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If I hadn’t been so tongue-tied, I could have blurted out a few ideas.
Guardians of the Lost Queens.
Champions of the Royals.
Dragon’s Protectors.
But no, Finn wasn’t going to give us such a regal title. Because why would he?
He straightened, as tall and proud as a dwarf could be, and held up one finger.
“I’ve got it! It be perfect.” He kicked out Killian’s leg so that he was forced to fall to one knee. Then the dwarf slapped a hand on his shoulder. “I dub ye the Egg Hunters!”
I swiped a hand over my face.
Great.
CHAPTER 2
We weren’t due to head out until the next sunrise, so Killian and I reluctantly sat at dinner with Lily, her mate James, as well as Jasmine and Vern.
I hated waiting, but I also appreciated spending some time with my friends.
It might be our last dinner together, given the realm we were going to first.
Deciding not to dwell on that, I focused on announcing the dreadful news of the name of our official title.
They were graduates just like us, but once the Dean had announced the opening of specialty training, many of the graduates had returned to the Academy to join the executive ranks.
“Egg Hunters?” Jasmine said around a mouthful of food, nearly spitting it out. She choked on it while Vern patted her back.
Lily gave me a good-natured smile. “Whose bright idea was it to let Finn name the specialty?”
I glared at Killian. “I’ll give you one guess.”
Killian sighed and buried his nose in a cup of coffee—a new addition to the Academy’s cafeteria after the recent changes to “modernize” and affiliate better with other realm cultures. “Does it really matter? I just wanted to get out of there.”
His breath puffed steam into the air and I couldn’t help but smile. He once hated coffee, but he claimed that it had grown on him.
In truth, I think he only drank it because it reminded him of me and a life he had once envied. I didn’t find Earth all that special, much less high school cliques, but Killian always seemed fascinated by any stories or cultural things I had to share. He used to be intimidated, or at least put off by things like cars or pizza, but it didn’t take long for him to come around.
“You could have proposed a cooler name,” I said, inching closer to him. Even though I was kidding, I still preferred to engage in some sort of bodily contact. The birthmark on my arm had started to profusely itch after our meeting with the Dean and Killian’s presence always seemed to calm it.
The moment my thigh met his, a powerful rush of energy zapped between us, making me flinch, but relief quickly followed, making my shoulders lower.
Killian did a good job of not showing how our physical connection affected him in front of others. Instead, he sipped his coffee and gave me a knowing grin when he put it down. “Are you saying ‘Egg Hunters’ isn’t a cool name?” He placed a hand on his chest. “Dwarves everywhere will mourn their lack of originality if they only knew what the Lost Queen’s Dragonrider thought of Finn’s choice.”
I rolled my eyes and leaned against him, choosing to focus on the hum of energy between us and the warm fuzzies in my chest instead of his teasing. “What do you think, James?” I asked the Knight of the Silver Order who seemed far too amused by the situation. “You’re familiar with the dwarves. Are they all like Finn?”
He sat at the end of the table and encased his mate, Lily, with a single arm. They looked absolutely adorable together and Lily’s dragon-like fangs always slipped out when she gazed up at him.
A Knight and a Dragon Shifter together—who would have thought it would be so sweet?
Lily, being one of the shifter queens—unfortunately not one of the Lost Queens I was searching for—often dropped her human features around her favorite male. “We haven’t visited the dwarves in quite some time. It would be fun to ask them what they think of Finn’s honorary title along with the other requests we have waiting for them. They’re supposed to trade some of their rarer magic with us after we found that Vyorin Ore deposit.”
James grinned before kissing her on the nose. “Are you proposing that we go on a vacation?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows. “The dwarves are hibernating this time of year, leaving most of their palaces empty. We’d probably be shoved in a guest room and told to wait for one of their kings to wake up before we could start any formal negotiations.” He had a mischievous look when his grin widened. “I could think of a few ways we might pass the time.”
Her eyes turned to dragon-like slits as she blushed. “I wouldn’t complain.”
