The Dragon King’s Baby

Introductions were made, and when Eckhart was introduced to her, he held her hand longer than necessary. “Princess Adelaide, it is a pleasure to meet you,” he said quietly, almost as if he were telling her a secret.

“King Eckhart, welcome to Wyvern. We are pleased to have you here,” Addie replied politely, although she did pull her hand away, a gesture he noticed and smirked at.

“So, you’re to be the Queen of this,” he looked around distastefully, then back at her, “lovely kingdom. How lucky for you.” Addie had no idea what he was getting at so she didn’t reply. Instead, she looked to Seathan, who was speaking to a witch nearby. Eckhart took note of the deference. “Does he control what you say?”

Addie smarted from the remark, but she replied in a diplomatic manner. “We do not exert control over one another. We are equal partners.”

“I bet,” Eckhart retorted, trying to get a rise out of her.

Seathan moved to Addie’s side, sensing her discomfort. “Eckhart, we’ve prepared a fantastic dinner after the ceremony. Addie and I would love for you and your friends to join us.”

The wizard smirked again. “We wouldn’t miss it. Has Helene arrived yet?”

“She should be here any minute now,” Conall spoke with a smile. Eckhart didn’t bother to glance at Conall, only nodded and made his way inside. Conall watched him lead his entourage into the castle for the ceremony. “What an ass.”

“He’ll always be an ass,” Seathan murmured. “Nothing you can do about it.”

A cacophony of howls, growls, and roars interrupted their conversation. Seathan turned around, directing Addie’s eyes towards the hill just past the moat of the castle. Dozens of weres galloped down the hill toward the bridge. Addie gasped at the beauty of the sight; she was awestruck by the sheer power of these creatures as they crossed the bridge at a speed she didn’t think real wolves, bears and large cats could achieve.

“They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” Seathan asked, watching with a smile on his face. “The gray werewolf in the front is Queen Helene.”

“Magnificent,” Addie breathed. She nudged Seathan with her elbow. “Almost as impressive as dragons flying overhead.”

Seathan looked down at her, leaned closer, and kissed her gently on the lips. “Almost, but not quite.”

“How you got stuck with me I’ll never know,” she teased. “A plain old human.”

“Me either,” Seathan said, frowning down at her and shaking his head in mock disgust.

“Shut up,” Addie giggled, and he squeezed her hand in response as they returned their attention to the weres. “Oh my gosh, will they be naked?”

Seathan laughed. “We need to make a trip to Loupgarou. They never wear clothes, whether they have shifted or not.”

“They’re naked all the time?” Addie asked in amazement. Then she giggled. “What fun!”

Seathan hummed his response as the lovely werewolf shifted into a lovely woman, smiling grandly at the couple before her. Although she couldn’t be more than forty or forty-five, every hair on her head was the same gray as the wolf’s fur she shifted into. Her face, mostly unlined, was hard to look away from, her beauty was so miraculous. Her gray eyes were almost silver and soul searching. Addie fell in love a little with her

“Seathan,” Helene said as she stepped forward for a hug. Seathan hugged her and stepped away quickly, mindful of his wife’s eyes on them. Helene smiled at him. “It’s so wonderful to see you.” She turned to Addie. “And this must be Princess Adelaide.”

Addie liked her voice as well. Melodic and deep, everything about this woman was sexy. “Queen Helene, it’s so nice to meet you.”

“And you as well. Please call me Helene,” she replied with a smile.

“I’m Addie. We’re so glad you could come to the Coronation ceremony.”

“I wouldn’t miss it. I’ve been waiting for Seathan to find someone to make him happy, and from the looks of the two of you, I say he must have succeeded,” Helene told her. She returned her attention to Seathan and gestured to the weres behind her, who remained in their animal form. “We’ll need a place to dress for the ceremony, but it won’t take us long. Only five of my weres will be joining me. The rest will stay out here, if that suits you.”

“Of course, Helene. I’ll have Conall take you up,” Seathan answered. “Addie and I have to get to the hall and make sure everything is ready.”

“Oh, if I know your mother, and I think I do, I wouldn’t worry one bit about that,” Helene joked. They shared a laugh. Helene waved as Conall led them into the castle.

After she was out of sight, Addie felt some of the stress leave her body. “Wow. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I felt as if I need to please her, to make her happy,” Addie said.

“Weres have that effect on people. It’s strange, but it’s like their very presence is hypnotic,” Seathan answered. “I’ve actually gotten used to her, so I don’t notice as much.”

“How can you not?”

Seathan laughed. “Come on inside before one of the males shifts. I’ll never see you again, baby or not.”

*****

The Coronation ceremony was elegant. A special dress had been made for Addie, and subsequently had to be let out a few inches as her body changed so rapidly to accommodate the life growing inside her. Addie thought the dress looked more like a wedding dress in the loveliest shade of lavender; there were so many layers she thought she’d die of heatstroke. Luckily, she’d only had to wear it during the ceremony. As soon as she was crowned, she went upstairs and changed into her party dress.

As she looked in the mirror while Jeanne adjusted her hair so that the crown sat on top as it was supposed to. The crown, or rather, tiara, was made of platinum and encrusted with diamonds and purple jewels Addie had never seen before. These particular jewels could only be found in Wyvern and were not allowed outside of the kingdom unless special permission was given.

She’d chosen purple for the evening, a shade darker than lavender, that matched the jewels in her tiara. The dress was long and flowing, covering shoes she wished could be seen, they were so beautiful and added three inches to her height. Her shoulders were bared, and the neckline lower than she usually wore, but she looked stunning. She smiled at Jeanne, took her hand, and together they went back downstairs.

Seathan and Conall were waiting for them at the elevators. Conall offered his arm to Jeanne, who took it with a little blush and headed into the hall, where dozens of tables had been set up around a large, blank area for dancing.

“When they announce us, we’ll walk in. You’re expected to welcome everyone, and then I’ll say a few words. Want to announce the baby then?” Seathan asked, looking down at her.

Addie widened her eyes at him and took a deep breath. “Sounds good to me.”

He leaned over and kissed her cheek. He brushed his fingertips over her shoulders, causing goosebumps to rise on her skin. She looked at him, and he whispered, “You’ve never looked more beautiful.”