"Okay, I surrender!" She was breathless when he finally pulled away, her cheeks flushed and eyes bright with laughter. "You're the poor, abused youngest brother who was being forced to marry some poor woman to secure your inheritance, is that it?"
"Not exactly." The assumption stung more than it should have. He didn't want her thinking he was some penniless younger son trading his title for financial security. Money had never been an issue for any of his family. "I'm not poor."
"Well?" She traced her fingers along his jaw, the simple touch making it hard to concentrate on words. "What's the real story then?"
He settled back beside her, pulling her against his side where she fit like she'd been made for the space. Outside, the resort's evening entertainment was beginning. Soft music drifted up from the pools below, mixing with distant laughter and the gentle splash of water.
"My brothers, Rook and Vex, just found their mates. One right after the other, as if by magic." He couldn't keep the snort of disbelief from his voice. The timing had been absurd, both of them falling head over heels within weeks of each other.
And now here he was …
He had to press on.
Mercy gave him a look that was equal parts amused and incredulous. "You're a dragon and you don't believe in magic?"
Okay, fair point. He breathed fire and could transform into a creature of legend, yet he'd always approached life with cold logic. Maybe that was part of his problem.
"I believe in the here and now." The words came out softer than he'd intended. The here and now was Mercy, warm and willing in his arms. The rest could wait.
She studied his face for a moment, something flickering in her eyes before she looked away. "Go on. About your brothers."
Right. The explanation she deserved. "Anyway, my family decided it was time for me to end my ne'er-do-well ways and settle down. They arranged this meeting with the Royal Matchmaker. I couldn't say no."
"Why not?" Her fingers had found their way back to his chest, tracing idle patterns that made it difficult to focus on anything else.
This was the part that made him sound like exactly the privileged lord she'd initially pegged him as. But she'd asked, and he owed her honesty.
"It's difficult to say no to your uncle. Especially when he's the king."
Mercy went very still against him. Her hand froze mid-motion, palm flat against his ribs. He could practically hear her mind working, putting together pieces she hadn't had before.
"Your uncle is the king," she repeated slowly. "Of dragons."
"Well, of Vemion, but yes."
"Which makes you …"
"Somewhere in line for the throne, technically. Though it's not something I think about much." The succession had never mattered to him. He had plenty of cousins in line ahead of him. He'd been content to play the useless younger brother, free to pursue his own interests without the weight of expectation.
Until now. Until her.
She sat up abruptly, the sheet pooling around her waist as she stared at him. "You're royalty. Actual royalty."
"Dragon lord, but yes, technically." He reached for her, wanting to pull her back down beside him, but she evaded his grasp.
"And you were on my cargo ship why, exactly?" Her voice had gone carefully neutral, the way it did when she was processing something she didn't like.
This was going wrong. He’d told her part of it before, but now he owed her a bigger, real explanation.
"I thought if I showed up in transport not fit for a lord … not that your ship wasn't wonderful …" He caught her hand before she could retreat further, pressing her palm back against his chest. "And played my most rakish self, whatever lady the Matchmaker found for me would run screaming."
Mercy's expression was unreadable. She didn't pull away, but she didn't relax either. "I see. And what are you going to do when we get out of this mess?"
The question hit him hard. She was already planning their separation, already thinking past whatever this was between them. As if what they'd just shared was nothing more than stress relief, a pleasant interlude before returning to their separate lives.
"I'm not looking for someone else."
The words came out more intense than he'd intended, weighted with everything he didn't know how to say. About the way his dragon had recognized her from the first moment. About how her fire had answered his call.
