Lila retreated to her suite on unsteady legs, closing the door and leaning against it as if it could somehow block out the memory of those intense eyes and that warm voice.
He said not to hide my feelings.
But hiding them was exactly what she had to do. One day on Nova Aurora and she was already in danger of forgetting every professional boundary she’d ever learned.
This is going to be the longest two weeks of my life.
SIX
DRAVEN
Draven stalked back to his private chambers while every muscle in his body was coiled tight with barely restrained tension. The black t-shirt stretched across his shoulders as he rolled them, trying to ease the knots that had formed during their charged encounter. His dragon paced restlessly, agitated by the abrupt separation from their mate.
Their mate.
The thought sent fire racing through his veins. Lila’s confession replayed in his mind like a broken record—I’ve been thinking about you too.Her voice had carried breathless honesty that made his chest ache with hope he hadn’t dared feel in years.
He shoved through the heavy oak doors of his chambers, the familiar space offering little comfort tonight. The stone walls seemed to close in around him as he began pacing, his dark jeans rasping against his legs with each agitated step.
“Damn it.” He raked his hands through his hair, leaving the black strands even more disheveled. “She feels it too.”
The admission hung in the air like a challenge. His primal instincts raged at him to claim Lila, to end this dance of professional boundaries and take what fate had finally grantedhim. His dragon roared agreement, urging him to march back to her suite and show Lila exactly what she meant to him.
But the logical part of his mind—the part that had kept him alive and on the throne for eighteen years—whispered caution. Lila was here as his psychologist, not his potential mate. She’d left Earth to help a stranger with his mental health crisis, not to become queen of an alien territory.
Tell her she’s your fated mate and watch her run straight back through Gerri’s wormhole.
The thought made his jaw clench. He couldn’t lose her. Not when her presence had already brought him more peace than he’d ever felt. Not when the fire madness receded to barely a whisper whenever she was near.
His communicator buzzed against the nightstand, and Corin’s name flashed across the screen. Draven stared at it, remembering their conversation about the antidote that could cure his condition—if he mated with a dragon shifter. If he chose Veyra.
The device fell silent, then immediately started buzzing again.
“What?” Draven snapped as he answered.
“My king, I hope I’m not disturbing you.” Corin’s smooth voice carried false concern. “I wanted to follow up on our earlier discussion about the cure for your condition.”
Draven’s grip tightened on the communicator. “I told you I needed time to think.”
“Of course, but time isn’t exactly on our side, is it?” Corin’s tone grew more urgent. “Your episodes are worsening. The council is growing restless. And now there’s this human psychologist taking up residence in your castle.”
Heat flared in Draven’s chest at the dismissal in Corin’s voice. “Dr. Reyes is here to help me.”
“Is she? Or is she just another distraction keeping you from making the hard choices necessary for your survival?” Corin paused, letting his words sink in. “Councilor Veyra has the political connections, and most importantly, the biological compatibility to stabilize your fire after you take the antidote. She’s been waiting patiently for you to recognize what’s been right in front of you for a long time.”
Veyra.The name tasted like poison in his mouth. Beautiful, ambitious, politically savvy Veyra who’d been circling him like a predator for years. She’d offered her support during his episodes, always appearing at precisely the right moment with soothing words and strategic advice.
“The antidote works within days of the mating,” Corin continued. “You could be free of this burden before the week is out.”
Draven closed his eyes, fighting the wave of temptation. Quick relief from the fire madness. An end to the constant fear of losing control. A politically advantageous match that would strengthen his position.
Everything except what his heart actually wanted.
“I appreciate your concern, Corin, but?—”
“Think about your kingdom, Draven. Think about what happens if you collapse completely. Is your pride worth the stability of the entire Dominion?”
The line went dead. Corin’s words echoed uncomfortably with his own fears—the ones that woke him in cold sweats, imagining his fire consuming everything he’d sworn to protect.
