Dragon Tamer
Chapter 25

“Ball?” I asked, standing in the middle of the empty hallway in dumbfounded shock.

She couldn’t be serious.

This wasn’t the end? I couldn’t just go home?

Jessie seemed to only glow brighter the more we talked about this supposed ball. “Of course, silly. No one told you?”

“No.” I had five little shits to kill when I got home. How could they have not told me there was a ball? “Do I have to be there? Like, isn’t it just to congratulate the prince for replaceing a dragon?” Or his inner dragon.

She peered back at me sympathetically. “He wouldn’t have found his partner without you. We’re celebrating both of your successes.”

Wonderful.

“There’s no way I can convince you to let me sneak out now, is there? If I leave now, I can get to Plum before dark.”

She pulled me closer to her side, wrapping her arms tight around one of mine. I couldn’t tell if it was out of excitement or if she thought this would stop me from running away. “You’re kidding! I get to dress you up again. It was so much fun last time! Besides, you’re great company.”

“What if I told you I didn’t have a dress?” There was no chance I’d be allowed to wear what I had on to a ball. . . was there?

The skip in her step only faulted for a moment before it regained its momentum, cheerier than ever. “Leave that up to me.”

We came to a stop in front of the room I’d stayed in last time. She opened it up for me. My things were already lain over the bed--not that I had much. I’d been expecting to stay the night and leave at first light at the most. I’d been excited to see how quickly we’d gotten here--at how quickly I could go home and put all this behind me.

Jessie guided me to the bathroom, suggesting I spend my sweet time in the bath. Aka: I reeked. Unsurprisingly, really. Aside from the light sponge bath Amelia had given me while she healed my scratches and bruises, I hadn’t bathed properly in days. I probably still had traces of Camden’s sweat on me.

She left me to clean myself up. By the time I was done in the bath, she had returned, knocking on the door. I answered in a bathrobe--and then I instantly wished I had more on to hide my scars.

I curtsied. “Your Majesty.”

Queen Bethany took in my scar-ridden legs with steely eyes before gracefully entering my room. She smiled at me as she sat on the divan at the end of the bed. “Good afternoon, Kali.”

Several servants stormed my room, holding all kinds of gowns off the ground. My eye caught a deep blue one, but I cleared my throat nervously and returned the queen’s smile. “What can I do for you, Your Majesty?” Though it was quite clear why she was here.

“Jessie told me you came unprepared for the ball tonight.” That was an understatement if I ever heard one.

“Um, yes, I did. My brothers thought it’d be funny if they didn’t explain what happened after Prince Camden’s Rite of Passage.”

She did something very unqueenly and rolled her eyes. “Boys can be such a pain sometimes, don’t you agree?”

“Most of the time, Your Majesty.”

She laughed. “I like you, Kali, you speak your mind. Now, I have come with dresses, you may pick one to wear tonight. I will have it tailored to fit you before the ball starts.”

“Umm. . .” Without thinking about whether it was fashionably sensible or if this was from the queen’s wardrobe or not, I pointed at the blue one that first caught my attention. It was a nice colour; if I was going to wear it for a night, that’s all that mattered. “Let’s go with that one.”

Queen Bethany clapped her hands twice; all the servants but the one holding the blue gown left promptly.

Jessie bumped my shoulder with a wink. “Good choice.”

The seamstress came in and took my measurements. It didn’t take her long at all then she was gone with the dress too.

The queen stood up. “I will leave you to get ready for the ball.” She stopped in the doorway and peered back at me, her expression open to worry. “Camden told me what happened to him and what you did to ensure he stayed safe and got better. Thank you for looking after my son, Kali. It will not be forgotten.”

Oh, I wouldn’t make any promises, I thought, but all I said was, “I was just doing my job, Your Majesty.”

She left, but I had a sense she knew that I was lying.

~~~

Jessie squealed in absolute delight once the dress was buttoned up and she saw me in the mirror. She clapped her hands excitedly, gushing over the deep colour on my skin. She loved how the strapless sweetheart corset framed my bust--not that it needed much help--and how the layered skirts billowed around me like blue ink.

Personally, I liked the fabric, it was matte, not shimmery like some of the dresses I could have picked. It was thick too, durable. And it looked bloody fantastic on my body.

Jessie ensured my eyes popped with silver-and-blue eyeshadow and gave me a dark red lipstick to match my tan. My dark brown hair was brushed and tamed, it already being curly enough to need nothing done to it. Jessie finished the look with a white diamond necklace and matching bracelets. I couldn’t believe it was me in the mirror, not some foreign princess visiting the Ackers.

“Are you sure this isn’t too much?” I asked Jessie. She’d told me countless times that this was plain compared to what some people would wear tonight, but it still felt a bit much to me. Maybe it was all the sparkly diamonds.

“You’ll be fine. Are you ready?”

“No, but I have to go, don’t I? How long do I have to stay before it’s a respectful time to leave?”

She sighed, lifting the skirts up as I stepped down from the stool. At least she let me wear my boots. The skirts were so long, no one would ever notice, and I was tall enough without heels for anyone to question it.

“You’ll have too much fun to be looking at the time. . . but three hours.”

"Three hours?”

Maybe someone will raid the party and it’ll have to be cut short--and I can beat the shit out of someone to take my anger out on instead of Jessie.

“I heard that,” she sassed, opening the doors for me. “Use your inside voice next time. Just relax, Kali. Have fun. Dance with handsome men, eat to your heart’s content. . .” She trailed off, knowing she didn’t need to say more after the mention of food.

She knows how to play your stomach.

I stole a deep breath then followed her out into the hallway. It’s just a party. Don’t think about it as saying goodbye to Cam. Get drunk, eat food, ogle young men. Leave in the morning.

“I can do this,” I told myself.

“Of course you can,” Jessie said matter-of-factly. “Stop fussing.”

The guards opened the door to the ballroom--and she pushed me in, ordering the guards to shut the door quickly so I couldn’t escape.

To save myself from acting like a fool and knocking the door down like I wanted to, I clenched my fists at my sides and turned to face the ballroom packed with people. They wore gaudy dresses and uptight hairdos; it appeared the higher the hair, the better the hair. Sure, if you wanted birds to nest in there. The men were at least a little more sensible in their attire, but they made up for it with their lewd gazes and roaming hands.

Apparently, they were too handsome to deny. . . if you liked old and creepy.

No one noticed my entrance. Thank the Gods. They were all too busy chatting or dancing. The room was lined with tables and chairs while the center was free to use as a dancefloor. My eyes instantly went to the buffet table on the other side of the room from me.

My stomach rumbled. It was what I needed to snap me out of my stupor. Eyes on the delicious, juicy roast basically calling me over, I skirted around the edge of the room, keeping to myself.

However, now that I was moving, I appeared to have attracted those old creepy men. One cornered me and bowed gallantly, clearly mistaking me for someone in this court; I doubt any man would look at me like that if he knew I tamed dragons for a living.

His blue eyes took me in way too slowly to be appropriate at any time unless it was in the bedroom. “What’s your name, sweetheart? I don’t believe I have had the pleasure in meeting you before.”

“Kal,” was all I gave him. I wanted my roast beef, damn it.

His left eye twitched, but the smile remained. “Kal. . .?”

“Dricino.” If he really wanted to know.

“I’ve never heard of you.” He seemed less interested now that I didn’t have a court name. “What were your parents thinking when they gave you a boy’s name?”

I crossed my arms with a glower that made most dragons bow in submission. “And what’s your name?

"

He swallowed, pulling on his collar for more air. “Merideth Winslow.”

“Merideth?” And he mocked me for having a boy’s name? “I knew a Merideth once. She was eaten by a flock of harpies. She wasn’t very bright and left the town boundaries after dark.”

A beat of silence.

“Oh look!” He pointed at no one in particular. “It’s Charles. I haven’t seen him in forever. You must forgive me. I have to go see him.”

“And you can tell all your friends about me too.” I flashed him an evil smile. Maybe I would have fun tonight--terrorizing randy old men.

A soft chuckle sounded behind me. I spun around, expecting Cam, but it wasn’t him--why should I have expected him? He was significantly younger than the last man I talked to, and more attractive with black hair and smouldering brown eyes. He offered a gentil smile and winked. “You’re merciless--and exactly how Cam described you.”

“Who are you?”

“Ronan Earlson, at your service, Miss Dricino.” He bowed, a hand on his heart.

I relaxed. “Oh, you’re Cam’s friend.”

He smiled pleasantly. “You heard about me?”

“He talked about you. A lot. I’d take him to mountain tops and he’d point to all the villages you two had fun in.”

He shook his head. “A lady wouldn’t call what Cam and I did fun.”

I stuck my chin up at him. Apparently, Camden hadn’t described me well enough if Ronan thought I was a lady. “Hunting monsters is fun to me.”

His smile grew, like he’d been expecting that response. “Ah, yes, Cam made no exaggerations about you. Would you care to dance?”

“I don’t know how to.” I made no pretense about being ashamed I couldn’t do such a ridiculous thing. “Why would you even want to dance with me?” Cam’s friend or not, most men would have run for the hills from me.

He blinked, apparently taken aback I’d ask such a question. “Why, Kali, because you’re very beautiful and Cam asked me to keep you out of trouble until he arrived, and I can see no better way to enjoy keeping you out of trouble than to dance with you. As for your lack of qualifications, I’m an excellent lead. Tonight, you’ll dance as if you’ve been doing it all you life.”

His words were very smooth, but there was only one thing he said that I paid any attention to. “Cam asked you to keep an eye on me?”

Here I’d thought he’d already forgotten me as soon as he’d walked off with the servants.

His eyes softened, the smile on his lips sympathetic. “He did.” Moistening his lips, he nodded over to the dance floor. “Come on, I only have so much patience and Cam promised me you were faster on your feet than this.”

“I’m the fastest.”

“Prove it.”

~~~

As it turned out, it was harder to prove how fast I was when I had to follow Ronan’s lead and we were dancing to a slow song. Aside from that, though, Ronan wasn’t bad company and dancing wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. We swept across the floor, smoothly and elegantly, like we’d been dancing our whole lives, as he promised. Several girls approached us between songs and tried to dance with him, but he always rejected them with far more grace than I would reject anyone. I saw it in his eyes how much he’d rather be dancing with someone else, though. He kept his hands respectfully on my back, but his eyes roamed a lady or two as we passed by, looking as hungry as I felt.

At some point my stomach couldn’t take it any longer. I stepped away from him. “I’m going to get some food.”

“I’ll come with you,” he responded instantly, dutifully.

I shook my head and pointed at one of the girls who’d been eyeing him for the last hour. “Go dance with her. I promise I won’t burn the castle down. I’ll be right there.” I gestured to the roast beef which had now diminished to half of its size.

He looked torn, glancing between me and the beautiful girl twirling her tawny hair at him. “Are you sure?”

“You’ve endured me long enough. Go have some fun, Ronan. If you get bored, you know where to replace me.”

He bowed, kissing my knuckles. “You are a treasure sent from Heaven, Kali. Don’t ever let Camden forget it.”

“Sure.” Anything to get him to stop saying things like that. He didn’t even mean them; he was just being nice to me because Cam had asked him to.

He left to dance with the girl, and I filled my plate with beef and potatoes. A table sat conveniently empty in the far corner of the room, hidden by the buffet. I enjoyed my food, memorizing all the flavours exploding in my mouth so I could give Kaden a somewhat accurate recipe when I got home.

The entrance to the ballroom opened, the music paused, and everyone stopped mid-conversation. A servant stepped into the room first, announcing the Acker family.

The king and queen strolled in, boring the Acker colours: red, gold, and black. I felt better about my dress after seeing the extravagance of the queen’s; gold and red silks flowed around her seamlessly as she strode beside her husband, crown bejeweled with black diamonds sparkling upon her head. The king looked equally fantastic in his billowing red cape and black-and-gold suit. In fact, all the princes wore black-and-gold suits, only Prince Eli wore gold lapells while the rest was black and Prince Quinnton wore an entirely gold suit with a black dress shirt underneath. Prince Liam’s suit was black with gold trimmings and Prince Alaric wore a black suit with a gold vest. Prince Camden wore the only suit with a pattern on it; it was black with a golden dragon stretched across the front in a series of swirls and whorls. He was heart stopping.

But that wasn’t why my stomach hit the floor. He’d brought a date--all the princes had--and she was absolutely gorgeous and loving every minute being on his arm.

It was never going to be you. I knew that, but it still stung to see him with someone else. It had when he was with Amber and Cadence, it didn’t change with this woman.

Having lost my appetite, I pushed my plate away; a servant quickly swept in and took it away.

The night had gotten a whole lot worse than I imagined it could ever get. It was one thing to drag out our goodbye over an entire night, now I had to watch some floozy giggle at everything he said.

The royal family made their way to the biggest table on the opposite end of the room from me. Good. It made it difficult to see him over the sea of bodies.

King Krona remained standing and made some big speech about his son’s success in the Randala Territory. He embellished it and made it sound like Camden had gone on a daring quest, one where his life could have tragically ended at any moment, and he’d fought valiantly against many monsters before replaceing his partner. Except, unlike his brothers, he discovered that his partner was within himself.

That stirred the crowd. No one knew what that meant, so the king told Camden to make a demonstration. The prince strolled over to the wide balcony doors, of which servants opened for him. Right in front of all the curious eyes of his court, he shifted into his dragon. One woman’s scream hovered over the various gasps that filled the room. His golden eyes scanned the crowd vigilantly for their reaction. Once he didn’t attack anyone--it appeared to be what everyone was waiting for--he fluttered his wings for show and curled up on the balcony for people to greet him and investigate his scales up close.

King Krona went on with his speech, saying that none of Camden’s achievements could have been made possible without me, which I doubted. Tallinn would have guided him just fine.

Ronan appeared at my side, tugging me to a stand. I jerked my arm free, remaining seated. “Leave me alone, Ronan.”

“King Krona has requested your presence. Stand, Kali.”

Great. Now it was my turn to be paraded.

Grumbling, I stood up so everyone knew it was me who had transformed Camden into the magnificent dragon they drooled over. Ronan pulled me to the balcony while everyone applauded and congratulated me. He had to shove me to stand next to Camden’s curled up form; his tail crept out from under his legs and circled around my feet, slowly corralling me next to his enormous head. His golden eyes were on me, ignoring everyone else petting him.

“I can’t believe you’re letting these people touch you,” I muttered to him. “I would have eaten them all by now.”

A couple standing near me looked at me in horror then slowly backed away with a quick apology aimed at their Dragon Prince.

A chuckle rumbled in the dragon’s chest. He grunted and pointed with his eyes at the silver circlet on the floor, as if to say “That’s why I’m the prince and you are not.”

I picked it up and hooked it on a smaller horn near the end of his snout. “You’re gonna need a bigger crown.”

His whole body vibrated, and he leaned his head into my side, rubbing up and down the length of my body.

“Hey, buddy, don’t ruin the dress. It’s not mine.”

He paused, eyes twinkling, then did the unthinkable and bit into my skirt and tore the bottom. I squeaked. “Your mom is going to have me executed! She has the power to do that, you know!”

He slipped more of the skirt in between his teeth and watched me carefully.

“Rip it again and I can easily turn into a dragon slayer.”

His teeth slowly closed around the fabric, still watching me, daring me to do something about it.

“I mean it, Cam.” I slapped one of his horns warningly.

“Cammie!”

The girl he’d entered the ballroom with shimmied through the crowd and stopped in front of his collossal head. Standing this close, she didn’t look as gorgeous as she had when I saw her across the room. Her dark blonde hair was curled like a poodle’s, face caked with makeup.

She completely ignored me, cupping his muzzle with both hands. “You’re amazing! I knew you were big, but now you’re big. I can’t wait to see what else has changed.” She winked at him, an attempt to be coy, but we all knew what she was talking about.

Deciding I should leave now before I kicked her teeth in, I patted the top of Camden’s head. “I’m going to call it a night. I have an early flight. I-I enjoyed working with you, Prince. Goodbye.”

It wasn’t exactly the goodbye I’d aimed for, but there were far too many people around for me to hug him, and his floozy clearly wanted him to shift back so she could get a sneak peek of what was to come.

His tail tightened around my feet, nearly tripping me, but I jumped over it easily enough with my boots and headed inside.

Suddenly it sounded like a roll of fabrics was being torn apart behind me and everyone gasped or screamed. I didn’t need to look over my shoulder to know Camden had just shifted back to his human form.

“Kali! Shit!” People stopped him, blatantly reminding him he had no clothes on. “Ronan!”

It wasn’t Ronan who hooked his arm around mine, though. Prince Alaric pulled me to the side before I could go to the door. “My brother’s talking to you, Kali.”

“I don’t care. Let me go, Alaric. Please.”

I couldn’t look up at him. He’d know I was about to cry. This wasn’t how any of this was supposed to go. All I wanted was to drop Camden off, hug him goodbye, and leave so I could deal with my pain at home. But no, this family insisted on stretching it out as long as possible, made me wear this ridiculous dress, and flaunted that stupid woman in front of me. All for what? Tradition? Screw tradition.

It must have been my tone, because Alaric released me and stepped back. He waved off his other brothers, before they got too close. His eyes swept over me with pity. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, “for whatever he did to you.”

“He didn’t do anything.” I was the stupid one. It was my fault I couldn’t stop myself from falling in love with him.

Swallowing back the tears, I slipped past him and out the door.