Chapter 17

SEVENTEEN

T alon stood at his office window, watching dawn break over Manhattan. He’d barely slept, his dragon restless with the need to check on their mate. Only the steady pulse of contentment had kept him from breaking his promise to give her space.

That, and the surprisingly frequent updates from Levi.

Speaking of which...

“You’re early,” Talon observed as his security chief entered, looking suspiciously alert for someone who’d refused to leave his post all night.

“Tactical necessity.” Levi straightened his tie, which somehow looked freshly pressed despite his all-night vigil. “Nothing to do with Ms. Bishop arriving early to upgrade our security protocols.”

“Of course not.” Talon’s brow lifted. “Just like your new cologne is a tactical necessity.”

Before Levi could sputter a response, Talon felt a shift in his awareness—Asher had entered the building. His dragon surged forward, every instinct demanding he go to her. But beneath her professional determination, he sensed lingering uncertainty. Not about him, but about the enormity of everything changing in her life.

“The training arena is prepared,” Levi reported, clearly trying to distract him. “Though after yesterday’s... electrical incidents, we’ve installed additional surge protection.”

“Thoughtful.” Talon’s voice roughened as Asher’s scent reached him—lightning and jasmine and something uniquely her. “Anything else?”

“Just...” Levi hesitated. “Your control around her. It’s different than anything I’ve seen in eight centuries.”

“She’s different.” Talon felt Asher’s immediate response to his voice—a spike of attraction layered with genuine affection that made his dragon purr. “Everything about her is different.”

The door opened, and Asher swept in looking unfairly composed for someone who’d transformed into a dragon yesterday. Her hair was pulled back neatly, lab coat pristine. Only the slight crackle of electricity around her betrayed her state of mind.

“Dr. Draker.” Her professional tone was somewhat undermined by how her pulse jumped when he turned. “I believe we have training scheduled.”

“Asher.” He let her name roll off his tongue, enjoying how her breath caught. He sensed her dragon practically purring at his voice.

“That’s cheating.” But her lips curved slightly. “Using the voice when I’m trying to be professional.”

Levi made a strategic retreat, though Talon caught his muttered “Eight centuries of control undone by one scientist” before the door closed.

“Did you sleep?” Talon moved closer, drawn by the mix of lightning and jasmine that was uniquely her.

“Some. When my dragon wasn’t listing all the reasons we should break into your penthouse.” She flushed slightly. “I didn’t say that out loud.”

“You did.” His own dragon rumbled in satisfaction. “My dragon had similar suggestions.”

The air between them crackled with more than just her electrical energy. Talon fought the urge to close the remaining distance, to show her exactly how many times he’d imagined her in his office over the past six months.

“We should...” Asher swallowed hard as his scent wrapped around her. “Training. We should focus on training. And control. And not how good you look in that suit.”

“The suit is tactical,” Talon said, echoing their conversation from yesterday. His control slipped further as she bit her lip to hide a smile.

“Like how you conveniently had meetings near my lab? Very tactical CEO behavior.” Her eyes sparked with mischief even as static crackled in her hair. “Though not as tactical as how you’d loosen your tie whenever I proved your projections wrong.”

His dragon preened at her attention. “You noticed that?”

“I noticed everything.” She repeated his words from yesterday and took a step closer, then caught herself. “Which I probably shouldn’t admit to my boss. Even if he is my magically destined mate who smells like my favorite storm.”

The last part slipped out unbidden, making her cheeks flush. Her mix of embarrassment and attraction—along with a deeper warmth made his dragon strain toward her.

“We should train,” Talon managed, though moving away from her took every ounce of his centuries-old control.

“Right. Training.” Asher nodded quickly, sparks literally flying from her hair. “Very important. Much more important than how you’re looking at me right now.”

The training arena hummed with protective wards—all recently reinforced after yesterday’s electrical incidents. Talon positioned himself behind her, ostensibly to guide her movements. His dragon rumbled in satisfaction at their proximity.

“Focus on your breathing,” he instructed, voice rough. “Control starts with?—”

“With not getting distracted by how warm you are?” She tilted her head back to look at him. “Because that seems like a design flaw in this training setup.”

Before he could respond, Mallory entered with a stack of ancient texts. “The council called an emergency meeting in our boardroom,” she said apologetically. “And Dimitri’s forces are moving again.”