The Succubus and her two Mates

18| The King and Queen

The initial greeting had gone well. It was in a small reception area before you entered the dining room. She had said all the proper words and did the bow Alina taught her. She only responded when they spoke to her. It had just been pleasantries.

The King and Queen were the most handsome couple she had ever seen. They appeared younger than she thought they'd be, considering that Brock was in his early twenties. Brock obviously took after his father physically. They were equally built with Brock's father sporting the manliest beard Ronnie had ever seen. It was immaculately kept. He had warm golden brown eyes and black hair. The Queen had dark brown hair that had a slight shimmer of gold when the light hit it. Her features were petite, but her blue eyes were fierce, Brock obviously taking after her there. She definitely seemed a woman not to be trifled with.

Ronnie was also introduced to a strange slim man that everyone referred to as Advisor. He was horrendously gaunt and held himself very proper. He scrutinized her closely during the interaction.

They were shown into the dining room and sat down. The King sat at the head with his Queen to his right, Brock on the left. Ronnie sat next to Brock and Brand sat directly across from her, next to the Queen. Advisor sat at the other end, opposite the King. The King's dining chair was larger than everyone else's, far more throne-like.

It made Ronnie smile when she saw it. He sat first. When their drinks and meals were set in front of them, no one started eating or took a sip until he did. She thanked Alina so much in her head for all the prep. A number of wait staff stayed in the room, ready at any moment to top up drinks or remove empty plates.

The Queen had barely taken her eyes off Ronnie. Ronnie could tell she was just itching to talk to her. But a meal first and then free conversation could occur. This had been a weird concept for Ronnie when Alina had explained it. For Ronnie, it was part of eating, to talk, to share more than just a meal. Alina had explained this was protocol for official meals which the meeting of a mate included. It seemed to be based on ensuring the staff wouldn't overhear private information. Ronnie was starting to think dragons were weird. But she remained quiet, eating and taking in the three new people.

Ronnie also quickly realised she couldn't feel them much, like the others she had met so far. Were her abilities reduced with dragon shifters? Curious, she'd never had trouble sensing Brock's feelings.

She gleaned a very small amount. The King seemed stressed. He was hardly there, often staring into space. The Advisor- or was it just Advisor?- seemed to just be really enjoying his meal. It seemed he was called only by his title.

And the Queen. Her impatience with having to get through the meal was palpable.

Once the meal was over, they moved to an adjoining sitting room. This was far more relaxed and Ronnie held back waiting to see where she would be sitting. Brock and Brand were angling her quickly to the three seater, probably accurately guessing that if they didn't, she'd be pinned down by the Queen. The Queen's face showed she was displeased with the seating arrangement, but she said nothing and sat on the lounge opposite them. The King in his own splendid armchair - Advisor opting to stand.

The sitting room was very cozy, with a few warm lamps around and with a fire going. There was a portrait above it, depicting the King and Queen. A tapestry the size of the whole wall was on one side of the room, which she could tell told some kind of dragon based saga, with a large window that looked out at the gardens on the other. It was too dark to see out now, the lights of the room reflecting against the window creating a softer, warm feel.

Ronnie had really no idea how this was going to go.

She sat and waited. The wait staff handed out drinks and sat a decanter of the drink they poured on the low table. They exited the room, leaving the six of them and closing the door behind them.