Page 18 of Red King
“Settle down!” Marcel tries for a third time, raising his voice. “I know this is new and exciting, but I need you to be silent for a few minutes. This is important, please.”
Once again, the humans settle.
“I would like to introduce you to the king, His Royal Highness, King Arctic of Mistveil Island, and his brother, the Crown Prince Frost.” Marcel waves his hand toward us.
The room falls silent as all eyes turn back to us. I feel the weight of their gazes, their open curiosity apparent.
“Welcome,” I say simply. “You all have an important role to play. We hope that this pilot program is a success. It is imperative for the continuation of our species. You are here to ensure the comfort and well-being of each and every human on this island. I assure you that you are safe and very welcome among our people.” I turn to the males on my left. “This is Steel, my head of security. You will see guards posted outside this building day and night. They will accompany you everywhere. Thorn is heading up the pilot program. Should you have any concerns that can’t be addressed directly with your superior, you should contact him.”
“Yes.” Thorn steps forward. “I’m here to ensure the smooth running of this operation. Feel free to come and speak with me at any time. I’m here to help facilitate communication between the humans and our kind. Do you have any questions at this time?”
A male puts up his hand.
“Yes, Russel,” Thorn says, reading from his name tag. All of them have tags clipped onto their clothing.
“You say that guards will be posted outside and accompany us at all times; does that mean that we can’t move freely on the island?” The human is frowning.
“To answer your question, the Tributes arrive tomorrow. We’ll introduce you to our species up close. There will be a demonstration from the male candidates,” Thorn says.
“What kind of demonstration?” another human asks. She’s standing next to the redhead. Her name is Maggie.
“All the candidates will shift for the human females,” I say. “They will get to meet us in our dragon forms. The plan is to put on a show for them and to welcome them to our island. This will be followed by an elaborate dinner.”
“You will all be invited to the demonstration,” Thorn says.
“How exciting!” Maggie says, her eyes glinting.
“Forgive me, um, Your Lordship…Highness…King…um… Apologies, I’ve never had to address a king before,” the redhead says. There is a ruffle in her blouse; it’s covering her name tag, which annoys me. I like to know who I am talking to.
“It’s Sire or Your Majesty,” I tell her.
“Sire.” She smiles for a moment, standing a little taller, and her badge appears.
Paisley
Her name is a little different. I guess it suits her.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Shifting into your dragon forms, that is. Perhaps you should meet the Tributes first as men. I mean, you don’t want to scare them, do you? That wouldn’t be a good way to make a first impression.” She shakes her head.
Interesting. She looks timid but is anything but. Right now, she’s questioning the king, which some would say is a bad idea. Since the humans are not used to hierarchy, I will let it slide. Also, we can use all the help we can get. We all have very little experience with humans, particularly females of the species.
“Does the thought of seeing us in our dragon form scare you, human?”
“No.” She shakes her head, swallowing thickly. “Maybe a little, but I’m not a Tribute. I chose to come here knowing who I was working for…namely for you…for dragon shifters. I would be fine with it, but then again, I’m not here against my will or being made to meet with men…who are not even human.” Her voice lowers to almost a whisper as she says the last. “With the intention of getting them to date you and settle down here.”
“No, you’re not a Tribute, and we are not human. We are made up of two parts that make us whole. Our dragons are very much a part of who we are. It’s not something we will ever shy away from,” I tell her. “The sooner the Tributes face up to that, the better.”
“I get it. I do, but you need to understand that these women will be scared out of their minds and maybe even a little angry. You can’t blame them for it. They will blame you, by the way. Well, not you directly, but…um…you know what I mean. They’re being uprooted from their lives, their families. From their jobs, from everything they hold dear, everything they know. They didn’t ask to come here. They were forced. You need to treat them with kid gloves, at least initially. Let them know the candidates as men first and then introduce them to their dragon side. At least consider it, I urge you.”
“Remind me of your position here on the island?” I ask, my voice clipped.
She lifts her chin, maintaining eye contact. “I’m an ER nurse. I will be assisting Dr. du Pont.” She turns to the older male, who nods once. One of his bushy brows is raised.
“Thank you for your input, Paisley,” Thorn says. “We will take your thoughts into consideration. You make some valid points. With regard to moving around the island freely.” He looks at the male who asked the original question. “Once you’ve seen us shift and met a couple of dragons up close, you will be taken around the island so that you can familiarize yourself with its layout. There are large areas of jungle that are out of bounds, areas that are unsafe for humans, but otherwise, you will be permitted to move around freely. I hope that answers your question.”
“It does.” Russel nods.
“There was a question earlier regarding relations between humans and shifters outside of the pilot program,” Thorn says.
