“I am in my wander years. I cannot commit to staying with you.”
“I need this certainty, Sevarin. I can't have a relationship with you knowing that you might leave, even if we form a mating bond. We are talking about my life.” He sighed. “I promise you that you will want to stay.”
“Then why would you need to add this clause to our agreement? If you're so sure I'll want to stay, you don't have to worry about it.”
“I'm mostly sure. But you're so different from every other man I've known. You see things uniquely, and react just as uniquely.”
I turned away, crossing my arms over my chest. I'd opened myself up to the possibility of being with him during our negotiation. Now, I wanted to be with him even more. But I didn't want to be trapped. Dragon mating magic had made me wary about him to begin with, and now I was even more so.
“I will die if we bond and you leave, Sevarin. Can't you understand why I'd want this assurance?”
I turned back to him. “Of course, I understand. But that doesn't make me inclined to agree.”
He nodded and stepped back. “Then we don't have a contract?”
I weighed the risk. If I continued to have sex with him, the possibility of him bonding with me was the same. And I would stay if he bonded with me even without an agreement. I couldn't be the death of him. That was evil. So, if I wanted to be with him, it would be better to have the contract in place than not. If I decided not to take the risk, then it would mean ending things before they began. I would never be with Falken again. Not intimately.
The thought sent a zing of pain and fear through me. I'd never felt anything like it. Usually, I had sex when needed, without emotional ties. I could walk away from anyone. But three days with this man had changed that. We had only been intimate twice, but the thought of never having that again saddened me. That I had gone to him a second time when not in physical need said how much I wanted him. Something in my chest tightened, urging me to take the risk. Although I was an alchemist, I also trusted my instincts. But I had to know one more thing.
“Would I still be me?”
The King went still. “What do you mean?”
“If you merge your soul with mine, would I still be me? Or would your soul change me into someone more like you?”
His eyes went wide. “I wouldn't want you if you were more like me. I want this version of you, Sevarin.”
“But you don't control the mating magic.”
Falken softened his expression. “No, but I know it won't change you. Not who you are, just your relationship with me.”
“By strengthening it?”
“Yes.”
“Agreed,” I whispered.
“What?” The King's face went blank. “You agree? You'll stay if you're my mate?”
“Yes, I agree to your terms. Do we have a contract?”
The Dragon King grinned. “We do indeed, Master Sevarin.”
Chapter Fourteen
There were no trace elements on the metal bomb remnants that I could link to a specific seller. Nor were there any personal traces to point to an individual. In short, my work that night was a waste. My alchemical work, that is.
Seeing Falken making tea for me, grinning the entire time because we had a lover's contract, redeemed my failures.
By morning, the King had fallen asleep on the bed, but I was trembling with frustration. I wouldn't be able to sleep until I made some headway with the Silver Rot. So, I wrote him a note to tell him I was going into the city and left. I didn't want a repeat of the other day, so I added that I'd be taking security with me.
Speaking of which, I left the lab to go down to Lord Orro's room. Luckily, he was awake and dressed, about to head to the dining hall for breakfast. I bribed him with breakfast in the city, and Orro agreed to be my security for the day. Leera was a bonus.
“If I had known you were buying me breakfast from a street vendor, I wouldn't have agreed.” Orro grimaced at me as we stood in line for one of the many food carts that dotted the sidewalks of the shopping district.
“You'll change your mind after you taste his sausages. I've been dreaming about this street vendor for all the time I've been away.”
He gave me a doubtful look, but after we left the cart with an assortment of sweet and savory sausages tucked in fresh, warm, crusty buns and topped with pickled vegetables, savory sauce, and cheese, the Ricarri was licking his lips. Leera yipped.
