And Niles, damn him, noticed all of it too.
“What if we incorporate temperature variations?” he suggested, leaning in to study the diagrams she’d sketched. “Warm air rising through cold, carrying something magically created, something sparkling, creating visible patterns.”
“That could work,” Adele said. “If I carefully layer the zones and add moisture content variation, we could create moving sculptures in the air. Dragons could fly through them during the ceremony—” She broke off, her eyes lighting up. “Raoul, would that be possible? Could some of the dragons perform aerial displays through the weather patterns?”
She’d asked me. Not Niles, who was sitting right beside her. Me.
“Yes,” I said. “That would be spectacular.”
“This is going to be wonderful,” Demi said. “The other clans will be so jealous.”
They continued planning for another hour. Niles made suggestions that were actually helpful, which annoyed me further because I wanted to dislike everything about him. Demi kept shooting me knowing looks that I ignored. And Adele created small weather demonstrations to test concepts, filling the room with miniature clouds and gentle breezes that smelled like rain.
Every time she worked her magic, my body responded. Heat pooled low in my belly. My skin felt too tight. I wanted to cross the room, pull her into my arms, and feel that cool magic washing over me while I kissed her breathless.
Instead, I sat in my chair and pretended to review mental notes while my dragon side snarled.
“I think we have enough to work with,” Demi finally announced, gathering the papers into a neat stack. “Niles,we should go brief the entertainment coordinator about the aerial display requirements.”
“But we’re not finished discussing?—”
“Yes, we are.” Demi stood, giving him a pointed look. “The entertainment coordinator is only available for another hour. We need to go now.”
Niles glanced between Demi, me, and Adele, understanding dawning on his face. “Ah. Yes, of course. Time-sensitive matters.” He rose and bowed to Adele. “My queen, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Your creative vision is remarkable.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your input.”
“Anytime. I’m always happy to assist someone so inspiring.” His gaze drifted over her face.
I stood abruptly, my chair scraping on the stone floor.
Niles shot me a conniving grin. “Cousin. Always a pleasure.”
“Leave,” I said.
“So commanding.” Niles winked at Adele. “Don’t let him bully you. Under all that brooding intensity, he’s actually?—”
“Niles.” Demi grabbed his arm. “We’re going now.”
She dragged him toward the door, pausing long enough to mouth “you’re welcome” to me before pulling my cousin into the entryway and out into the corridor.
The outer door closed with a soft click.
Silence settled over the room, broken only by the faint sound of wind through the window opening and Fletcher’s snores from where he was napping on the sofa.
Adele remained at the table, her hands folded in her lap, her expression carefully neutral. But the temperature dropped noticeably, and frost crept across the windowpane behind her in jagged designs.
“So,” she said. “Have you finished reviewing your mental notes?”
The frost on the window thickened, the patterns swirling denser.
I moved toward her, trying to find words that wouldn’t reveal too much. “Adele?—”
“Did I do something wrong?” She stood, meeting my gaze. “I thought we agreed to maintain professional distance, but you’re taking it to extremes. You’ve barely spoken to me in three days. You sneak in late at night and leave before I wake. And just now, you sat across the room glaring at Niles like he’d committed a crime by sitting next to me.”
Wind picked up inside the chamber, fluttering papers on the table.
“So please, tell me. What did I do wrong?”
