Page 80 of Dragon Me Through Space

Preston and Zeke walked at the front, Wayne walked at my side, and Gage brought up the rear. They moved like they thought there was going to be an attack, which had me on edge despite the euphoric bliss of my post-orgasmic state.

Finally, the doors to the room opened and admitted us to a large rectangular table full of a variety of foods.

“Welcome!” Gage’s father boomed and stood from his seat.

“No need to greet us,” Preston said and raised his hand almost dismissively. “We appreciate your invitation to dine with you.”

A sudden realization hit me and I leaned closer to whisper to Wayne, “Wait, if Gage is a prince, doesn’t that mean his father is …”

Wayne nodded. “King Larson Thren of the Eastern Dragonkin.” He pulled out a chair for me and pushed it in as I sat before taking the seat next to me.

Preston sat on my other side and set his hand on my leg, his thumb rubbing a slow and relaxing pattern on my thigh. “What would you like to eat, mate?”

King Larson’s eyes widened a moment, but then he schooled his features and resumed eating what looked like fruit on his plate.

“Pick for me, please. Everything looks good.” I smiled and Preston nodded once before putting several brightly colored items on my plate as well as a few pieces of meat.

“Scout,” I whispered. Scout chirped, flew out from behind my ear, and scanned the food before slipping back into place. No detectable drugs or poisons.

“Are you excited to finally reach Drakorantia?” King Larson asked, seeming unsurprised by Scout’s appearance or the fact that I’d just scanned the provided food.

“Yes, very excited,” I said with a nod. “I’m really looking forward to seeing the jungles especially.”

His eyes widened. “The jungles?”

Glancing at Wayne who was smiling wide, I said, “Yes, I found that I quite enjoyed the foliage from your jungles that the princes had on their ship and can’t wait to see the natural habitat.” Sighing longingly, I said, “I had hoped to finish the bracelets by the time we made it to Drakorantia, but sadly they were destroyed with the ship and now I will have to start over.”

King Larson cut a piece of meat, avoiding eye contact as he said, “You seem to know a bit about our traditions already.”

“Well, it wouldn’t do for the future high queen to show up completely ignorant, would it?” I asked. “Especially not when I’ll be showing up just in time for the Games.”

His fork scraped hard against the plate before he looked up at Preston. “You know?”

Preston tilted his head as he finished chewing on the food in his mouth. “Know about the Games?”

King Larson nodded.

Preston smiled. “King Larson, we are the Princes of Drakorantia. Of course, we know the Games are coming up. It is a sacred tradition amongst our people. One that is eagerly anticipated every decade.”

King Larson’s eyes flicked to mine before returning to Preston. “And how does the princess feel about the upcoming Games?”

“You can ask her,” Preston said and turned towards me. “How do you feel about them, Princess Xoe?”

“I’m excited to participate,” I answered. “Truthfully, I would have loved if my first time was in attendance only, so I could get the full experience, like young Dragonkin do, but the universe has its own plan for things. So, I will accept my fate and do my best to bring honor to the princes.”

“You aren’t nervous about participating? About fighting against female Dragonkin?” he asked.

“Why should I be nervous?” I asked as I ate some of the meat from my plate.

“Did you not tell her about the danger?” King Larson asked.

Preston’s nostrils flared slightly and his grip on my leg tightened, the only outward signs of his annoyance. “She knows of the danger, but …” He laughed, relaxing his posture more. “She’s confident in her abilities and doesn’t believe she’ll have to worry too much and we agree with her.”

I winked at King Larson and kept eating.

“Have you decided who will be king when you hold your ceremony?” he asked.

Why wasn’t I surprised that he was trying to get information out of me like we had anticipated?