Chapter 22

TWENTY-TWO

Q uinn hunched over her geological maps, spread across an antique desk in a quiet corner of the palace library. Her pencil tapped against a particularly puzzling seismic reading as she tried to concentrate. The constant parade of palace staff and advisors passing by, pretending not to stare while obviously staring, made focusing difficult.

“I swear if one more person walks past to gawk at the ‘fascinating human specimen’...” She muttered under her breath, pressing harder with her pencil until the tip snapped.

The palace walls hummed with what sounded suspiciously like amusement. “Your stress levels appear elevated, Dr. Quinn. Shall I activate the calming aromatherapy protocol?”

“No, thank you.” Quinn glared at the nearest wall. “What I need is fewer interruptions and more actual work time.”

Voices drifted through the open doors of the nearby council chamber, drawing her attention despite her best efforts to ignore them.

“Her geological expertise could prove invaluable,” Malek, one of the older advisors, argued. “These seismic disturbances grow worse by the day. We cannot afford to ignore potentially useful insights, regardless of their source.”

“She’s human.” The dismissive reply came from Lord Vaxis, his voice dripping with disdain. “Her presence here is an affront to tradition. The Dragon King cannot be seen consulting with a mere mortal about matters of state.”

Quinn’s lips twisted into a wry smile. At least some things remained constant across galaxies—there would always be old men in positions of power who thought they knew better than her despite her qualifications.

The sharp click of heels against marble announced a new arrival. Quinn glanced up to see Bhesna entering the library, her silvery robes flowing behind her like liquid moonlight. The female advisor’s ethereal beauty might have been impressive if not for the cold calculation in her violet eyes.

Bhesna’s gaze swept over Quinn with the kind of disdain usually reserved for something unpleasant stuck to the bottom of one’s shoe. She glided past, murmuring just loud enough to be heard, “Humans have no place meddling in dragon affairs.”

“Good thing I’m here for the rocks, then,” Quinn called after her sweetly. “The dragons are just bonus ancient artifacts.”

Bhesna’s back stiffened, but she continued toward the council chamber without responding. Quinn watched her go, noting how the advisor’s posture changed—softened, almost—when she approached Kai. Interesting.

Hours later, Quinn retreated to her quarters, her mind swimming with data points and growing suspicions. She plopped down in the plush chair in the sitting area and let out a deep sigh. Immediately she noticed her favorite snack sitting on the coffee table in front of her. Kai had called it something-berries. They were far superior to blueberries on Earth.

As she popped one into her mouth, she wondered who put them there. Thinking it had to have been Kai, her heart warmed at his thoughtfulness?—

A painful sting pierced her neck. Her hand automatically slapped it and that’s when she realized something was wrong. It was not a bug like on Earth, but a small stick. No—it was a dart. A poisoned dart?

Her vision blurred, the room tilting sideways. She saw movement from behind the thick curtains which were a straight shot from where she was sitting. As she fell to the floor, a body ran from the curtains and out of the room, leaving the door open in their wake.

“Help!” she managed to call out. “Someone, please--” She dragged herself to the room’s entrance, using every bit of strength she had remaining.

Palace servants finally rushed in, their voices distant and garbled as her consciousness wavered.

“Get the healer!” someone shouted. “Now!”

Reina arrived in a swirl of silver hair and healing magic, her eyes sharp with concern. She pulled the dart from Quinn’s neck and sniffed the end. “Toxin,” she confirmed. “Nothing too bad though. It will only make you dizzy and slightly nauseous. Thankfully we caught it early enough.”

As the healer worked, Quinn’s mind raced through possibilities. Bhesna’s cold smile floated through her memory, but gut feelings didn’t count as evidence. She needed proof.

“There will be an investigation,” Reina assured her once the antidote had taken effect. “The king will not be pleased.”

“I’m sure he won’t,” Quinn muttered, already dreading the increase in protective hovering this would trigger from Kai. “But I’m fine. Really.”

Reina’s knowing look suggested she saw right through the bravado, but she didn’t argue.

The toxic dart incident proved to be just the beginning. When Quinn returned from the library that evening, she found her quarters ransacked. Drawers hung open, their contents strewn across the floor. Her careful arrangement of geological samples lay scattered, and several pieces of delicate equipment had been smashed.

“Really?” She surveyed the damage, anger building in her chest. “Amateur intimidation tactics? That’s the best they can do?”

The walls hummed apologetically. “My surveillance systems experienced an unexpected forty-three-second outage. Most irregular.”

“I bet it was.” Quinn picked up a broken seismometer, her jaw tightening. Someone had gone to considerable trouble to bypass the palace’s security. But why? What were they looking for?

The formal banquet that night did nothing to ease her suspicions. Seated among Kai’s advisors, Quinn could practically taste the tension in the air. Or maybe that was just lingering paranoia about the people.

“So,” she said brightly, trying to break the awkward silence, “do dragon shifters have anything like karaoke? You know, where you sing badly on purpose for entertainment?”

The blank stares she received could have frozen lava.

“I... don’t understand,” one advisor finally ventured. “You deliberately perform poorly... for amusement?”

“It’s more fun than it sounds,” Quinn assured him. “Especially after a few drinks.”

“So it’s a form of public humiliation?” another advisor asked, clearly baffled.

“More like... communal embarrassment,” Quinn caught Kai hiding a smile behind his wine glass and decided to quit while she was ahead. “Never mind. Earth customs are weird, let’s leave it at that.”

Across the table, Bhesna’s lips curled into a sneer. “Indeed. How fortunate we are to have such... illuminating insights into human culture.”

The sarcasm dripped like venom, but Quinn met her gaze steadily. “Oh, I’m full of surprises. Stick around—you might learn something.”

Bhesna’s eyes narrowed, and Quinn cataloged her reaction carefully. The advisor’s hostility seemed personal, beyond mere xenophobia. But why? What threat could one human scientist pose to...

Oh.

Quinn glanced between Bhesna and Kai, noting how the advisor’s expression softened whenever she looked at the king. How she angled her body toward him, preening slightly whenever he spoke. The picture snapped into focus with crystal clarity.

Bhesna wanted Kai. And she saw Quinn as competition.

Which was ridiculous because Quinn definitely wasn’t interested in Kai. Not like that. Sure, he was attractive in an overwhelming, dragon-shaped way, and yes, sometimes his presence made her heart race, but that was purely physical. Natural reaction to an apex predator. Nothing more.

The taste of denial sat bitter on her tongue.

After the banquet, Quinn slipped away early, her mind churning with theories and suspicions. Someone wanted her gone—that much was clear. But was Bhesna acting alone? Or was she simply a convenient suspect, a red herring to distract from the real threat?

One thing was certain: they’d have to try harder than childish pranks if they wanted to scare her away. She hadn’t survived years in male-dominated academia by backing down from a challenge. And she definitely wouldn’t let palace politics interfere with her research.

As she rounded the corner toward her quarters, she caught a glimpse of movement in the shadows. A dark figure ducked out of sight too quickly to identify, but the flash of violet eyes lingered in her memory.

“Game on,” Quinn whispered to the empty corridor. “Let’s see who breaks first.”

The walls hummed their agreement, and Quinn smiled grimly. She might be out of her depth with dragon politics, but she knew how to handle professional rivalry. If someone wanted to play dirty, fine. She’d show them exactly why they called her the Ice Queen back on Earth.

And this time, she had actual dragons on her side.

Well, one dragon. But he was rather large, so that probably counted for something.

“There you are.” Lydia came around the corner and hooked her arm through Quinn’s, steering her away from the banquet hall. “Guess what. Gerri’s waiting in your quarters with a bottle of something that supposedly won’t make us sick.”