Prince of Dragons

Chapter Eight

Despite them not being related by blood, my mother still wept when father brought Davian to her. She had hugged him tightly, thanking every deity she could think of for his safe return. Poor Davian, however, looked a little uncomfortable. But he eventually warmed up and hugged mother back.

As for me, I stood to the side and watched the entire thing—feeling father's burning gaze on me every time he turned away from Davian. I was honestly surprised that he hadn't cornered me yet, but thankfully, he seemed more preoccupied with Davian than with pulling me to the side. Which was fine by me as it gave me time to come up with excuses for my absence.

Cayden also looked a bit uncomfortable, as he stood awkwardly by Davian while mother gushed and continued holding my baby brother. I didn't blame him for feeling uncomfortable. After all, once father realized he was there, he grilled him about who he was, and why he was here before Davian gave him the low-down.

When father realized who Cayden was to Davian, he eased up a bit, but the tension was definitely still there. And I could also understand father's side as well. Cayden was the son of the man who kept Davian in captivity all this time, so obviously, there would be some tension between the two.

"This is cause for celebration," Mother was saying when I snapped back to reality. "Oh! Perhaps we can host a ball! We've been due for one for quite some time, and this is such a joyous occasion that it's the perfect timing!" She clapped her hands, blue eyes brewing with excitement as she turned to father and grasped his hand. "Isn't it the perfect time, love?"

Father turned his hand in hers and threaded their fingers together, nodding in agreement. "I agree. Such a momentous occasion is surely cause for celebration. Hmm, perhaps we can host such a thing a week from now? It will give us enough time to get decorations ready and invites sent out." He turned to Davian. "Not to mention it would give my tailor enough time to create something worthy of your status for you to wear."

As they discussed their plans, I began to feel a bit stuffy with everything happening. So, without a word to anyone, I stepped out of the room and sighed, running a hand through my tangled hair. As I took some much-needed breaths, I heard the door open again and nodded as Cayden stood next to me.

"He seems a bit overwhelmed with the attention," the brunet spoke, a small smile on his lips.

I snorted. "That's understandable. Our parents are...well, they're a bit much, sometimes."

"Tell me about it. Your dad keeps eyeing me down, and it kind of feels like he's staring into my soul?" Cayden chuckled, shaking his head. "I will admit, even with him staring me down like that...I am envious about how protective he is of you both. I...wish my father could be like that, but all he cares about is how much gold is weighing down his pockets and how many people he has control over."

My smile faded a bit, and I sympathized with the other man. I mean, here I was worrying over what my father was going to say to me once he got me alone...and Cayden's father was...absent and didn't care. It put my whole predicament in a different context, and I couldn't help but feel a little guilty.

"I'm sure my father will warm up to you eventually. Especially once he sees how much you care about Davian."

Cayden half-smiled. "I'd hope so." He then faced me, his brows raised. "Speaking of which...why didn't you ever tell me his birth name was Dorian? I mean...I assumed he probably was known by something else while he was here, but you never mentioned it."

I shrugged and leaned against one of the tall windows, peering out to watch some of the staff tend to the garden. "You introduced me to him as Davian...so I felt awkward about calling him by his birth name." I pursed my lips and looked back towards him. "Besides, he's lived with the name Davian for far longer than Dorian. I didn't want to make things awkward for him."

"Oh, I see. That's very considerate of you."

I blushed and averted my gaze, clearing my throat awkwardly. "Uh, thanks."

Cayden chuckled, shaking his head. "Seriously, you're a good brother, Drakell. Davian's incredibly lucky to have you."

My cheeks were burning at this point from all the praise, and I rubbed the back of my neck, ready to awkwardly thank him again when we heard the library doors open.

Mother was the first to step out, her blue gaze meeting mine as father and Davian followed—seemingly in the middle of a conversation.

Mother then stepped up to me—the top of her head barely reaching my chin—and hugged me, causing a warm smile to split across my face as I hugged her back. Between the two, mother was definitely the most lenient when it came to her children, and I was glad to see her after my little "journey".

"You scared me when you disappeared, Drakell," she scolded before pulling away. "The least you could have done was leave a note."

My smile faded as guilt crawled up my spine, eating away at me as I nibbled my bottom lip. "I'm sorry mother, I didn't mean to worry you."

Mother searched my gaze before she nodded and tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear. "Next time you disappear for over two months, be sure to inform me first so I don't fear you've been lost to me."

I nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Of course, mother."

Once she was satisfied with my apology, she turned her attention back to Davian—mentioning something about giving him a tour of our home. When they began walking off, I chose not to follow, opting instead to go to my room to relax for a bit.

When Cayden saw I wasn't following, he paused and regarded me curiously. "Are you not coming?"

I shook my head and gave him a half-hearted smile. "I'm a bit...tired from our journey, so I'm going to take a bath and relax for a bit. Gives Davian some time to get to know our parents. No need to wait up on me."

Cayden stared at me before he sighed and nodded. "Alright. We'll see you later, right?"

I nodded my head. "Of course."

Satisfied with my answer, Cayden nodded once again and followed the trio to wherever the heck they were going.

Now, finally alone with my thoughts, the tension drained out of me as I ran my fingers through my hair and headed towards my room, ready to indulge in a bath and possibly some much needed rest.

Then, I had no doubt father would eventually corner me, and I was so not looking forward to that lecture.