The drive to the museum was a short one, but the traffic was jam-packed.
The limo stopped on the curve by the red carpet that was surrounded by more media. Their flashes went off when Lucian climbed out first. They yelled questions about the claim to him and he answered it with poise, eliciting a few laughs too.
I sighed. I have so much to learn.
The king and queen had followed him and Dad, and I were last.
More questions were being yelled, especially about the revealing. My tongue twisted as I spoke, struggling to get the words out, which made Dad laugh and the media chuckled too.
“I guess I’ll have to see, as Blake keeps complaining that they never get it right,” I whispered that last part and the few reporters that heard me thought it was funny.
Dad answered a question about my grandpa, and how his dragon figure was finally going to be placed right next to him.
It was apparently an enormous deal to get your wax figure.
The walk to the entrance was murderous and there were so many people huddled in groups having a deep conversation with each other. Most of the men wore uniforms with so many medals attached to their jackets. Dad didn’t even own one, and he was a royal dragon.
My eyes skidded everywhere, and whenever they landed on a person, they would either nod or smile.
I did the same as we neared the sleek wooden bar where Blake’s parents waited. I craned my neck to see if I could find my dragon, but he was nowhere to be seen.
He better be here.
His parents looked like a million dollars. Sir Robert gelled his hair back, and he wore a crisp, black tux. His broad shoulders and tall frame made him look like James Bond.
Isabel wore an emerald green dress that was shorter in the front and cascaded down in the back. Her sequined stilettos shared the same color as her dress and she wore silver pearl drop earrings with a matching bracelet. They both looked so young and happy. I guessed both of them lived for these kinds of nights. It was sad thinking just how much they’d had to give up after the creepers.
Becky, Sammy and Vicky reached us.
“Holy fuck, Elena,” Vicky said, and won herself a slap against the boob.
“Royalty.” A hissing sound came from Becky as she glared at Vicky.
Vicky shrugged. “We share a room with one of them.”
Dad just stared at Vicky with a raised eyebrow. I thought she was hilarious and went in for a hug.
“My parents would’ve loved to be here, and to meet you. They can’t believe that I’m sharing a room with you,” Vicky said.
“I’m sorry that they couldn’t be here.”
“It’s okay. I don’t even know what my Mom’s human form looks like, but she was a huge fan of your parents.”
Becky came in for a hug. She looked stunning wearing a black little number with heels as high as mine. She made walking in them look easy.
“Elena, I would love to introduce you to my mom.” She motioned her mother to come, and the woman looked like her older sister. She was stunning, with long brown hair and beautiful doe eyes like Becky.
“Mom, Elena, Elena, my mother, Lucille.”
I took her hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs Johnson.”
“Oh, please, Lucille. I’m way too young to be called a Mrs.”
Becky immediately spoke about someone named Rosa, that is like her grandmother, but also their glorified help. That wasn’t a help and I really wanted to make it, but she had a bit of flue. I discovered she was Spanish and was a feisty dragon all in the short time of Becky’s explanation of why the other mother figure in her life couldn’t make it.
“I can’t wait to meet her.”
“I’m sure you will once you find time to come visit.”
“Visit?” Lucille touched her chest. “The princess of Paegeia.”
“Not the only one, Mom.”
Lucille closed her eyes and opened them. “You know what I mean.” She came closer to Becky and whispered, “A Malone.”
Becky gaped at her mother with enormous eyes. “Human, just like all of them, and she needs friends. Stop embarrassing me, woman.”
Delicate laughter rolled off me at their mother and daughter bickering and Lucille’s cheeks turned red.
“Stop chastising your mom. Be glad you have one.”
“Sorry.” Becky flinched.
“She would’ve loved you, Elena. I could only imagine what a dream it was that came true when she found out she was pregnant with you.”
“You knew her too.”
“My husband was on your father’s fleet. I’ve had a lot of high tea with her, complaining about how reckless our husbands were. She was the queen of all our hearts.”
The reporters went ballistic outside again, and a few seconds later, Arianna and her parents entered.
“All that money and she wears that?” Becky said with a raised eyebrow.
I looked past the photographer to see a similar black number to Becky’s clinging to Arianna’s body. This one barely covered the princess’s ass, but I had to admit she looked verautiful. She had the legs of a supermodel.
Then the host of the event called all of us forward.
“Where is your brother?” I asked Sammy.
“He didn’t come home for the weekend. I don’t know.”
Dammit.
Dad left his arm out for me and I took it as we walked on the red carpet leading toward the entrance.
Everyone gasped as they walked through two gigantic doors.
They had transformed the entire museum for this five-star event. A three-piece orchestra played soft music in the far corner as beautiful curtains covered several other exhibits. They had removed some from display to make space for tonight’s gala. They covered a couple of artifacts with red curtains and at the front, in between them all was a huge podium.
Right next to it was a podium with a microphone and more lights than I could count. In the opposite direction, six thrones stood on a second podium. Ice sculptures and balls crafted from what seemed like hundreds of flowers hung from the ceiling. For a moment, I forgot other people were in the museum too.
I followed Dad as he led me toward the thrones. “I don’t want to sit there.”
“Elena, you are royalty,” Dad said in a hush tone.
“Lucian doesn’t even get a throne.”
“He is sitting on the chair behind them, as is the princess of Areeth.”
“Then I want a chair behind you.”
“I’m not royalty. I can’t sit alone in the chair. Deep breath, you will be okay.”
He climbed the steps as I kept searching for Blake. Where the hell was he?
The chair was way too big, but very comfortable. I looked back and saw Emanual, Lucian and Arianna sitting on chairs. Lucian and Emanual kept whispering to each other, laughing softly while Arianna typed vigorously on her Cammy.
Dad introduced me to Queen Gabriella, which was Arianna’s mother. Her daughter got all her looks, but was stuck with her father’s nose.
“Nice meeting you, your highness.”
She smiled, but I could tell it was a fake one. I did not know what was with this family.
I looked back to the front. I couldn’t believe that Blake wasn’t here.
The lights dimmed and the ones closer to the podium heightened. The host took the microphone and welcomed us all.
I took out my Cammy and texted Blake. “Where R U?”
I waited for a reply, but none came as my foretelling jumped into my head again.
Stop. There was no mission. Tonight definitely wasn’t one.
The guests applauded, so I followed, even though I did not know what they said. Dad was getting up.
He was leaving now too?
I kept following him with my gaze.
He took the podium, and everyone applauded.
“It’s great to be back home. The past fifteen years that I lived behind the wall with the princess were a real downgrade to what I was used to, and I forgot how honored I was to be a royal dragon.
“The Malones entrusted me with their biggest prize, something they wanted for such a long time, and I’m honored to be part of the beautiful exhibits here today.
“King Louie would’ve been honored and very pleased with how the museum of Etan turned out. I can already hear him having an opinion or two about every exhibit.”
That pulled out some laughter from the crowd. Dad never spoke about his rider the way he had tonight.
“I miss him dearly, and thank you for this honor.” He bowed, and the audience applauded again.
The host took the microphone from Dad and announced Dad’s name. “Sir Lemuir.”
Oh, wow. Sir.
One curtain opened and Dad’s majestic dragon form with his human form stood side by side next to each other. The dragon was obviously bigger than the human. He had a brass plate and a golden robe in front of it.
The crowd applauded as my heart stammered slightly.
“Sorry, I’m late.” Blake spoke in a hush tone in my ear. I turned my head to look behind me as he sat on the fourth chair.
“You look stunning,” he mouthed, and the corner of my lips curved upward.
I showed him my heels with enormous eyes, and his shoulders bobbed from silent laughter.
The host went to the next exhibit, speaking about the Rubicon, how none of the world knew the Rubicon had a rider and that it honored him to be the one to reveal the new exhibition, and upgrade to the Rubicon with the princess of Etan.
My heart galloped behind my ribcage as Blake stood right next to me with his hand reaching out for mine. I grabbed it. “Don’t let me fall.”
I got up, and he did a body check.
“Blake?” the host called.
“Coming, we have a bit of a deadly contraption going on. The princess is in very high heels.”
Laughter elicited as I punched his shoulder with one hand as the other one clung to his arm, walking down the steps. He led me toward the podium and we walked up the stairs, ready to give a speech.
Blake was great at these sorts of things.
“It’s hard to follow someone like Sir Lemuir, but I’m going to try my best.”
Some of the crowd laughed as the media’s camera-lights bounced off the two of us.
“First, thank you for living.” He looked at me and my lips quirked. “And even though I hate the fittings, this one was quite special to have done it with the princess. I can’t imagine my life without her and I hope they molded my appreciation so that people of Paegeia could witness it for years and years to come. Thank you to everyone that was involved in this exhibition. Please, do not disappoint me.”
More laughter erupted as he said thank you and we stepped aside for the host to reveal our figures.
He knew how much I hated public speaking, could probably feel it in my sweaty palms that were still clutched inside his gigantic one, and probably heard it from the erratic beat in my heart, too.
Blake left out a soft growl as Duclin rushed up the steps.
He lifted his hand to the crowds, and the host did not know what to say as he stepped out of the way for the ancient to get to the microphone.
“What is he doing here?”
“I don’t know,” Blake said, watching him with eyebrows knitted.
“Good evening,” Duclin said and even the crowd had that disbelieving look on their faces as they stared at each other. “I’m sorry to announce, but the ancients have decided about the Rubicon and the princess.”
Gasps filled the air as my gaze flickered to Blake, who already grounded on his teeth with the way his muscles pounded.
“It wasn’t a simple decision, but with the proof that we have, we can’t grant the submission of the Rubicon during his claim.”
Everyone elicited the way they felt.
“There is simply just not enough proof that the princess does, in fact, belong to the Malones, so until further investigation, we will strip Elena Watkins from the Malone title.”
“This is horseshit,” Blake said through clenched teeth. “I went through the claim.”
“Blake, you will say anything to stay with this girl.”
“It’s the truth. Many saw her on the other side, helping to protect the princess.” Sir Robert walked closer. “He saved her life by gaining his snow.”
“We made our decision, Sir Robert. We will not reveal the exhibition tonight.”
He walked from the podium as everyone booed him and I could swear I saw a tinge of a smile curling up his lips as he passed us.
I couldn’t lose Blake. My hand grabbed his fragile arm, and he stopped. He stared at me.
“I saw my father when I ascended. He is your king.”
“Any person who remotely looks like him would say that. How do we even know you ascended?”
“Because time froze when he submitted. We told you all of this.”
“I’m sorry. Not enough evidence.”
“She has my abilities.”
“It’s the Crown tail’s ability. You showed us what we wanted to see.”
“No, I didn’t!” Blake said. “The snow—”
“I didn’t see it with my own eyes. This case is not up for a discussion.”
I couldn’t lose Blake. I would not lose him either.
“I am my father’s daughter and if you don’t believe me—”
“Elena!” Blake warned.
“Then ask the man who sired me yourself.”
