This is crazy. I came here to help him with his mental health condition, not to become some kind of mystical mate to a dragon king.
Behind her, she heard the chair creak as Draven stood. His footsteps were silent on the thick rug, but she could feel his presence like a warm flame at her back. When he stopped beside her at the windows, careful not to touch her but close enough that she could smell his intoxicating scent, her pulse hammered wildly.
“Do you need some space?” His voice was rough with controlled emotion, and when she glanced sideways at him, she could see the worry and hurt flickering across his strong features.
The vulnerable expression on his face made her heart ache. But she also felt trapped, like the walls were closing in around her with expectations and implications she wasn’t ready to face.
“I think that’s a good idea,” she said quietly, wrapping her arms around herself. “I need to take a shower and get dressed. Work through this headache and hangover.”
And figure out what the hell I’m going to do about this revelation that’s just turned my entire world upside down.
Draven’s jaw tightened almost imperceptibly, and she could see him wrestling with his alpha instincts—probably wanting to demand answers, to stake his claim, to make her understand and accept what he’d just revealed. But instead, he gave her a stiff nod.
“I understand,” he said, though she could hear the strain in his voice. That disappointment that she wasn’t immediately throwing herself into his arms and declaring her undying love.
What did he expect? That I’d just accept this earth-shattering news and jump into bed with him?
The thought of being in bed with Draven—really being with him, skin to skin, letting him claim her in every way possible—sent a bolt of pure heat straight through her core. Her body wanted him with an intensity that scared her. But her mind needed time to process, to understand what accepting him as her mate would mean for her future.
Because right now, she felt like she had two equally terrifying options. Flee back to Earth and pretend this had all been some kind of elaborate dream or surrender completely to this impossible connection and let herself fall into a love that could potentially destroy everything she’d built for herself.
Both extremes felt dangerous and impulsive, and Lila had never been the type to make life-altering decisions without careful consideration. Well, until two days ago at least.
Draven moved toward the door, his wrinkled midnight-blue shirt stretched across his broad shoulders and his black hair still mussed from sleeping in the chair. He paused with his hand on the handle, not quite looking back at her.
“I’ll see you at our next therapy session in an hour, if that works for you.”
“That sounds good,” she managed, grateful for the return to professional boundaries even as part of her mourned the loss of the intimacy they’d shared.
The door closed behind him with a click, leaving Lila alone with her churning thoughts and the lingering warmth of his presence. She pressed her forehead against the cool glass of the window and tried to make sense of the chaos in her mind.
I’m his fated mate. Can I truly accept whatever that all entails?
Something deep inside her already knew the answer. But her mind couldn’t handle the enormity of changes that would happen if she just jumped off the cliff and accepted being his mate. The analytical part of her brain cataloged all the impossibilities: she was human, he was dragon shifter royalty, she had a life back on Earth, and she knew nothing about ruling a kingdom.
But what about this magnetic pull you’ve felt toward him since arriving? The way your body responds to him? The calm that settles over you in his presence?
She pushed away from the window and headed toward the bathroom, needing the clarity that hot water sometimes provided. The marble shower was larger than her entire bathroom back in Santa Monica, with multiple jets that created a perfect cascade of warmth. As the water streamed over her shoulders, she tried to organize her scattered thoughts.
Her body and soul knew he was meant for her somehow, but her mind kept thinking about the implications of being his mate.
What would it mean to be a human queen in a dragon shifter world?
That seemed so far-reaching, something she would never have the confidence or strength to do.
Would his clutch and the council even accept her?
It just seemed way too complicated.
But then she remembered the look on his face when he’d described the fairy tale love he’d been holding out for. And how her heart had melted at his words about waiting his whole life for someone to look at him the way she did.
Based on their dinner and kiss last night, she knew their love would be magical and fierce and beautiful. And she really wanted that.
But I’m scared.
She finished her shower and wrapped herself in one of the impossibly soft towels, then selected a simple yellow sundress from her own clothes, hoping the cheerful color might lift her spirits. The communicator on her nightstand caught her attention—Harper would know what to say. She always did.
The device proved intuitive, somehow connecting her across impossible distances to Earth. Harper’s familiar voice came through crystal clear.
