Three days.
That all I had left when Bee, Maitson, and Monty arrived together in the back car up the gravel path.
I was already there, just having practiced the dance with Barebone again who stalked the skies warily.
I saw each of the men look upwards as they exited the car and waited to approach me.
I didn't know what to do. I was tossing between staying or leaving when Barebone shot a blast of water at Monty who stepped from the line.
"Careful, Scala" Barebone warned, still circling.
"There's nothing to be afraid of" Bee soothed as he held his hands up and turns around in a slow circle "we come unarmed."
Maitson did the same and eventually Monty who whinged about being soaked in his nice suit.
"It's the day to pick your mate, Scala."
This got my attention and I stopped looking for a way out. Even Barebone dropped down to land on the balcony so he could keep a close eye as I approached the line warily.
"And you say she isn't already mated?" Maitson peered at Barebone "she's dancing with the river dragon."
"It's not what it looks like" Bee reassured him "I've seen it myself; he's teaching her. He's going to be a bit protective over her since we aren't far from the start of the season."
I didn't mind having Barebone lingering. Even with him choosing to be so close to where Clay and Russet would be, I felt safe.
He wouldn't hurt those children. His own mistrust of humans kept him from them anyway.
"Scala" Bee smiled up at me as he stretched his hand out "we have five for you to pick from today, OK?"
"They're all in pristine condition" Maitson nodded as he withdrew a stack of photographs from his inner jacket pocket "untouched and ready."
He laid the photos out before me, each one marked over the eyes in a unbroken line.
They were all shapeshifted. Each human male stared blankly up at me without a touch of emotion on thier faces. The photos only showed thier busts that had no clothing concealing them.
"First one" Bee touched the photo of a pale man with blonde hair "he is twenty-three and is athletic. He enjoys music and has a hobby of displaying insects. His con is that he is afraid of water."
"Sounds like a wimp" Barebone commented.
I looked to Bee blankly and Maitson pushed him from the others.
"Second one" he touched the photo of a dark man with golden hair "he is nineteen and is laid back. He's artistic and likes adventuring. His con is that he can come across as arrogant when confronted."
"Sounds like a stubborn mule" Barebone scoffed.
"Are you going to drive off every one here?" I snapped up to him "this is my decision, not yours."
"I'm just helping with the right decison" he replied.
I turned my nose up at Barebone before touching it to the photo.
Barebone groaned at my choice that was slid back.
"Third one" Bee spoke with a smile now to the pale man with black hair "he is twenty-one and adventurous. He likes dancing and flower-weaving. His con is that he is afraid of heights."
I waited for Barebone's comment. He kept quiet until I bent my neck towards the photo.
"What's he going to do? He can't even fly without being frightened!"
There it was.
"He sounds like a kind soul" I snapped back "if you aren't going to help, go back to your river."
He shook himself off but didn't move. I wasn't in the mood for his continuous scrutiny over my choices. It was making me bubble with rage just thinking about what problem he would have with the next suitor.
Instead of waiting for Barebone to act, I did. I pushed all my fury into the fire boiling upwards and shot it towards him to make him retaliate with a jet of water. The fire sizzled against it when both streams met, and the scalding water rained over the balcony.
Barebone arched to the sky without another word and let out a screech as he headed home.
I huffed at his defiance and stabbed my snout to the photo that was slowly pulled back.
"Looks like we have some competition" Maitson mumbled nervously.
"Will it be safe for whoever she picks?" Monty piped up to the others "I'd hate for him to be met with that on his first day here."
"Don't worry about him" I said with an impatient tap of my claw on the fourth "what about this one?"
"Ah, fourth one" Bee collected himself and cleared his throat so he could tap a tanned boy with brown hair "he's sixteen and..."
"Too young" I huffed and slid him over to the other immediently.
I needed someone that still wasn't figuring out themselves or that would threaten to destroy my first chance. Someone barely of breeding age could not offer me that.
"At least give the boy a chance" Maitson chuckled and pulled the photograph back before me.
I glared at Bee who looked down at it nervously
"He's sixteen..." he began again to the roll of my eyes "...and laid back. He likes diving and has an unusual hobby of collecting bones. His con is that he can come across as niave."
"Because he is" I scowled at Maitson as I shoved it aside again.
"Last one" Bee smirked at the shocked man while taping the photo of the dark man with black hair "he is twenty-three and is daring. He enjoys fire breathing and carving. He also shares the same passion of bone bleaching and decoration. His con is that he can be intimidated easily since he was attacked."
"I like him" I nodded and pushed him upwards.
"We have three" Monty smiled and reached over to pick them up before shuffling them and handing one to Bee and another to Maitson "which will it be?"
I studied Bee's first. It was the dark man with golden hair I had chosen to spite Barebone. I did like his thirst for adventure but not his arrogant streak. It could create problems during brooding if he took Barebone to be a threat. I didn't want to draw that sort of danger to my babies.
I turned from him.
The one Maitson held was my most recent choice of the dark man with black hair. He certaintly was compatible with his love of fire breathing, and I was intrigued by his art of bone decoration. The fact that he was attacked made no difference to me. If anything, it only made me drawn to him more.
I decided to come back to him later.
The last was the pale man with black hair who liked flower weaving. The fact he loved dancing so much had me excited to show him what I had just learned. He sounded like a kind dragon whose delicate art would compliment my nest perfectly.
Someone of his species to be afraid of heights was a little odd. It did make me doubt him in favour of the bone carver I looked back to.
"Which one, Scala?" Maitson pushed hopefully.
As much as i loved the bone decorator, the flower weaver was a safer option. I knew there would be no troubles whatsoever with soft flowers and dancing compared to sharp bones and fire breathing.
I shoved against Monty to make him chuckle.
"Who knew?" he peered down at the photo himself "the boy who plays with daisies won out."
I liked the sound of him. I couldn't wait to meet my mate and raise our future together.
He already had such a convincing human form too. He was talented in many ways from the sounds of it.
Barebone would be pleased I hadn't chosen the arrogant one when I went to gloat later. He might even like this male.
"Let's go tell him the good news and get him prepared then" Bee instructed as he collected all the photos "good choice, Scala."
I grinned back at him and puffed out my chest like Barebone would to make him laugh. He reached up to pat my head once more as the others climbed back into the car.
"Practise your human form. You'll meet him like that for the ceremony that will be held. It'll be a public spectacle, so you need to look the part. We want it to run smoothly so you can get to the rest of it."
Get to the rest of it. I had to snort at how embarrassed Bee was to mention my plans for my new mate. It was comical and lifted my spirits.
"I'll come and check on your progress tommorow" Bee lifted his hand from me "tonight, I want you to eat with the children. I've already let the staff know you're to be expected; as a human, of course."
My heart skipped a beat as I glanced to the balcony with excitement.
I was actually going to be with them. I was going to be able to eat with those children and join them as an equal. I was going to be accepted!
I let out a shout and leapt to the skies to celebrate with a round of gleeful acrobatics Bee watched as he returned to the car.
"Enjoy, Scala!" he called out when it drove away "you've made someone very happy!"
I felt like I could burst with the amount of happiness bubbling through me. I had a mate, I had everything required for a successful brood, and I was going to start living a good life amongst the children I guarded.
Nothing could be better than that. Nothing.
I was heading straight down the hallway from my room when night fell. I had been circling my room all day to practice walking more confidently on flat ground. Jumping was still a work in progress and running only tripped me up.
But I could still walk quickly. It was basically like running.
The mansion itself was a georgous maze. The walls were rough with paper plastered over them in light yellow stripes. Pictures of landscapes and people were trapped in frames of gold that looked like an artwork themselves.
I kept my hand tracking the wall when I walked so I had support. I only hesitated when the hall came to another one that crossed to the right and left with many doors branching from it.
Blindly, I chose the right. I kept to the wall, passing carers who watched me strut by before chattering.
It felt good to be human. I was even gaining attention wherever I went too, which only inflated my ego.
It was most likely due to my scaley appearance. I still couldn't hide them, no matter how hard I focused.
But I could walk! That in itself was a huge achievement. It was still a little wobbly every now and then, but I wasn't falling over like before.
I saw a carer leave a room ahead and close the double doors behind him. He went to walk in my direction until he spotted me and averted his eyes upwards to my face.
"We've been expecting you, Miss Scala" he bowed "I was about to fetch you."
"No need" I straightened up and pushed off the wall to try and stand unsupported, wobbling "I'm here."
He frowned at me but swept a confident arm to the doors he had just closed.
"Right this way."
I followed, rushing over to cling to the door when I had to cross the hall. I smiled at the concerned carer then saw the distance I would have to walk to reach the table where Russet and Clay already were seated.
I couldn't follow the walls around since they stretched way too far. I would have to risk it.
"After you" the carer swept his arm again.
I took a deep breath as I let go and wobbled my way to the table. I held my head up high, despite faltering a few more times before finally collapsing into the chair at the end of the table closest to the children.
They both gawked at me sitting there. I smiled back and played with the silver laid out on either side of an empty stack of plates underneath an empty bowl.
Were we eating nothing?
Clay cleared his throat when I picked up the bowl to look under it.
"Scala" he whispered, keeping his eyes on the table "you are naked."
I looked back at him and placed the bowl down to stare at my bare breasts hanging there.
Humans took such an offense to something all females had. Was it a thing they only showed thier mates? Barebone seemed to be quite offput about them too.
Strange.
Clay motioned for a carer who rushed off at his whispered request. When he returned, I was being draped in a wooly throw that comforted my skin.
"You need to wear clothes when you are human" Clay said when I snuggled into the material.
"Naykid bwad" Russet added with a knowing smile and snicker.
"Are these trades?" I ignored him and picked up the silver to inspect it closely "I only do crystals."
Everyone else had the same ones beside them.
Were these to trade for food? Just like when I had traded for that horsey.
I understood now.
Carers returned to carry out a large pot and place it on the table. While that was being organised, another picked up the bowls to fill them with liquid from the pot.
Nobody ate until mine was filled. I stared down at it and felt my stomach growling at the sight.
"Thank you for the food" Clay and Russet smiled while I just pushed one of the silver pieces forwards to make the trade so I could eat.
This damn stubby neck couldn't reach the bowl, and I didn't feel stable enough to hold it while I ate. I spread both hands out on the table and planted them there before resting my breasts on the surface so I could reach and gobble up the food.
It was an odd consistency. The whole thing was warm like the fire within me but crowded with chunks of meat and vegetables. I snapped up the soft vegetables first before moving to the meat.
Russet laughed while I ate. Even Clay was smirking when I threw my head back to help the meat slide down, liquid dripping from my face.
I saw him eating with the silver but didn't stop to try it myself. I was eager for the warm meal that filled me. I didn't have to hunt for it myself or be chased out for offering to share. I could have all this to myself.
"Another?" Clay chuckled when I slid the empty bowl towards him roughly and watched every movement when he filled it himself and sat it back down for me.
"It's really good" I choked out when I bit down on the meat "like, the best thing I've ever eaten, good."
"Let's try to use manners" Clay bought up the silver to spear a vegetable and blow on it.
I wiped my face on the throw and snatched up the odd pronged looking piece.
"Fwork" Russet held hers up to me.
I stabbed the meat and held it up like Russet, arm fully extended outwards.
"Blow" Clay coached and exhaled on the meat a few times so he could place it in his mouth.
I frowned at the fork and brought it closer so I could blow on it. Flames licked the meat briefly when I ripped it off with my teeth and chewed it.
Clay was onto something here. The meat tasted a lot better when it was freshly roasted again.
I was learning so much.
The dinner with the children went rather well. I got to eat the liquid meal they called stew until I couldn't anymore. And when we were done and everyone had thier areas cleaned by the staff, I had my hand grabbed by Russet who led me to her room.
She was adamant on me staying with her. She cleaned up her discarded dolls and dumped them in thier house. She then picked up a book with bite marks along the spine to hand to me when she quickly changed into other clothes to jump into bed.
I snuggled under the covers she held up and sat the book on her.
"Mama" she insisted, pushing it to me "wreed."
"Oh, I don't think I can do that" I replied when I picked up the cover to have the pages fall open "I can't understand any of this writing."
It al looked like circular scribbles to me. Sometimes there was a part where it crossed to break it up.
Russet took the book to flip it to the first page and drag her finger along the words.
"The air one was a b-be... betful pwin-ceth" she began, dipping her head like she was trying to actually push out the difficult words she tried sounding around.
"The pwinceth libed in a tall tow-wah on a lak."
"You are going so well" I encouraged and kissed her on the head.
"The towaah had a big ragob" she beemed up at me then pointed to the picture "you."
"It's me" I sighed back with a small smile at the drawing of a sharp-toothed, angry dragon guarding the sad princess crying tears almost as big as her scrawled head.
"The ragob was an-ri. It be-be-behed fiya and r-rored."
"Big words" I checked the page she turned "sure this is for your age?"
"Mama" she grabbed my hand to fold it like hers and press it to the first word with her "wreed with me; pwinceth."
"Princess" I corrected her, sounding it out with her "prin-sess. Princess."
"Fa woo-dar woo" she repeated seriously to my draconic and tried to mesh it together unsuccessfully.
"Close enough."
She beemed and kept going with her book.
I sat there with her, our fingers sliding together over the foreign text. I corrected words Russet struggled with and she accidentally learned some draconic in the process of me helping her.
It was a jumbled book by the time we finished it and I snuggled under the covers to have Russet curl up into my shoulder and grab at the throw for comfort.
"Lob you, Mama" she mumbled to me.
I wrapped my arms around her body to hold her close as she started to fall asleep against me. I couldn't cover her with my wings since they weren't on this body. The blankets were the closet thing I had to my natural shields that I pulled up under her chin.
"Love you too, my little Princess" I whispered back and planted another kiss on her head that I kept my face pressed on to inhale her scent.
It was the same as it had been. Having the familiar notes of her underlying werewolf fur flooded my memory sent it into overdrive to protect what was causing it.
I didn't dare move from that bed or Russet. I watched her balcony for any signs of danger that might come crawling through before spending the night with the clutching child safe in my arms.
ns 15.158.61.7da2
