Book 3 Side Story 3 (1/2)
Tafel raised her head towards the ceiling that had been lifted by a pair of red paws. She cleared her throat. “You want to what?”
Prika lifted the ceiling a bit higher, revealing more of her face. “I want to borrow Vur and temporarily make him my mate.” At Tafel’s twisting expression, Prika threw the roof completely off. “Not in that way! I don’t want to mate with him. Look”—Prika picked up a stone tablet—“my family sent me a Christmas card, and they want me home for Christmas because of something important, but I can’t go back single! I told them all I was going to leave and find a mate and be happy, but if I end up going back alone, do you know how embarrassed I’ll be? In the whole wide world, not a single dragon wanted Prika as a mate—that’s what they’ll say!”
“Didn’t you fly to the eastern continent a while back?” Tafel asked. “I thought you were going to find the love of your life there for sure.”
“Well, when I arrived at Leila’s home, her mother called me a harlot set on seducing her last son and almost killed me with a laser beam,” Prika said, a dark expression on her face. “Apparently, one of her sons ran away with a chick from the ocean, and she hasn’t been right in the head since. That’s what Leila’s sister told me.”
“And you thought your next best choice was Vur?” Tafel asked. “Why not someone else?”
“He’s not a choice! I’m just borrowing him as a pretend mate to fool my family,” Prika said. “Nova’s famous. Grimmy’s infamous—and Leila would kill me if I asked. Vernon is famous for being whipped by Sera and there’s no way my family would believe it if I told them he was my mate after fighting off Sera. I’m not that close with Sera’s sister to ask for her mate, and the only one that leaves is Vur. Well, there are his cousins, but they’re young and I don’t want to be known as a cradle robber! You have to help me out, Tafel. Don’t you remember that time I vouched for you when you were six years old? I approved of you and was dead set on matching you with Vur.”
Tafel bit her lower lip and turned her head, avoiding the red dragon’s face that looked as if it were about to cry. “There’s just one problem,” Tafel said. “Vur can’t lie. How are you going to convince your family that he’s your mate?” She nodded. “I don’t think it’ll work.”
“That’s okay,” Prika said. “I can just tell them that due to a horrific encounter with Grimmy, Vur lost his voice and can’t speak. There are dozens of ways around that. Is that the only reason? Have I convinced you now? I’ll give you compensation later, how about it?”
“I don’t want compensation!” Tafel said. “That makes me seem like such a horrible person if I accept any. If you can convince Vur to go with you, then I won’t stop you.”
Prika’s eyes lit up. “Really? Promise? No takebacks when I do?”
Tafel hesitated, but she placed her hands on her hips and nodded.
Prika whirled around and shouted, “Vur! Tafel told you to come with me to my home and pretend to be my mate to fool my family! Let’s go!”
“I said no such thing!”
“Hey,” Prika said, looking at Tafel with half-closed eyes. “You promised you wouldn’t stop me.”
Tafel glared at Prika. “You’re twisting my words.”
Vur’s polymorphed face appeared in her view. He looked around. “What did Tafel want me to do?”