Page 90 of Always Say Yes to a Dragon

“I’m sorry about my family. They’re…”nagging, rude assholes.“A lot,” I finished. “I only visit a few times a year.”

21

Elle

“Idon’t blame you.” If I were Az, I wouldn’t visit often, either. Even I understood that they’d insulted him in their gift exchange. I cuddled into his side, offering him silent reassurance.

Competitive gift-giving was going to give me a panic attack at some point, but that, back there with his parents? That had made me want to vomit.

He pulled me through the massive dining room, which was lavishly decorated with gilt, paintings, and statues hidden in alcoves. Oddly, unlike our bedroom and some of the other, smaller rooms, no chandeliers hung from the high ceilings.

My eyes widened, taking in everything. “How many people did you say were coming again?” I asked, gripping his hand.

“Just the six of us. Why?”

“It’s such a large room for so few people.” It could easily fit a hundred people. In the center sat a fifteen-foot-long table, laden with food.

He glanced around, squinting. “Sometimes we like to take our four-legged form after dinner.”

I ran my hand down the length of the garnet chain on my necklace.Right. Their four-legged form.Drinks had been bad enough, withall the complicated undercurrents I couldn’t decipher. Adding fifteen-foot-tall forms on top of that sounded like a recipe for disaster.

“Cool. Great.” I sipped the drink that had appeared next to me while we were talking to his parents. It was delicious. Of course it was.

Az nudged me toward a dragon-sized chair, pulled it out for me, and I hopped up. My feet dangled above the floor. My eyes focused in front of me long enough to see a little gilded name card withEleanor Millerprinted on it.

Assigned seats. Obviously Az’s parents were super controlling on top of being huge assholes. At least Az and I were sitting next to each other. Udar settled into his chair at the foot of the table, at my right.

Across from me, Rasonu leaned back, wings spread out, and I understood why the table was so large. Both she and Tika, who was seated to her right, could spread their wings without smacking into each other.

The low lights in the dining room glittered off everyone’s clothing. I’d initially worried that my silk dress and jewelry would be excessive for a family dinner, but I should have known better after spending weeks with Az and his embroidered, bedazzled wardrobe.

With a furtive look at Udar, who was deep in conversation with Rasonu, Az leaned over and whispered in my ear, “Why didn’t you tell me you didn’t finish school?”

“Because it’s not important.” I’d had a decade since dropping out to figure something else out.

“Of course it is.”

“How?” I asked.

Udar’s eyes darted in our direction, and I lowered my voice another notch. “I don’t use my degree for work, andyou’rethe one always going on about how once we’re mated I won’t have to work, anyway.”

He jerked back. “But education is important for its own sake. Only learning what you need forworkis barbaric.”

“That’s fine for a dragon, but humans have to work to pay for things like food and shelter. I don’t even know if I want to go back, anyway.” It wasn’t like I wanted to sit around discussing philosophy or literature these days. I’d enjoyed it, but that was nineteen-year-old Elle’s dream, not thirty-one-year-old Elle.

These last few weeks were the first time in years I’d been able to think about more than getting through the day. Tomorrow still loomed large and murky.

My forehead wrinkled as I recalled some of what his family had said. “I mean, it sounds like you left school as soon as you could, too.” They’d been unrelentingly mean about it.

Az’s whole body tightened. “Regardless, if you want to pursue a degree or three, I wouldn’t stop you.”

“Ah, Elle, you know my brother so well. Humans reallyareas observant as I’ve heard. Az here barely passed basic knowledge-sniffing and hasn’t cracked a book since.” Udar’s grin turned predatory. “But an English degree is all about books, right? So you must like them.”

Az tensed under my fingers, and I didn’t need to look at him to know he was glaring at his brother.

“I like books, but there’s more to life than reading.” I sent him a glare. Az was obviously upset, and Udar was stirring the pot.

Udar gave me one of those wide, toothy dragon grins, and I remembered how much every dragon I’d ever met praised any hint of spine. I wondered if I’d just made a horrible mistake by pushing back. Udar was already far too interested in me.

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