Page 21 of Blood Singer

But another part of me, a part I was trying very hard to ignore, just wanted to reach out and touch him. To offer some kind of comfort for the impossible burden he was carrying.

"I meant what I said at dinner," I told him quietly. "I'll do everything I can to help find a solution. The Prime is committed to this. And I'm good at finding creative solutions to impossible problems."

His expression changed, a softening around his eyes that made my breath catch. "Why do I believe you?"

"Because I'm very convincing?" I offered, trying to lighten the moment even though my heart was racing. "I learned from teaching five-year-olds. They're much tougher negotiators than most diplomats."

His lips curved into what might have been the beginning of a real smile, and I felt absurdly proud of myself for putting it there. "I'll keep that in mind."

We stood there for a moment longer, the space between us feeling charged with something I couldn't quite name. The political discussion had been heavy, serious, full of implications that would take days to fully process. But underneath it all, there was this pull, this awareness of him that made my skin feel too tight and my pulse too fast.

That meant something. I just wasn't sure what yet.

"At least you have one advantage," I offered. "Drakhoni look mostly human. That'll make the whole dating app thing easier. Can you imagine trying to set up profiles for species that are, I don't know, sentient clouds of gas? Or those frog-looking guys?"

"Ah, yes, the amphibious Kwado." Kavan's lips curved even more. "We look human in this form. But not in dragon form."

The reminder sent a shiver through me that had nothing to do with the temperature. I'd been so focused on the political situation, on the mission, that I'd almost forgotten what he actually was. What all of them were.

"What do you look like?" The question slipped out before I could stop it, curiosity overriding caution. "As a dragon, I mean."

Kavan stopped walking and turned to face me fully. The torchlight caught in his white hair, making it seem to glow, and his golden eyes held mine with an intensity that made my breath catch.

"To humans? Scary, I'd imagine," Binwee said from where she'd paused outside her door. Her tone was light, but there was something knowing in her expression as she looked between us. "I've seen videos of Drakhoni in dragon form. Very impressive. Very large. Very big teeth."

"Binwee," I said, feeling heat rise in my cheeks.

"Just stating facts." She pushed open her door, then glanced back at me with a smile that was far too innocent to be genuine. "Goodnight, Leila. Your Majesty. Try not to stay up too late discussing diplomatic matters."

The door closed behind her with a soft click, and suddenly I was alone in the corridor with Kavan. The space between us felt charged, electric, like the air before a storm.

"Would you like to see?" Kavan asked, his voice low.

My heart kicked against my ribs. "See what?"

"My dragon form." His eyes never left mine. "If you're curious. I could show you."

I should have said no. Should have kept my professional distance and remembered I was here on a mission, not to indulge my fascination with a seven-and-a-half-foot-tall dragon king who smelled like a forest after rain and looked at me like I was a puzzle he couldn't solve.

"Yes," I said instead. "I'd like that."

Something flickered across Kavan's face, surprise maybe, or satisfaction. "The northern courtyard, after breakfast. I'll have Artis escort you."

"Okay." The word came out breathier than I'd intended.

We stood there for another moment, neither of us moving. I could feel the pull between us, that inexplicable attraction that had been building since I'd stepped off the shuttle and he'd looked at me with fury and confusion and something else I couldn't name.

"Goodnight, Leila," he said finally, my name sounding different in his voice. Softer. More intimate.

"Goodnight," I managed.

He turned and walked back down the corridor, his footsteps fading into silence. I stood there watching until he disappeared around the corner, then let myself into my room with hands that weren't quite steady.

The suite was exactly as I'd left it, beautiful and luxurious and utterly foreign. I moved through the sitting room to the bedroom, my mind replaying every moment of the evening. Rhucard's arrival and the way Kavan's entire body had gone rigid. The possessive fury that had flashed across his face when Rhucard flirted with me. The careful way Kavan had maneuvered to walk me back to my room himself, cutting Rhucard out entirely.

And then there was the way he'd looked at me when he'd offered to show me his dragon form. Like it meant something. Like it was more than just satisfying my curiosity.

I sat down on the edge of the massive bed and pulled off my shoes, my thoughts spinning. This mission was supposed to be straightforward. Facilitate Drakhone's reintegration into the Alliance, help establish protocols for mate-finding that didn't violate Earth's protectorate status, gather intelligence on political stability.