Chapter Ten
I had sex with the King that night, but left afterward.
He accepted it with a minor pout. The next day, however, I didn't see him at all.
Not at breakfast or lunch. Which was fine.
We weren't lovers. I did not expect him to check in with me every day.
Although I would have thought he'd be interested in my progress.
“Master Sevarin?”
I looked up from the bubbling pot to find a Lelurra man standing in the doorway of my lab.
My mind turned to thoughts of Eliel, the mate of the Dragon King of Tabaa.
This man looked nothing like the stunning Eliel, though he was still lovely, with long blond hair and black wings that set his locks to shining.
Still, it was enough to make me think back, images of Eliel and King Raventar taunting me.
The memories should have been a warning.
I'd seen firsthand what a Dragon mating bond was like.
The King and Eliel had been inseparable.
That alone made me cringe. I didn't want to be followed around by my lover.
I certainly didn't want him growling at every man who looked at me for over two seconds.
But within that intensity, I'd also witnessed a love that made my chest clench.
Volpers fell in love like anyone else, but we were careful about it.
Reason was used to temper love. The love King Raventar shared with Eliel was anything but reasonable.
It had also been beautiful—a ballad come to life.
It was the sort of love you think only exists in stories.
As much as my reasoning scoffed at it, my heart ached for it.
The ache was a fantasy. I knew that. Living with a love like that would be tiresome. That kind of intensity couldn't be maintained without some kind of burnout. No, I didn't want that. Couldn't. It wasn't in my nature. If I were another man, perhaps. Living another life.
“Master Sevarin?” the man said again.
“Sorry.” I focused on him fully. “I was lost in thought. How can I help you?”
“The King sent me to escort you to dinner.” He bowed. “I'm Lord Caro.”
“Nice to meet you.” I looked down at my work. “I'm a little busy.”
“The King thought you might say that. He insists you take some time to eat.”
I grimaced. So, now, when I was in the middle of work, he wanted to see me. “Fine.” I turned off the burner and covered the pot on it. I didn't want anything accidentally falling in and ruining the experiment.
“Uh, perhaps remove the apron?” Lord Caro motioned to me.
I looked down. “Ah, yes.” With a quick tug, I untied the apron and then pulled it over my head.
The way Lord Caro blinked made me take another look at what I was wearing.
It was simple—no sense in wearing something nice to work in—and there was nothing wrong with the black tunic and loose pants.
If the court or the King judged me on my clothing, it wouldn't bother me. Maybe I could dine in peace.
“After you.” I waved at the door.
Lord Caro smiled and backed out, his wings folding in against his back. I shut the door and locked it. The last thing I wanted was a maid coming in to straighten up. That could be disastrous.
We strode down the corridor toward the stairs. My lab was on the floor just below the royal apartments, and the dining hall was on the ground floor. So we had three flights of stairs to descend.
“I hear you're from the Algrine Mountains,” Caro said.
“Yes, a village called Tuva.”
“I'm from Avarine.”
My eyebrows went up. “That's to the south of Tuva.”
“Yes, I think that's why His Majesty asked me to fetch you.” He grinned. “I've been to Tuva for the market.”
“And I've been to Avarine for ingredients.”
He chuckled. “And now you're going to save the kingdom.”
I sighed. “That's my hope.”
“This is only your second day here, right?”
“Yes.”
“And I've heard you've already saved us from Vanre's foolishness and created a reagent to determine corruption.”
“How do you know that? Have rumors spread already?”
“Yes, but also, the King told me.”
“Oh? Are you friends?” A ridiculous surge of jealousy came over me. I pushed it down with cold reason—I wasn't interested in a relationship with the King, so how could I be jealous of a lover?
“I think so.”
“You think so?”
“One can never be certain with kings. Or courtiers, for that matter.” He winked at me.
“Are you lovers?”
Caro lifted his eyebrows. “Why would you ask that?”
“He's shared events that have just occurred with you. That seems like a man confiding in a lover or a friend. You've just implied that you're not friends, so that leaves a lover.”
“I didn't mean to imply that. ” He cocked his head. “Are you his lover?”
“We have been intimate, but it was only once, so I wouldn't call him my lover.”
“Ah, yes. Volper are slow to take partners. Well, I am not his lover, Master Sevarin. You have no competition in me.”
“I didn't . . . I wouldn't have cared if you were lovers. I was just curious.”
“Uh-huh.”
“You say you know Volpers, but that's not true if you doubt what I said.”
Caro chuckled. “I do know Volpers. Usually, I would believe someone who said that to me. You, however, are not behaving as a normal Volper.”
“In what way?” I stopped a few feet from the dining hall archway to face him.
“There are certain physical marks of nervousness, interest, and jealousy. You are showing all of them.”
My heart raced, but I scowled at him. “Such as?”
“Such as pupil dilation, tension around your lips, and that tail of yours is a dead giveaway. You got jealous when I spoke of the King, nervous when you questioned our relationship, and relieved when I vowed that there was nothing romantic between us. Therefore, you are planning to take your relationship with the King to a more intimate level.”
“I am not!”
Caro held up his hands. “Very well. My mistake.”
“I'm sorry. That was an unacceptable outburst. You were calmly explaining your findings, and I reacted poorly.”
“And what does that tell you, Master Sevarin?”
I headed for the dining hall. “It tells me I need to change my behavior to suit my goals.”
Caro sighed and muttered, “Not quite what I was hoping to hear.”