MY HOME IS IN YOUR ARMS

Chapter 9

We were only ten minutes late for the meeting. I had mind-linked Pa letting him know we were running a bit behind. Not that he cared. He understood how upsetting the earlier events had been, and knew Gavin and I would need to comfort each other. He may be the king of supernaturals, but he had often said he was a husband and father first. He put the wellbeing of his family first, and since the first day he and Ma discovered they were fated mates, he accepted and treated me as his own child, and I considered him my father. I knew he would have my back in whatever asinine plot that was about to unfold.

I made sure to give Gavin a kiss and whispered, "You and me. Me and you. No matter what!" I knocked on the office door, heard Pa say 'come in', then hand in hand, my mate and I walked into the office.

I walked over to Pa, gave him a nod of my head in respect, then kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry we're late Pa.It was a bit of an upsetting time in the arena." I shot a baleful glare at the dragon shifter who had accosted Jade.

"I understand completely, Ellie. An unprovoked attack of that nature is uncalled for and totally unacceptable." Pa was still riled up, and didn't mind showing it.

I snuck a glance at Uncle George and saw he was staring daggars at the young man and his father. Thankfully for them, two other council members were present, thus saving them from the potentially deadly consequences of the young man's actions.

Council member Allistar Dunbar stood up to greet me and Gavin. As he gave me a quick hug in greeting, he sent me a mind-link. "Don't worry about these assholes, Ellie. They do not have the support of the whole council. Just the i***t that is here today."

Then out loud, Allistar proceeded to introduce the other three visitors. "Paxton, George, Ellie, and Gavin, let me introduce these three gentlemen." He paused briefly when he saw Ellie raise an eyebrow at the word 'gentlemen'. Pointing to the older man, "This is Dragon King Brenton Drago, next to him is his oldest son, Blaze Drago, and this fellow is the newest member of the supernatural council, Bram Drago, a distant cousin of the Dragon King."

Ellie immediately jumped on the 'oldest son' introduction. "Oldest son, funny, but King Drago said that Blaze was his only heir, implying he was an only child. Was that simply a ploy to prevent me or my father from killing him after he accosted me in the basest manner?" These two were getting on Ellie's last nerve.

The Dragon King, realizing they were treading on very thin ice, quickly spoke up. "No, Ma'am. I wasn't playing games with you. Blaze is my only heir. His younger brother was not born or a fated mating, as was Blaze. As such, he is not eligible to take the throne."

Ellie heard Allistar's thoughts, "Such a shame. Idris Drago is much more responsible and knowledgeable, and would be a much better ruler than either Brenton or Blaze."

Paxton had also picked up on Allistar's thoughts, and looked thoughtfully at the father and son standing before him. Even if Blaze hadn't pulled that stunt in the flight training arena, Paxton knew these two were up to no good, as was the new council member. He and Ellie exchanged glances, knowing they would hear the three dragons out, but would firmly shut them down.

"Let's have a seat, shall we?" suggested Paxton. "George, I know it's still fairly early in the day, but let's have a drink and discuss the purpose of this hastily arranged visit." This was a very subtle dig at the three dragons, as normal protocol for visiting the King of Supernaturals was not followed. Accepting a glass of liquor and taking a small sip, he asked. "To what do we owe this visit?"

"Forgive me, Your Majesty," began Allistar. "King Drago, his son, and the new council member were insistent on this visit, despite my strong protests. They told me they would simply come in dragon form if I did not escort them in. Of course, knowing that would cause an all out war, I felt it best to ensure that didn't happen."

King Drago was glaring at Allistar as he gave the explaination. He had expected that Allistar would sugar-coat the facts, instead of being so blunt. Ellie could read his thoughts as Drago silently fumed in anger. "You will pay for this, Dunbar. No one messes with me and goes unpunished!"

Paxton, also hearing these thoughts, spoke firmly and with force. "Drago, the moment you insisted on coming here without following proper protocol, allowing your son to attack my daughter, and your threat you just silently made to Allistar, tells me all I need to know of your character. If any harm comes to Allistar, his family, his associates, his pack, I will immediately lay the blame at your door. And you will not like the consequences. Do I make myself clear? Now, why are you here today? State your business."

King Drago paled slightly, but soon regained his arrogant attitude. "My cousin, Bram Drago is new to the supernatural council. He has told me that it is a concern to the council that your daughter, Eleanor has yet to produce an offspring though she has been mated for a year. I would venture that it's because she is mated to a lesser supernatural instead of a dragon."

Ellie felt Gavin stir in his seat, so took his hand in hers, rubbing her thumb along the back of his hand in an effort to keep him calm. She was furious, but she kept a rein on her 'girls' as they too, took exception to Drago's rude dismissal of non-dragon shifters. Before she could say a word, Paxton sent her a mind-link. "Let's see what else this asshole has to say, before I throw him and his git out on their asses."

Paxton glared at the three dragons. "Bram Drago, were the rules of the council explained to you before you took your seat there?"

Bram swallowed hard before answering. "Yes. Yes they were."

"And what was rule number one?" demanded Paxton.

"Rule number one?" Bram waffled for time. "Rule number one. Confidentiality, sir."

"Confidentiality. What does that word mean to you, Bram? Don't bother answering. It's blatantly obvious that you broke the confidentiality rule when you discussed council business with Drago."

"I had no choice," Bram shouted. "He's my King, he gave me a command, I had to comply!"

"No, you did not have to comply. During your initation to council, you were protected from obeying an Alpha command when it came to council matters. However, you chose to disclose council matters, that is the only way you could have revealed council information. There are consequences for breaking confidentiality, in this case, it is immediate removal from the council. I, Paxton Royal, King of all Supernaturals, hereby immediately strip you of your seat on the supernatural council. You are commanded to pay a penalty of $100,000 dollars by no later than midnight on December 21st, to the council. You are banned for life from holding a position of authority, and are reduced in rank to warrior. Now, leave my presence. George, arrange for him to be held in a secure area under guard."

Bram roared in anger, turning eyes burning with hatred towards the Dragon King. "I told you Drago, no good would come from this."

"Silence, you fool. Leave the room now, before I roast you alive for your insolence!" Drago hissed at his cousin. He then turned his arrogant gaze back to Paxton. "Let's cut to the chase. As dragons, we are the most powerful species. We should mate with dragons, build our numbers, and rule the supernatural world. I propose my son take your daughter as a chosen mate. They will produce many children, powerful children, who will rule the world."

Ellie was torn between rage, and laughter. Drago was delusional. He seemed to have no knowledge of protocol when meeting with the King of Supernaturals. No knowledge of how a king of his species should behave. No respect for other supernatural species. And absolutely no manners of any kind.

Rather than say everything she was thinking, she group mind-linked Paxton, Gavin, George, and Allistar. "Pa, are you sure this shifter is actually the Dragon King? He is clueless about proper behavior. Clueless about everything. I can't even! Did he not have any training of any kind? He is stark raving mad. And that's putting it nicely!"

She looked over at the father and son, feeling instantly creeped-out by the way Blaze was staring at her, eyes full of lust, and obsession.

"Don't even get me started on his creepy son!" She was so done.