“Do you have time for that now?” Casey asked, his previous fear all but forgotten. “I promised my boyfriend I would meet up with him as soon as I’d gotten my room, but he wouldn’t mind seeing a real dragon shifter either.”
I couldn’t help but notice the way he’d said boyfriend and not mate. If Casey wasn’t mated to this guy…
“You aren’t mated?” I blurted, unable to control myself it seemed.
Casey winced. “No.” Then he sighed. “We’ve been together since we were fourteen and hoped to be fated, but when we both turned eighteen and kissed nothing happened.”
A kiss would be enough to seal the mating bond if they already knew each other. It couldn’t have been easy for them to know they weren’t meant to be.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” I said, my tone apologetic. It wasn’t my intention to get into something so deep in our first conversation.
Casey just shrugged. “You heard the headmaster. It seems I won’t be Harpy’s boyfriend for long. If our fated mates are here then it wouldn’t make sense for us to keep holding onto something that simply isn’t meant to be.”
“You sound like you already thought this through?”
Casey nodded with a pained smile. “I’ve been ready to let him go since we found out we weren’t fated, and that was two months ago. Harpy just needs a little more time before he’s ready, I think.”
This was the reason I’d waited with dating. Why even bother seeing someone if they aren’t meant to be yours? My fathers’ love for father Luka and his love for them is the only sort of love I want for myself. Me being a prince meant lots of attention and rather obvious flirting from people around my age, but I never even considered any of them. My mate would come and I would know. No one else would do it for me and my dragon.
I didn’t want to linger on the heavy stuff, so I smiled and gestured for the door. “Let’s not keep Harpy waiting, besides my dragon is itching to be let out.”
Chapter Two
Casey and I passed several students as we made our way back downstairs. The previously packed entrance was now almost barren as most of the students were in their rooms and the women who’d helped us with our rooms were gone now, too.
“Do you think we’re actuallyallowedto leave our rooms?” Casey whispered as he looked around nervously.
“Why wouldn’t we? We live here.”
“I guess since we haven’t been told what to do or where to go… Maybe we were supposed to stay in our rooms?”
“We aren’t prisoners here, and considering they haven’t told us anything, we should be allowed to look around.” I shrugged, hoping my calm demeanor helped him relax.
We ended up back in the now empty courtyard and it seemed fine enough for a shift, definitely big enough, they could even fit several dragons in here if they wanted to.
“I’m so excited!” Casey exclaimed, looking like he finally let me see his true personality. It helped my unease because I truly didn’t want my roommate to fear me. We had two years together, might as well be friends.
“Stay here,” I ordered softly, walking further away to shift. Casey watched with huge eyes as I shifted, my red dragon appearing, stretching its wings proudly. The itch was gone and the scent of sea water hit me, then so many other smells flowed around me, making me a little dizzy.
“Casey!” a tall guy called, running from the open doorways.
“Harpy! Come see my roommate!” Casey still sounded excited, but my focus was now on the newcomer.Harpy. Casey’s boyfriend.
I either half flew or jumped the remaining distance between Harpy and me, my dragon urging me closer to the stranger.
“Oh!” Harpy exclaimed, jumping back in surprise as I got up close and personal with him. I even sniffed him. He smelleddivine.
“Dragon shifters are real!” Casey gushed, now standing next to Harpy, his arm around his waist in a side hug. The sight made me growl and Casey frowned before looking at his arm and backing away from Harpy, a curious expression on his face. At least he didn’t look afraid of me.
“Nice to meet you,” Harpy said, not even noticing Casey backing away.
Harpy’s eyes were the prettiest brown and his hair was windswept and reminded me of chocolate. I felt like I was lost in his eyes as we both just stared at one another, then my head moved and I was nuzzling him, my movements gentle, but so embarrassing. It seemed my dragon really liked Harpy and I was just along for the ride while I marked him with my scent.
Harpy was frozen in place while I continued to nuzzle him without his consent. Casey stood silently and watched, his eyes once again wide with surprise.
And then it clicked.
Harpy was my mate.
