Page 97 of Dragon Me Through Space

I hadn’t thought if it that way, but he was right. It wasn’t fair of me to only praise the upgrades Charles had installed. I had trained a lot on my own, done a lot of working out and improving my cardio and strength. Yes, things like my ocular enhancements could only be from Charles’s intervention, but my fitness and my ability didn’t all necessarily stem from the same place.

“Thank you,” I whispered and stopped walking so I could kiss his cheek when he met me.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

My heart felt like it was going to explode out of my chest as the ship docked at Drakorantia.

I was finally at Drakorantia, the planet of the Dragonkin. The home of the four males who called me mate. This would be the start of my hardest task … integrating myself into Dragonkin society and securing my place as their partner. Securing my place as the future High Queen.

“We’ll greet the families, get changed, and go meet my parents,” Preston explained.

“Good,” I said with a relieved sigh. “I didn’t want to meet many people dressed this way.” Wayne had sent a message to the royal seamstress with my measurements and requested outfits be ready for my arrival, though I had no idea what the material or coloring would look like. They claimed it varied by season and they had no way of knowing what was popular currently, but that the seamstress would ensure I wore the latest and most popular items. Preston confirmed that everything would be exactly as I needed it because the seamstress knew not to disappoint the heirs.

We both looked down at my borrowed, baggy clothing, and his lip twitched.

“Yes, this doesn’t exactly scream, ‘future queen,’ but you do make whatever you wear look good.”

My head snapped up as I stared at him in surprise. Preston rarely gave out compliments, especially such a sweet one.

“Thank you,” I whispered and felt my cheeks heat.

Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to my lips, slid an arm around my waist, and started rubbing a thumb over my hip bone. “You’re adorable. I know I haven’t praised you much, but I truly do mean it when I say that I’m lucky that my parents blessed me with such a union.”

“You keep talking like this and we won’t make it off the ship,” I teased with a rough swallow.

His grip tightened on my hip a moment before he released me and tilted his bent elbow towards me to take instead. “Be prepared for hugs,” he warned.

“My sisters are definitely going to hug you,” Wayne agreed behind us. “And my mom might, too … maybe.”

“Any attacks I should be worried about?” I asked.

“If anyone dares to try to attack you, stand perfectly still and allow us to handle it,” Zeke said as softly as he could so the other Dragonkin behind us couldn’t hear. “You showing that you trust us to handle your safety will be a huge positive.”

Nodding, I said, “Got it.”

“Scout, absolutely no coming out,” Wayne whispered near my ear where Scout was nestled in its resting place.

Scout gave a soft chirp of confirmation.

“Good girl,” Wayne whispered.

My entire body grew warm. “G-Girl?” I asked and turned around to look at him.

“Well, you built it and it just feels like a girl to me.” He shrugged. “If she doesn’t like …”

Scout made three high-pitched excited chirps.

With a smirk, Gage said, “Seems like she agrees.”

“Focus. It’s time,” Preston ordered us.

I turned back around, slid my hand inside his elbow, and schooled my features into cool confidence. No matter how nervous I felt on the inside, I had to project nothing but confidence and joy. They had gone over the various scenarios of today dozens of times with me as we traveled. I was ready … or as ready as one could be to meeting their in-laws.

“Ready?” King Larson asked as he joined us at the doorway that would open to a ramp which we could exit the ship from.

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a decade,” I replied and smiled warmly up at Preston. “Very ready.”

Preston pressed a kiss to my temple before straightening again.