Then, with movements slow and deliberate, he brought his finger to his mouth. His lips parted, and I watched transfixed ashis tongue swept across the talon, cleaning away every trace of my blood while his eyes never left mine. The act was intimate and violent all at once—a claiming that went beyond mere words.
My throat worked convulsively as I swallowed hard, unable to look away from the raw hunger in his expression.
"Lioran knew," he continued as he took a step closer. "You knew I was searching for you. You heard the whispers, saw the guards questioning servants throughout the castle. You understood exactly what I wanted,whoI was looking for."
Another step.
"And you kept your truth to yourself. You allowed me to tear my kingdom apart while you played dress-up as a knight." His eyes blazed crimson, actually glowing red. "Did that amuse you? Did you laugh in your chambers each night, knowing the king was half-mad with wanting you?"
"No," I whispered.
"Liar." The word cracked like a whip. "Everything about you is a fucking lie."
"That is not a lie."
His hand shot out faster than I could react, fingers wrapping around my throat. His palm was warm against my skin, calloused from years of sword work, and I could feel my pulse hammering against his fingers.
"That is not how you address your king."
I felt my own anger beginning to respond, rising like a tide within my chest to meet his fury. The familiar burn of indignation flared hot in my veins, spreading from my core outward, pushing back against the fear he was trying to instill within me. My jaw set with determination as I lifted my chin higher.
"Defiant even with my fingers wrapped around your throat."
The rage felt different this time—not the wild, untamed thing that had erupted when my powers first manifested, but something colder, more controlled. It was the anger of a woman who had been hunted, who had been forced to flee her homeland, who had spent months perfecting lies just to survive in a world that would see her burned for what she was.
There was no reason left for me to kowtow to him any longer. My fate was set—there was no escaping now—I’d failed. Failed Merlin. Failed my mission. Failed myself. But whether Arthur killed me now or later, the outcome would be the same. The game was over, my carefully constructed identity as Sir Lioran crumbling around me.
But I wasn't about to go out submitting to him, king or no king. Not after everything I’d endured to get to this moment. So, I allowed my eyes to flash with anger as I met his blazing gaze, refusing to bow. Not now, not ever.
"We both know where this is going," I finally responded.
He looked surprised. "Do we?"
"Yes, so I see no point in debasing myself before you."
"And tell me, Guinevere," he continued as he leaned into me, our noses less than an inch apart. "Where is this going?"
"To my death, whether sooner or later."
He blinked at the words.
"And, as I told you before," I continued, "I have no interest in claiming your throne…"
His jaw clenched, the muscles working beneath his short beard as though he were physically chewing on his restraint. Even with the red of his eyes and the scales that revealed themselves through his skin, he was nothing short of stunning.
"And what do you have to say about the fact that I…" He began to circle me, as if appraising what belonged to him. The way he moved—feral, assessing—belonged entirely to the dragon. "Want nothing more than to fuck you."
I felt my heart beat even faster. "Then fuck me."
He moved to stand in front of me, his motions losing the last vestiges of humanity. His head tilted at an angle no human neck could naturally achieve, studying me with a fury that stripped away every layer of pretense.
He chuckled, and the sound was much deeper than it should have been. "That's what you want, isn't it, little temptress?"
"Yes," I answered honestly.
He leaned in closer, his lips parting. But he didn't speak. Instead, he inhaled deeply, drawing my scent into his lungs like a man tasting the air. The sound he made was low, raw—a beast catching the trail of its quarry.
His eyes fluttered closed for a heartbeat, and when they opened again, the red glow intensified.
