Page 4 of Fated for his Flame

The sovereign smiled. “To put it mildly. Your father is old-school to the fullest.”

“Trust me, I know. It’s starting to get in the way of business, but there’s nothing I can do until he hands control over to me. Which he won’t do—”

“—until you have a mate.”

“Exactly,” I said as she finished my sentence, throwing up my arms in frustration. “It’s not like I don’t want to find a mate. To sire my own heirs. I would very much like that. I just don’t seem to be having much in the way of luck. None of these women are the right one for me, and I refuse to simply pretend as my father expects.”

I clamped my mouth shut, recognizing I was on the verge of complaining. The sovereign wasn’t someone to complain to. At all.

My point was valid, however, and I even had good reasons to not want to do as expected. My father had mated for duty as he put it. As had my mother.

It was the most dysfunctional thing. They hated one another, barely tolerating each other, which was why my mother was likely at another of the estates, avoiding anything to do with Father’s politicking. She hated it, too, which was probably where my dislike of it came from.

Somehow, Caleb and my sisters had turned out normal, but that wasn’t thanks to the relationship we had with our parents.

I was not going to do the same thing for my children. My mate, if I ever took one, would be for real. She would be one I would Scale Bond with. A pairing that would only ever come undone if one of us died. To me, the commitment was for life, and I didn’t want anyone who didn’t feel that strongly.

The sovereign glanced at Jair as I spoke, and a knowing look passed between them. The bodyguard sighed ever so slightly. It was his only response.

“I might have a solution for you,” the leader of all dragons said at last, a corner of her mouth slowly inching up.

“What do you mean?” I asked, instantly wary. I was tired of people trying to set me up.

“Come to the palace. Two days from now.”

“Anything you say, my sovereign,” I said respectfully. “Is there anything I should know about our meeting?”

“Oh, you aren’t going to be there to meet with me,” she said slyly.

“What will you tell me?” I probed again.

“All I will say is come with an open mind.” She broke into a broad smile. “And don’t be late.”

Then she was gone, stepping out onto the terrace to much fanfare as the sycophants my father surrounded himself with all but prostrated themselves before her, eager to try to please her.

Leaving me alone to try to puzzle out just what her intentions were.

Chapter Three

Chloe

“This had better be damn good,” I snarled as I entered the cabin of the Gulfstream V jet seconds after the stairs had been lowered. “This mission has been—”

I came to an abrupt halt as I noticed the occupants of the jet. Plural. When Robert, the Deputy Director of Operations, had recalled me a day earlier, I’d expected him to be the one meeting me at the airport for my extraction. Robert Thomas was there, but he was far from alone.

“Sirs. Ma’am,” I said with more restraint.

That was prudent when addressing Carl David, Director of Operations, Jennifer Kennedy, Director of the CIA, and Mason Rutledge, the Director of National Intelligence.

All of whom were in the plane. All of whom were staring at me.

“Did I do something wrong?” I asked when nobody responded.

“No,” Robert said, gesturing for me to take a seat.

Behind me, the crew pulled up the stairs, closing the door as the engines ramped up once more. We were wasting no time. Normally, I wouldn’t give a damn, being grateful to leave the shithole I’d been sent to for a brief period before being deployed to the next one. But I wasn’t done. My mission was unfinished.

“Why am I being extracted?” I asked, my initial surprise already gone.