the next step, I think we need to release a statement or possibly allow an interview with a reputable news agency,” Rodrigo stated.
“And I know exactly who needs to be the face of the dragons.” Ravi lifted both hands, holding them so that the tips of his thumbs were touching like he was framing in a shot for a movie. In the center of the shot were Alric, with his rugged good looks and the silver touching the temples of his dark hair, and Cameron, looking like a Korean actor who’d just walked off set.
“Seriously?” Cameron asked.
Ravi glanced over at Rodrigo, who was scratching the stubble on his jaw, looking thoughtful. “It’s a good idea. Alric carries a proper air of authority and dignity, but together they appear friendly and welcoming.”
“It doesn’t hurt that they’re both beautiful,” Ravi added as he lowered his hands to his lap.
“And charming.”
“Ugh,” Cameron groaned.
“As king and consort, they would provide a united front and the image of a loving couple,” Rodrigo finished. He nodded and slapped his hands on his thighs. “It’s decided. You will represent all of dragonkind in an interview in front of the whole world.”
Cameron’s eyes narrowed on Rodrigo, and it was all Ravi could do to keep from laughing. “You had to put it like that. No pressure at all.”
“You’ll do great. You’re adorable and funny. The world will love you,” Ravi quickly said, which only earned him a dark look from his friend.
Alric quickly turned the conversation back to more important matters. “What should we discuss? Or, more importantly, what things should we avoid talking about?”
“Definitely don’t bring up that our numbers have so greatly dwindled. I don’t want humans to see us as a target,” Rodrigo immediately said.
“We should make it clear that we have no interest in human politics or human matters. We are content to keep to ourselves, as we have for hundreds of years,” Alric replied.
Cameron shoved a hand through his hair, pushing it off his forehead and away from his eyes and glasses. “No mention of the Jaeggi.”
“You know the humans are going to want to know why we’re making an appearance now.” Ravi winced. “You know, other than my mistaken movie debut.”
Cameron shrugged. “Well, first we state that it’s harder to hide now that everyone can take a video and share it with people around the world in an instant.”
Cameron wrinkled his nose at his own words, and Ravi had to agree—not the best answer.
“The romantic answer is you,” Alric murmured, and Cameron’s head whipped around to face his smiling mate. “After five hundred years of searching, I found you.”
There was no missing the way Cameron melted against his dragon.
“Silly romantic dragon,” he whispered. “That’s a damn good answer.”
“And other members of our clan found mates,” Ravi said, dropping his eyes to the carpet for a moment.
He hated the little pang of jealousy that rippled through his heart. He wasn’t as old as a lot of the unmated dragons in their clan, but it didn’t change the fact that he longed for a mate of his own. He wanted someone to look at him like he’d hung the moon.
“It’s a nice, romantic reason that humans will eat up. They might not all believe it, but it’s a good, safe starting place for us,” Rodrigo agreed. “Who should we allow to conduct the interview?”
Ravi’s arm immediately shot up like he was trying to get a teacher to call on him in class. “ELLEN! ELLEN! We need to get Ellen!”
“Oh, I love Ellen,” Cameron moaned. “She’s so awesome and funny and sweet. She wouldn’t ask us any mean or super-hard questions.”
Rodrigo frowned. “I like her, too, but shouldn’t we get one of those serious news journalists?”
“I doubt that we’ll be able to keep this to just one interview,” Alric replied. “We will probably need to make a list of our top choices and work through those. What about our search for mages? Would it be dangerous for them if we say that we’re looking for them?”
Cameron touched Alric’s chest, drawing his gaze back to his face. “I think we could say that dragons are coming out into the world because they’ve discovered that they’re not the only magical beings left. That mages are still out there and we’re trying to find each other.”
“But how? It’s not like we want to drop the address to Burkhard Castle on TV or hand out Alric’s cell number,” Ravi said.