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Once Saul left her, Ravina felt like everyone was watching her as they passed by, judging and taking pity on her. Being disgusted by her, not only because she was human now. She was used to people judging her. This shouldn’t be new, but she couldn’t help the feeling of wanting to run away. Go somewhere far and safe, away from people’s scrutiny.

She looked around for an escape but her eyes were unfocused. She felt dizzy and sick, the faces getting blurred in front of her eyes. A smile caught her attention in all the fuzziness.

Georgia. She waved at her before walking over. “Ravina,” she smiled.

Ravina breathed out relieved somehow that someone came over. Georgia didn’t make her feel uncomfortable. She had such a genuine bright smile. She reminded her a little of her sister, with the way she warm and spoke softly.

“Are you alone here?” She looked around.

“No. They will be here soon. Just taking a little longer to dress up.”

She nodded with a smile. “Yes. I see you skipped most of the jewelry.”

“It was heavy,” Ravina admitted.

“Well, the simple look makes you look elegant. I should try it.”

Ravina looked at all the gold jewelry and beautiful yellow clothes, that matched her honey-colored eyes. “You look beautiful.” She said.

“Thank you. You shouldn’t stand here alone. Come.” She said, coming to her aside and placing her hand on the small of her back.

Still, she wasn’t uncomfortable with being touched by her. She led her to one of the shops where a man was buying something.

“Love,” she called and the man turned around. She went to his side and he put one arm around her. “Ravina this is my husband and breedmate Dias. This is Ravina.” She introduced them.

“Good evening,” Dias greeted.

“Good evening.”

“Georgia told me how you cured Nelli. Thank you.”

Ravina was still not used to this kind of interaction so now she became nervous. “Ah… it was very little. He is a lovely child.”

He smiled. “He is. He gets easily sick so has suffered a lot so… we are truly grateful.”_.

Georgia nodded. “And he likes you. He thinks you are an angel because you are all white.”

Ravina smiled. She was far from an angel. He was the angel.

“We will go sit at the table. Buy us some sweets.” She said.

“Just some?” He looked at her, knowing she wanted more.

“A lot.” She said and he chuckled.

“Come Ravina.” She took them to sit at the table just in time when Brenna arrived.

She sat beside her sister on the opposite side of the table. “Suddenly a party. And by Saul? What is happening?” She wondered.

If she only knew.

Dias returned with the sweets and sat beside his wife. He handed his wife one plate and gave one to Ravina. She thanked him.

“What about me?” Brenna said just as a man grabbed her by the shoulders and pulled her back.

“You don’t need sweets my sweet.” he grabbed her jaw, pulling her head back he tried to kiss her. “Oh no. Behave now for god’s sake.” She wrestled with him but he got his kiss at last. She pushed him with her shoulder as he sat beside her. “You ruined my hair.” She said adjusting it.

Georgia and Dias just smiled watching them.

“This is my annoying husband, Igor.” She introduced him.

“Very annoying,” Kayla spoke as she arrived, taking place beside Ravina. “And this is my loving, Iwan, ” she introduced the man seated beside her.

Ravina greeted them, awkwardly. Not she was suddenly surrounded by many.

“What is with the party by Saul?” Iwan wondered.

“I was just asking the same thing,” Brenna said.

“Well, apparently there are princesses of the Rex clan here,” Georgia explained calmly.

A strange silence followed.

“Not for Malachi…right?” Brenna said.

“Of course,” Kayla spoke. “Why would they be here otherwise and why the party?”

Ravina wished to disappear.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It is not the first time some princess is here.” Georgia said.

“With the situation going on right now, I think they are here for a reason and the party is made for a reason.”

“Kayla,” Brenna gave her a look.

“What? I am just speaking the truth. I am sure Ravina won’t mind since Malachi is not her breedmate after all.”

“He will be inevitably,” Dias said calmly. “I don’t believe breedmates are just for dragons. I am sure humans feel something too. They just don’t feel it as strongly as we do or they don’t recognize it.”

She became curious. What made him believe that?

“That is just what you believe,” Kayla said.

“You are a well-educated woman,” Dias said turning to Ravina. “Are humans not attracted to a certain smell as well?”

She became thoughtful. She had read somewhere that humans were also attracted to certain scents.

“I have read it somewhere but not enough to draw a general conclusion.”

“Alright,” Kayla said clapping the table as if she discovered something. “Then do you know what Malachi smells like? A certain scent that sticks with you and you keep associating him with it.”

Ravina recalled the few times she had been close enough to smell his scent. Just today, she had been very close to him and she realized he smelled exactly like she had imagined. Coffee.

She lifted her gaze, looking around the table as everyone waited for her answer. It felt like something intimate to say out loud but they all looked so curious. She swallowed. “Coffee.”

They looked at each other, Georgia smiling a little.

Kayla nodded. “What else?” She wasn’t convinced.

Ravina became thoughtful. She had thought of fireplaces and freshly baked bread. That was before she even smelled him. How disturbing. “He smells like burned wood and… early mornings?”

Strange but perhaps because she associated baked bread and coffee with early mornings but then again, fireplaces were a night thing. He was both. Warm nights under blankets and early mornings.

“It still means nothing. Even if humans can also smell, she lacks the other instincts.”

“That will grow with time. They just function differently.” Dias said. “For them perhaps it is the opposite of us. They develop feelings first that give birth to instinct.”

“Maybe you are right,” Kayla shrugged. “Time will tell if Malachi doesn’t take a queen before that.”

“Kayla please…” Georgia said giving her a stern look.  Then she turned to Ravina. “Ignore her. King Malachi won’t do such a thing.”

“You can’t know. We should not say such things,” Kayla spoke.

Iwan put his arm around her and pulled her closer as if to stop her from talking.

“No, wait!” She insisted, not giving up. This time she looked at Ravina. “I am not saying this just to be rude. Unlike these people, I just speak the truth.”

“Unlike these people? What do you mean?” Brenna called.

Kayla ignored her. “Malachi has a lot on his shoulder. You might want to be his queen, but the reality is different. Being his queen means that his people will turn against him and probably join other clans that will declare war against him. It is dangerous, not a romantic story.”

Ravina nodded understanding. It was what happened with those dragon tamers. Tereza and… what was his name? There was a fight between the clans so it never worked.

“War and romance. That is the perfect mixture,” Dias jokes.

Ravina could tell he liked to make fun of Kayla who was easily riled up.

She shot him a glare. “Now, will you disagree with me on this too?” She asked.

“No,” he chuckled. “It is dangerous and as a king, he has his duties. I understand that. BUT…does it really make a difference if he takes another woman as his queen? People don’t want Ravina as their queen because they feel threatened so they will accept another queen who will give them a fall sense of security so they can sleep at night, but truth is that Ravina will have as much influence whether she is queen or not. Why? Because she is his breedmate and that is bigger than any title.”

Georgie nodded.

Ravina was completely taken by what he said. She didn’t think he would say such a thing. It almost sounded as if he was on her side.

“It might be a false sense of security but it will calm things down.”

“Sure,” Dias shrugged and then turned to Ravina. “Don’t worry about anyone becoming queen. You have a title bigger than anything.”

Saul had just made her feel like nothing and this man returned her confidence.

“Thank you,” Ravina said.

“But… me, Dias, and Nelli are rooting for you to become queen anyway,”  Georgia smiled.

Rooting for her?

“Igor and I are rooting for you too,” Brenna said surprising her.

Then they looked at Kayla. “Don’t look at me. I am not rooting for anyone.”

Brenna ignored her. “She is rooting for you. She has been talking about you since you came here. She likes tough people, that is why she acts like this but she is a bunny at heart.”

Kayla frowned and then shook her head. “I have nothing against you,” she then told Ravina.

“Meaning she likes you,” Brenna translated.

Ravina just smiled feeling emotional. “Why?” She asked. “I have done nothing to deserve it.”

“First, because it is your rightful place,” Georgia said.

“And second, because I won’t like whoever becomes queen despite knowing a man has found his breedmate. What kind of nonsense is that?” Brenna wondered.

“We don’t dislike humans,” Igor spoke after a long time. “We have known humans. They have worked in our homes, our fields, taking care of our families.”

“Yes.” Iwan agreed. “All of you have been nice people despite working for us.”

They all looked sad suddenly.

Dias sighed. “We just forget good things fast. Some unpleasant things happened and we just forgot all the good that we knew about humans. Most of us just need to be reminded.”

Georgia nodded. “Yes. I am sorry for the way I acted when you came to help Nelli. When you left, I just remembered all the good people we met, all the humans that treated us kindly, despite all that was going on.”

Ravina shook her head. “No, I am sure if they were kind to you, it is because you were kind to them.”

Georgia nodded with a smile some tears in her eyes. “I hope so.”

Ravina looked at Georgia and then at everyone else at the table. Hope sparked in her, but fear followed. There was still a big chance of her failing and bringing war. She didn’t want to do that. It would not be good for these people nor for her people. She would protect no one.

Alright. It was not time to panic now. She would take one thing at a time.

“Oh, now this took another turn. Come on. It’s supposed to be a party.” Brenna said getting up.

She pulled her and Georgia out of their seats. “We will dance,” She said.

“Oh no!” Ravina shook her head. This was a nightmare. She could not dance.

Luckily, Aaron came and told them the dance would start. Then they went and sat among the crowd. At the front, there was a small stage, elevated from the ground where a golden armchair stood. That must be where the king would sit.

Ravina took notice of him as he arrived. He wore a black garment, wrapped around his waist and secured with a big gold belt. His hair was slicked back, shining as if oiled or wet. His body glistened too, his brown skin glowing in golden hues. Not to even begin with his sculpture, she already felt her lips part to breathe.

His muscled arms were cuffed with golden bracelets. Same with his wrists. He looked… fine.

She watched him as he walked up the stage and sat on the armchair like a king. The drums suddenly getting louder made her snap back from watching him. It was time.

Zoila came into the scene, her walk seductive, following the rhythm of the music starting slowly. The crowd cheered, but she had her eyes on Malachi, making very elegant, precise, and difficult movements with her hands.

She danced from her fingers to her toe. It was smooth, flowing with the music, mixing with many gestures of hands and feet and facial expressions. Sometimes graceful, other times seductive. Especially when she moved her hips and chest. Ravina was captivated. That seemed very difficult.

She looked over at Malachi. She could not tell what he was thinking as he watched her, but other people were impressed.