Her Fake Dragon Mate

Chapter 1

Claire

There was wealth and wealth and Claire had neither, something she was painfully aware of as she arrived at the monster of a mansion that was owned by one of the oldest and richest dragon shifter families in the community. She couldn"t quite believe this was where she was celebrating her New Year"s Eve but pinching herself didn"t wake her up, so it had to be true.

wealth "Now we"re living the life," she whispered to Celine, temporarily drawing her sister"s attention away from her new girlfriend and the reason why they were invited to a party of this size in the first place.

Celine chuckled. "Let me guess, you"re already imagining ways of how you can ever own a mansion like this."

"You better believe it. Wow. How much do you think a place like this would sell for?"

"No idea." Celine looked lovingly and questioningly at Renata. "Do you know?"

"I believe if Harlow"s family ever decided to get rid of it, it would become a national treasure," Renata said, clearly unfazed by the whole situation. She showed the invitation on her phone to the doorman at the large iron entry gates and he allowed them in with a mere nod.

The whole situation felt surreal to Claire as they followed the long driveway up, gathering at the entrance where other guests were arriving too. Faint music was already coming from inside and everyone looked ever so slightly tipsy, which wasn"t surprising on a night like tonight.

Going in, she marvelled at the high ceilings and obscene chandeliers that looked like they could crush a horse if they ever fell. Claire stifled a giggle just thinking about the poor sod who was tasked with dusting all the teeny tiny dangly bits.

A woman in a neat black uniform held out a tray with glasses of something bubbly and Claire happily accepted one. She took a sip, delighted by the taste. "Is that Champagne?"

Renata nodded, drinking her own. "Yes, Harlow goes all out for New Year"s."

"And you"re sure we don"t have to pay for any of this?" Celine questioned, clearly less used or excited by the idea of accepting freebies.

"Of course, we"re guests." Renata"s gaze shifted and she waved to someone in the distance. "Oh, come, I want to introduce you to people."

Not in the mood to be the awkward third wheel to her sister"s lovey-dovey mood, Claire gave them a smile. "Go on, I"ll be alright on my own."

"Are you sure?" Celine asked, her concern unnecessary.

Claire gave her a confident nod. "Oh, yes. Free alcohol and pretty people, I"ll be fine. In fact, I"d rather you didn"t cramp my style." Perhaps she was putting on a little bit of a front but that was her duty as the oldest sibling.

She savoured her Champagne and happily took another glass from a passing tray, fully intending to drink as much as she possibly could without losing her consciousness or dignity.

As she moved through the mansion, it became instantly clear that most guests knew each other which made sense, it was a private party after all. Only a few people seemed on the outskirts and Claire assumed they were like her, a plus-one of a plus-one. Part of her wondered if she should"ve gone to her usual spot for New Year"s Eve but Celine would never have felt comfortable splitting up.

As Claire enjoyed her expensive drink, she couldn"t say she was disappointed with her choice. How often was she going to have the opportunity to mingle with the upper class? Just being here confirmed that they were living the best life and she could see herself being at home in a massive mansion like this. She just wished she wasn"t wearing a dress that cost the equivalent of a single potted plant in here. Less, if it was a particularly fancy plant.

As the party went on and people got drunker, some of the initial groups scattered and Claire found herself chatting vaguely to some people she didn"t even know the names of. What had started as an exciting evening had quickly become a rather dull affair.

She downed her fourth glass of Champagne and excused herself from the group of strangers before they murdered her with boredom. She considered mingling on the dance floor instead but the music wasn"t exactly to her taste so she decided to check out the garden.

She passed by the large staircase leading up further into the mansion which had been closed off with a rope. Claire had to admit to being tempted to ignore the sign that said "no entry" but she restrained herself. She had to remember that anything she did would reflect back on Celine and Renata. As much as Claire found the whole fated mate thing nauseating, the last thing she wanted was to mess things up for her sister.

She made her way out into one of the side gardens where a handful of people were smoking, making out in the shadows, or attempting to sober up. She ignored all of them and sat down on a bench near a flowerbed that smelled like a*****e that sold bath bombs and other luxury cosmetics.

While she enjoyed the fresh air, she observed the people around her. The party might"ve started fancier and classier than she was used to, but the scenery now was exactly like any outside a cheap pub or club. Drunk looked the same, regardless of money.

Her gaze was drawn to a beautiful woman with long blonde hair that looked much soberer than anyone else. If she was tipsy, she did a hell of a job not showing it.

Their eyes met and Claire smiled, partially out of politeness, partially out of intrigue. To her surprise, the blonde woman came toward her and sat down on the other end of the bench.

"Enjoying the party?" she asked, her voice melodic and clear.

Claire turned ever so slightly to give the stranger her attention. "It"s alright. You?"

"I suppose so. I don"t think I"ve seen you before. How do you know Harlow?"

"I don"t, my sister"s new mate does. This is my first time here."

"Interesting. Most people usually claim to be one of her closest friends,” the stranger remarked with a knowing smile.

"I"m not most people," Claire replied, which sounded really cool in her head, but that could"ve been the alcohol. "How do you know Harlow?"

The woman gave her a bemused smile. "I"m one of her closest friends."

Chuckling, Claire studied the woman opposite her, taking note of the expensive dress and the even more expensive shoes. Her smile dropped. "You"re not Harlow, are you?"

Her question drew a tinkling belly laugh from the blonde. "No, I"m not, but wouldn"t that be funny?"

"And awkward for me," Claire returned with a slight smile.

"Well, luckily for you, I"m not Harlow. Oh, if this is your first time here, have you seen the fountain?"

"No, what fountain?"

Mischief twinkled in the woman"s eyes and she tugged Claire off the bench. "Come on, I"ll show you."

"Woah, woah. I"m not about to run off into the dark with some random stranger," Claire protested, firmly planting her heels in the ground. Even after a few glasses of Champagne, she knew better.

"Right." The blonde released her hand so she could hold it out properly. "I"m Taylor."

Claire shook it properly. "Claire."

"Nice to meet you, Claire. Now can I show you the fountain?"

There was no denying that running off with a stranger could bring all sorts of trouble but with a deliberating look at the mansion where everyone was getting progressively drunker as midnight approached, Claire couldn"t imagine she was going to have much fun in there. Besides, while Taylor was slightly taller than her, her arms were slender and didn"t look like they"d pack much of a punch, if it came to that.

With a shrug, she agreed. "Sure, why not?"