Why would he change now? Why me? Why did he want me coupled off so young? Why couldn’t we wait like everyone else?
Did he really see through me so easily? Did he know how much I hated it here? Did he know I wished to be anywherebut here with anyone but these people? These people who were supposed to be my family?
Did Master Gremyar even know what a family was supposed to look like?
Did I?
“Yes, Master,” Coral said without looking up from the ground.
We knew each other, obviously, having grown up together in the same community, but we were never friends.
I didn’t have many friends.
Scratch that. I didn’t haveanyfriends.
Most of my community was filled with blood witches—including Coral—so being the lone dragon my age always put me on the outside of the other kids. As bad as I felt for myself, though, I felt even worse for Coral. She was going to be ostracized by her friends for being with a dragon.
At least I was used to it.
She’d always had lots of friends, and I had no doubt they’d all turn their backs on her when they found out Master Gremyar’s plans for the two of us.
My mom walked over to the grand master and Coral’s parents, and all of them smiled at us as if picking a mate for teenagers was the best thing ever. As if this was something to celebrate.
It was gross.
I knew this practice was frowned upon in other communities because I read books that were banned from the Emissaries of Gepisha’s Iron, and I’d watched shows and movies that showed how a family was supposed to work, how people were supposed to fall in love.
This wasn’t it.
But what was I supposed to do? If I told Master Gremyar I didn’t want to mate with Coral, he’d punish me. He’d probablyforce me to shift so he could collect my blood and scales, so he could saw into me for days on end, never giving my body a break.
Just because I healed quickly didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.
The thought of going through that again, especially so soon after my last punishment—I’d been caught sneaking off the community property—was too terrifying to even consider.
And what if… what if he punished Coral as well?
He would do it, I had no doubt. He’d do it because he’d know the guilt would hurt me more than any pain he could inflict on my body.
Master hated me, and I couldn’t let poor Coral pay for my misdeeds. I’d never do that to her. Maybe we weren’t friends, but I couldn’t watch another person be hurt because of my actions.
So I gave my mom a small nod, said, “Thank you, Master Gremyar,” then turned to Coral and waved her toward the food tent.
When we were far enough away they couldn’t hear, I whispered, “I’m sorry you got stuck with me. I know… I know I’m everyone’s last choice. I tried to get out of it, but…” But there was nothing I could do. I had no control here, no one did. No one but the grand master.
Coral stopped walking and finally glanced up to meet my eyes. “I’m sorry you got stuck with me too. And you’re not my last choice, but…”
“I’m also not your first choice either.”
She nodded, wincing a little.
“That’s okay. I get it.” She definitely wasn’t my first choice. I didn’t even have a first choice. I glanced at the food tent, cringing at the thought of walking in there where everyone would stare at us. “Do you maybe want to take a walk? Wecould go to the playground or something. There’s a picnic table over there, and hopefully, no one else will be around.”
“Let’s go.”
I was a little surprised by her eagerness, but I wasn’t about to complain. Maybe she didn’t want everyone staring at her either.
We walked in silence to the outskirts of our community to a small playground. Technically, this playground was public property and off of our lands, but Master Gremyar had given us permission to use it when we were kids, and many of our community still came here. In fact, no one else ever did, so it was as if this playground actually belonged to the Emissaries of Gepisha’s Iron.
