She tried to reassure him with a smile. “I’m fine.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why don’t I believe you?”
“I don’t know. It sounds like you may have some personal things to work through.”
Jax tried unsuccessfully to hide a snort, which caused Dmitri’s glare to swing his way. Jax met the expression with an unworried tilt of his eyebrow, and after a few moments of some sort of manly mental communication, Dmitri returned his attention to Odessa. “I was hoping you could help me with something.” His eyes darted back to Jax. “Two things, I suppose.”
She clasped her hands in front of her. “Of course. I’m always happy to help.”
“First of all.” He hooked a thumb to Jax. “What’s the verdict here? Mother’s been asking about our mysterious guest, but I didn’t want to give her an answer until I spoke with you.”
Her face crinkled with confusion. “Why me?”
“You’re the one who pulled him out of the lake.”
“What does that have to do with anything? You’re the Crown Prince. Shouldn’t you be the one to decide your own guest list?”
Jax raised his hand. “Pardon the interruption, but as the one most directly impacted by this discussion, I would like to point out that I am not from this realm and therefore havenowhere else to go.”
Dmitri spared him a brief glance as he blandly parroted Odessa’s words, “It sounds like you may have some personal problems to work through.” He turned back to her. “I don’t know if he told you, but claims to be a?—”
“Bird Catcher and Dragon Charmer,” she finished for him. “I know.”
“And Assistant to the Assistant Keeper!” Jax added, grinning widely and winking at her.
She rolled her eyes. “He’s harmless, Dimi. But if you don’t have room for him, he can stay here.”
Dmitri shook his head. “Absolutely not. He’ll stay in the palace.” He waited a beat. “You believe him, then?”
“I mean, the evidence is pretty solid.”
“What evidence?”
Bean, as if having waited for the correct moment in the conversation to introduce himself, waddled out from the shrubbery and sat at Odessa’s feet. He looked up at Dmitri. The beginning of an adorable growl rumbled in his throat, then was promptly cut off as he sneezed three times, sending fireballs streaming toward Dmitri’s boots.
The prince jumped to the side with a yelp. “What is that?”
Odessa scooped up the little dragon and held him close to her cheek as if he were a soft, cuddly kitten. “This is Bean. He’s my dragon.”
“Mydragon,” Jax corrected.
She ignored him. “He hatched from the golden egg that Jax brought with him in his purse.”
“It’s a satchel. Purses have far less utility.”
Dmitri just stared, wide-eyed, at Bean. “Dragons don’t exist.”
Odessa scratched under Bean’s chin like she had seen Jax do. The dragon immediately went limp in her hands. “I’m pretty sure he’s real. And since Jax is the one that brought him here, I think it’s safe to say that he’s probably telling the truth as well.”
“Right.” Dmitri exhaled deeply and ran a hand down one side of his face. “Alright then. Jax can stay—at the palace with me—until we figure out what we need to do to get him back to wherever it is he’s from.”
Jax’s smile had yet to waver, but Odessa saw the moment that his shoulders lost a bit of tension, as if he had truly been worried that Dmitri would cast him out. “Your hospitality is appreciated. If you find yourself in need of either Bird Catching or Dragon Charming services while I’m here, I’m happy to help.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Dmitri answered drily.
Odessa looked up at the sky as she tucked Bean back into her pocket. It was nearly midnight; whatever tasks Dmitri had needed to take care of must have been tedious and drawn out if he had only just completed them. “What else do you need?”
The prince blinked and shook his head as if to clear it. “Right. Remember our conversation yesterday, about Mother wanting me to find a wife? I’ve decided to host a party.”
