The king rarely used his captain as a messenger boy. Of course, Joriah usually charmed the messenger boys into forgetting they found him. Transen couldn't be charmed, which was probably why his father sent the poor man to do a task far beneath his position.
"Come with me. He wants to break the news to you himself."
"This would be a good time to talk to him about a greater leadership role," Peter urged in a low voice. Had his boyfriend always been so oily or was he just now seeing his true colors? Disgusted with his lover, Jory followed the captain with only a brief nod to Peter.
Yep, that relationship was over.
Halfway through the palace, the captain spoke again.
"You could do much better than him, my prince."
Jory almost broke stride. He'd always assumed the captain didn't approve of his relationships with men, but maybe it wasn't men but his particular choices.
"I know. You're right. No amount of amazing sex is worth putting up with that kind of manipulation."
For the first time in his memory, Jory saw the captain laugh. Not a smirk or a half-smile, but a full laugh. A meaty hand slapped Jory on the back, moving him forward a few paces.
"Now I know you've become a man," the captain declared. The pride in Transen's voice warmed Jory. The older man rarely expressed approval over anything.
As they reached the dining hall, he felt all eyes tracking his every movement. Ignoring them with familiar ease, he walked to the royal table.
"My son." High Galactic King Rufeus Eprion waved from his seat at the head table. His usual collection of political sycophants surrounded him on both sides, and an amazing assortment of breakfast foods sat on the table before him. Pastries, eggs and bits of the finest meats littered the surface.
At well over six feet, the king dominated the room. It wasn't just his body overshadowing the others at the table, but his presence. With the king's strong charisma, his men were willing to follow him damn near anywhere with a smile on their faces and pride in their hearts.
"Leave us. I need a moment alone with my boy." His deep voice carried through the hall even as his jade eyes never left Jory's face.
The prince stood still under his father's scrutiny as the nobles fled. He always felt less in his father's gaze. At a sleek five feet nine inches, he resembled his mother and, unlike his half brothers and sisters, had few of his father's features. When they all stood together, it was like being the only deer in a room full of dragons. He never doubted they could rip him apart in a feeding frenzy.
"What's so important you sent the captain to find me?" He wasn't going to play the king's waiting game. Father was up to something; he could feel it in his bones.
"Sit down and have a bite." The king waved at the bounty before him.
Unsettled, Jory grabbed a roll to nibble on and sank into the padded seat across from his father, the better to face his opponent. It didn't help that he had to look up at the man. Genetics were an evil bitch.
Sipping coffee from a cup a servant thoughtfully placed at his elbow, Joriah waited.
It didn't take long.
"I'm sending you to Dragait. They're having a mating festival. It will be a good opportunity for you to form an alliance."
Jory set his mug down with a thud. "You can't just send me off to find a husband, Father, I have responsibilities." There had to be something that required his immediate attention. Maybe he could go start a war or something.
Wait a minute. Did he say Dragait? Joriah adored dragons. For years he'd dreamed of the flying beasts but never had the chance to travel to their world. Normally the thought of going to a planet of dragon shifters would excite him, but the circumstances sent chills down his spine.
The king's green eyes went flat. "I can do whatever the hell I want, or hadn't you heard I am the head of this family?"
Jory put his palms over his eyes trying to rub away the tension headache he could feel building. Maybe if he tried hard enough he could turn back time and find a way to escape this meeting. He had other abilities; why not that one? Of course, flying would be great too then he could get the hell out of there.
Hopelessly, he lifted his head and watched his father gloat. "I thought you'd decided I was politically useless?"
"Ha." The king gleefully rubbed his hands together. "That was before I learned about this mating festival. There's an entire group of noblemen who go to this mating thing every year to search for husbands, most of them Dragait nobles. The dragon men would be powerful allies if I could get you married to one."
"I'm not some primped up prima donna waiting to catch the perfect husband. Why can't I just keep living like I have?"
The king laughed. "Joriah, even if you don't make a match, I expect better things from you. Your mother wanted you to be happy, and I don't see that happening in the confining walls of this kingdom. I want you to go out and spread your wings. You need to find your place in the universe, my son, and if it takes kicking you out of the nest and sending you to a dragon world, then I will."
Jory piled food on his plate, searching for an exit route in his head. Who knew his father could turn his son's love of men to a political advantage? Snagging a piece of ham with a vicious stab of his knife, he scoured for possible options in his head and came up blank.
