this the dragon your mother was telling us about?” Queen Diya asked.
She was in a traditional sari, black hair done up in a loose twist, her heart-shaped face alight with avid curiosity. She abandoned her husband and came over to stand next to the tiny Queen Anawarkhi, their shoulders touching.
“Isn’t he absolutely adorable, Ana?”
“He is, but then I think all wind dragons are adorable,” Queen Anawarkhi commented. Her smile was a bright contrast to her ebony skin, expression alight with mischief.
King Roca cleared his throat loudly. “Really, my heart?”
Queen Anawarkhi waved a hand at him. “Enough, my jealous Roca. You know you are my knight.”
Sora wasn’t sure whose face was redder, his or Ravi’s. And this was only the start of things.
The dragon royalty also had six dragons accompanying them as bodyguards. Twelve dragons and mages in all made a hefty crowd to maneuver through the airport toward baggage claim.
“Ravi, have you been on one of those flying death traps recently?” his dad grumbled as they waited on their bags.
Sora groaned, but Ravi grinned at the old mage. “A few times in the past several years. I mostly prefer to fly myself. It’s usually faster that way. Why do you ask?”
“They served us this—this thing they called a meal—”
“Definitely not a meal,” King Chalo tossed in. His voice was little more than a low grumble, like massive boulders grinding against each other. “Not enough food to qualify as a meal. Maybe a snack.”
“Yes, and it tasted like cardboard,” King Roca called out.
“Once we get loaded into the cars, it’s less than two hours to Sonthofen and Burkhard Castle,” Sora explained. “I know King Alric has rooms prepared and a welcoming banquet.”
“Two hours,” King Roca repeated with something that sounded suspiciously like a pathetic pout.
“However…” Ravi had his phone up and was typing away. “There is a cute little restaurant that Cassie has located. Just outside Munich. Specializes in soups and sandwiches. We can grab a quick bite to tide everyone over until we reach the castle.”
His mother placed her hand on Ravi’s arm, pulling his gaze up to her face. “Please don’t let these grumpy dragons and my mate disrupt your schedule.”
“Nope. Not a problem. I’ve already texted King Alric and explained that we’re going to be delayed about ninety minutes while we grab a bite to help give us the strength to finish the last leg of your journey. He will completely understand. Everything is under control.”
Sora could only watch in awe as Ravi worked. With a practiced ease and jovial disposition, the smaller man flitted between Sora’s parents, the two kings, their mates, and even the bodyguards, making sure everyone had their bags, the rental SUVs had been acquired, the bags were loaded, and everyone was settled. The wind dragon even winked at him as he dropped behind the wheel of the Burkhard SUV and set off for the restaurant.
“You act like you’ve done this all before,” Sora said quietly as his parents chatted with the bodyguards who’d been assigned to their vehicle.
Ravi maneuvered the massive black SUV away from the airport with ease. “What do you mean?”
“You didn’t even blink when they started talking about food. And how did you even get them to move out of baggage claim as a group? It’s like trying to keep a dozen cats moving in the same direction. When we finally got outside, I thought King Chalo was going to lie down in that grassy area, but you kept him moving.”
Ravi threw his head back and laughed. “I feel like I’ve been watching over Hoheit my entire life. And when King Rodrigo came to see us for the first time, I was around to help with the Valerii Clan.”
“You think King Alric and King Rodrigo are a lot like this group?”
“Totally.”
Sora chewed on his bottom lip for a second. He really couldn’t see it. He’d not spent much time with King Alric, yet. Another laugh from Ravi drew him from his thoughts.
“In my experience, kings are always preoccupied with big ideas and problems for the clan. They don’t think about things like eating and sleeping. Until Cameron came along, I had to regularly place food in front of Alric to remind him to eat.”
A smile toyed with Sora’s lips. “And if he says he’s hungry?”
“Feed him. Feed him quickly. No one wants to deal with a hungry, grumpy dragon king.”
Sora chortled and shook his head. In the rearview mirror, he caught a glimpse of his mother’s knowing grin, but he