Chapter 39

THIRTY-NINE

T hey landed hard, Kai taking the brunt of the impact. Quinn’s warm weight pressed against him in the narrow space as ice continued to rain down outside their shelter. Her breath came in quick bursts against his neck, stirring primal instincts he fought to control.

“Well,” she said after a moment, her voice slightly shaky, “this is cozy.”

Despite the danger, he found himself fighting a smile. “Are you always this flippant in life-threatening situations?”

“Only on Tuesdays. And when pressed up against unreasonably attractive dragon kings.” She stiffened as soon as the words left her mouth, clearly not having meant to say them aloud.

The admission sent a surge of satisfaction through him. “Unreasonably attractive?”

“Oh, shut up. You own mirrors. You know exactly what you look like.” She tried to shift away, but the close quarters kept her firmly against him. “Can you hear if it’s stopped?”

He focused his enhanced hearing beyond their shelter, past the sound of their hearts beating in tandem. “The major falls have ceased, but the ice is still settling. We should wait a few more minutes to be safe.”

“Great.” She blew out a frustrated breath. “So while we’re stuck here, want to tell me more about this whole magical destiny thing? Like, I don’t know, maybe mention if you have any enemies who might want to bury us in avalanches?”

“Besides Ordan? More than I’d care to count.” He kept his tone light, but his arms tightened around her protectively. “Though this attack feels different. More... precise.”

“Targeting the geological weak points,” she agreed. “Whoever it is knows this terrain well. And has enough power to manipulate it.”

The analytical way she approached even magical attacks impressed him. No hysterics, no freezing in fear—just straight to solving the puzzle. It made his dragon purr with approval.

“You’re doing it again,” she said.

“Doing what?”

“That thing where you get all growly and protective. I can feel it rumbling in your chest.”

“I don’t growl,” he protested, though he immediately tried to suppress the sound she’d noticed.

She snorted. “Right. And I don’t have a thing for guys who can breathe fire.” Another pause. “I really need to work on my filter around you.”

“Please don’t. I find your honesty refreshing.”

“Refreshing? That’s what you’re going with?” But he could hear the smile in her voice. “Not embarrassing or unprofessional or?—”

A distant crack cut her off. They both tensed, but this sound came from much further away.

“I think it’s safe to move now,” Kai said, though part of him was reluctant to end their forced proximity. “Can you squeeze past me? I’ll go out first, make sure it’s clear.”

“Always the gentleman dragon,” she muttered, but began carefully extracting herself from their position. The movement brought them face to face for a moment, close enough that he could see the flecks of gold in her brown eyes. Her breath caught, and he found himself mesmerized by the way her lips parted slightly.

Then she cleared her throat and the moment broke. “Right. After you, Your Majesty.”

He emerged from the crevasse, scanning the area for any remaining threats. The landscape had changed dramatically with huge chunks of the mountain now littering their path. But he detected no immediate danger.

“Clear,” he called back, reaching in to help Quinn out. She accepted his hand with only minimal eye-rolling.

“Well, that’s going to play havoc with my geological survey,” she said, surveying the damage. “Though I suppose mapping magical fault lines wasn’t in my original scope of work anyway.”

“Speaking of which...” He hesitated, unsure how to broach the subject that had been nagging at him. “Now that you know the truth about the instability... about your connection to it... will you stay?”

She stilled, and for a moment he feared he’d pushed too far too fast. But when she turned to face him, her expression was thoughtful rather than closed off.

“I’m a scientist, Kai. I don’t believe in destiny or fate. I believe in facts, in evidence, in things I can measure and study.” She held up her hand to stop his protest. “But I also believe in what I’ve seen here. The energy readings, the way the land responds to you—and apparently to me. I can’t explain it with my current scientific framework, but that just means I need to expand my framework.”

Hope bloomed in his chest. “Does that mean...”

“It means I’m not running away.” She squared her shoulders, looking every inch the confident researcher who’d first arrived in his kingdom. “Whatever’s causing these disruptions—magical, geological, or both—is threatening people’s lives. I don’t walk away from problems I might be able to solve.”

“Even if solving them means accepting that you might be magically bound to an overprotective dragon king?”

Her lips twitched. “Let’s take this one impossible thing at a time, shall we? First, we figure out who’s trying to kill us. Then we can discuss your apparent magical codependency issues.”

A laugh rumbled up from his chest, and this time he didn’t try to suppress it. “As you wish, Dr. Quinn.”

She turned away, but not before he caught the flush rising in her cheeks. “Come on, we need to document this damage. And you need to tell me everything you know about how your magic interacts with the geological structure of this range. Leave nothing out.”

As she strode ahead, already pulling out her notebook, Kai found himself thanking whatever twist of fate had brought this remarkable woman into his life. She might not be ready to fully accept their connection, but she wasn’t running from it either. For now, that was enough.

“Are you coming?” she called back. “These magical fault lines aren’t going to map themselves!”

“Yes, dear,” he muttered, knowing full well she could hear him.

“I heard that!”

“You were meant to.”

Her answering laugh echoed off the ice, bright and clear as crystal bells. Above them, the twin suns continued their eternal dance, casting rainbow shadows through the frozen landscape. Somewhere out there, enemies plotted and danger lurked. But for now, watching Quinn attack the impossible with nothing but science and determination, Kai felt more hope than he had in centuries.

The path ahead might be uncertain, but at least they would face it together.

The next hour passed in a blur of scientific notation and magical theory as Quinn peppered Kai with questions. She’d pulled out her field notebook, somehow managing to write and walk at the same time without stumbling on the treacherous terrain.

“So the magical energy flows through established ley lines,” she mused, sketching a quick diagram. “Which roughly correspond to the major fault systems I’ve mapped. But you’re saying these lines existed before the faults?”

“The magic shaped the land,” Kai explained, steadying her elbow as she navigated a particularly icy patch without looking up from her notes. “When the first Dragon Kings bonded with this territory, their magic created natural pathways through the mountains.”

“Fascinating. So the geological structures actually adapted to accommodate magical energy flow?” Her eyes lit up with scientific excitement. “That completely revolutionizes everything we know about tectonic formation. Though I suppose I can’t exactly publish these findings in Earth journals.”

“Why not? Afraid they won’t believe you?”

“‘Local geologist claims dragon magic shapes planetary crust.’ Yeah, that would go over well.” She snorted. “I can see my funding disappearing faster than your council members when someone mentions karaoke night.”

The memory of that particular disaster made him wince. “In their defense, they’d never encountered Earth entertainment customs before.”

“In their offense, no one forced Lord Dravick to attempt ‘I Will Survive’ in full dragon form.”

“True. Though I noticed you didn’t volunteer to demonstrate proper technique.”

She shot him a look. “My talents lie in studying rocks, not rocking out.” A pause. “And if you ever tell Lydia I made that pun, I’ll deny it to my dying breath.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Afraid of ruining your serious scientist reputation?”

“Please. I make geology puns all the time. They’re my bread and butter.” She frowned at a new reading on her device. “Speaking of serious... these energy signatures are getting stranger. The wavelength pattern almost looks like?—”

A low rumble cut her off. But this time it didn’t come from the ground.