Viol’s typical nastiness returned. “How the fuck should I know? Do I look mated to you?”
I sighed, forcibly reminded that I was the last unmated alpha in the family besides my most asshole-ish brother. Not a good look.
“You know, you’re swearing a lot for a babysitter,” I pointed out.
“Minty’s too young to remember,” Viol dismissed. His face brightened when he tickled the top of the fluffy dragonet’s head. “Isn’t that right, cutie?”
“Fack!” Mint exclaimed.
The kitchen fell dead silent. Viol and I stared at each other.
In a low voice, he warned, “If you tell anyone where he learned that word, I’ll skin you.”
After promising to keep my mouth shut, I left the kitchen to get dressed for the big day. But as soon as I was alone, my anxieties returned to the front of my mind. None of my brothers had wanted to be the bachelor. Did that make them more attractive somehow? Would my eagerness to find a mate be a total turn-off?
Then the opposite worry popped up: what if Iwasn’thonest? What if the omegas thought I was holding back? What if they thought I was fake?
“Saffron?”
Aurum’s familiar voice slapped a temporary bandage on my worries. I was so distracted that I hadn’t even noticed him appear in the hallway behind me. I didn’t see Mylo or the girls—they must’ve gone ahead to the kitchen. I wondered if Aurum sought me out because he sensed I needed his support.
“Hey,” I said, sounding less excited than I had earlier.
My twin immediately knew something was wrong. “What’s bothering you?” Aurum asked.
I sighed heavily as anxiety clenched at my chest. “What if I’m too overbearing? What if none of the omegas like me?”
Aurum blinked in confusion, then scowled and crossed his arms. “Okay, which dickhead brother infected your brain with anxiety?”
“It wasn’t one of the dickheads,” I mumbled. “It was Cobalt. And he didn’t say it to make me anxious. That happened on its own.”
Seeing my distress, Aurum put his arm around my shoulder. “Hey, don’t worry so much. You’re a fucking catch. You know that, right? You’re a hot, young, wealthy dragon. And you’re a twin! People love that. You’ll find a mate, no problem.”
I smiled at his attempts to cheer me up, but it was half-hearted.
For once, Aurum didn’t notice my lukewarm mood. His brows knitted as he stumbled into a totally different train of thought. “Actually, you’re like,toomuch of a catch. I don’t want you to attract the wrong type of people.”
“What?”
Aurum frowned. “You’re so happy and outgoing. And you obviously want a mate.”
I didn’t understand his point. “And you think it’ll push people away?”
His amber eyes flashed with protective ferocity. “No. It could draw in someone who wants to use you.” In a lower voice, he added, “Like Billy.”
My stomach dropped as I heard my ex’s name. Billy didn’t love me. He’d only wanted the status of dating a wealthy dragon shifter, but I’d fallen for his sweet lies all the same. I’d only dumped him and gotten through that dark moment with Aurum’s support.
My twin was right back then. Could he be right again now?
3
Rorik
“Sir,could you please shift into human form? You won’t fit on the plane.”
I curled my lip, annoyed that a stranger had given me orders. I only took those from my clan alphas.
It was a small lizard-shaped humanoid thing that had spoken to me. A kobold, according to Sheba. She’d debriefed me on all the information she knew about the dragons and their island. She said the dragons’ private airport was staffed by the kobolds. That didn’t make it easier to stomach a three-foot tall entity bossing me around.
