Chapter 372: The First Move
Leaving to search for the crypt just because they wanted to wasn’t as easy as they thought it would be, especially after things had scaled faster than expected.
But for Riley, who had weathered his own version of an apocalypse for five long years before being given any sort of useful assistance, he thought it was still manageable.
So for at least three days since his return, Riley operated one hell of a tight ship.
"Maybe next time."
"I’ll see what I can do."
"Thank yous" and "no thank yous" kept coming out of his mouth, and maybe he should’ve considered recording that for the sake of efficiency.
He fielded petitions for interviews, rejected proposals people wanted him to personally recommend to Kael, read the Moonveil Codex whenever he could, crossed out the crypt locations that didn’t match his inherited knowledge, pissed off the people they were aiming to bother, all while trying to juggle the questions the children kept asking, as well as the general mood of his very golden husband.
That was a mouthful.
Safe to say, Riley needed clones.
A lot of them.
And Kael would even argue that maybe they should’ve opted to delay his return and move covertly just as they did before.
But that would just be asking for greater trouble once the dragons started demanding to put Riley, the known mortal, in the wringer.
Knowing that, why would Riley allow them to strike first?
By now, almost everyone in Eryndra would have heard about the mortal union of the dragon lord and his aide. And without a doubt, vested parties would have come up with plans of their own.
It would be nice to be surrounded by genuinely supportive people, but the black dragon knew better than to have such hopes.
Of course, there would be romantics who would support their union as a sensational story they’ve probably been waiting for. But Riley wasn’t disillusioned enough to ignore how most would still think of him as part of Kael’s rebellious phase.
That was just the established end for mortals like Riley.
Even if they had something more serious going on, it would eventually come to an end. Dying by the hands of enemies, natural causes—or in some cases—accidentally at the hands of their beloved, it didn’t matter. What mattered was how eventually an immortal like Kael would have to let go.
Those who had patience would likely attempt to wait it out, the day Riley would lose Kael’s favor, while those who were in a hurry would likely try to speed things up.
Not exactly the nicest outlook, but it was a more accurate reality—one he needed to note so he could determine which beings he should avoid for a more peaceful existence.
So yes, instead of waiting and hiding, he simply opted to ruffle a few feathers before they could execute their plots against him.
Also, wouldn’t it be better to make their move while everyone else was busy thinking about how to deal with him?
From the moment Riley showed up in public, the Dravaryns and the Hales had been tasked to watch for changes in behavior, unusual movements, and collusion. But the supervision actually increased after Riley and Kael made an informal announcement through a simple post.
A social media post. Ironic, right?
In truth, they could’ve done something more formal, but the photo they had taken felt like the perfect way to do it.
An unexpected, definitely casual, yet full of affection photo of them wearing the rings Riley had commissioned.
The black dragon didn’t really pick a particular day for when he would present the rings. But he chose to do it after his mate looked like he wanted to raze the MBE to the ground.
Clearly, the golden dragon lord needed a pick-me-up and a lot of love after seeing and sensing people who irritated him simply by existing. To be fair, that generally meant everyone but his mate, so it wasn’t a new issue.
What was new, however, was how Kael would be more irritated by those trying to get in the good graces of his mate. They not only took too much space, but they definitely took too much of his twig’s already scarce free time.
How dare they?
The dragon lord would go to work looking like he’d eaten something bitter and it made everyone flinch with unease.
In such cases, they all looked toward Riley. If it were him, then maybe he could do something, right?
Well, they weren’t particularly wrong. So the aide who wanted to improve Kael’s mood thought of several ways and one stood out in particular.
Wouldn’t it be a good time to give his gift?
__
Truthfully, it hadn’t really been that long since he commissioned the piece, so even Riley ended up surprised by how fast the turnaround was.
Riley’s father really hadn’t recommended Mr. Winston lightly. Because sure enough, he proved to be a very skilled artisan, especially when even the eyes of one discerning Kael Dravaryn lingered on their new wedding bands like they were precious treasures.
The black dragon didn’t understand why he had been extremely nervous when they were already legally married and completely mated.
They had already done all sorts of deeds, so much that he wouldn’t even be able to put the word celibate next to his name without getting struck by some proverbial lightning.
Yes, that was already the kind of relationship they had.
And yet, when he presented the rings to Kael while saying, "I hope you don’t mind, but this is something I’ve owed you for a while now," he couldn’t help but feel flustered.
Riley held out the small box, already opened, his fingers steady even as he felt anything but.
"These are very much belated because I wanted to give you something that I thought would be more meaningful."
Kael’s gaze dropped to the contents.
"T-this—?"
"These are called wedding bands," Riley explained, trying to keep his tone even despite the way his chest felt tight. "Unlike the engagement ring that I’m wearing, this one comes in a pair so we could both wear them."
On the surface, he looked relaxed.
But in truth, he was really far from that.
If anything, there was a quiet tension in him, something hesitant, because the rings weren’t just unconventional, they were personal in every way.
And he could only hope his mate would like them.