Xenia nodded, thinning her lips. “To a billionaire in the Northern Territories named Jurgev Otto. About three centuries after the war. Arran’s weapons business was bleedingdrachasat the time and he needed the infusion of capital to stay afloat.”
Cael raked a hand through his ash-brown waves. “Still… To give up an object like that? He’s either extremely short-sighted or extremely greedy.” He sat back. “Scratch that. My father isbothof those things.”
Xenia tapped a finger against her lips. “There’s got to be some other piece we’re still missing. How did your father defeat Aedelmar Burkhardt and capture the dragon? How did he wipe the Cynn Drakan from the face of Ethyrios?”
He looked at Xenia. Reallylookedat her. High Gods, her intelligence was such a fucking turn-on. If he’d been the one researching, he was sure he never would have pieced together a tenth of this information.
How different would her life have been if Leonin Erabis had never come into power, hadn’t started his war against the humans? Xenia would never have been taken from her parents. Would never have been forced into servitude with the Shrouded Sisters.
Would never have even met him.
He used to think that she’d be better off, but now…
He rested his forearms on his knees, clasping his hands between them. “Keep searching. There’s got to be more in there about my father’s time with the dragon during the war. How he commanded her. How he forced her to obey him. How I might be able to break their bond. And have you found anything about the tracking device?”
Xenia shook her head, gazing thoughtfully into the fire. “Might be faster if I had some help? Why don’t you join me? We were pretty good research partners in the Temple library.”
He dipped his chin, frowning. “I’ll try. But it would look suspicious if I started spending hours a day in the library. I’m still needed for wedding preparations and I’m going to use the excuse of overseeing weapons production to travel to the mountain as often as possible.”
Xenia lifted a nonchalant shoulder, but he could tell she was disappointed.
He rose from his chair, then plucked the wineglass from her fingers and placed it on the table. He reached out a hand. “It’s late. And we’ve both got a lot of work to do these next weeks.”
She placed her small, soft hand in his, and his blood sang at the contact. She shot him a coquetteish smile. “And where will I be sleeping?”
He took the blanket from her shoulders, then draped it over the back of the chair. “You take the floor. I don’t like sharing a bed.” Xenia laughed and smacked him on the thigh. “With me, Blondie,” he said, guiding her toward the bed.
Always with me.
He wasn’t ready to give voice to that fledgling wish yet.
Xenia nestled under his blankets, propping herself against the pillows and staring at him as he stripped down to his underwear. He was a hot sleeper, never slept in anythingbutunderwear.
“You’re so beautiful, Cael,” she breathed out, as if the words had been ripped from her involuntarily.
It had been a very long time, maybe his entire life even, since Cael had blushed. But heat rose to his cheeks. To other places as well.
This was probably a bad idea.
“Even though I’m a little lopsided?” Though his words were teasing, pain simmered beneath them. The adoring look on her face eased it slightly.
“Even more so.” She smiled, patting the bed beside her.
He climbed in, then turned toward her and adjusted his wing over the side of the mattress.
He ran a hand down her cheek, toying with her curls. “No funny business.”
She rolled her eyes. “You really know how to kill a mood, pterodactyl.”
He laughed, low and sultry, and she ran a foot along his shin beneath the covers. “I wasn’t aware I was creating a mood in the first place.”
“You always are,” she murmured, pressing her cheek into his hand.
“How have you been sleeping?”
Xenia sighed, her soft, sweet breath kissing his lips. “Terribly. You know how much I hate sleeping alone.”
“I know, Zee,” he whispered. “I’ll fix it.”
