The King of Shifters opened the door and gestured for us to follow him. His lips pulled back into a snarl. “Let us go. We have much to learn.”
We followed behind him silently, like dark obscurities, straight down a short hall and into the dining area of the bakery. Our gazes scanned the many occupants, this a popular eatery, by all appearances.
The three males were easy to find. They werehuge.
All six of us grabbed a chair from any empty table.
And placed them right at their table, chairs facing them.
We sat down for dinner with dragons.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Confession of a princess:
Pride is not as simple to define as one might think.
Nay, it is not. It can rip you apart or put you back together.
One is ugly while the other beautiful.
What is genuinely interesting is when it does both.
At that moment in time, pride can teach you much.
THE WOODEN TABLEfull of royals and dragons was silent.
With the safety of Father and King Athon sitting on either side of me, I peeked up from under my lashes, keeping my hood low.
Each dragon towered over the royals—even King Elon and Queen Alora, who were the tallest of our group. If the dragons were standing, they would be over eight feet in height. They looked identical to a shifter in this realm, with their solid eye colors, rounded ears, massively muscled frames, and clothing style. They blended in well in the Shifter Kingdom, a perfect place for them to hide—and overstay their welcome.
I wondered who would speak first. Us or them.
The dragons scrutinized us as we did the same to them.
It would be a coin toss, by my best guess.
King Athon inhaled deeply, flaring his nostrils. He leaned forward and picked a toothpick up from the middle of the table out of a small, circular container next to a pile of blindingly white naperies. He stuck it in his mouth, the tip of it peeking out, and relaxed easily on his chair. With his tongue, he played with the toothpick, the end sticking out between his lips, twitching back and forth slowly as he settled his gaze on the dragon in the middle. His smile curved around the toothpick, cruel and vicious, taunting.
The dragon he stared at sniffed in his direction; his nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. His solid golden eyes narrowed, and his own malicious smile curved his lips—a predator watching a predator.
I stared. Was this how new shifters greeted one another?
By sniffing each other? That was…
A gurgle strained in my throat. I quickly shoved my right fist in front of my mouth and coughed brutally, halting the laugh that wanted to spew from my mouth. Horrible timing, that.
All three dragons snapped their attention in my direction.
Yes, it was positively horrible timing.
They could look away now. I wouldn’t mind.
The King of Shifters snapped his fingers right in front of my face and then pointed at himself. He stated quite conversationally, “I am the one you want to be looking at. You already had your fun with her… and it didn’t work out for you.”
The three dragons narrowed their eyes on him, obviously trying to understand his meaning.
I lowered my hood and stared each dragon in his eyes.
