Page 67 of Fated for his Flame

The trip to the palace was uneventful, with little talking, and the silence dragged it out until it felt like hours. Nothing but the steady beat of dragon wings. I eyed the huge membranes, surprised at how easily I’d adapted to that method of transportation.

Upon landing, we were ushered not into the throne room but to the sovereign’s office.

“Interesting,” Silas said as we waited to be admitted.

“What is?” I asked, eager for any insight he could give me. I’d dealt with royalty on some of my prior missions, but dragon royalty was a new battleground for me. One I wasn’t used to, and I needed every bit I could get to stay sharp and out of trouble.

“By having us here, she can keep this meeting private,” he said. “Whatever it is, it’s probably not good.”

I clamped down on my nausea. Throwing up now would do nothing to help my innocent plea. The more I learned, the more I knew it was anything but a protective visit.

She knew. Somehow, the sovereign knew.

The door opened, and I frowned. The abyss that had been waiting to yawn open and swallow me whole paused.

At a desk was the sovereign, with her perfectly straight platinum hair and the most vivid pair of emerald eyes I’d ever seen. My eyes were green as well, but they were dull and boring compared to hers. She radiated elegance, grace, and power from every part of her body. Behind her stood two of the meanest-looking guards I’d ever seen in my life. They were all business, however, unlike the man standing beside her who radiated nothing but hatred.

“What the hell is he doing here?” Silas barked, pointing at Caine.

Rage flickered through Caine’s eyes, like lightning across the dark brown iris. His hair was slicked back, though not long enough to be tied into a braid like most of the dragon men. I could just imagine him running his comb through it over and over again to keep it in place.

“Do you have anything to tell us?” the sovereign asked, ignoring the outburst.

Her eyes were focused on me.

“No?” Silas said, shaking his head in confusion.

“I wasn’t talking to you,” the ruler of all dragonkind said just a bit coldly, her attention still fully focused on me.

I stared back, noting Silas turn, so he could look at us both.

“What’s going on here? Why are you treating her this way? She’s done nothing wrong. She’s been with me the entire time.”

The sneer that crossed Caine’s face looked perfectly at home among his features. Like he was born to the look. “The entire time?”

“Yes,” Silas said.

“Even during your vacation? She never left your sight while you went shopping?”

Silas stiffened. “You followed us?” he snarled, taking a step forward.

The guards did the same. “There will be no violence in here,” the head of the sovereign’s bodyguard barked. “Is that understood?”

Vibrating with fury, Silas nodded and stepped back.

As he did, Caine barked in laughter. “Of course I did. I have a vested interest in taking your head off for the public insult you’ve given my family. Don’t act so surprised.”

I stared at him, then back at the sovereign. The situation was bad. Very bad. My mind was racing, trying to figure a way out. But I didn’t see one.

Silas shook his head. “I still don’t understand. She didn’t do anything.”

“Really?” Caine reached into a pocket and tossed a dozen or so polaroid pictures onto the desk.

Pictures of me, on my way to meet with Alvarez and going into the building, then being escorted out of it by the CIA Caribbean Station Chief.

“Explain,” the sovereign said coldly. “This is you. This is a CIA building, and that is a CIA operative. Why did you go there? How did you know the person there? What were you doing?”

“I can only think of one explanation,” Caine said.