“Real as Sasquatch.” Rikyava chuckled. “Though Sasquatches don’t have a more human form. They’re all hairy, all the time.”
“So everything I’ve ever heard in faerie tales is true?”
“Some of it.” Rikyava’s gaze was level. “Though a lot of it is made-up trash. There are some deep truths in human legends, though, if you look hard enough. You’ll learn all the truths about our world in time.”
“So what exactly is Adrian?” Layla pushed as she ate a slice of juicy pear, wanting to know something about him. “I mean, I know he’s a Desert Dragon like me, but what does that mean? And why do people call him a Royal Dragon?”
Rikyava gave a sly smile, lifting one blonde eyebrow. “You might do better to askwhois Adrian, and how much trouble might that rich asshole get you into. I saw that kiss in the courtyard. And your reaction to each other while we were in the meeting – sparks, girl!”
Rikyava laughed and Layla blushed, trying to not fiddle with her cuff. “John LeVeque kissed me. I had nothing to do with that.”
“JohnLeVeque– right.” Rikyava gave a knowing chuckle, her lavender eyes amused. “John’s one of Adrian’s aliases and has been ever since Adrian’s mother was murdered. Adrian did a stint here in the Guard asJohn, working undercover with the Madame’s permission to try and find out who killed his mother. Fucking brilliant performance, even though he didn’t get any real answers. Now he uses John when he’s out and about and doesn’t want to be known. Only Reginald, Dusk, the Madame, and I know about John. And now you.”
“Oneof Adrian’s aliases?” Layla asked, wondering what the hell Adrian was capable of. His performance as John had been utterly convincing. Only a few times had it sparked Layla’s bullshit-meter, and even then it had been subtle. Suddenly, she wondered if she and Adrian had met prior to the gallery. She had clearly taken him by surprise then, but what if that was only because he’d recognized her and not expected her to be there?
“Adrian has a few alter-egos,” Rikyava smiled tersely, “at least the ones I know about. As a Royal Dragon, he’s a very rare sub-breed – considered to be one of the most powerful Lineage variants in the Twilight Realm, alongside yours.”
“How so?”
“Well, you’ve seen what he can do, or at least a bit of it,” Rikyava chuckled. “Royal Dragons are so titled because they have an excess of rare sub-variant powers that the rest of us regular Dragons just don’t have. Not all Royals have the same abilities, but one particular power that signifies Royal magic ispersona shifting.”
“Persona shifting?” Layla’s brows rose – that was the perfect phrase for what she had seen in her vision of what Adrian could do. “So he can morph his body, his face – into other people?”
“Real or made-up people.” Rikyava nodded soberly. “Adrian’s the consummate shape-shifter. Once he reaches full maturity, he’ll be able to assume any physical form he likes – even mythical beasts, though human forms are easiest.”
“His powers aren’t mature?” Layla’s eyebrows raised further. “Could have fooled me.”
“He did fool you.” Rikyava’s gaze sobered. “And he’s nowhere near to reaching his full abilities yet. Adrian’s only a hundred and fifty years old. That’s considered young for a Dragon, like thirty human years. He’s not an adolescent, but he’s not an old warlord yet, either.”
“Warlord, what do you mean?” Layla leaned forward, rapt with interest.
“Shape-shifters – theChiari– are a hard lot, and prone to being headed up by warlords,” Rikyava’s smile was grim. “Intense politics, backstabbing, familial feuds, you name it. Dragon Shifters –Chiari drachans –are even worse, able to shift shape into Dragons, which are tremendously powerful animals and have brutal supremacy challenges. Royal Dragon Shifters are the strongest of the lot, and emerge rarely. The termRoyaldoesn’t denote birthright like it does in the human world, it denotes a wealth of magical ability beyond what other individuals of a Lineage can access. You can have a Royal in any Lineage, not just among Dragon Shifters.”
“So Adrian isn’t a king or anything.”
“No, but he’s First of his Clan – which is like being a Duke – and his magic is Royal.” Rikyava corrected with an eyeball to Layla. “There are five Lineages of Dragons, and Royals come and go through them all, though usually only a handful are born every generation. Adrian is now Clan First of the Desert Dragons of Morocco and the Mediterranean since his mother passed away, but he had to fight for that honor, he didn’t just inherit it. Since his magic is Royal, he’s powerful, but he’s still young. He’s had a lot of challengers because of it – people both inside and outside his clan trying to bring him down before he can reach his Royal maturity.”
“Adrian said he had a lot of people after him,” Layla mused, thinking about their conversation back in Seattle. “That he wanted me to help infiltrate the Hotel to figure out who those people were.”
“He does have people after him,” Rikyava nodded sagely, “but you’ll most likely not find them here. Adrian already tried that, back when he masqueraded here as John. If he can’t find answers about who murdered his mother then I doubt you will. Most likely, that was part of his ruse to get you here so he could protect you.”
“Why did he have to lie about that?” Layla asked, bristling that Adrian had been so dishonest with her.
“Adrian’s good at reading people.” Rikyava’s gaze was knowing. “You’re feisty, you’re independent. How do you think you would have reacted if some strange man waltzed into your life and said,come with me if you want to livelike the Terminator?”
“I probably would have told him to get lost.” A smile creeped up Layla’s lips.
“Bingo.” Rikyava grinned back. “And probably given him a one-fingered salute while you were at it.”
“Probably.”
“Women like us don’t enjoy being coddled, Layla,” Rikyava gave her a knowing eyeball. “Dress up in as much silk and diamonds as you like, I don’t care. I know a powerful drakaina when I smell one. You’re like me; rolling over and letting ourselves be protected by some guy just isn’t gonna cut it. Adrian’s a force to be reckoned with. But you’ve got some serious punch and blister in there, woman – I felt it. I pity your enemies, once you figure out what to do with it.”
“What will I be able to do with it?” Layla asked, wondering.
Rikyava sat back, tapping her hand on the arm of her chair, her gaze keen. “I don’t really know. Every Royal Dragon is different, and as a Bind, your powers are more chaotic than most. Unlike other Dragons, your powers will mature based on your life-experiences – it’s one of the most highly unpredictable magics in the entire Twilight Realm. Before Mimi… well, no one’s seen another of your kind in hundreds of years, Layla. Adrian wasn’t kidding when he decreed you under the protection of the Magna Dicta. Now that Mimi’s gone, you are the last of your Lineage.”
“So Mimi was like me?” A small smile lifted Layla’s lips, imagining her vivacious, graceful, and very direct grandmother as a Dragon. Somehow it fit perfectly.
