Alexander stepped back. Celestial magic was one of the few things that could actually burn a dragon. It could positively cremate a human. And she controlled a sizable amount of it.
“Point taken.” Alexander held up his hands and laughed, then rubbed his stubbled jaw. “You can take care of yourself. Only…”
“Yes?”
“What will other people think?”
She squinted at him, flicking her hand and reabsorbing the magic. “Sorry?”
“You have your reputation to consider. Your… marriageability as a princess.”
She snorted, turning to lean against the back of his sofa and crossing her arms. “Seriously? Uncle, I can confidently say I’m in no danger of losing marriage prospects. None exist to lose.”
He sighed heavily. “For now, but in the future—”
“The future holds no further prospects. No male in this kingdom wants a wife who can melt the skin from his body.”
“Gabriel would kill me if I allowed you to compromise yourself.”
So that was it. Charlie fluffed her wings. “I love you, Uncle, but I’m doing this. I will handle it. I promise you, nothing will happen with this human and I will be discreet about his time here. I will put him in my second bedroom and take care to keep my distance in public.”
Uncle Alexander sighed but nodded his head. “Good plan. I trust you to stay out of trouble. And keep him out of trouble too.” Alexander left her side to cross to his bar and pour a glass of amber-colored liquor.
“There’s a simple solution for that. If he causes trouble, I’ll take him back to Earth.”
He returned to her side, pointing a finger at the bathroom door. “Just make sure I get my clothes back before you do. Those are some of my favorite mementos from my time in Sedona.”
Charlie laughed. Uncle Alexander loved his old Earth clothes. As a dragon, he was far bigger than Liam now, but there was a time before his mate Maiara was resurrected when he’d starved himself to the size of a human. Liam was somewhere between those two sizes, closer to her uncle now than back then. Luckily, Alexander had several options and had sent Liam into the bathroom with a stack and a few different pairs of boots.
“Deal.” She bumped shoulders with her uncle. “He goes back in the red suit or what he was wearing under it. I promise.”
“Good. And, um, Charlie?”
“Yeah?”
“If your dad asks, I don’t know anything about him staying in your rooms. Not a thing. I plead total ignorance.”
“Fair enough.” She gave him a consoling smile. Charlie had no intention of doing anything inappropriate with the grumpy and hairy man she’d brought back from Earth. All she wanted was the information that was in his head. She was young by dragon standards, and she could appreciate her uncle’s perspective, but there was absolutely no attraction on her part to—
The door to the bathroom opened, and Charlie’s thoughts scattered like frightened mice. The man standing in front of her looked nothing like the rumpled, scraggly creature she’d dragged from the puffy red suit and lugged to her bed. He’d combed his mess of hair and trimmed the unruly beard, revealing a sharp jawline and pleasantly full lips. With his dark hair tamed, his intense gaze met hers from under impossibly thick lashes, his eyes the color of polished amber and bright as if lit from within.
He ran a hand down the black T-shirt he was wearing—it clung like it was enjoying the taste of him—and eyed Alexander’s modern Paragonian garb. “Will this do, or will I look like an earthling?”
“Earthling.” Alexander chuckled. “That’s funny.”
“We just call you humans,” Charlie said. “And you look fine. Anyway, no matter what you wear, people will know you’re human.”
“Oh.”
“You’re smaller and you have no wings or markings. Plus there’s your smell.”
His lips parted as if he was going to say something but couldn’t find the words.
“Just stick with Charlie and nothing will eat you,” Alexander said with a snort.
Liam scowled and looked in her direction. “He’s joking, right?”
Oddly, Charlie’s tongue felt unusually large in her mouth when he looked at her. She had to clear her throat a few times to loosen it. “Nothing is going to eat you,” she said through a cheerful grin. “As long as we stay away from the vampires of Nochtbend and don’t anger any dragons, you’ll be fine.”
