The (Not) Satisfied Dragon - Colette Rhodes Page 0,57

really,” Seff added confidently. “All the references to Council positions refer to the flight. I doubt there’s a dragon on this rock who would dare to say their gold wasn’t part of their flight.”

Some uneasy mutterings met his declaration. No, no one would say that. The gold wasn’t just part of the flight; she was the heart of the flight.

The womb of the flight, I thought wryly. The old Councilors may love their golds, but I was sure there were many who saw their worth in the sons they could provide rather than in their brains.

“This isn’t done,” another old dragon piped up, gritting his teeth.

His flight brother next to him stood and turned his attention solely on me, making all five of my mates bristle. “What is your name, young gold?”

Young. Gold. Honestly, how patronizing.

“My name is Shira, of Flight Galon,” I straightened my spine and squared my shoulders. “I am here because I want to be here. Because I have some strong ideas about how things should be done in our society and those ideas are no less valid than my mates’, just because I have something different to them in between my legs,” I said bluntly.

The old guys in front of me blanched like I’d just lifted my dress and given them a show. I barely even registered their shock, though. Ezra had turned to watch me speak and the look on his face rendered everyone else’s reaction irrelevant. He was smiling. It was an honest-to-gods grin that reminded me he’d once been a child and didn’t emerge from the womb as eight foot of scowling, unbearably handsome masculinity.

“Bold choice of argument to lead with,” Hiram breathed, sounding like he was struggling to contain a laugh.

“Young gold—”

“Shira,” I interjected before he could get into the swing of his rant. “I’m sure you’d prefer that I use your name, rather than the color of your dragon.” Not to mention the old I would definitely affix to the front of it. Old red, perhaps. He certainly had a fiery temper.

“Shira,” he amended, looking suitably embarrassed. “The Council is not the place for a gold. We talk about difficult things here. Violent things.” He paused dramatically, like I’d faint at the word violent. “Would you not rather be at home, near your mother? Siblings? With children of your own someday?”

Damn it, I had to murder my best case study for why I couldn’t just lounge around with my mother and siblings all day.

“Councilor,” Ilia interrupted. “If I may, Shira is the gold who was held captive by the fae, Glendower Castell. I imagine she’ll cope just fine with talk of violence.”

Blame the fae. That’ll work.

“I can assure you, Councilors, I will be fine.”

“Are there any other Enforcers putting themselves forward?” another male asked, frowning.

//That's Uri, the other Assembly member.// Even in my head, Seff's tone was reverent. We liked this guy, it seemed.

The surrounding enforcers were silent, looking curiously among themselves. Something was definitely amiss here, but without one of my mates remembering to explain it to me, I didn't have a hope of figuring out what it was.

“I find it fascinating that the only other flight running for the position is your son's, Nerio,” Ilia said wryly, making a show of looking around the outcrop. There was one flight hovering at the edge of the floor that didn't look like they had a role here.

“Flight Mentrus. My oldest son's flight. The males of his flight,” Nerio said smugly. It was impossible to miss the emphasis he put on males. He was about as subtle as a punch to the face. “My flight will back their nomination.”

“We will back our son's flight. Flight Galon. Every member of the flight,” Ilia said calmly, giving me a small smile. So far, he was my favorite of my new extended family. “And we will launch an investigation as to how only two flights ended up running for such a coveted role after you, Nerio, assured us you had the nomination process under control.”

“What does it matter? This is a farce now anyway,” the old dragon exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air and looking a little hysterical. “What are we supposed to do? They can’t very well challenge each other with a female at risk.”

“We cannot challenge them because we outnumber them,” Seff corrected him. “Six against five would hardly be a fair fight.”

Nerio laughed, and I'd never regretted throwing my obsidian blade in the river more.

“However,” Seff continued, ignoring the rude interruption.