What was happening? I stared at him, baffled. Meanwhile, my mind spun through the possibilities, as I had trained it to do. I knew several facts about Dragons—most people did, what with them ruling Serai. They were, as a race, known for their arrogance (I had no problem with that), their aggression (again, no issues here), their possessiveness (thatactually excited me but only in limited doses), and that they all had a destined mate that their goddess' magic would draw to them (therein lie the problem).
A destined mate sounds lovely. But I neither wanted to be a mate—bound to one man forever (even if that man were King Tor'rien) nor did I want to become involved with him only to have my place usurped by a mate. A mate was a Dragon's priority. They came first. Period. Everyone knew this. Still, I would feel humiliated to be put aside, even for a mate. Because dating the King meant that the entire city would know about us. If anything went wrong, anything at all, it would be my fault and I would look pathetic. It would affect my job. Just thinking about the sympathetic looks I'd get at the Hall of Talons made me sick to my stomach. And then there would be the citizens. Conducting interrogations would be annoying.
Personal relationships were hard enough for me. I wasn't worried about someone breaking my heart. I was too reasonable to buy into romantic notions of love. Love is a way of making our base needs more civilized. It's hard for people to admit that they cling to lovers because of the pleasure, not the person. That would be crude. But if you're in love, you can get away with anything from public indecency to murder. Yes, in my line of work, love is an excuse.
That belief tended to keep men from becoming romantic with me. Which suited me just fine. But things would be different with a king. He would demand devotion. He'd require intimacy. And that intimacy could lead to me getting clingy. I may not believe in love, but I was certain that sex combined with intimacy could form bonds between people. Similar to the bonds formed between soldiers. It was all about the mind, not the heart. And such bonds could turn even the most rationalman into a willing slave. Or a murderous madman. That was not a risk I was willing to take. I don't like risks. Taking risks leads to bad things. I saw the evidence of that often enough in my work.
Most men would have leaned forward, eager for the Dragon King's kiss. Yet, there I was, leaning away.
King Tor'rien blinked as if coming out of a daze. Yes, that was flattering. But I couldn't let it influence me.
“How did you learn about the potential attack, Your Majesty?” I asked.
He cleared his throat and sat back. “I . . .” He cleared his throat again. “I have . . . people who keep watch. Or rather, listen for such things.”
“I assume you don't mean your Horns.”
“No.”
“Spies then.” It wasn't a question.
The Dragon King confirmed it anyway. “Yes, of a sort.”
“Ah. So, they spy on your people, not another kingdom.”
“You are sharp, Claw Shinkai.”
“As claws should be, Your Majesty. What did your spies discover?”
“Rumors of Dragons gathering in the city.”
“Dragons gathering?” I pondered this. “But now that you have achieved balance, thanks to the release of the Dragon God, you can gather in great numbers without risking an incident, correct?”
“Yes, and I welcome any of my people who wish to visit or even move to Kochan. But Dragons would not come here without visiting me first.”
“I see. And so you concluded they were forming a rebellion against you.”
“Yes.”
“So, you expected an attack, but not a murder.”
“Well, no, not a murder. Unless you count me.”
“Yes, but what I'm saying is that you couldn't have known to warn us.”
“No, and frankly, I don't think you could have prepared for this murder even if we had.”
I inclined my head. “Have you verified the rumors?”
“In what way?”
“Have you seen the Dragons, Your Majesty? Or has anyone you trust seen them?”
“Oh.” He paused. “No. No sightings.”
“So, the rumors are likely untrue. Very well, tell me, who did your spies hear these rumors from?”
“Who?” The Dragon King scowled. “I don't know. I assume the regular informants—tavern keepers, thieves, gossips.” He shrugged. “Does it matter?”
