Chapter 44

FORTY-FOUR

K ai stood on the palace balcony, his massive frame rigid with tension as he watched the suns rise over the Ice Mountains. The purple forests below swayed in the early breeze, but their usual calming effect did nothing to ease the storm brewing inside him. His dragon instincts roared with protective fury, sensing danger lurking in every shadow.

“Ordan.” The name left his lips like a curse, carried away by the wind. His hands gripped the railing, the material creaking under his strength. “You’ve always craved power, but this...” His voice trailed off as his eyes narrowed on horizon.

The sound of determined footsteps pulled him from his brooding. He didn’t need to turn to know it was Quinn—her scent, a mix of Earth coffee and determination, had become as familiar to him as his own. The quick, purposeful stride told him everything he needed to know about her mood.

“You’re leaving again.” It wasn’t a question. He turned to face her.

“I feel like I’m so close to a huge breakthrough.” Quinn didn’t look at him, her dark hair falling forward to hide her expression. “With all the new information you’ve given me, I know I can figure out?—”

Kai moved closer, his presence filling the room. Frustration rolled through him at her continued recklessness. Couldn’t the woman just sit down for ten minutes? “Can you not give it a rest?” he said not trying to hide his exasperation. “After all that’s happened?—”

“Which is exactly why I need to keep working.” Quinn’s hands stilled on her equipment, her knuckles white. “Your kingdom is literally shaking apart, Kai. I can’t just sit here and do nothing.”

“The kingdom has survived centuries of tremors.” He took another step toward her. “But you?—”

“Don’t.” Quinn’s head snapped up, her brown eyes blazing. “Don’t you dare try to tell me what I can and can’t do. I’m a geologist. This is my job.”

“Your job shouldn’t include dodging assassins.” His voice dropped lower, rougher. The dragon inside him clawed at his control, desperate to wrap around her and keep her safe. “Someone is trying to kill you, Quinn.”

She barked out a laugh that held no humor. “Yeah, well, that seems to be an occupational hazard around here.” She zipped up her pack with more force than necessary. “But I didn’t come all the way to an alien planet just to hide in my room because things got dangerous.”

Kai moved with inhuman speed, closing the distance between them. His hand caught her arm, gentle despite his size. “This isn’t just about your work anymore.” His ice-blue eyes locked with hers, intense enough to steal her breath. “I can’t lose you.”

For a moment, something flickered in Quinn’s expression—vulnerability, maybe even longing. Then she pulled away, creating distance between them. “Being close to you makes me a target.” Her voice cracked slightly. “I won’t let myself become your weakness.”

The words hit him like physical blows. He watched helplessly as she shouldered her pack and headed for the door. His dragon roared inside him, demanding he stop her, protect her, keep her close. But he couldn’t force her to stay—wouldn’t trap her, even to keep her safe.

Quinn paused at the threshold, her hand on the doorframe. “I’ll be back before dark. Try not to send an entire dragon guard after me this time.”

She disappeared into the corridor before he could respond, leaving him alone with his growing sense of dread. Something was coming—something worse than poison and tremors. He could feel it in his bones and in the ancient magic that tied him to this land.

Kai paced the length of the room, his movements predatory. Ordan had always been ambitious, always pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable. But this level of aggression, these direct attacks... It spoke of desperation, or perhaps opportunity. The kingdom’s instability must have convinced him the time was right to strike.

A commotion outside drew his attention. Shouts echoed across the palace grounds, followed by the unmistakable whistle of arrows cutting through the air. His enhanced hearing picked up a sound that made his blood run cold—Quinn’s startled cry.

He didn’t think. His body responded on pure instinct, bones cracking and reforming as he shifted. The balcony doors shattered as his massive dragon form burst through them, wings spreading wide as he launched himself into the sky. His roar shook the very mountains, a sound of pure rage and terror.

Below, he spotted Quinn ducking behind a boulder as more arrows rained down. His wings pumped harder, faster, driving him toward her with desperate speed. An arrow glanced off his scales, barely registering through his panic.

He landed between Quinn and her attackers, his massive body curling protectively around her. Fire built in his chest, and he released it in a devastating stream, forcing the shadows back. Movement caught his eye—figures in dark clothing retreating into the trees.

“The Dragon King can’t protect her forever!” The shout carried clearly across the distance, a promise of violence to come.

Kai shifted back to his human form, his heart pounding as he turned to Quinn. She sat on the ground, her face pale, hands trembling as she tried to catch her breath. A thin line of blood marked her cheek where an arrow had grazed her.

“Are you hurt?” He reached for her, but she flinched away.

“I told you.” Her voice shook. “I told you being near you was too dangerous.” She pushed herself to her feet, swaying slightly. “I can’t keep doing this, Kai. I can’t keep risking my life like this.”

“Quinn, please?—”

“No.” She took another step back, wrapping her arms around herself. “Maybe it’s not just about you protecting me. Maybe it’s about me protecting myself—by staying away.”

The words hung between them like shards of ice. Kai watched her retreat toward the palace, every step she took away from him feeling like a physical wound. He was the Dragon King, ruler of the Southern Ice Kingdom, and yet he’d never felt more powerless.

Inside the war room, Kai gathered his most trusted advisors. Darian’s expression was grim as he listened to his king’s encounters with Ordan.

“I want him found,” Kai growled, his hands planted on the massive table. “I want to know his every movement, every whisper, every shadow around him. I want the location of his lair.”

Darian nodded, his amber eyes hard. “He’s grown more cunning than we anticipated. But we’ll find his hideout, My King. And when we do...”

“When we do, I’ll tear him apart myself.” The promise rumbled from deep in Kai’s chest, his eyes flashing gold.

Back in his chambers, Kai stood at another window, his gaze fixed on the door to Quinn’s room across the courtyard. Even from this distance, he could sense her distress, could almost taste her fear and confusion on the air. His dragon clawed at him, demanding he go to her, comfort her, protect her.

But he remained where he was, his fists clenched at his sides. He couldn’t force her to stay. Couldn’t demand she risk her life for a kingdom that wasn’t hers, for a destiny she hadn’t asked for. Even if every instinct he possessed screamed that she was his—his mate, his match, his other half.

The land trembled beneath his feet, another reminder of the instability that threatened everything he held dear. Without Quinn, without their bond, the tremors would grow worse. His kingdom would crack and shatter like the ice fields in spring.

But as he watched her shadow move behind her curtains, Kai made himself a promise. He would find Ordan. He would end this threat to his people, his kingdom, and most importantly, to her. And maybe then, when the danger had passed, Quinn would choose to stay.

Not because she had to. Not because destiny demanded it. But because she wanted to.