Mate Dance (8 page)

my education."

Raven thought that was stretching the truth a bit, but

he didn't contradict her as the reporters pounced, pelting

him with questions.

"How long have you been dating?"

"Are there any plans for marriage?"

"Are you going to be living here, Raven?"

"Are you giving up your career for love?'

Raven held up his hands, laughing. The press had

never intimidated him. He'd been dealing with them since

his first public dance performance. "The prince and I met a

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few days ago. I'm doing him a favor this morning." He shot

a glare at Trisha. He wasn't even going to go into the whole

mating thing. "Now please excuse us. I have to get Trisha

to a new school."

Putting a hand around Trisha's waist, he helped her

through the crowd. The driver rushed over to keep reporters

back, but it proved unnecessary as even the pushiest

reporter kept a respectful distance.

The driver opened the passenger door, and they

rushed inside.

Raven pulled out his communicator and scrolled

down the list. One name caught his eyes.

Perfect.

"Where are you taking me?"

"A friend of mine runs a school for the arts a few

miles from here. Let's go see if she'll let you in."

"Why wouldn't she let me in? My father's a prince,

and my grandfather is the king."

Raven looked at Trisha and saw the underlying

nervousness beneath those words.

"Because in this school, they let you in because of

skill, not because your father is royalty."

Trisha gave him a sweet smile. "Good. I think I'd

like that better anyway. That other school was probably

filled with a bunch of snobs." She gave Raven an anxious

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look. "Do you think Father is going to be angry with you?"

Raven shrugged. "If he is, then he should've taken

you to school himself."

* * * *

Kaemon disconnected his call and looked at his

father, stunned.

"What?"

"That was Headmaster Franklin. He said the person

we sent to register Trisha refused to admit her into a school

that had no arts program."

"That's what you get for sending a dancer to sign up

your daughter for school," his father said with a laugh.

"You should've taken her yourself."

"I was hoping they'd bond."

"Don't
you
want to bond with your only child?"

Kaemon nodded. "But if I can get Raven to bond

with her, then I get her and my mate. The fact that he

wouldn't admit her into the school proves he's looking out

for her welfare. Not to mention he's my fated mate and I've

spent the last few days building a connection with him."

The king frowned. "Playing games with your mate

can backfire, son. I'd be careful if I were you."

"Maybe, but it's all I've got right now. If Trisha and

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Raven bond, I get the entire package."

"And if they don't?"

Kaemon shrugged. "I guess we'll see. Though I'm

kind of curious about where he's taking her."

The king smiled. "Me too. I never liked that school

when I went there. I only sent you there because my father

was hounding me about tradition."

"Huh," Kaemon said, giving his father a long,

considering look. "I was only going to send her there for

the same reason."

"I guess it's a good thing your mate decided to

shake things up a bit."

Kaemon smiled. "I have a feeling that's not the only

thing my mate is going to shake up around here."

* * * *

Raven led Trisha up the steps of the School for

Arts, ignoring the slew of reporters following them. He was

barely at the top of the stairs when his old dance friend,

Jani Valle, raced through the doors and into his arms.

"Hi, handsome," she said, giving him a big hug.

"Hi, beautiful." Raven swung her around before

placing her back on her feet.

"I'm so pleased you called." She turned to Trisha.

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"So you're Raven's friend, Trisha." Jani smiled and

held out her hand.

Trisha gave her the briefest handshake in history.

"My father, Prince Kaemon, is Raven's mate," she

announced.

Raven exchanged smiles with Jani at the child's

obvious protectiveness. She wanted to keep other predatory

females away from her father's mate. Instead of

commenting, he patted her on the back. "Let's go inside and

audition, shall we?"

"You have a mate?" Jani whispered as the trio

walked inside.

"We're working out the details," Raven whispered

back, not wanting Trisha to hear. "They are kind of

possessive on this planet."

Jani laughed. "Only the good ones." She wrapped

an arm around his waist and squeezed. "I'm so glad you're

here. You've sent us so much money over the years but

never had the time to come visit."

Raven felt a stab of guilt. "You know I would've

come, Jani, if I could have fit it into my schedule."

"I know, but now you're here, and you brought a

protégé. I can't tell you how thrilled I am. We don't usually

let people in mid-cycle you know, but for you, we're

willing to make an exception."

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"Thank you, Jani." Raven hoped Trisha was as good

as she claimed. He knew they would probably let her in

anyway just because of his contributions to the school, but

he wanted her to get in on her own merits. Otherwise, she

might as well just go back to the other school and use her

father's title to get in.

They entered the large auditorium. Raven settled

into a seat up in front while Jani led Trisha to the dressing

rooms behind the stage.

A few minutes later, she came out wearing a basic

leotard and a pair of ballet slippers.

Jani led Trisha through the basic forms before

having her perform a few jumps. Lastly, she asked Trisha

to do any routine she was familiar with. Stepping off the

stage, Jani sat next to Raven, and together they watched

Trisha turn from a nervous girl into a confident dancer. Her

pirouettes were stunning, and her jumps were surprisingly

high for her height.

"She's good," Jani whispered.

"Good enough?" Raven asked. Although he

supported art education, he had no idea what was good at

what level any more. His beginning dance years were a

faded memory.

"You said she can draw also?"

Raven nodded. "I haven't seen any of her work, but

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she said she'd won some awards."

"You know I'd let her in just for you." Jani patted

his arm. "But I'm relieved I don't have to. She'll fit in

nicely."

After kissing him on the cheek, she went to collect

her newest student.

An hour later, Trisha and Raven left the school with

good spirits and a list of supplies.

"This is going to be so exciting." Trisha all but

bounced down the steps.

Raven gave a quick scan and was pleased to see the

reporters had lost interest or had been moved on by security

officers. "You think you'll like it there?"

"No. Why would I like a place that lets me dance

and draw instead of learning all about protocols and

procedures? I'm sure I'll hate it." She gave an infectious

giggle. "Let' s go home and tell Father all about it."

Raven couldn't hold back his laugh. "Yeah, let's go

tell Father."

He just knew the prince was going to hang him up

by his balls. Raven's nerves jangled as they made their way

back to the castle. He didn't want to upset Kaemon, but

there was no way he was going to turn Trisha over to that

Royal School and suppress her creativity. He'd seen the

damage other schools had done to dancers and artists over

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the years. It was one of the reasons he spent so much

money supporting schools for the arts.

"Did they let me in the school because of you?"

Trisha asked in a small voice.

Raven shoved down his own insecurities to deal

with the girl's.

"No," he reassured her. "They would have if I

insisted, but they told me they thought you were very

talented and were happy to have you there."

His honesty was rewarded by a brilliant smile so

like her father's it made his heart hurt.

Raven panicked.

He was already too close to the prince. The thought

of leaving Kaemon and his daughter was like a dagger in

his heart. He didn't know if he could survive more time

with them, no matter what kind of promises he made.

"You're going to stay, aren't you?"

Damn, the girl was perceptive.

"Do I look panicky?"

Trisha laughed. "Kind of."

"I promised your father I'd stay and help you settle

in."

"Do you think he likes me?"

"Yes, Trisha. I think your father likes you. Why

wouldn't he? You're a beautiful, sweet, talented girl. What's

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not to like? It will take him a while to get used to having a

child. Be patient with him. I don't think he knows quite

what to do with you."

Trisha nodded. "I will, if you will." She flashed

Raven her heart-breaking smile. "I don't think my father

knows what to do with you either."

Raven wasn't ready when the driver stopped and

opened the door.

Hadn't the castle been a little farther before?

After helping Trisha out of the car, they both

approached the castle with dragging feet.

Raven turned and caught Trisha's eyes. They

laughed together as they recognized their actions.

"We have to face him sometime," Raven said.

"Yeah."

The front door opened as they approached.

"Good afternoon. Sir Raven, Princess Trisha," the

servant greeted them. "If you are looking for the king or the

prince, they are both in the dining room having their

afternoon meal. There is food waiting for you. Your driver

called ahead."

Raven exchanged looks with Trisha.

"I'm hungry," Raven said.

"Yeah, me too," Trisha agreed.

"If you'd follow me."

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Raven was glad he didn't have to find his way on

his own. It wasn't something he advertised, but he had a

horrible sense of direction.

They found the royals sitting down to a fine platter

of sliced meats and cheeses. Raven was surprised to see an

enormous selection of fruits and vegetables also laid out

down the middle of the table.

Kaemon gave him an intimate smile as he walked

in. The man obviously hadn't heard of his antics yet.

"How was your meeting?" he asked the prince.

"Fine, fine."

The prince didn't meet his eyes, making Raven

suspect the meeting might not have been as important as

Kaemon had implied.

"Mmm hmm." He let his cynicism shine through.

Kaemon's turned a little red. "I had them prepare

some dishes I thought would appeal to your tastes."

Raven let him off the hook. The prince blushing

was adorable and his consideration regarding Raven's

eating habits was sweet.

He motioned for Trisha to take a seat beside her

father, and he took one next to the king.

It wasn't until he was settled in his chair that he

realized he was seated directly across from the prince, who

stared at him with hot eyes.

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"So, Trisha, how did you like the Royal Academy?"

the king asked.

Trisha scooped up some food with great

concentration.

Raven came to her rescue.

"She isn't going to that school."

"So I heard, but I'm not really sure why you care

where she goes," the king said, setting down his fork.

Raven scooped up some odd yellow vegetables as

he concentrated on what to say. He settled with the truth.

"The headmaster gave me the creeps, and they

didn't have an arts program. Trisha told me she was

interested in continuing her artistic studies. I believe in

nurturing people who have the dedication to go after their

dreams. A school that doesn't even consider the arts

important wouldn't nurture their students."

"She could've had private classes and still gone to

the school. I can replace the headmaster if he bothers you

so much."

Raven picked up a purple fruit and regarded it on

his fork.

"It wouldn't be a bad idea to replace the headmaster,

but it is the basic philosophy of the school that bothers me.

If Trisha is going to take her place in the royal family, she

is better served by becoming a well-rounded individual able

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