Jose rolled his shoulders. "All right, let's do this."
Ashley raised her brows. "You remember the rules, right?"
He sighed. "Of course I do. She has to come willingly, and no kissing until she signs the paperwork. All pretty fucking romantic, isn't it?"
Ashley didn't blink an eye. "Getting her to be willing may be hard for you, Mr. Santos, if you don't at least try to be less intimidating."
He eyed the slip of a woman and leaned close. "Are you sure you don't want to enter?"
She rolled her eyes. "My fiancé would definitely have a word or two to say about that suggestion."
Damn, of course the one human female who didn't treat him like some god would already belong to another. Now if he could just find one like her but unattached, he might actually not dread this.
His dragon murmured, Plenty exist. Our cousin's friend mated one.
Yes, but that was in Canada where dragons and humans have much longer histories of understanding and cooperation than in the US.
Ashley turned toward the door. "It's now or never, Mr. Santos. This is the last chance to back out, but it will pull your sister out, too, and disqualify your clan from entering for five years."
Which would mean Gaby wouldn't have her stupid fantasy come true next month.
Jose may be cynical, but he loved his younger sister. So he took a step toward the door, kicking the ADDA employee into motion, and they both entered the ballroom.
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The human females were seated in rows, with barely enough space for him to walk down each one without kicking either a chair or someone's legs. Two hundred didn't sound like a lot given more than that stayed in just this one hotel. But with them all lined up, it was an endless sea of faces.
How the hell was he supposed to pick one of them?
His dragon growled. Stop coming up with excuses. I'm sure one of them will stand out from the rest.
The ADDA employee stood behind the podium with a microphone and spoke up. "Hello, and welcome to the Lake Tahoe dragon lottery. This year's dragonman is Jose Santos of Clan PineRock. He'll soon roam the room and pick one lucky woman to whisk away to a private cabin and, well, get to business. If for any reason, you wish to drop out, this is your last opportunity to do so. If you back out after you've been chosen, then you'll be banned from entering any other lotteries. And not just in Tahoe, but in the entire country. I'll pause here for those who wish to leave."
Ashley waited for about thirty seconds, but none of the females rose and walked out.
Well, at least they were committed, he had to give them that.
Of course, as many of them eyed him like a piece of candy, ready to be licked, it could just be that they found him sexy, like a walking fantasy.
His dragon snorted. Was there any doubt about that?
And people thought Jose's human half was the arrogant one.
Ashely continued once more, preventing Jose from replying to his dragon. "Good, then it seems we have the right bunch for this year. To help things run smoothly, please remain seated where you are and remain silent unless you're asked a question. You can raise your hand to have an ADDA employee come to you, in case of an emergency." She swept a gaze across the room that made even Jose's dragon take notice. "If someone breaks the rules, they'll be disqualified. No exceptions." She gestured toward Jose. "You may begin."
It was on the tip of his tongue to make a sarcastic quip, but he resisted. Ashley was just doing her job, and he was here voluntarily. Just because most humans annoyed him didn't mean he had to make a decent one's life difficult.
As Jose walked down one row and then the others, he noted females of all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities, all pretty in their own way. But it soon became a blur of faces. None of them stood out above the rest, screaming for him to talk with them.
He said to his inner beast, How the hell do I pick one?
Even if you're only half-heartedly looking, I'm being more thorough. If our true mate is here, I'll find her.
Before he could reply, he noticed a dark-haired female at the very back, a book in front of her face, hiding everything but the crown of her head from view. He stared a second, she peeked over the top to study him, revealing dark eyes before ducking back behind the book.
Her strange behavior made him pause a second and study her more.
Even from thirty feet away he could read the title of the book in front of her face: Revealing the Dragons: The Day-to-Day Lives of a British Dragon-Shifter Clan.