The Dragon King’s Baby

Chapter 5

When the plane landed, Addie rose slowly from her seat, her stomach so jumpy she worried it might look like something was trying to escape from under her shirt. She put her hand over her belly in an attempt to calm herself. Everyone else was to get off before them, and she and Seathan would exit together last. Quite a crowd of Wyvern citizens, dragon shifters as well as some of the fairies, had gathered on the tarmac to get a glimpse of their new queen.

Seathan took her hands after everyone else had disembarked. He may not know her well, but he could see the nerves hopping in her eyes, feel the tension in her body when he’d touched her. He massaged her hands with his thumbs as he held them and looked into her eyes, ducking his head a little when she didn’t meet them. She looked up at him, and her worry was clear on her face.

“Addie, please don’t be worried. My people are good people; they were excited about this marriage. Why do you think they’ve gathered here?” he asked, his eyebrows lifted. When she didn’t answer, he grinned. “To see you, beautiful lady.”

“Do I look all right? Are my clothes wrinkled from the trip?” She’d chosen black slacks, a white, sleeveless button-up blouse, and a hot pink jacket. Her shoes perfectly matched the jacket, and Poppy had done her hair only a few moments before the plane landed. She looked like a proper, modern queen: classy, stylish, and elegant.

“Except for when you were wearing nothing but a smile, I’ve never seen you look more beautiful,” Seathan said with a little growl in the back of his throat, eliciting a laugh from her.

“You perve,” she teased, smiling at him. She’d needed the joke to ease her mind. She rolled her head on her neck, straightened her shoulders, and shook out her arms. “Okay, I’m ready.”

Seathan laughed. “You aren’t going into the boxing ring.”

Addie lifted a finger. “Ah, but charming the masses is much the same. I think I’d prefer the boxing ring.” With a deep breath, she said, “Let’s do this.”

“My lady,” he replied, bowing her to the door so that she could exit first.

Addie breathed in again and stepped through the door of the plane. A tumultuous noise greeted her; the crowd had burst into cheers when she’d appeared. She watched as the crowd yelled and waved at her, frozen for a moment in shock. They really seemed happy to see her, as if she were some celebrity or something.

Seathan stepped onto the stairs behind her, and the volume increased to a deafening roar. He was a popular king who ruled fairly and diplomatically. His people adored him because he took care of them, making decisions on the behalf of the poorest person as well as the richest.

He lifted his arm and waved to the crowd, a proud smile on his face. He took her hand and raised theirs together in a show of solidarity, and the crowd went wild, growing even more boisterous and loud, if that were possible.

“Wave to them, my queen. They love you already,” Seathan said into her ear over the crowd’s noise.

Addie lifted her other hand as they walked down the steps to the tarmac, waving to the people who cheered for her as if she were a hero. She plastered a smile on her face, hoping it didn’t look as manic as it felt. Poppy and Jeanne would see it, but they knew her better than anyone else.

“Do we go over to them?” Addie asked. She’d never seen anything like this. When her father and mother returned from a trip, the paparazzi were there and sometimes and dozen or so people who were there just to see them, but that was it. They never had a crowd waiting for them.

“Not today,” Seathan answered. “Just keep waving. You’re about to see something special.”

She looked at him, but his face remained deviously expressionless. She narrowed her eyes. “What are you about to do?”

“You’ll see,” he said. “Conall will tell you what to do.” He moved away from her, and she felt instantly lost.

Conall stepped up beside her. “My lady,” he began.

“Call me Addie,” she told him for the fiftieth time.

“I’m technically not supposed to call the queen by her first name,” he told her for the fiftieth time.

“I’m not your queen yet,” she answered. Seathan had walked alone to a place about twenty feet from the crowd, who had hushed on his approach. “What’s going on?”

“Just watch,” Conall said, a grin on his face.

Poppy and Jeanne had joined them, excitement all over their faces. Addie asked, “Do you two know what’s going on?” They nodded but didn’t speak. Poppy put her hand on Addie’s face and turned her head so that she once again faced her husband.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” Seathan called over the crowd, who were now completely silent so they could hear their beloved king speak. “Thank you all so much for joining me in welcoming my bride!” He gestured to Addie, who lifted a hand in acknowledgment. The crowd screamed in welcome.

“Do I walk over there?” she asked quickly.

“No. Just wait,” Conall said.

“Wait for what?” But he didn’t answer, so she returned her attention to her husband.

Seathan grinned at her and wiggled his eyes. Addie tilted her head, a slow smile creeping on her face. Whatever he was about to do, her anticipation and excitement had grown while standing there. He knows how to work a crowd, she mused. He’s as much entertainer as he is politician.

“I’ve only been gone a few days, but I’ve missed Wyvern. I am so happy to be home, and my wife and I are eager to make this her home as well.” Seathan waited while the crowd finished their cheers. “And I’ve missed this most of all!”

Before their eyes, Seathan shifted into his dragon form, his clothes and shoes in tatters around him. Addie, Poppy, and Jeanne gasped while the spectators screamed for their dragon king. Addie had seen dragon shifters on television but never in person; the sight was awe-inspiring. Her mouth had dropped open in surprise and wonder, and she had no words for the beauty she saw before her.

Seathan spread his wings in a show of power, roaring so loudly that Poppy, in fright, covered her ears. He was spectacular. The wings were a shade of green Addie had never seen before, while the scales on his body were such a deep purple as to almost be black. The arms were muscular and frightening, ending in massive hands with claws as long as her foot. He stood as high as a two story house, maybe more, and his feet were as long as a dining room table. Spikes of different lengths grew on the head, a defense mechanism possibly. The face looked menacing when it turned to her, teeth showing, as if at any moment he might attack a bystander simply because he could.

But Addie looked into the dragon’s eyes, and she could see Seathan in them. The kind, humor-filled eyes stared at her from the dragon’s face, and her hands longed to touch him. Seathan’s dragon paws beckoned to her. With hesitation, she moved towards her husband, but Conall took her hand to stop her. She looked at him, confused.

“He wants me to come over there,” she told him, trying to pull her hand away.

“You have to ride him,” Conall explained.

Shock ripped through her. “Ride him? What?” Her voice had risen in pitch.

“As a show of power, the dragon kind always shifts into his dragon form and flies to the castle. He never rides in a car,” Conall explained. “The crowd will shift as well and follow at a distance, roaring over the countryside. It’s kind of like a parade.”

“Why do I have to ride him?” Addie was appalled at the idea. She looked at Seathan, who waited patiently for her. There was nothing to hold on to, and she had a slight fear of heights.

“You’re to be his queen. You can’t fly yourself to the castle, and if you ride in a car, it shows a lack of respect for your husband as well as a lack of solidarity with him.” Conall began to lead her to her husband.