Dragon Blood

Twenty-One: Time for the Truth

Skylar stared up at the young man. He wasn't unattractive with short cut hair and fine-boned features. He was shorter than Orion, and much narrower. He was also far more arrogant.

She didn't think that was possible.

Besides, she found Orion's arrogance oddly endearing, mostly because he didn't even realize he did it. He was an Alpha, and he was used to being listened to. He likely couldn't help but think he was important. This man on the other hand had no reason to think so highly of himself, and his arrogance was less regal and more slimy.

Where was Nana? She'd left Skylar for only a minute to go get more food and drink for them, but the man had taken his chance and swooped in the moment Nana was out of sight. Olly and Fiona had run off somewhere, and Victoria and Laura had went to see Percy and Leo. All of her barriers of defense had left her. She didn't want to be talking to him, not in the slightest, but she also didn't want to draw attention by making him angry. He seemed like the type of man who wouldn't take rejection well, and the last thing she needed was to ruin Orion's night by drawing him away from his people. She had no doubt that he would come to her side if he thought she was being harassed by a clan member.

The man leaned down to whisper in her ear, invading her personal space. He'd introduced himself as Samuel, smirking down at her as if she should be falling at his feet. As if his attention was the greatest privilege of her life. If only he knew who he was talking to. Blood or not, she was raised as a princess, and those in her presence treated her as such. They didn't look down on her, no one except for Draco, and they wouldn't dare even think of it.

"I see the Alpha has left you all alone," his voice sneered in her ear with a harsh whisper. "I can take much better care of you, if you would let me, darling." She knew exactly what he meant and so did her dragon. The beast snarled in her head, but didn't try to escape. They'd come to an understanding when the cage was broken, and she trusted Skylar to handle this presumptuous male.

She didn't think attacking him would be the best idea, nor screaming in his face, so she decided against that. She believed that, if he were so inclined, he could beat her to a pulp. Only a cowardly man would hit a woman who was so obviously weaker than him when all she did was offend him, but he seemed like the type. He reminded her of the noble men in court, the ones who thought themselves so important, so long as the only people they associated with were those weaker than him, lower in rank. The minute someone of high status appeared, those men slinked off. She doubted Samuel was any different, and normally he wouldn't have been a problem; she was a princess and if she wanted to put someone in her place she could. But she was out of her realm, and they were in his. She was no one here, no one other than the Alpha's project. She would have to tread lightly around this scenario.

As he stepped back from her, he reached up to tuck a piece of hair behind he read. His fingers ran along her cheek in what was supposed to me a flirtatious manner, but it caused only disgusted shivers to run down her spine. Anger flushed her skin and she twisted her fingers together to keep from smacking that smug smile from his face. Leaving some good gashes probably wouldn't hurt either. Her resolve to not make a scene was slowly slipping away from her. It didn't help that her dragon, blood-thirsty creature she was, was encouraging Skylar's violent streak.

Skylar looked down at her boots and took a deep breath, giving herself strength to hold out until Nana returned. She'd dealt with men like this before, in court. She simply ignored them or smiled politely until they got bored with her, or someone intervened. The only problem was that, this time, her dragon was free. Before she simply shoved the beast further back into her cage, but now Skylar could do very little to suppress her anger. She wouldn't last nearly as long with her dragon as irritated as it was.