“A human assassin?”
“Yes, I believe he was a member of the local Raltven clan as well.”
“A human assassin in a Raltven clan? No way.”
“Ru, your people can be harsh and do terrible things, but they can also be kind and welcoming. Do you really doubt they'd take in a human?”
I thought about it. “I guess not. But how can a Dragon mate a human? They're mortal. The Dragon will have to watch his mate grow old and die. I can't imagine that would go well.”
“A Dragon shares his essence with his mate.” He laid a hand on my sternum. “You felt it, didn't you?”
“Yes, of course. You know I did.”
“In that essence is some of our immortality.”
“Holy fuck. Are you saying that a Dragon can make a human immortal?”
“Yes.”
“Holy fuck,” I whispered.
“So, you see, you have nothing to worry about. Plus, you've saved my life twice. That will speak well of you.”
“How many have been rejected?”
“What?”
“How many Dragon Kings have had their mates rejected?”
“None.”
“None?” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“All right, there has been one rejection, but it was an unusual situation.”
“What was so unusual about it?”
“There was a traitor among the King's dread, and he was the one who rejected the King's mate. The King could have fought it, but he didn't. He accepted the rejection, even as the rest of his dread protested. They assumed he wished to step down.”
“Hold on. One person can reject the mate? It only takes one?”
“Yes.”
“Juri hates me.”
Cyn blinked. “He will come around when he learns I've mated you.”
“Not if he's the one trying to kill you.”
“Ru, if he's the one trying to kill me, I will kill him. Problem solved.”
I rolled my eyes. “So, what are we going to do? How do we prove Juri's the one who enchanted the assassins?”
“I don't know.” He sipped his coffee, then set the mug on the floor. “Juri is not a magic-user. I mean, no more so than any Dragon. He can manipulate fire, but that's all.”
“Then he has someone working with him,” I said. “Or maybe he's using a magical item that controls minds.”
Cyn made a face at me. “You're reaching for explanations. You want it to be Juri.”
