Politics. Ugh. Even when he was king of Mersarth and all dragons, he would forever hate the red tape and tiresome obligations that came with power.
His father yelled at the king of the cats, his eyes glowing red with the threat of unleashing his inner dragon. Though the five kings rarely met all at once, they argued any time they did, even now after being so humbled before Tina. As a child, it had scared him to see so many powerful men at each other’s throats. As an adult, however, it had become the most obnoxious thing in the room.
Best to just let it fizzle out.
After a few more minutes of incoherent arguing, the demigod prince Flynn jumped onto the platform and raised his hands. “Enough! Enough, all of you. Damara has spoken, and she has made her desires plain. Unless one of your great kings wants to test her resolve, the contest is plain. Though I have to ask, King James, which of your sons will compete?”.”
Draven rolled his eyes. He could always count on Flynn to try to control the situation and anyone nearby. It would be admirable if it wasn’t so boring.
King James of the eagles snorted. “I thought you were smarter than that, demigod. It’s obvious that Killian will represent the eagles. He isn’t married, and each of us wants powerful grandchildren.”
Unfazed, Flynn jumped off the platform as the men slowly formed a circle below the throne. “It occurred to me, but I assumed your obedient little son was betrothed before he was born. That’s what you expect your eagles to do, isn’t it? Obey blindly?”
Draven chuckled at the demigod’s snark. The eagles were prone to pride and vanity, and it was almost too easy to get under their skin. Flynn was just trying to ruffle their feathers and seeing the eagle king bristle was always a treat. In another life, Draven might have been friends with the demigod prince, but there were no friends here.
Though King James fumed at the insult, his son Killian merely smirked. “Hardly, Flynn. We protect what’s ours, and Tina’s mine. I’ll slay any beast that comes between me and the goddess.”
With that, the eagle prince looked sharply at Draven. He inwardly seethed at the bitter reminder of the honor-bound eagle knights finding any excuse to slay his dragon ancestors. It might have been centuries ago, but the wound on his people was still fresh.
“You all disgust me.” Anthony’s calm demeanor shifted, and he crinkled his nose in revulsion. Without another word, the wolf prince strode from the room despite the muffled protests from his father. King William scowled after his son but to no avail. After a moment of fuming, he chased after Anthony and disappeared into the hall.
Draven frowned as he watched the wolves retreat. He and the other princes had grown up at the same time, raised from birth to despise each other, and he knew their personalities better than most. So, he knew that Anthony was a lone wolf, a soldier who had few allies in this world and few romantic conquests, and yet he seemed to have some sort of connection to Tina.
Of the princes, Anthony had just become Draven’s biggest competitor.
King Frederick of the demigods gave Draven a once-over. “And what about you, boy? I suspect you’ll be too distracted chasing every skirt in the temple to have any chance of winning.”
“At least someone here is experienced enough to please a fertility goddess,” Draven said with a wink.
Draven’s father adjusted his tie, chin lifted in disdain. “Nothing more can come from standing around and bickering like hens. Come, Draven.”
Without another word, Draven followed his father from the throne room. Once they were out of reach, he knew the dragon king would begin to discuss strategy, how to find her desires, play to her strengths, make her feel wanted. All tricks Draven knew.
For Tina, though, he wanted to do more than merely charm her. He wanted to win her. To earn her. Her heart. Her loyalty. And yes, her bed.
Draven cast one more cursory look over his shoulder at the assembled men. The kings once more began to bicker, and the princes rolled their eyes. As the argument began, however, Zane slowly snuck away from the rest and disappeared through a door in the wall Draven hadn’t previously noticed.
Draven smirked at the studious tiger shifter’s ambition. Zane’s nerdy obsession with books and chemistry sets left him at the bottom of the running, and Draven barely considered the cat kingdom as a threat in their little race. However, Zane was up to something, and sooner or later, Draven would find out what it was.
The game had begun, and Draven didn’t play by the rules.
11
Tina
Back in her room, Tina threw a lamp against the wall. Glass shattered and clanged against the ground beside the remnants of a dresser. Fuming with revulsion at the kings, she searched for something else to throw. Fueled by rage, she didn’t care what she destroyed.
Mature? No. Cathartic? Yes.
“What assholes!” She grabbed a vase and threw it out the window, envisioning the eagle king’s face as she did. A second later, she heard the distant plunk of something heavy dropping into a body of water.
Exhausted from the drain of Damara’s magic flooding her body, Tina finally slouched against a wall and rubbed her eyes. The anger slowly seeped from her limbs until she could barely stand.
“No,” she said under her breath. She took a deep, steadying breath as she stared out over the beautiful sunset.
Tina squared her shoulders. It was time to get serious. Until she could access Damara’s magic effortlessly, she needed a backup escape plan in case any of the kings figured out she wasn’t in full control just yet.
Thankfully, Tina had Amy, resources, and contacts. The temple had incredible wealth, and it wouldn’t be hard to get a passport. She tapped her finger on her cheek, mind racing as she thought up a plan. First, she had to find a phone.
Her eyes drifted to the bed. Tired as she was from jet lag and her rather exciting new life so far, her thoughts rattled around in her brain so quickly that she knew she wouldn’t get to sleep for hours. No point tossing and turning for ages. She might as well take a walk and think things over.
She threw open the door and meandered down the hallway, her feet taking her down the only path she knew. As she headed for the gardens, she set her hands on her hips and tapped one finger thoughtfully on her cheek.
Soon, five princes would be vying for her attention. The wild child within her loved the idea, consequences and death threats be damned. She was already attracted to Anthony and Flynn, while Draven’s raw sexual power intrigued her as well. However, each of the princes most likely wanted something from her. She would have to be smart and find a way to see through any of their bullshit.
As she turned down another hallway, Tina sifted through her memory and recalled each handsome face. Anthony, a werewolf who had protected her from the day they met. Flynn, a demigod with the body of a Greek hero. Draven, a dragon with a seductive smirk that could melt panties. Killian, an eagle shifter who she knew nothing about. And last but not least, Zane, the quiet cat shifter with goofy charm.
Five sexy men, all hers. If nothing else, this contest would at least be fun.
The hair on her neck stood on end, and she paused midstride at the sensation of eyes on her back. “What do you want?” she shouted at the hallway, arms crossed. She stood taller, disgusted that these men couldn’t get it through their heads that she was in charge here.
The setting sun cast long shadows in the hallway, and a silhouette shifted his weight in the darkest corner. Seconds later, a young man stepped into the light. Zane, the cat shifter prince. She had expected Anthony or maybe Draven, and Zane seemed the least likely to break her rules. And yet, here he was, impeding on her time alone.
His ruffled hair had lost its neat part entirely, and he had ditched the suit coat at some point. The sleeves on his pale blue shirt had been rolled to the elbow, and he slipped his hands into his pockets as he caught her eye. “Hey, Christina.”
“It’s Tina,” she corrected.