The interior of the mansion was just as stunning as the outside. Large chandeliers illuminated the white marble floors. The ceilings had to be at least twenty feet high, and twin spiral staircases led to the other levels. I could probably fit my dragon in here, the room was so enormous. Tomlin led me through the halls, and we passed gargoyles of all shapes and sizes. Some had wings; some had none. They came in various colors, but I noticed the majority were either a deep purple or a grayish-blue.
“We do buffet style here,” Tomlin said as we entered a grand dining hall. A mix of gargoyles and humans were scattered across the tables, and I wondered how many people lived here.
“That works out well for me,” I replied.
After grabbing our food and sitting down to eat, Tomlin said, “The Circle of Elders is about a two-hour flight. We’ve arranged for transport. Barseth and two of my enforcers will go with you.”
“Sure thing. Do you think there’s going to be trouble?” I asked.
“I don’t know. Atticus had a lot of supporters, as did Bazer. I wouldn’t be surprised if they tried something. That’s why I asked King Krispin if he could send one of his people. After what he did to the circle, no one wants to mess with a dragon,” Tomlin replied.
“I’ll be on my guard,” I said. I was all business, even though my mind and my heart were in Montana.
“Barseth, show Angus to his rooms. I need to go check to see if Ummir and Julgan are ready for tomorrow,” Tomlin said as we finished our meal. He turned to me. “If you need anything, just ask, and we’ll get it.”
“Thank you,” I said.
After Tomlin took his leave, I looked at Barseth who wore a big grin. “Call me Seth; everyone does but the chief,” he said.
“Sure thing. It’s a nice place you guys have here,” I said as he led the way to my rooms.
“Yeah, we love it. What’s it like where you’re from? How old are you? What color dragon are you? Can you breathe fire?” he asked excitedly.
My mouth dropped at the rapid succession of questions. Seth must have noticed because he got a sheepish look.
“Sorry—it’s just, you’re the first dragon I’ve ever met,” he said.
I chuckled. “It’s okay. I reacted the same way to vampires. I’m of the Blue Caste, which means I have blue scales and hold a water affinity, so I don’t breathe fire. I breathe ice. I’m a little over a thousand years old,” I said, answering his questions.
“Damn, you’re a thousand? You look damn good for your age! You’re sexy as hell. I can’t wait to meet my mate so I can see what I look like as a human,” he said longingly.
“Thanks for the compliment. You’ll meet your mate. If it can happen to me, it’ll happen for you.”
“Damn, you have a mate? I was hoping for a little fun,” he said, wiggling his brows.
I laughed. “Sorry, I’m taken.”
“Oh well. Here’s your room. Let me know if you need anything.” And with that, Seth turned and left.
I entered the room and crawled into the immense bed. I closed my eyes, thinking about my mate, and wondered what he was doing. I couldn’t wait to go back and find him. I let thoughts of his stunning face pull me to sleep.
Shattered Hope
Embry
Iwas halfway out of town when a sizable wolf closed in on me—my father. I’d recognize him anywhere. His wolf was two sizes larger than a normal creature; he was brown and had a white stripe down his forehead and snout. As he padded up to me, he shifted seamlessly. It’s something we learned at a young age. We also learned to have no sense of modesty; being naked was a fact of life for a shifter.
“Where are you going, Embry? What happened, son?” he asked with worry in his voice.
I was still in my wolf. I simply looked at him, got down on my belly, and started crawling toward him, whimpering.
“Come on, son. Shift and tell me what’s going on,” he said with a note of command in his voice.
I transformed. As soon as I reached my human form, I turned into a blubbering mess. I hugged him tightly and sobbed. My dad held me and let me cry. I let all my tears fall. I let them fall for my inadequacies. I let them fall for being a coward and running from my mate.
After what seemed like hours of my sobbing and his holding me, I was able to pull myself together.
“Are you going to tell me what happened, son?” my father gently asked.
