“I know you’re still thinking about the mate mark,” he continued, his golden eyes intense and focused entirely on her. “And I’m not pushing. But I need you to know that these three days have shown me what our future could look like. And it’s everything I never dared to hope for.”
The raw honesty in his voice made her throat tight with emotion. This wasn’t the desperate dragon king who’d confessed his need for her to cure his fire madness. This was a man who’d found his equal and wanted to build something beautiful together.
“After the funeral,” she heard herself saying. “Ask me again after the funeral.”
His smile was radiant and predatory at once. “Is that a yes?”
“It’s a ‘we’ll see,’“ she teased, but her heart was already screaming the answer.
Yes, you impossible, wonderful man.
“I’m going to wash off the last three days,” he said softly. “Care to join me?”
The invitation floated in the air, loaded with promise and barely restrained desire. Lila’s body responded instantly—her pulse quickening and her skin warming—but her mind was already shifting into investigative mode.
“I need to make a few phone calls first,” she said, holding up the communicator. “Clutch business won’t manage itself.”
Disappointment flickered across his features, but he nodded with the understanding of a man who’d learned to appreciate her dedication to his kingdom. “Don’t take too long.”
She wanted to lose herself in him and pretend the world could wait. But the part of her that had built her life on solving problems refused to rest. Someone had to protect this peace they’d found.
They stood up, and he walked toward the bathroom. When the bathroom door closed, followed by the sound of running water, Lila placed her call.
“Nyra? It’s Lila. Are you somewhere private?”
“In my house, and yes, the walls are soundproof,” came Nyra’s voice through the communicator. “I’ve got what you asked for, and it’s worse than we thought.”
Lila’s stomach dropped. “Tell me everything.”
“Veyra’s mother was eighteen when she became obsessed with Draven’s father,” Nyra began, her tone grim. “She genuinely believed she’d be his chosen mate—spent months positioning herself, playing politics, making herself indispensable to the court.”
“But then Draven’s mother appeared.”
“Exactly. The moment King Theron met Queen Serenya, it was over. Instant mate bond and complete devotion within a month. Veyra’s mother was cast aside like yesterday’s council notes.”
Lila paced the kitchen, her bare feet silent on the cool stone.
Veyra’s childhood was built on her mother’s rejection and humiliation. No wonder Veyra’s so desperate for the crown.
“Veyra was eighteen when King Theron died,” Nyra continued. “Old enough to understand that her mother’s dreams died with him, but young enough to think she could rewrite history with the son.”
“And now she’s willing to kill for it.”
“I think so. Because about that antidote situation—I dug into Corin Vale’s background. The man’s a professional snake, Lila. He’s been playing both sides of every conflict for the past decade, selling information to whoever pays best.”
Through their strong mate bond, Lila could feel Draven’s contentment as the hot water worked over his muscles. The contrast between his peace and the darkness she was uncovering made her stomach lurch.
“The antidote is fake,” Nyra said bluntly. “Corin and Veyra cooked up this scheme together. The substance he’s been peddling to Draven? It’s poison, Lila. Slow-acting, undetectable, designed to look like a medical emergency.”
The communicator nearly slipped from Lila’s suddenly nerveless fingers. “She was going to murder him.”
“After he gave her his mate mark, yes. He would die mysteriously, she’d become queen, and she’d rule alone. The perfect crime wrapped in a tragic love story.”
Rage flowed through Lila’s veins like liquid fire, and now she understood exactly why dragons were such formidable predators. The urge to protect, to destroy anything that threatened her mate, was overwhelming.
“We have to expose her,” Lila said, her voice steady despite the fury building in her chest. “But carefully. She’s been planning this for years—she’ll have contingencies.”
“Already working on it. I’ve got contacts who can?—”
