It was not, however, all three.
As it turned out, his father had been giving him an actual, legitimate survival tip. Because when Riley arrived with his stoic boss and current "companion," it became painfully clear that no one had been exaggerating.
"Ah, so that's the mate."
The way Riley's face almost twisted at the use of the word "mate" would have been plain for the world to see, if not for Kael stepping forward just enough to block the view.
Thank all the ancestors for that, because the likely ancient dragon in front of them seemed absolutely determined to get his say in.
"Dragon Lord Kael. It's been a while. Who would've thought you'd actually bring someone over?"
A slow blink. A flicker of sharp teeth. "A human of all things." His eyes narrowed into dangerous slits, and Riley was fairly certain he wouldn't be the first and last one to measure him like prey. Not when his father had been so serious about dragon customs before they left.
