of our relationship by having sex with Jucai within minutes of meeting him.
But that’s normal for Dragons. After Jucai's eager response, I assumed it was the same for Sea Dragons.
Maybe I was wrong. Or maybe it was different for a Sea Dragon King.
Had he made assumptions too? Of course, he had. It was why we were having problems.
I'd been clear that our relationship was temporary.
At least the sexual aspects of it. We'd probably have dealings in the future, but they'd be purely diplomatic.
So, I was being honest with him. I couldn't fuck him, act as if I were falling in love, and then abruptly leave.
Not that I would do that to anyone, but I was especially trying to be honest with Jucai so there would be no hurt feelings in the future.
The problem wasn't that either of us was being deceitful.
I believed he was being as honest with me as I was with him.
The problem was that our honesty only confused each other.
Or worse, we offended each other without meaning to.
But I was a diplomat, and I knew how to handle a misunderstanding.
I also knew how to handle men. I just needed a plan.
The goal was to have fun hunting a king while letting him hunt me in return, all while fulfilling my diplomatic duties.
Sex didn't sway Jucai. Having two harems probably made him immune to sexual manipulation.
Honestly, I was the same way. Sex is just sex until you add emotions to it.
I wouldn't let it influence me either. But if I met someone who seduced my mind, exciting me with more than his body, that would have an influence on me.
I assumed it would be the same for Jucai.
I wanted to influence him into becoming an ally for my king, but I didn't want him to get attached. That could be catastrophic.
What would the Sea King be like in love?
Even more possessive and controlling, no doubt.
Jucai would see love as eternal ownership, nothing temporary about it.
Could he even be faithful? Truly faithful, not his type of faithful.
Not likely. He'd see his slaves as property, and conclude that fucking them wouldn't be cheating.
I couldn't imagine anyone or anything keeping this horny bastard committed, not even a mate.
Love would make King Jucai even more unbearable.
So, I had to foster his interest without fostering love.
This will be a lot of work. Easier to just end it and focus on my job.
Even as the thought entered my mind, Jucai turned to smile at me and direct my attention to a path that led down to the lake.
When we arrived at the park, I told him I hoped it had a lake.
A lake under the sea—I'd love to see that.
Jucai had smirked and led me here. And there it was, shining under the fake sunlight of the city towers.
And there Jucai was, looking amazing as he proudly shared it with me.
Seeing him there, I knew I couldn't walk away from him yet.
If I left Kansu without thoroughly enjoying the Sea King, I'd regret it for the rest of my immortal life.
I don't have regrets. Besides that, if I ended things between us, Jucai would be furious, and that would sour any relationship between our kingdoms.
Dear Gods, it's only been a day, and this has already gotten so complicated!
I was there as a diplomat, and I had to remember that. So I smiled back at Jucai and slid a hand across his shoulder as I moved past him onto the path. “How magnificent! This is the highlight of my trip.”
That's all it took for him to drop the polite act. When I reached the shore of the lake, Jucai came up behind me and slid his arms around my waist.
With his chin resting on my shoulder, he whispered in my ear, “Aren't I the highlight of your trip?”
I chuckled and folded my arms over his. I had to respond with some encouragement, but not too much. “Well, you're here. You're the one sharing this moment with me.”
Jucai went still. I waited.
At last, he said, “Does Zaru have parks like this?”
This was what I'd been hoping for—interest, not in me, but in my kingdom.
That was my mission after all. I glanced at him, acting as if his question were normal.
Which it would have been if he hadn't been such a self-centered ass.
“Not like this, no. There is a park, but we have a fountain instead of a lake.”
“A fountain?”
“It's a grand fountain with a marble dragon rising from its center, spewing water.” I turned in his arms to face him. If I piqued his curiosity about Zaru, he might accept my king’s invitation to visit. “A land dragon, of course.”
“Of course.” He grinned.
“Although I think calling our beasts land dragons is incorrect. They are land and sky dragons.”
His expression went wistful. “What is it like to fly?”
I considered it. “It's a little like swimming very fast, with fathoms below you. Just replace the water with air and the fathoms with land. Knowing that if you fell, you could die, lends a thrill to flight. It also makes you feel powerful.”
Jucai made a pensive sound. “Tell me more about your fountain.”
“It's set within a tiled courtyard that's circled by date trees. Street vendors come and sell treats there, and there are tea houses down the colonnades that branch off the main courtyard. The scent of sage and citrus perfumes the air. It's lovely.”
“Oranges?”
“Yes, we grow sweet oranges in Zaru.”
“I love oranges. They don't grow well down here.”
I stepped back but took his hand. “That sounds like something we can trade with.”
“Yes.” His eyes widened. “I hadn't thought of that.”
I leaned closer. “Perhaps we could trade oranges for hress nectar.”
Jucai burst out laughing. “I'll tell the royal farmer to plant more flowers.” Then he went serious. “Nadar, I need to tell you something so you might understand me better.”
I raised my eyebrows. Here it was, the perfect opportunity to clear up our misunderstanding. “I would very much like to understand you more.”
He nodded. “I haven't been awake for long. Since I woke up, I have focused on the things my body craved during hibernation. Among other Sea Dragons with similar appetites and slaves who readily volunteer their service, I may have lost sight of what’s important.” He rubbed a hand over his face.
“Maybe I shouldn't have agreed to your visit. My court is not what it was, and neither am I.”