Chapter 2. Underwhelmed

Lucas

Eighteen fucking months of deep excavation in South America and Egypt. Those were the possible places that the ancient book had referred to.

Their hands remained empty. Not even a sliver of dust from the said tomb. It was a fucking needle in huge bundles of haystacks.

To add more salt to injury, during his absence, there were raids and thievery on the kingdom’s treasury.

The renegades and rogues became bolder. Some managed to get away with bars of gold and silver. Though it did not deny his riches, it still irked a nuisance, and it grated on his nerves.

Dragon vaults had been hidden for centuries. What riches they managed to rob from him at the treasury was nothing. What it managed to do was piss him off.

If not for the ground troops Alexander and Lucifer had provided him with, he would be outnumbered.

His royal army was exceptional fighters; however, most of them were women. And there laid his enigma. A dilemma of sorts.

The dragon kingdom was overpopulated with women. Only thirty percent comprised the male portion of the total population.

The females did not have a dragon beast. It was either they were Argetlam – a mate and a dragon rider – or they became fighters or workers.

It had always been a blessing if they were mated to other species, for it strengthened their kingdom. Those circumstances were rare. Precious and predestined by the gods and goddesses.

Some would live for centuries before they found a soulmate, and some died mateless souls, incomplete.

Unlike other species, their kingdom did not condone premarital sex, especially among women. He might have dalliances during his younger days – most with human females and some with widows of nearby clans – he never encouraged and had bluntly explained to the opposite sex that all was for fun and nothing more.

Those dalliances stopped years ago. His beast had gone stronger. It was either that, or he roasted his bed partner.

He preferred the former. And he had sworn to his dragon to wait for their silver hand. Argetlam. The equivalent to a mate or beloved. Except she got to control and ride their beast.

The more time they waited for her, the more his dragon’s vitalities dwindled during raids and battles.

Their power stemmed from her soul. From her heart. The fucking problem was she might not exist for him.

“That’s why you look for her, human!”

Here he goes again. The centuries of nagging had not eased up. Not even a bit.

“I don’t have the time nor the energy, dragon.”

“We don’t have energy because we don’t have her, idiot!”

True. But it was the least of his worries. He blocked his dragon before he flooded him with aggression.

The first on his list of things to do was how to keep his vaults hidden from the enemies. He should contact Esmeralda for that.

The second was his little sister, she would graduate from senior high soon. A straight-A student at a boarding school in France, she had plainly declared she wanted to become a chef. He made a mental note to ask the Lycan king’s help on that. He had bought the most expensive culinary school in NYC for his sister-in-law. They had always been amused by how he indulged his Lycan queen. His lips twitched. With that kind of beauty, he thought, anyone would.

Lucas would take a page from his book and enroll his baby sister so he could be assured of her safety.

Third, he glanced at his notepad, he had to open his estate in New York City once more. The vast land adjoined the vampire, lycan, and the demon’s realms. This would keep his sister safe.

Decisions made, he paused. Planning and reassessing all. Satisfied, he requested for his commanders to join him in his vast and open lair.

His body erect and stiff, his back at the doors, he inhaled deeply. The sea breeze coming from the open ocean never failed to soothe his senses. Though not quite – would have been better if he had his Argetlam – but it would do for now.

***

“ο βασιλιάς μου (My king),” his younger brothers bowed elegantly in respect, and their mates curtsied. 

It was a known fact, he preferred the old ways.

Lucas lifted his chin in approval. His siblings were his commanders, they flew with him in battles with their riders. They also kept his unruly dragon in check.

“Our little sister, Indali, will be home soon.” He murmured. Never one to raise his voice. In his opinion, a deep and quiet cadence would deliver the same result.

The announcement was met with rare smiles from his usually brooding brothers.

“I can’t wait to teach her the sword,” Emeranth, Hughes’s Argetlam exclaimed, eyes alight with purpose.

“Oh, she should learn boxing first!” That was Athena, Petros’s rider. All but rubbing her hands in anticipation.

Deep chuckles filled the room. Lucas hated to burst their bubble, regardless, “She wants to be a chef.” Ruthlessly tamping down his smile at their shocked expressions.

Silence. Disbelief on their faces. Women with dragon lineage, especially a princess, would either be a fighter or a lady of the household and help the king rule the kingdom.

In his case, he should consider that since he hadn’t found his queen yet. The problem was he wanted to spoil his baby sister. What she wants, she gets.

Indali was sweet and kind and so down to earth. People sometimes mistook her for a commoner. She never corrected them; instead, she smiled serenely and acted as if nothing had happened.

She was as sweet as they come.

They all wanted to indulge her, no matter how small her request was.

And the fact she was insanely stunning and innocent drove them, brothers, to put her in a Catholic boarding school in France.

He felt guilty for doing that. So, he decided to help her fulfill her dreams. “What is your plan, brother?” Hughes asked.

“We move to New York City and rule the kingdom from there. It’s a sensible option since it is the capital of the Alliance.” His brothers inclined their heads, trusting his decision.

“How many days do we have?” Glowing hazel eyes fell on Petros, who asked the question. He could see the calculation and plans by his expression.

The burden of managing the household and finance was his and his mate’s, while Hughes and Emeranth run the army and barracks.

And Lucas oversaw the dragon realm with over two million population, mostly strong-headed females and stubborn dragon beasts.

Talk about migraines. He didn’t even need his dragon as a repellent for his nonexistent sex life.

“We leave in two weeks; this weekend, we all go to France for Indali’s graduation,” he smirked at their curses and grunts at his announcement.

This would make them extremely busy, and it would interrupt their very active sex life. Served them right. They rut like animals, it constantly grated on his nerves. Every corner he turned, they were at it.

In their desperation to have their own little beasts, they didn’t care if anyone saw them.

Lucas was all for it. Babies, he meant. He loved kids. They didn’t have to rub it in his face.

“You knew this beforehand,” Athena accused.

“I guess you have to start with the preparation then, no?” Humor and good spirit followed him as he walked out of his office, leaving his brothers and their mates to their devices.

Lucas had preparations of his own, and he needed to contact the Lycan king.

It felt surreal. It felt like his world was about to change. Maybe New York City was a good place to live.