Chapter 6
Nadir paced the length of the balcony that overlooked the main thoroughfare of the capital. The whole city lay deep within the red rock canyons that made up the western plains of Harena. Every dwelling had been carved into the stone by their ancestors’ ancient tools. Those tools, along with most of the old Earth technology, had been long lost. The canyons provided some shelter from the constant wind that moved the sands.
He forced himself to stop and folded his hands behind his back. They would be here soon. Tarkesh and their new mate. This female with whom they had to breed. His gaze swept the winding canyon that led to the main square of the capital. How would it look to a woman raised on another world? He had never known another place, another planet. What was Vesperi like? And the icy bear world? The water world? He’d never viewed a body of water so large he couldn’t see across it, but Aquatilis was supposed to be completely covered in liquid. And ice? It didn’t snow on Harena. Not with the two suns to evaporate the little rain that did fall. Water was a scarce commodity that bloody, centuries-long wars had been waged over.
He scrubbed a hand over his hair, his gaze following the road to its end at the main square and the Goddess’s temple where he and Tarkesh would mate with Lady Katryn. Dragon figures served as pillars in the reliefs that were carved into the deep red stone on the cliff wall. It was modeled after an ancient Earthan temple in Jordan. Petra, he thought it was called, but history had never been his best subject. He preferred to focus on the present and plan for the future. He wasn’t a man to look back. He assessed a situation, made the best choices he could, and did whatever it took to execute his decisions. Tarkesh was the one who thought a situation through deeply before he made a change.
Nadir was distracting himself from worry. He knew it and made himself continue. His worries wouldn’t abate if he let himself dwell upon them. He focused on the temple. The main road leading through the canyons opened up into the square and took up one side. Making up the other sides of the square were the residences of the descendants of the first matriarch, Kelyn, and the massive council building where the matriarchs met to deliberate on politics.
Impatience slid through him. He wanted them here now. What had Tarkesh discovered? Would Tarkesh be satisfied with the new mate? They had no choice. The mating would go through whether Tarkesh approved or not, but Nadir wished to know how difficult this would be for them until they came to a workable relationship with the woman. She needed only to breed with them—she didn’t need to love them. He didn’t need an emotional connection with her. He had Tarkesh for that. The woman was a means to an end. It was a political boon that Katryn happened to belong to the most powerful matriarchy on Harena.
But Tarkesh was not one to settle on necessity, and Nadir’s gut knotted. His shoulders drew in a tense line. The waiting wasn’t something he enjoyed. He leaned forward to brace his hands on the red stone balcony railing. Where were they? He shoved away a tiny thread of worry. They were supposed to have arrived at midday, and it was nearly evening. The last rays of the binary suns kissed the top of the high stone canyon walls. Torches would soon flicker to life up and down the main road. Nadir straightened and resumed his pacing. Many things could delay a caravan. They were, by their very nature, a slow-moving procession. But…renegades could also bring a caravan to a stop. A full punch of worry hit him, and he clenched his fingers into fists. They were not yet late enough to be anxious. They would be fine.
“My lord, can I get you something for your evening repast?” A servant approached him from the balcony doors.
“No. I’m not hungry.” Nadir didn’t allow himself the luxury of snapping at the intruder, though he would have given much to vent his anger at someone. He looked back over his shoulder at a pale yellow weredragon.
The small man shifted where he stood. “You’ve been out here most of the day, Lord Nadir.”
“And I will be out here for as long as it takes. Thank you.” Nadir refocused on the main road, dismissing the servant.
“Very good, my lord.”
Nadir heard the man back away and leave him alone. He breathed deep and caught a new scent. Tarkesh. He knew his mate’s smell anywhere. He narrowed his eyes and waited. They would be here soon. He could also smell the heavy musk of Gila beasts, many of them. A cloud of dust rose from the far end of the canyon as they approached. Dozens of Gila stretched in a line that filed toward the main square. He braced his hands on the railing before him and waited for his mate to pass beneath him. There. Toward the end of the procession. Tarkesh’s eyes caught his, and there was something troubled in their depths. Nadir’s eyebrows rose. Interesting. His mate’s attention was called away by Lord Baleel. Nadir’s eyes narrowed on the woman mounted before Tarkesh.
She was lovely. Her inky hair rippled to her hips, and the scarves used to cover the face during open desert travel lay draped around her neck. Slim and elegant, her arms showed a purple scaling covered in a light film of travel dust. He would enjoy watching her bathe.
The thought took him by surprise. She turned then to look up at him, and he was caught. Her dark gaze showed pain and sorrow, and something within him wanted to ease it for her. She licked her full lips, an unconsciously sensual act. His fingers clenched around the ledge of stone before him, and his cock doubled, hardened to the point of pain. Just to look at her was a dual kick to the groin and chest. Something about the way she looked, held herself, smelled—yes, he caught a unique scent on the wind—was not quite dragon. And yet she was one of the most beautiful dragon women he’d ever seen. Unusual, exotic, unexpected. Her eyes narrowed at his continued stare, her brows lifting to reprove him.
Welcome, my lady. He dipped his head and let his gaze run down her figure, taking in the swell of her breasts, the smooth length of her legs. He could not wait to see more. Anticipation hummed in his blood.
Shock flashed across her face at his insolence. She did not yet know who he was. He smiled tightly, possession gripping him. His. The woman would soon be his. His and Tarkesh’s. Excellent.
She twisted in Tarkesh’s embrace to keep Nadir within sight as their Gila carried them toward the main square. His smile stretched wider, and he let the hot desire he’d experienced when he’d first seen her show in his expression. With her enhanced dragon senses, she would see him even from the widening distance between them. He liked the look of her already, and he wanted to know more. He also wanted to know what his mate thought. The upset on Tarkesh’s face bothered him. Well, he would find out what that was about. Now.
Spinning on a heel, Nadir strode through his matriarchy’s manor and down the stairs. His residence here was temporary. When he and Tarkesh mated with Katryn, they would move into her matriarchy’s manor. Any child Katryn bore them would belong to her family, any trade agreements Nadir or Tarkesh arranged with other matriarchies would now go to benefit her matriarchy. And they were very good at negotiations. Nadir applied pressure where it was needed, pushed hard when necessary, and Tarkesh made giving in look easy, simple. Together, they’d been very convincing on a number of occasions, which made it rewarding for the most powerful matriarchy on the planet to arrange a mating between them and one of its daughters. Goddess, he hoped Tarkesh approved of the woman. Politically, it would be suicidal to consider balking at the mating ceremony now. Tarkesh knew that, and he would do as he ought to, but Nadir disliked uncertainty.
Nadir wound through the Gila beasts until Tarkesh and Katryn were in sight. A group of women swept in and surrounded Katryn, separating her from Tarkesh. His mate stepped forward to catch her hand, but she was quickly jerked away. Tarkesh’s face shadowed with a look of…guilt? Nadir arched his brow. Interesting. The woman affected his mate. That could be either good or bad.
“Welcome home, my mate.” Nadir settled a hand on the shorter man’s shoulder.
Tarkesh whipped around to face him. His fingers snapped out to fist in Nadir’s shirt and hauled him forward. Their lips met in a harsh, desperate kiss. Nadir lifted his hand to grip his mate’s long hair. His heart pounded in his chest, and he could feel his mate’s dick hard and urgent through his pants. Their tongues slid together, battling for control of the kiss. Knowing his mate’s body intimately, he dragged his nails down Tarkesh’s back where his scales lay beneath his travel robes. The silver dragon hissed and bit him, drawing blood from his lip. Nadir groaned, enjoying the sting with his pleasure. His cock was still semi-erect from his brief encounter with Katryn, and now it hardened again. Lust burned in his veins, the dragon within him shrieking for him to claim his mate. Again. Forever. Always.
As quickly as it had begun, it ended. Tarkesh jerked back, his breath bellowing out. “Nadir, I…”
Nadir studied the silver dragon closely but could read nothing except a troubled countenance. He tilted his head back toward his matriarchy’s manor. “Walk with me.”
“I…should oversee unloading the caravan.”
“Baleel will take care of it. He wants to watch Adriana fawn over Katryn, and this will afford him the best vantage point.” Nadir met Baleel’s gaze, and the man made a rude gesture with his hand before turning to speak to the Gila beastmasters.
Nadir started for the manor, Tarkesh falling into step beside him. He could feel the stress that radiated from his mate, drew his body into taut lines. It was unlike Tarkesh to show his upset in public. Something had changed in the past days, and Nadir intended to find out what as soon as they reached the privacy of their chambers.
The silver dragon ran a hand through his long hair and snarled a curse when his fingers caught in the windblown locks. Nadir’s eyebrows rose in surprise. Yes, something was very wrong with his mate. Tarkesh flung himself into a chair when they reached their apartments. Most of their belongings were packed in crates for the move to Katryn’s matriarchy tomorrow. Only a scattered chair or two and the bed were left out. Tarkesh scowled at him.
“Alysian ice wine?” Nadir hefted a decanter of sweet red wine from the werebear world.
“Fine.”
“Would you like to talk about it?” An interesting role reversal. Usually it was Tarkesh coaxing him out of a foul, impatient mood.
“There’s nothing to tell.”
Nadir made a low, derisive noise in his throat as he handed over a large glass of wine. He still held the decanter in his hand, waiting for his mate to speak.
“There isn’t!” Tarkesh’s dark eyes flashed angry fire, a warning not to press, but Nadir had never been one to obey warnings like that. He pushed anyway.
“Perhaps you can start with how you took me up on my offer and slept with our new mate.” He locked his gaze on Tarkesh’s face, waiting for even the most nuanced response to that. There was no denying the claim—he could smell sex and the woman’s exotic fragrance all over his mate.
Tarkesh paled beneath his tan. Torment raged in his midnight gaze. “I—I did not intend for it to happen. I—she—it was an accident…mistake…I wasn’t going to touch her until we were mated to her. I swear it. But she needed…and I couldn’t—” He cut himself off and dropped his forehead into his hand, scrubbing his palm down his face. “Goddess, Nadir. I don’t know what I’m doing.”
He was in love with her. It was obvious. Perhaps not yet to Tarkesh, but he was. And so quickly. Nadir knew better than anyone that it could take only a single look for a man to lose his soul to someone. It had been that way with him when he had seen Tarkesh. Nadir examined his feelings on the matter. His mate loved another. Was he jealous of the new woman? No. Relief wound through him. No, he wasn’t jealous. Some harims became a constant battle between the three members when they claimed to love each other. He would not allow that to happen with them. It was good that Tarkesh loved her. It could only benefit them. He wondered if Katryn shared Tarkesh’s feelings.
“I told you to sample her. Are you satisfied?” Nadir set the decanter on the sideboard, settled back against it, and folded his arms.
“I…don’t know. She doesn’t know she’s mating to both of us. Just to you. Apparently, the weretigers think a harim is a man with dozens of wives. I explained that they were three-way matings, but—well, our conversation was interrupted, and I didn’t have a chance to tell her after that. I spent the day on a dune-racer trying to keep the caravan moving after an older Gila went down. We had to redistribute the load to the other Gila. I only rode with Katryn the last hour, and she was speaking to Baleel about her family the whole time. And…I didn’t get a chance to tell her that she’d be mating to me tomorrow.” His words tripped over themselves in his need to justify his actions. Unusual for something to happen that Tarkesh did not intend. Even more unusual for him not to have three contingency plans to correct the problem.
Nadir snorted at the foolishness of tigers, but better for them to make assumptions than to impose their beliefs on the dragon culture. “Did her father not explain harims to her?”
Tarkesh’s voice grew guttural with anger. “No. Her father told her nothing. She is ignorant of all things dragon. It’s criminal, his neglect of her.”
“Then we will teach her what she needs to know, and the members of her matriarch will teach her the rest. You approve of her, I take it?” He had no doubt of the answer—the little desert blossom had rattled his normally unflappable mate. It would be amusing if this situation didn’t have such high stakes.
Tarkesh folded his arms and sat back. “Who wouldn’t approve? She’s lovely. Intelligent. Passionate.”
“Excellent. I’m sure she’ll be a wonderful mate.” And if she wasn’t, he would keep it to himself for Tarkesh’s sake. This mating had just become a great deal more complicated than a political arrangement.
A small woman with blood-red scales that formed a delicate ridge on her forehead engulfed Katryn in a tight hug. Stunned at the exuberant welcome, she stood still for a moment before wrapping her arms around the woman. Her mind was still on the heated encounter with the man on the balcony who had looked at her as if he wanted to lay her out for his evening meal. She shivered at the image of what his mouth might feel like on her flesh, how his short goatee might tickle her in very interesting places. What was the matter with her? Was it not enough that she’d bedded Tarkesh, that she loved Tarkesh? Now she had to lust after some man who’d done no more than look her over?
“Hello, cousin.” The woman before her flashed a smile, drawing her out of her dour thoughts. “Welcome home.”
Warmth spread in Katryn’s belly, thawing some of the icy fear that had ridden her all day. Home. Goddess, she wanted to be home. She twisted around to try to see Tarkesh, but he was nowhere in sight. Baleel directed the unloading of the Gila beasts. He caught her gaze, dipped his head, and spoke to her telepathically. He went home to his matriarchy. You will see him on the morrow at your bonding ceremony.
My thanks. She nodded in return, but his dark eyes had locked on the red dragon in front of her. Katryn swallowed hard. Her heart clenched at the thought of being mated to Nadir when she craved Tarkesh. Stop it, she ordered herself. She should treasure the memories she had and be grateful for ever having known something so wonderful. Sucking in a deep breath, she grinned down at the shorter woman. “You must be Adriana.”
She looked startled, her large, dark eyes widening. “How did you know that?”
“Lord Baleel told me of you.”
A hiss erupted from her throat, and she bared her teeth. “I’ll wager he did. I hope you didn’t take a word he said to heart.”
How was Katryn to respond to that? She had grown fond of Baleel during their long days of travel. She opened her mouth to redirect the conversation, when Adriana tucked her arm through Katryn’s and tugged her toward a large entrance in the face of the canyon wall. Her mouth snapped shut as she tried to take in her surroundings. The capital city was stunning, beautiful, and entirely different from anything she had ever seen before. The canyon was a cool retreat from the scorching heat of the desert above, but the interior of the manor wrapped her in almost chilly air. She twisted around to try to take it all in at once. Everything was made of the same stone of the canyons, only polished to a high gleam. Here and there lay exquisite glass and metal sculptures. The home exuded ostentatious wealth. Katryn felt grubby in the beautiful surroundings, the layer of grime a heavy weight on her scales.
She turned to Adriana. “I’d like to bathe, if that’s possible.”
“Well, you need to meet Matriarch Yola first. And you’ll have to do the ceremonial bathing before your mating anyway, so it’s probably best to wait.”
“Ceremonial bathing?”
“Yes, the ritual cleansing before entering into a new phase in your lifeline?” Her eyebrows arched as though she was waiting for Katryn to understand her meaning.
“I—I don’t know anything about dragon rituals. My father was a very busy man, and there were no other dragons on Vesperi, so…”
“Nothing?” an older woman with silver streaked through her raven hair questioned sharply. Adriana went rigid next to her, and Katryn could feel the power and authority rolling off the woman. This would be Matriarch Yola, she was certain of it.
“No, my lady. Nothing.” Katryn swept a deep, respectful curtsy.
Yola snorted in derision. “We will have to instruct you in your shortcomings. This will not do. Your father was derelict in his duties, and you’ll have to make up for it now.”
Katryn’s back straightened. The woman’s voice implied it was somehow Katryn’s fault that her father had told her nothing. And she fought the urge to defend her sire. He had spent Turns working for the advancement of Harena trade—that was hardly dereliction of duty. If he was a poor father, that was no one’s business except Katryn’s. She fought the wave of dislike for Yola that washed over her. Katryn was simply tired. The woman’s personality would be less grating after she’d bathed and had some sleep.
Yola spun on a heel and walked back out the main door. “Come along.”
“Is she serious?” Katryn looked to Adriana for confirmation.
Adriana scurried ahead, following behind Yola. “You will find that my mother is always serious. Don’t cross her. Ever. Now, come on.”
Exhaustion from the past days of travel and stress slammed into Katryn. She wanted sleep. Her eyes did not want to remain open. Couldn’t they wait until tomorrow to show her whatever they wanted? What was so important that she had to wander around her new home feeling like a filthy beggar woman? A hiss slid from her throat, but she picked up her cloak and hurried to catch up with the other two women.
She saw the flash of Adriana’s red scales disappear into a building to the right of the manor. It was even more ornately carved into the canyon wall. Delicate dragons wrapped around columns that bracketed the massive double doors. She tugged open the heavy, hammered metal doors and stepped inside. Matching doors directly across from her swooshed closed, so she jogged over to pass through them as well. Where were they going? Impatience raced through her as weariness dragged at her bones.
“There you are. Try to keep up. I don’t have time to waste on you.” Yola stood in the middle of a wide courtyard.
Katryn’s teeth ground together, and she bit back a tart response. She would dearly love to vent her temper on this rude woman. This was no way to treat a newcomer. Fisting her hands tight, she strove for a politic answer. “I am sorry to keep you waiting. The capital is so beautiful—I simply wanted to savor it.”
“No doubt Vesperi has nothing to offer in comparison.”
“Vesperi is quite beautiful as well.” The stiff words jerked from her. Thus far, she preferred the manners of Vesperi over those of Harena.
“I doubt it.” Yola turned away to gesture toward two smaller doors across the courtyard. A peaceful garden took up the center of the area, a small, gurgling fountain in the middle. Yola pointed to the door on the left and then the one on the right. “You will prepare yourself for the bonding ceremony there. Your two mates will prepare themselves there. You will enter the temple together. My daughter will serve as your attendant and witness. Are there any questions? Good. Adriana will show you to your chambers in the manor. I am expected at a council meeting now.”
Katryn blinked and watched her aunt stomp away. She glanced at Adriana out of the corner of her eye, but her cousin didn’t seem to think her mother’s behavior was odd. A sigh slid from her lungs. “Can I bathe and eat before the next lesson to overcome my ignorance?”
Adriana blushed at the acid in her tone, a wry grin formed on her lips, and laughter danced in her wide eyes. “I suppose you’re not so deficient that we should deny you those. After all, you’ll need to keep up your strength. We’re a demanding lot.”
She rolled her eyes at the red dragon. “After you?”
“No. With me.” She tucked her arm through Katryn’s and escorted her back through the two sets of double doors. Stopping outside, she gestured to each of the buildings that made up a square. She pointed right. “That is the council building. The matriarchs meet there to govern Harena.” She pointed left. “That is our matriarchal manor.” She pointed straight ahead. “That is the statue of Kelyn, our ancestor. Beyond that is the capital, which you’ve already seen.”
Katryn gestured behind them. “And that was the temple?”
“Yes. The Goddess’s temple. You’ll be mated there tomorrow morning. Any questions?”
“None just yet, but I’ll let you know.” Her mind was too tired to think at this point. She just wanted sleep. Days of sleep.
“Good.” Adriana led her through the manor again, introducing her to anyone they came upon. Katryn gave up trying to remember who was who after the tenth person. She was usually very good at names, but there were too many, and she was too tired to care.
They wound through long, stone hallways, passing dozens of doors and smaller hallways that led off in every imaginable direction. She would have to explore them all later.
Adriana pushed open a set of doors that revealed an enormous suite of rooms. Plush cushions were strewn about the floor, and a wide bed dominated the main room. Sheer silk hangings framed it. It was easily twice the size of her apartments on Vesperi. She shook her head. “It’s too large for just me.”
Her cousin frowned and looked around. “Well, after tomorrow it won’t be just you. Your mates will be here, too. I’m certain with two men in one place, this will soon seem too small.”
“They’ll be moving in here?” She arched an eyebrow. No man would move into his mate’s home on Vesperi. A woman went to her husband’s family after she was mated. Then Katryn’s discussions with Tarkesh came back to her. “Ah, yes. Family is based on the female line here. Any child I have will be a member of this matriarchy, so it doesn’t matter who fathers the babe.”
“See? Not so deficient after all.” Adriana’s laugh tinkled out like music, and Katryn couldn’t help but smile in response. Her aunt might be difficult to understand, but she very much liked her cousin. She walked forward to look into the sitting room and then wandered out to a bright terrace. One glance upward told her they used the same light shafts covered in ancient Earthan glass to light the canyons that were used in the palace of Vesperi. Moonlight shone through the glass, and the area would be both cool and sunny during the daytime. She smiled and reentered the bedroom to run her palm along the soft coverlet, noticing as she did so that her nails were caked with sand and dirt. Drawing back, she curled her hand into a ball.
“Where is the bathing room?” She had just realized what was missing. On Vesperi, she’d had her own pool to bathe in.
“Water is scarce on Harena. We have community bathing rooms. Most dragons have to use the public ones, but our manor has its own.”
“Well…at least I won’t have to walk far then.”
Adriana smiled and tilted her head. “You’re funny, Katryn. And your accent is unusual.”
“Not on Vesperi. I sound like everyone else. Werebears and merpeople are the ones who have odd accents.”
“There is an ambassador for the merpeople at the landing site, but I’ve never been allowed to go there and meet her.”
“Why?”
“Men are the ones who travel. It’s a woman’s duty to help see to the governing of her property and ensure the future of our people. Children are precious and rare here.”
“I see.” Only, she didn’t. How would traveling hurt the future of the people? Tarkesh had said there were renegade bands and other dangers inherent in desert travel, but only the men were expendable enough for travel? Her head throbbed, and her heart ached, remembering Tarkesh. Where was he now? Was he thinking about her? He’d looked upset when she’d been pulled away by her family. Why? Because she was mating to another? Because he cared? Her pulse jumped. Goddess, she wanted him with her. Her thighs tingled at the memory of his touch, her pussy dampening as she recalled the thrust of his hard cock within her. She shuddered, her heart pounding. Her nipples puckered into tight crests, and she folded her arms over them to hide them from her cousin’s sight.
Following in Adriana’s wake, she bit her tongue to keep from asking about Tarkesh. No one should know she had any interest in a man who wasn’t to be her mate. That was her secret to keep.
They entered a wide room with a huge pool in the middle. A small waterfall came out of the stone wall and fell into the pool, and then a stream led away from the other side of the pool. Adriana pointed to the stream. “That leads to the other bathing pools in the capital. The running water keeps them clean and fresh.”
Katryn nodded and wandered over to the pool to look in. It was deep and crystal clear all the way to the stone bottom. Small grooves were carved into the ledge of the pool, and bags of sweet-scented bathing sand rested in them. She hadn’t had a full bath since she’d left Vesperi. The ship had allowed only for short showers every other day. Sitting down, she tugged off her boots and dragged the scarves from around her neck. She stood up and stripped quickly to dive into the water. Goddess, it felt wonderful to be engulfed in the warm liquid. Spinning in the water, she swam to the far end and back again before she surfaced, laughing at the sheer joy of the sensation. She ran her fingers through her tangled hair.
Paddling to the side of the pool, she scooped up a handful of sweet sand and scrubbed it into her hair and over her body. She was too tired to linger, but she promised herself she would come back and enjoy herself some other time. The foaming bubbles of the sand slipped down her face, and she submerged herself to rinse before it stung her eyes. Bobbing back to the surface, she noticed her cousin had knelt beside the pool and settled so her legs were curled up next to her.
“You’re going to watch?” Katryn had no problem with nudity in front of others, but she’d never known a woman to watch another bathe unless they were in a sexual relationship together. Odd. The whole planet and its culture made little sense.
“I am your witness.” Adriana grinned. “All right, for the ritual to be complete, you need to dunk your head beneath the water three times.”
“Should I even ask why?”
Her cousin’s mouth opened and closed again. “You know, I don’t know why. That’s just how the ritual works.”
“Then I shouldn’t ask.”
She chuckled. “No, I suppose you shouldn’t.”
Katryn ducked under the water and resurfaced three times, feeling ridiculous the whole while. Why did she need to be clean to be mated? What stain was so hideous that she needed to wash it away? Strange, all of it. So foreign. Would she ever feel as though she was part of it, or would she always question why things were the way they were? She sighed and climbed out of the pool, shoving her hair out of her face.
Her cousin handed her a towel and a clean robe. “You can wear this until we get your things unpacked. And tomorrow you’ll wear your mating gown.”
“Mating gown?”
“Yes, you have to see it. I should have thought to show you as soon as we reached your chambers.” She led the way back to Katryn’s rooms, where the low table was set with steaming dishes of food. Katryn’s stomach rumbled as the smell reached her nose.
Laughing, her cousin waved her to the fat pillows placed around the table. “Sit. Eat. I will get the gown.”
She swirled back into the room holding a lavender gown a shade lighter than Katryn’s purple scales. It was sleeveless and would show off her arm scaling. Lacing up the sides tied the gown into one piece. It would show off all her scales, she realized. The floor-length skirt was slit up each side all the way to the lacings that ended at the waist. “How did you know where my scaling is?”
Adriana took the gown back to the closet she had retrieved it from. “You were born here. Yola knew where you were marked.”
“Oh. Yes. I forgot.” Reaching the capital had made the experience so surreal she lost track of the fact she could ever have been here before. She spooned up some of the delicious soup before her. She suspected the meat was Gila beast, but she was too hungry to stop and ask. She and her cousin ate in companionable silence, but she began to droop halfway through the last dish, her head nodding forward. Jerking awake, she saw Adriana rise from the table to scoop the dishes onto the tray.
“Get some sleep. I will see you in the morning.”
She reached out to catch the other woman’s arm. “Thank you, Adriana.”
“That’s what family is for, cousin.” She bent and kissed her forehead. “Pleasant dreams.”
Katryn curled up onto the wide bed, pulling the soft saltwater silk coverlet to her chin. Her body relaxed into the mattress. A wave of exhaustion rolled over her, dragged her under into deep, dreamless slumber. She felt as if no time had passed at all when Adriana shook her awake the next morning.
“Mmm. Just a few more moments.” She burrowed deeper into the covers.
“I’ve already let you sleep longer than I should have. Time to rise, cousin.”
“Oh, very well.” Katryn sighed and flopped over onto her back to grin at Adriana.
“Put on your robe, and we’ll go to the temple. Your gown is already there. We wouldn’t want it to get dusty in the street.”
“No, it’s much too pretty for that.” She sat up and reached for the robe she didn’t even remember taking off the night before. Throwing her legs over the edge of the bed, she stood. Dread knotted in her gut. Time to face Nadir and his mate, soon to be her mates. Oh, Goddess. This was a nightmare. She desperately wanted to see Tarkesh but feared how she would react if she did.
“We have time for a quick meal before we go.”
Her belly roiled in protest, and she shook her head. “No…no, thank you.”
Slipping her feet into a pair of waiting slippers, she fell into step with her cousin and wound back through the manor. She nodded to the smiling faces they passed. She couldn’t remember which ones she’d already been introduced to. Most likely, some simply knew who she was.
Relief raced through her at one familiar face she saw when they stepped into the square. The golden dragon, Baleel. A wide smile formed on her lips. He grinned back. Felicitations, Lady Katryn.
She wished it were a moment for felicity, but she nodded in acknowledgment as they walked past. Adriana hissed low in her throat, glaring at Baleel. He arched an eyebrow, let his smile widen as he looked her over thoroughly, and swept her a bow.
They entered the temple and walked through to the empty courtyard beyond. “Lord Baleel speaks very highly of you. He seems…quite taken with you.”
“That presumptuous son of a Gila beast,” Adriana sneered, her voice rising with indignation. “Do you know what he did? He spoke to Matriarch Yola and tried to negotiate for a mating ceremony with me. He didn’t ask me, didn’t speak to me about it. After the last time, he should know I…”
“The last time?” Katryn’s hand closed around the latch to the door that led to her preparation room.
“I’m sorry, cousin. I should not—”
“Tell me, please. I would love some distraction from my own affairs.” Like the fact that she’d finally managed to fall in love, and now she must mate with two other men. Goddess, help her. Her lips kicked up in a grin. She had picked up Tarkesh’s religious turn of phrase in the past days, she realized. “Goddess” seemed to fit here among these people. The weretigers would never settle for just one of anything if they could have many. She wished Tarkesh was here to talk to about the weretigers. He had always been interested in anything she had to tell him about them. She missed him so much, and it hadn’t even been an entire day since she’d seen him.
Her cousin picked up the lavender gown while Katryn shed her robe. “I—I was supposed to mate with another dragon last Turn, but he mated to another in secret three days before the ceremony was to take place. He mated to a woman he loved.”
“You must have been very angry. Did you love him?” she asked when her face emerged from the top of the gown after Adriana slipped it over her head.
The red dragon sighed. “I didn’t love him, and I wasn’t angry. I was…sad for myself. He has what I want. Love. Who doesn’t want love? But love is not the way of mating. Mating is for alliance, for the good of the matriarchies. Our families were shamed by his actions, and he and his mate have been cast out as renegades. He was a fool.”
“To mate for love?”
Katryn lifted her arms so her cousin could lace up the sides of her gown. It was a perfect fit. “No. To mate for love in secret. To make his mating a shameful act. If he had spoken to me, I would have let him go. I would have convinced Matriarch Yola it was for the best. She is not unfeeling, and I am not unsympathetic.”
“And how does this affect Lord Baleel?” Katryn sat in the chair Adriana motioned her into. Her cousin ran a brush through her hair and began to braid it in an intricate style.
When she glanced over her shoulder, Adriana flushed, but Katryn couldn’t tell if it was embarrassment or anger. “My shame was so public, so openly flaunted in my face, Matriarch Yola swore I may choose my own mate, that I may have a love match. Baleel tried to force my hand, to take my choice away. That I cannot forgive. There…you’re ready.”
Adriana stepped back, and Katryn caught her hand. She squeezed tight. “I’m sorry, cousin. I like Lord Baleel, but I’m sorry you were hurt.”
“Well, no matter.” Her small hands fluttered. “When you mate with Lord Nadir and Lord Tarkesh—”
Katryn jerked to her feet. She felt all the blood leech from her face, and she felt the top of her head tingle with cold. “Excuse me? I am mating with Tarkesh?”
Confusion showed on her cousin’s face. “Well, yes…I—I assumed you knew. You’ve…I could smell him on you last evening. Wait… Where are you going?”
Fury erupted in Katryn’s belly, blinding her. Tarkesh had lied to her. She didn’t even care why. He had let her suffer and worry by not telling her he was the other third of Nadir’s harim. Her fists bunched into tight knots. She wanted to pummel him until he felt even a shred of the pain she had in the past day when she’d thought she’d never see him again, never touch him again. Had it been part of a game between him and Nadir to make her love him? Shame twisted tight with bitter fury. She stormed from the room, intent on getting her answers from the only man who could answer them. Now.