Draven squeezed Lila’s hand and led her deeper into the castle, his heart lighter than it had been in years.
Draven soon pushed open the oak doors to his private library, the familiar scent of aged leather and parchment greeting him. His fingers were still intertwined with Lila’s, and his dragon rumbled contentedly at their connection. The space had always been his sanctuary—floor-to-ceiling shelves carved from obsidian, filled with centuries of dragon lore and political treaties.
Finally, somewhere we can be alone.
But as the doors swung wide, golden blonde hair caught his eye. Veyra stood near the ancient texts section, a leather-bound volume clutched in her manicured hands.
What the hell?
“Veyra.” His voice carried an edge of authority. “What are you doing here so late?”
She turned with practiced grace, her pale blue eyes flickering between his face and his clasped hand with Lila’s. “Oh, hello Draven. I was just looking for a book on dragon policy reforms and figured you had a copy here. Jarek let me in to grab it quickly.”
I’m going to have words with Jarek about letting anyone into my private spaces without notifying me first.
Draven’s jaw clenched as he watched Veyra’s nostrils flare slightly. Her dragon senses would pick up the claiming scentall over both him and Lila—the unmistakable musk of a half-completed mate bond that marked them as irrevocably paired.
The disgust that flashed across Veyra’s features was swift but unmistakable. Her grip tightened on the book until her knuckles went white.
“Well,” she said, her voice dripping with false sweetness as she moved toward the door, “I can see professional boundaries have been... thoroughly explored.”
Draven stepped forward, his massive frame blocking her path. His alpha instincts screamed at him to put this threat to his mate in her place. “You will not speak to my mate that way.”
The words came out low and dangerous, carrying the full weight of his alpha authority. His dragon pressed against his consciousness, demanding he shift and remind Veyra exactly who ruled this territory.
Veyra’s eyes went wide for a split second before narrowing into slits. “Your mate? How fascinating that your fated bond was with your therapist.”
“Leave. Now.” Each word was bitten off with barely controlled fury.
She swept past them in a rustle of expensive fabric, but not before shooting one last venomous look at Lila. The library doors slammed shut behind her with enough force to rattle the crystal decanters on his desk.
Damn her and her political maneuvering.
He turned to find Lila standing frozen near the shelves, her face pale and her green eyes wide with distress. The anxiety radiating through their bond made his chest ache.
“We don’t have to stay here,” he said, softening his voice as he approached her. “Why don’t you come back to my private chambers? We can just relax and breathe after our long day.”
She nodded wordlessly, and he guided her out of the library with a protective hand on her back. As they walked through thecastle toward his chambers, he could feel her turmoil building like a storm.
“Draven,” she finally said, her voice small. “I don’t want to create political turmoil for you. What if people think I’m manipulating you? What if they think I took advantage of your vulnerability as your therapist?”
There it is. The fear I was waiting for.
He stopped and turned to face her fully, his hands coming up to frame her face. The corridor was empty except for the soft glow of lava-lit sconces, casting dancing shadows across her worried features.
“They’ll soon see what I see,” he said, his voice rough with sincerity. “You came here to help me, not to take advantage of the situation. They’ll soon see your heart.”
Something in his tone made her freeze, her eyes searching his face like she was trying to read the truth written in his golden-brown gaze. His heart stumbled in his chest at the intensity of her scrutiny.
God, she’s so beautiful when she’s looking at me like that.
The pull between them grew stronger in the charged silence—dragon and human, patient and healer, two worlds trying to meet in the middle to become one. His dragon pushed at him to mark her and end any question of where she belonged.
Soon.
FIFTEEN
LILA
