1
Jade
It was another beautiful morning.As sunlight filtered in through my window, I greeted the day with a tranquil smile. My daily life was peaceful, and I had everything a man could ever want—a stunning castle on a private island, delicious food, and a hoard overflowing with books.
There was only one thing missing. But I tried not to think too hard about that.
After rolling out of my king-sized bed, I took a hot shower, stretched my body and read a few fleeting pages of my novel before heading downstairs.
Unfortunately, my peace was shattered as soon as I left my room.
Standing in front of me was a man dripping in leather. His scowl was legendary. If he frowned any harder, his face would be frozen in that position forever.
“Good morning, Viol,” I said pleasantly. “Is there a reason you’re standing outside my door like a debt collector?”
My brother snorted. “Family meeting. You’re late.”
One of my brows inched higher. First of all, who’d called for a family meeting? I was the only person in this family whoarranged those. Second, how could I be late to an event I didn’t even know about?
“All right,” I said. “Let’s head down together. You can explain the situation on the way.”
“I ain’t explaining shit,” Viol grumbled. “You’ll figure it out when we get there.”
Clearly, I wasn’t getting any information from my dear brother.
“Someone’s in a chipper mood,” I remarked. If I poked Viol enough, he might crack and let something slip.
He groaned. “Oh, shove it. It’s early, and I’m fuckin’ tired.”
Unlike my nocturnal brother, I was an early riser. The current time was later than I usually started my day, but I had no immediate work to be done, so I’d taken the morning slow.
“Indeed. It’s only—” I checked the expensive silver watch on my wrist. “Nine AM. Ghastly hour to be conscious at.”
Viol’s glare cut through my chipper sarcasm. “It’s early forme,” he retorted. “And other normal people.”
I smirked. Viol was joking about calling me abnormal, but he had no clue.
“So, any hints about the nature of this meeting?” I asked. “Let me guess. Nobody knows what to have for lunch.”
“Wow, so funny,” Viol deadpanned. He strutted faster in an attempt to escape my interrogation, but my long legs allowed me to keep stride with him.
“How about this? Another plushie has gone missing, and you all require my help to solve the mystery,” I suggested.
Viol hissed out a sharp growl of frustration. “No.”
It sounded like I’d touched a nerve. “Are you sure? I’m an excellent detective, you know. I have an entire bookshelf dedicated to mysteries.”
“I’m ignoring you.”
No luck. Oh well. I’d find out the meaning of this detour soon enough.
Viol trudged the final steps towards the meeting room, then threw the doors open. He didn’t wait for me to catch up before he found a chair—pointedly far away from me—and slumped in it.
The seats were full of familiar faces. My brothers perked up at my arrival. I noticed the mated ones’ partners were absent, as were their children. This must be an alpha dragon-only affair.
“Good morning, my beautiful family,” I greeted, slipping into my usual seat at the round table.
I surveyed the room. Barring Viol, my brothers’ expressions all indicated excitement, though with an oddly mischievous undercurrent.
