Page 22 of No Ordinary Drakeling
Chapter 8
Ellery didn’t storm up to his bedroom, but he did consider it. Instead he walked sedately. Then as soon as he was in the guest space, he shoved off his shoes and divested himself of his dragon attire. He slipped into a pair of linen pants and matching tunic in unrelenting black. Learning that his mating ceremony wasn’t scheduled irritated him. His mother’s past was too heavy in his heart to simply take the news in stride.
Not willing to sit idly by while his life was decided for him, Ellery promised himself that if no further progress was made by the following night, he’d take Chrysander to task. The world didn’t even know Ellery existed yet and in elven culture, they’d already be past the bloodbinding and sharing a bed. He wouldn’t allow himself to be trapped inside this condo with no future set. Though it was finely appointed, the feeling of coldness Ellery had experienced when he first walked through the doors had only grown stronger.
Zane informed him the main floor wasn’t really for family but designed for events. They ate in the kitchen, then retreated upstairs when they were home, which was rare as Chrysander’s calendar was always packed. After that tidbit of information, Ellery got a crash course on how to use his phone which now rested on his nightstand. Determined to use his time wisely, Ellery snatched up the book for people new to the Council and climbed onto the bed to read it.
He was well into the first chapter which comprised the history of the Council when a shrill sound caused him to jump in fright. Looking around, Ellery found the screen of his cell lit up with his dragon trainer’s number. As he was taught, he swiped to accept the call and held it to his ear.
“Hello?” he asked warily.
“Hi, this is Jeremiah, is this Ellery?”
“Yes, Jeremiah. I am Ellery.”
“Wonderful, I’m so excited to work with you. I spoke with both Carter D’Vairedraconis and his king, Aleksander. I understand you’ve only recently discovered you’re a hybrid?”
Relaxing against the headboard, Ellery admitted talking into a black rectangle was strange, but he liked the friendliness of Jeremiah’s voice. “Yes and no. My mother told me I was a hybrid when I was ten, but she was not well, so I did not know if her information could be trusted. The Prism Wizard confirmed I was a drakeling yesterday.”
“I’m so sorry about your mom’s illness. Can I ask…do you feel an entity inside you at all?”
“I did begin to feel as I grew up that there was a presence inside of me.”
“Awesome, how does it make you feel?”
“Peaceful.”
“Ellery, we’re off to an excellent start. I’ll admit I’m fairly new to dragon training. I myself haven’t shifted, since I’m not a century old, but I spend a great deal of time talking to any duke who will take my calls, so I can learn everything there is to help out drakelings. The most important part of shifting is trust. You have to believe your beast is there to protect you, not harm you.”
Ellery smiled, though Jeremiah could not see it. “That is okay, I am new to being a shifter. I do trust him, and I have been watching the dragons. I want to fly.”
“Don’t get too excited, because I’m going to advise you to avoid that on your first shift.”
“I cannot fly?”
“No, here’s the deal. If something goes wrong, it’s going to be that first time or even the first few times when you and your dragon are getting to know one another. You don’t want to be hundreds of feet in the air when that happens. If either of you freaks, you want it to be on the ground.”
“That makes sense.”
“You’re a hybrid, so we’re going to ease into flying. I’d like you to make history, Ellery. I’m sure you’re going to hear a lot about how no mixed drakeling has ever survived, but I think if you’re in the right headspace, and you give your dragon the freedom to take over—to essentially give him ownership of half of you—then we can do this. I’m going to be with you every step of the way.”
“Thank you, Jeremiah. I appreciate that.”
“I’m putting together a list of ideas I think will help us succeed but I want your input too, so if you can think of methods on how to keep you and your dragon calm, I’m all ears. Though mine aren’t awesomely pointed like yours.”
“Right now, I am wondering how I can keep my dragon from wanting to fly. Will I have control over him?”
“I’m glad you shared that with me. If you’re afraid, then I think your dragon will sense it because he knows how badly you both want to soar. I mean, he’s been trapped inside of you for a century now. Let’s see if we can come up with a plan to keep you on the ground. How strong do you think your dragon is?”
Ellery closed his eyes and let the question flow down to his beast. What he got was a resounding reassurance that he was powerful, which made sense since he was an emperor. He’d learned black was considered the strongest of dragons and wondered if that was his color too. His dragon seemed to disagree as he tried to imagine himself with dark eyes. “Jeremiah, I feel the need to be truthful with you, but I must ask for your trust.”
“You’ve given me yours.…You definitely have mine.”
“Emperor Chrysander Draconis is my mate. The press release is supposed to be out soon to announce it,” Ellery said. He could not predict when his other half would actually get it done, but he didn’t add that part.
Jeremiah let out a sound of pure excitement. “Ellery, that’s awesome and super scary. Pressure’s on me to help you out, and I willnotfail you. Your dragon’s going to be strong, I think we’re going to have to come up with a way to tether his badass self down. What do you think?”
“It might be a good idea.”
