Chapter 10

The One He Cannot Kill

The room smelled like smoke, rain, and something dangerously close to panic.

Kael stood near the fireplace with one hand braced against the mantel, breathing slow and controlled like he was physically forcing himself not to lose it again.

Evelynn sat on the edge of the bed staring at him.

“So,” she said carefully, “soul resonance.”

Kael closed his eyes briefly.

The silence that followed felt very intentional.

Evelynn folded her arms.

“You can’t say something horrifying and mysterious and then just emotionally leave the conversation.”

Kael opened his eyes again.

His expression looked colder now.

Controlled.

Too controlled.

“That bond should not exist.”

“Again with the dramatic statements.”

His jaw tightened slightly.

Evelynn noticed he did that whenever he was trying not to say something violent.

Interesting.

Kael finally turned toward her fully.

“For dragons,” he said slowly, “soul resonance happens once.”

“Romantic.”

“It is not romantic.”

The speed of that answer almost made her smile.

Almost.

Kael continued.

“It links two souls together. Emotion. Pain. Instinct.” His voice darkened. “Sometimes worse.”

Evelynn glanced at her still-healing hand.

“And the glowing blood situation?”

“Not normal.”

“Wonderful.”

Kael looked genuinely exhausted.

“The bond was believed extinct centuries ago.”

That sentence landed heavily.

Centuries.

Evelynn’s stomach tightened slightly.

“Because dragons stopped bonding with humans?”

Kael went quiet.

Too quiet.

Then finally:

“Because the last time it happened, kingdoms burned.”

Well.

That sounded deeply unhealthy.

Thunder rumbled outside again while dragonfire crackled low inside the fireplace.

Unlike before, the flames now remained strangely calm.

Steady.

Watching.

Evelynn hated that she was starting to notice differences in dragonfire moods.

This palace was ruining her.

Kael moved toward the window overlooking the storm outside.

Distance again.

He kept doing that whenever the atmosphere between them changed too much.

“You should leave Black Citadel,” he said suddenly.

Evelynn blinked.

“…excuse me?”

“The bond is unstable.”

“That sounds like a problem for both of us.”

“It is.”

“Then why am I the one being evicted?”

Kael turned slightly toward her.

“Because I am the dangerous one.”

The honesty in his voice caught her off guard.

Not arrogance.

Not intimidation.

Fact.

Evelynn stared at him quietly for a moment.

Rain hammered hard against the palace windows.

Far below, somewhere within the city, distant dragon horns echoed through the storm.

Kael’s expression darkened slightly.

“The bond affects instinct.”

“That still doesn’t explain anything.”

His gaze lifted toward hers slowly.

“It means dragons become possessive.”

Evelynn blinked once.

“…that sounded threatening.”

“It was meant to.”

“Good communication skills.”

Kael ignored that entirely.

“The stronger the resonance becomes, the harder control gets.”

Evelynn leaned back slightly against the bedpost.

“And what exactly happens if this gets stronger?”

Kael didn’t answer immediately.

Which was apparently answer enough.

Wonderful.

Evelynn rubbed her temples.

“This week was going so well too.”

A strange sound escaped Kael then.

Low.

Brief.

It took her a second to realize—

he almost laughed.

That was new.

And honestly a little alarming.

Before she could comment, another sharp pulse of pain suddenly flashed through her hand where the cut had been.

Evelynn hissed softly.

At the exact same moment—

Kael flinched.

Both of them froze.

Oh.

Right.

Shared pain now.

Fantastic.

Kael stared at her hand.

Then at his own.

The same pain had clearly hit him too.

Evelynn slowly lowered her hand.

“Well that’s horrifying.”

Kael’s voice came quieter now.

“Yes.”

The atmosphere shifted again.

Not violently this time.

Something subtler.

Heavier.

Evelynn suddenly became very aware of how close he was standing.

How warm the room had become.

How intensely those gold eyes watched her when he forgot to hide it.

Dangerous thought.

Very dangerous thought.

Kael stepped closer before stopping himself halfway.

His entire body visibly tensed.

Like instinct and restraint were fighting each other.

Evelynn frowned slightly.

“You look uncomfortable.”

“I am.”

“Helpful clarification.”

Kael’s gaze dropped briefly to her throat again.

To the bruises his hand left there.

Something dark flickered across his expression.

Regret.

Guilt.

Then suddenly—

his claws appeared.

Not fully.

Just partially shifted fingers tipped with black curved talons.

Evelynn’s pulse jumped instinctively.

Kael noticed immediately.

And that—

that made everything worse.

His pupils narrowed sharply.

Predatory.

The dragonfire in the fireplace surged higher.

Kael inhaled slowly like he was trying to suppress something violent.

Then without warning—

he moved.

Fast enough Evelynn barely reacted before he stood directly in front of her.

One clawed hand braced against the bedpost beside her head.

The other caught her wrist.

Not hard.

But firm.

The heat radiating from him made her skin burn.

Kael stared down at her breathing unevenly.

Those gold eyes looked almost black around the pupils now.

Hungry again.

Not for food.

Something worse.

Evelynn’s heart pounded painfully.

Which he definitely noticed.

Because his jaw tightened instantly.

“Kael?”

Bad choice.

The sound of his name in her voice visibly affected him.

Dragonfire exploded higher behind them.

Kael leaned closer slightly.

Too close.

God, those eyes were terrifying up close.

Beautiful too.

Which was honestly an even bigger problem.

Evelynn swallowed carefully.

Another mistake.

Kael’s claws tightened involuntarily around her wrist.

Sharp enough to sting.

Then suddenly—

one claw lifted toward her throat.

Slowly.

Instinctively.

Predator behavior.

Evelynn froze.

Not because she thought he wanted to kill her.

But because part of him clearly wanted something else entirely.

And that seemed to frighten him.

The claw stopped directly against the skin of her throat.

Sharp enough that one movement could cut.

Kael went completely still.

The room held its breath around them.

Evelynn could feel his heat.

Hear his breathing.

See the battle happening behind his eyes.

Then—

nothing.

No violence.

No attack.

His hand trembled slightly.

Kael stared at the claw near her throat like he didn’t understand what was happening.

Or why it wasn’t happening.

Evelynn barely breathed.

Kael’s voice came rough and quiet.

“…I can’t.”

The words sounded almost shaken.

His gaze snapped upward to hers.

For the first time since meeting him—

the Dragon King looked genuinely unsettled.

Not angry.

Not monstrous.

Unsettled.

Evelynn spoke carefully.

“Can’t what?”

Kael slowly pulled his clawed hand away from her throat.

Like the movement physically hurt him.

“I should want to.”

Cold spread through Evelynn’s stomach.

“What?”

Kael stepped backward abruptly.

Distance again.

Control.

His breathing remained uneven.

“Dragon instinct reacts violently to vulnerability.” His voice sounded darker now. “Fear. weakness. bleeding.”

Evelynn touched the fading bruises on her neck slowly.

Realization hit.

“You’re saying dragons normally kill people over this?”

Kael looked at her directly.

“Yes.”

Simple.

Terrifying.

Evelynn stared at him for several long seconds.

Then quietly asked:

“And you didn’t.”

Kael’s jaw tightened.

“No.”

The dragonfire throughout the room suddenly lowered again.

Calmer.

Quieter.

Like the palace itself had heard the confession.

Kael looked away first.

Which somehow felt more intimate than if he hadn’t.

His next words came almost reluctantly.

“The bond changes instinct.”

Evelynn’s chest tightened slightly.

Not from fear this time.

Something else.

Something dangerous.

Kael finally looked back toward her.

Gold eyes steady in the firelight.

“You are the first thing my dragon sees,” he said quietly, “and does not want to destroy.”

Silence settled heavily between them.

Then Evelynn blinked once.

“…that may be the most concerning compliment I’ve ever received.”