Chapter 13

THIRTEEN

T he thought hit Kai with unexpected force. Not because of any conventional standard of beauty—though she certainly possessed that—but because of the fierce intelligence in her eyes, the determined set of her jaw, the way she attacked problems head-on without fear or hesitation.

His dragon rumbled in agreement. This was their mate. Strong. Brave. Brilliant. Perfect.

Now he just had to convince a skeptical scientist that magic was real, fate wasn’t just a fairy tale, and her presence on Nova Aurora was no accident. Simple enough.

Another crash, another creative Earth expletive. This time involving something anatomically impossible with a seismometer.

Well, at least it wouldn’t be boring.

As if sensing his thoughts, the land shifted again. But this tremor felt different—almost playful. The crystals around Quinn seemed to sparkle more brightly, and the usual discordant song of unbalanced magic smoothed into something closer to harmony.

His kingdom recognized its future queen.

Now he just had to figure out how to bridge the gap between Earth science and Nova Aurora magic without sending her running for the nearest transport pod. And preferably before his dragon’s growing need to claim their mate overwhelmed nine centuries of careful control.

Simple. Right.

Kai forced himself to turn away from the sight of Quinn at work, though his dragon protested every step. The walk back to the council chambers gave him time to compose himself, to lock away the surge of possessive need that watching her had triggered. He was a king first. His personal desires had to come second to his duty.

But his dragon disagreed, growing more restless with each step that took them farther from their mate.

“Your control is slipping,” Darian observed quietly as they approached the grand hall. “I haven’t seen your eyes flash gold like that since we were younglings learning to shift.”

Kai blinked, forcing his dragon nature back beneath the surface. He hadn’t even realized his eyes had changed. “The bond grows stronger by the hour.”

“As do the tremors.” Darian’s voice carried a note of warning. “The council won’t wait forever, my friend. They’ll expect you to take action soon.”

The grand hall fell silent as Kai re-entered. Twelve pairs of eyes tracked his movement, and he could sense the unasked questions hanging in the air. The ice table had developed more cracks during his absence, spreading like a web across its ancient surface.

“The Earth scientist settles in well?” Malek asked, his tone carefully neutral.

“Dr. Quinn,” Kai emphasized the title again, “has begun her preliminary measurements. Her expertise may provide insights we’ve overlooked.”

“Her expertise?” Joran’s skepticism dripped from every word. “Or her presence itself? The land’s song changes when she’s near. Even now, the tremors shift toward her location like moths drawn to flame.”

As if to prove his point, another tremor rolled through the palace. The crystal walls hummed, but the sound held a different quality than before—less discordant, more... anticipatory. Like an orchestra tuning before a performance.

“She is your fated mate.” Elder Venna spoke for the first time, her ancient voice carrying the weight of centuries. As the kingdom’s foremost expert on dragon lore, her words commanded attention. “The magic recognizes what she has yet to accept.”

“The kingdom cannot wait for her acceptance,” Joran cut in. “With each passing day, the instability grows. The eastern mines, the northern ice fields—how long before we lose lives instead of just territory?”

Kai’s dragon surged forward, bristling at the implied criticism of their mate. He forced it back, but not before his eyes flashed gold again. “You suggest I force the bond? Override her free will?”

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. Ice crystals formed along the edges of the table, spreading outward from where his hands rested.

“We suggest,” Malek said diplomatically, “that time grows short. If Dr. Quinn cannot be made to understand her importance?—”

“She will.” The words emerged as more of a growl than Kai intended. He took a breath, reining in his protective instincts. “She needs time to adjust. To understand our ways.”

“And if she refuses to understand?” Joran pressed. “If she denies the bond entirely? What then, Your Highness? Will you watch your kingdom crumble for the sake of one human’s skepticism?”

Before Kai could respond, a new tremor shook the palace—the strongest yet. The ice table cracked straight down the middle, and several council members had to grab their chairs for stability. The crystal walls groaned ominously.

Then, cutting through the chaos, came Quinn’s voice: “Holy shit! These readings are off the charts! The resonance patterns, the energy signatures—this is incredible!”

Despite the situation, Kai found himself smiling at her enthusiasm. Even through layers of crystal and stone, he could picture her expression—eyes bright with discovery, that little furrow of concentration between her brows.

“You see?” Darian spoke up, addressing the council. “She seeks to understand in her own way. Through her science, she may come to accept our magic.”

“And if she doesn’t?” Joran demanded. “How long should we wait while she plays with her Earth instruments? Until?—”

“Enough.” Kai’s voice cut through the growing argument like a blade. His dragon nature lent a resonant undertone to the word that made the crystals around them vibrate in sympathy. “Dr. Quinn will be given the time she needs. I won’t force this bond.”

“Then how do you propose to proceed?” Elder Venna asked, her ancient eyes sharp with interest. “The bond calls to you both, whether she acknowledges it or not. Your dragon grows restless. The land responds to your combined presence. These are not circumstances that will simply resolve themselves with time.”

A sharp spike in magical energy drew Kai’s attention before he could respond to Elder Venna. The sensation pulled at him like a physical tug, and he knew without question that it centered on Quinn. His chair scraped back before he’d made a conscious decision to move.

“If you’ll excuse me,” he managed with bare courtesy, already striding toward the door. “There’s a matter that requires my immediate attention.”

“I’m sure there is,” Darian murmured, just loud enough for Kai’s enhanced hearing to catch. The amusement in his tone earned him a glare that bounced harmlessly off centuries of friendship.

Kai followed the pull of magic through the palace corridors, his dragon growing more agitated with each step. He found Quinn in what had once been a peaceful meditation garden, now transformed into what looked like a makeshift research station. Complex Earth equipment covered every available surface, blinking with lights and emitting soft beeps at irregular intervals.

She stood in the center of it all, bent over what appeared to be a holographic display of energy readings. Her hair had completely escaped its confines now, falling in dark waves around her face. The tip of her tongue poked out slightly as she concentrated, and Kai’s dragon fixated on the unconsciously adorable gesture.

“These energy signatures make no sense,” she muttered to herself, tapping at the display. “The resonance patterns suggest tectonic movement, but the frequency... it’s almost like the rocks are singing.”

“They are.”

She jumped at his voice, spinning to face him with one hand pressed to her chest. “Damn it! We need to put a bell on you or something. Do all dragon shifters move like ninja cats, or is that just a you thing?”

The mental image of himself wearing a bell made his lips twitch. “A what thing?”

“Never mind.” She waved a hand dismissively, turning back to her readings. “Look at this. The seismic activity shows clear patterns, but they’re like nothing I’ve ever seen on Earth. The energy doesn’t dissipate normally—it’s almost like it’s being directed, channeled somehow.”

Her enthusiasm pulled him closer, dragon instincts urging him to share her excitement even as they demanded he focus on how the morning light caught the gold highlights in her hair. He moved to stand behind her, peering at the holographic display over her shoulder.

“The magic flows through established channels,” he explained, reaching past her to trace one of the glowing lines. “Ancient pathways carved by centuries of dragon shifters connecting with the land.”

“Magic,” she scoffed, but he noticed she didn’t step away from his proximity. “There has to be a scientific explanation. Some kind of geological phenomenon we haven’t discovered yet. Maybe crystal resonance combined with electromagnetic?—”

Another tremor cut her off, this one strong enough to knock several pieces of equipment off their precarious perches. Kai’s arms wrapped around her waist instinctively, pulling her back against his chest as items clattered to the ground around them.

“Your scientific explanation seems to have timing issues,” he murmured near her ear, enjoying how she shivered slightly at his closeness.

“Coincidence,” she insisted, but her heart rate told a different story. “Random seismic events that happen to—oh, come on, are you actually growling?”

He hadn’t realized he was, but the sound rumbled through his chest, nonetheless. His dragon responded to her nearness, to the way she fit perfectly against him, to how her scent mixed with his own. “Dragons don’t believe in coincidence.”