Page 98 of Dragon Me Through Space

King Larson nodded towards a guard by the exit. “Lower the ramp and open the door,” he commanded.

When the door opened, light blinded me momentarily, but when I was able to see clearly, it was to find a dozen people waiting at the base of the ramp.

Thankfully, our training had worked and I recognized all of them. Scout also helped by putting names beneath their faces to assist me if I did forget.

Wayne’s sisters didn’t wait for us to move, racing up the ramp and throwing themselves into Wayne’s open arms. The three of them were gorgeous and wore beautiful dresses. Their hair was braided the exact same, with each wearing a few metal beads in the braids as well.

Before I could even open my mouth to greet them, Elira and Vexa, the twins and Wayne’s youngest sisters, hugged me from each side.

“We’re so excited to finally meet you in person, Xoe!” they both exclaimed simultaneously in identical voices.

Lyra, Wayne’s older sister, smiled apologetically as she pushed them aside and hugged me. “Please forgive their bombardment, but they’ve been anxiously awaiting our brother’s return and their excitement only grew when we learned they had found you.”

I returned her hug and smiled wide. “No apologies necessary. I’m just as excited to meet you all in person after so long.”

“Let us get off the ship,” Wayne said, though his voice was soft. He draped an arm around the twins and led them down. “Let Xoe step foot on Drakorantia soil before you hug her any further.”

Preston took my hand and we walked down the ramp listening to Wayne’s sisters filling him in on what had happened since they last spoke.

Wayne’s mother, Queen Maevra, rushed forward once Wayne stepped off the ramp and hugged him so tight he grunted.

“My baby boy is home!” she crowed, happy tears sliding down her face. She turned to me next and Preston wisely stepped to the side to allow her to hug me. “Princess Xoe, I’m so relieved they found you!” She pushed me back to arm’s length and smiled warmly. “You’re even more beautiful than I remember.”

Emotions surfaced unbidden and I barely contained them. Giving her a smile, I said, “Thank you, Maevra.”

Now that we were off the ship, the rest of those gathered came to greet the princes and me. Thankfully, there were no more hugs, but I did get a couple shoulder pats from King Darius, Wayne’s father, and King Torvek, Zeke’s father.

Most of the other princes and princesses seemed indifferent to me, but I was okay with that.

“This way, Your Highnesses,” an older female said with a bow and headed inside of the building before us. “Your wardrobes have been prepared in each of your rooms. We must hurry as we don’t want to keep the High King and Queen waiting too long.”

“Yes, that wouldn’t do at all,” Preston replied flatly.

To her credit, the woman didn’t even acknowledge his comment.

“If you would like to head to your chambers, I can show Princess Xoe to hers,” she said as we turned down a hallway lined with windows made from what looked like grey glass. It gave the hallway a strangely eerie coloring that had chills running down my spine.

“I will accompany her to her chambers,” Preston stated firmly.

She dipped her head and continued on her way. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

Preston seemed so different here, adopting a stern expression and air of indifference that I didn’t particularly like. Was it how he had to act? Was this how he would act moving forward?

No one had mentioned him acting different before. I didn’t particularly like it, but did understand needing to act a certain way in certain company. When we were alone, I would try to discuss it with him.

He glanced down at me and I slid my hand into the bend of his elbow. “Are you alright?” I asked softly.

He nodded. “I’m very happy to be home. I look forward to using the showers as they are much better than the ones on the ship. Plus, getting into some fresh clothes will be a huge relief. We’ve been rather limited on our wardrobe while away.”

Clearly, the woman leading me wasn’t to be trusted. Who could be trusted? Any of the siblings? While we had gone over a lot of information about their planet and customs, they hadn’t mentioned anything about who could or couldn’t be trusted.

“Here are your chambers, Princess,” the woman said as she stopped at a single door with a golden handle.

Preston pushed open the door and waved for me to enter. “Welcome to your home.”

I released his hand after squeezing it one more time and headed inside.

The room was much larger than I anticipated, with a bed large enough to fit five Dragonkin males on their backs with room to spare, even a Dragonkin as large as Zeke. The bed had a black gauze canopy over it that seemed to sparkle as the light hit it and a matching comforter that looked incredibly plush.