Chapter 11

ELEVEN

K ai ignored Darian’s poorly concealed snort of amusement as he strode from the hall. His long legs carried him swiftly through the palace corridors, dragon instincts tracking Quinn’s location by scent and sound. The closer he got, the stronger her presence became—a magnetic pull he couldn’t ignore if he tried.

He rounded a corner just as another tremor struck, more powerful than the last. The scene before him stopped him in his tracks.

Quinn stood amidst scattered scientific equipment, her dark hair escaping its practical bun in wild tendrils that framed her face. She wore Earth clothing—cargo pants with multiple pockets and a fitted black top that hugged curves he definitely shouldn’t notice. A compass pendant swung from a leather cord at her throat, catching the light with each emphatic gesture she made.

Her cheeks flushed with irritation as she faced off against two palace guards who’d apparently tried to help with her equipment. The sight of her—all five feet four inches of stubborn defiance—squaring off against two burly dragon shifter guards struck something deep in Kai’s chest.

“Look,” she was saying, hands on her hips, “I appreciate the thought, but I’ve carried heavier gear through Icelandic glaciers. I don’t need—” The tremor caught her mid-sentence, sending her stumbling.

Kai moved without thinking, crossing the space between them in three long strides. His hands found her waist, steadying her against his chest as debris rained down around them. The contact sent a jolt through his system—like touching a live wire, but pleasant. Intoxicating. His dragon roared to life, recognizing their mate even if she didn’t yet acknowledge the bond.

Her scent enveloped him, stronger now with her pressed against him. He could feel her quick heartbeat, hear the slight catch in her breath. The urge to pull her closer, to bury his face in her neck and breathe her in nearly overwhelmed his centuries of careful control.

“Do all dragons come with a built-in earthquake alarm,” she quipped, tilting her head back to look at him, “or am I just lucky?”

The unexpected humor in her voice caught him off guard. He found himself fighting back a smile, an unfamiliar warmth spreading through his chest. “I’m unfamiliar with Earth’s ‘earthquake alarms,’ but no. Dragons do not typically ‘come with’ them.”

Her laugh, short and genuine, with a slight snort at the end, did something strange to his insides. In nine hundred years, he’d never heard a sound quite like it. His dragon practically purred with satisfaction—they’d made their mate laugh.

“Well, your timing is impressive.” She started to step back, then swayed as another tremor rolled through the palace. His hands tightened instinctively on her waist. “Though I’m starting to think your planet doesn’t like me very much.”

“On the contrary.” The words slipped out before he could stop them. “The land responds to your presence.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “Responds to my presence? What exactly are you implying, Your Majesty?”

The title held a hint of mockery, but he found he didn’t mind. From her lips, it sounded almost... playful. Dangerous territory. He needed to focus.

“The instability in our land,” he began carefully, watching her expression, “stems from an imbalance in ancestral magic. My magic, specifically. Without a fated mate?—”

“Whoa, back up.” She did step away then, and this time he let her go, though everything in him protested the distance. “Fated mate? Is that some kind of dragon shifter matchmaking program? Because I signed up for a geological survey, not a dating service.”

Her eyes narrowed suddenly, and he found himself fascinated by the way they sparked with indignation. “Did Gerri put you up to this? Because if this is some elaborate setup?—”

“I assure you, Dr. Quinn,” he interrupted, noting how her proper title made her eye twitch slightly, “this is not a ‘setup.’ The connection between a dragon shifter and their fated mate is deeply rooted in our culture and history. The land’s stability depends on?—”

“On finding you a girlfriend?” She crossed her arms, and he definitely didn’t notice how the movement emphasized her curves. “Look, I get that you have some kind of magical crisis going on, but I’m here to study the seismic activity from a scientific perspective. That’s it.”

Another tremor shook the palace, stronger than the previous ones. The crystal walls groaned, a sound that raised the hair on the back of Kai’s neck. Without warning, a section of the ceiling above them cracked. His dragon senses registered the danger a split second before disaster struck.