Total pages in book: 49
Estimated words: 46156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Who did all this? Did your household manager set this up, Ardon?
“Oldrik and I worked on the table together. My kitchen created the snacks. My chef is concocting treats for us in an adjacent chamber here. He is pleased to cook for my mate.”
Without an idea of how to act, Skye decided to copy her mates. When they lifted their beautifully folded napkins to drape the material over their laps, she quickly followed their example. Leaning forward, she inhaled the delicious scent of the fragrant beverage. This was going to be so much fun.
Ardon poured tea for everyone. He warned Skye as he placed the cup near her, “This is hot, My Treasure. Let it cool slightly.”
“I will. Can I have one of those?” she asked, pointing to the sweets tray at a pink cake with multicolored sprinkles.
“It is traditional that the savory items are eaten first,” Oldrik informed her before relenting when faced with Skye’s disappointed look. “Perhaps today we should start with dessert first.”
Clapping with excitement, she watched him use fancy silver tongs to select the one with the most decorations on top. He placed it on her plate. Unable to resist, Skye dipped a finger in the frosting and tasted it.
“Yum!”
“Go ahead and try it, Skye.”
Eagerly, she forked up a bite and devoured it. This might be the best cake I’ve ever tried.
Quickly, she finished it and checked to see if she could have another. The tray held two more. Scanning the other delicacies, Skye noted there were three pieces of each type. Those others must belong to her dragons.
“You can have mine, Skye,” Ardon told her, putting another on her plate.
You can have anything of mine, she offered.
“There will be plenty to eat. How about if I let you try everything, and I’ll finish the ones you don’t like,” Ardon suggested.
That turned out to work perfectly. Skye took a bite of each delicacy her Daddies served her. There weren’t many selections that she didn’t like. When she wrinkled her nose and shook her head, one of the men would pop that food into his mouth, making it disappear.
“These are good,” Skye commented, waving her cucumber sandwich around.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, mate,” Oldrik warned before commenting, “They are so simple but yummy.”
A long time later, Skye pushed back her chair. She was absolutely stuffed. Why am I so full? That was just a bunch of small bites.
Ardon patted his flat stomach and nodded. “I think it’s the tea’s fault.”
Instantly, Skye needed to use the bathroom. Her face must have revealed her thought because Oldrik lifted the napkin from Skye’s lap and placed it on the table.
“Go, Blueberry. We’ll dance when you get back,” he told her.
Music filled the room when she returned. They’d pushed the table to the side, and Ardon stood in the middle of the floor. He held a hand out to invite her to join him.
I don’t really know how to dance.
“I do. We always move well together, mate. We’ll be fine.”
What about Oldrik?
“He’ll get his chance next. He’s a fast music kind of dragon.”
“Oh!” Skye looked at Oldrik and found him smiling.
“You’ll get to boogie with me, Blueberry,” Oldrik said.
Amused by the thought of the large shifter getting down, Skye stepped nearer to Ardon. His powerful arms closed around her. He gently pulled her to him.
“We’ll go slowly, mate. We’re just going to make a box. That’s easy, isn’t it? Step forward with your left foot.”
Trying to remember her left and right was easy when dancing with Ardon. He led her gracefully through a few basic steps. “Want to try a turn? Let’s see how that dress sways as we move.”
Clinging to him, Skye abandoned any inhibitions and concern that she would make a mistake. That wasn’t possible with Ardon. He was such a superb dancer. He swept her along in beautiful swooping steps that thrilled her and made her dress almost come alive.
When the song ended, he stepped back and bowed slightly. “Thank you, Skye.”
A few notes of a popular song from the seventies came on. “Disco!” She identified it with a laugh.
“My turn,” Oldrik told her, stepping up to take her hand. “Let’s dance like it’s 1999.”
Skye didn’t quite understand that statement, but Oldrik didn’t give her any time to worry. The music was addictive, drawing her in. Grabbing the sides of her dress, Skye swished them around as she tried to complement Oldrik’s moves.
After a couple of hours, Skye’s energy evaporated. She attempted to force herself to continue. When she started tripping over the steps and her mates’ feet, Ardon scooped her up into his arms and walked off the dance floor.
“I need a nap, mate. Will you rest with me?” Ardon asked.
With Oldrik too?
“I’m following you, Blueberry.”
In a few minutes, they carefully unwrapped her from the beautiful frock and hung it up in her new dress-up room.