Chapter 8 Raoul
CHAPTER EIGHT
RAOUL
I’d avoided my wife for three days.
After finishing our tour, I’d escorted Adele back to our chambers with the excuse of urgent business requiring my attention.
Then I’d thrown myself into every task I could find, no matter how trivial.
I went over trade agreements that didn’t need reviewing.
I inspected border patrols that were running perfectly.
I flew reconnaissance missions over areas that hadn’t seen trouble in decades.
Anything to avoid returning to my chambers until I was certain Adele would be otherwise occupied and asleep. Anything to give myself time to put this into perspective.
The first night, I’d crept in past midnight to find her curled in my bed, one hand tucked under her cheek, her dark hair spilled across my pillow. Fletcher lifted his head from where he was sleeping at the foot of the bed and gave me a look that made it clear he knew I was avoiding her.
I grabbed a blanket and retreated to the sofa.
The second night, Fletcher didn’t even bother lifting his head. He just sighed when I entered, the sound echoing through the quiet chamber like an accusation.
By the third night, the basset hound had positioned himself directly between the sofa and the bedroom door, forcing me to step over him. When I did, he huffed and turned his back to me, his droopy ears expressing disdain.
“I don’t need judgment from a dog,” I muttered, spreading my blanket across the sofa cushions.
Fletcher’s ears twitched, but he didn’t look my way.
I lay in the darkness, listening to the soft sounds of Adele sleeping in the next room, and tried not to think about how she’d looked in that cream dress. How her scent had invaded my senses and refused to leave.
How I’d wanted to kiss her right there in the corridor, consequences be damned.
My dragon side prowled beneath my skin, furious with me for maintaining this distance.
That part of me wanted to be close to her, to breathe in her scent, to feel her cool magic dancing across my scales.
It didn’t care about professional partnerships or emotional safety or the very sensible reasons I’d established boundaries in the first place.
It just wanted her.
And the shifter side of me was losing the battle.
I’d built my entire adult life around control. After my parents died, it became my foundation. If I could regulate my emotions, manage my responsibilities, and maintain perfect order in my environment, nothing could hurt me the way their loss had.
Adele was messing it all up.
She was everything I shouldn’t want. Which was precisely why I wanted her so desperately it terrified me.
On the fourth morning, I woke to find Fletcher sitting on the floor, directly in front of my face, his droopy eyes fixed on me with unmistakable accusation.
“What?” I said.
He huffed.
“I’m maintaining appropriate distance.”
Another huff, this one somehow conveying his opinion of that excuse.
“She agreed to a professional partnership. I’m honoring our arrangement.”
Fletcher turned around, lifted his tail, and farted directly in my face before waddling toward the bedroom.
“That was unnecessary,” I called after him, waving away the fumes.
But the message was clear. Adele’s dog thought I was being an ass.
I spent the next morning in meetings that required my full attention, which meant I only thought about Adele every few minutes instead of constantly. Progress, surely. Myra presented agricultural reports. The master of trade discussed shipping routes. My military advisors reviewed border security.
And through it all, I wondered what Adele was doing. Had she met with Demi about the Summit? Was she exploring the palace? Had she set up her weather monitoring equipment yet?
Did she notice I was avoiding her, and if so, did it bother her?
By early afternoon, I’d run out of excuses to stay away. I had reports to review, but I could go through them in my chambers. Where Adele might be.
I stood outside my own door like a nervous youth, gathering courage to face my wife.
This was ridiculous. I was a dragon king. I’d faced hostile clans, negotiated impossible treaties, and ruled an entire territory with steady hands. I could walk into my own chambers without losing my composure.
I pushed open the door and strode to the sitting area.
And immediately regretted every decision that had led to this moment.
Adele sat at the table near the windows, sunlight streaming across her dark hair, turning it to silk.
She wore one of her own dresses now, a deep forest green that made her eyes luminous.
The neckline was modest, the fit perfect for her curves, and somehow that made her even more appealing than the tight cream dress had.
She was gesturing about something, her face animated with that particular joy she showed when discussing her work.
My cock hardened immediately.
Demi sat across from her, her chin propped on her hand, grinning.
And Niles sat beside Adele, too close, leaning in as though every word from her mouth was precious treasure.
Possessive fury roared through me.
All three of them turned at my entrance. Demi’s grin widened into what I took as knowing and infuriating. Niles raised an eyebrow. And Adele’s expression shifted through surprise, pleasure, and what might’ve been hurt before settling into careful neutrality.
“Raoul,” she said. “We weren’t expecting you.”
“These are my chambers.” The words came out much too raspy. “I don’t need permission to enter them.”
“Of course not.” Her voice remained pleasant, but frost formed on the window behind her. “We’re discussing the Summit. Demi was showing me the guest list.”
“Adele has the most brilliant ideas,” Niles said, gesturing toward the papers spread across the table. His fingers brushed Adele’s arm, and I nearly shifted right there and ripped off his head.
“Does she?” I moved further into the room, fighting to keep my steps measured when every instinct screamed at me to cross the space and remove Niles’s hand from my wife.
“She wants to create displays during the opening ceremony,” Demi said. “Controlled auroras, dancing lightning, maybe some artistic cloud formations. It would be stunning and will demonstrate the alliance’s magical strength.”
“It’s probably too flashy,” Adele said quickly. “I was just brainstorming—”
“It’s perfect,” Niles said, leaning close enough their shoulders brushed. “You’re brilliant. I can’t believe no one’s thought of this before.”
The temperature in the room rose several degrees.
Adele noticed, her brow furrowing as she flicked her fingers to cool the air. The gesture was automatic, and the way she naturally regulated the temperature around me made my chest tighten with a feeling I refused to name.
“Don’t interrupt your meeting on my account,” I said, settling into a chair across the room. “I have paperwork to review.”
Demi’s eyes sparkled with mischief. “What paperwork? You don’t have anything with you.”
I tapped my temple. “Mental notes. Strategic planning. Continue with your discussion.”
“Mental notes.” My sister didn’t bother to hide her smirk. “Right.”
They returned to their planning, but I couldn’t focus on anything except Adele. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear when concentrating. How her hands moved when explaining concepts. The slight furrow between her brows when working through a problem.
And Niles, damn him, noticed all of it too.
“What if we incorporate temperature variations?” he suggested, leaning in to study the diagrams she’d sketched. “Warm air rising through cold, carrying something magically created, something sparkling, creating visible patterns.”
“That could work,” Adele said. “If I carefully layer the zones and add moisture content variation, we could create moving sculptures in the air. Dragons could fly through them during the ceremony—” She broke off, her eyes lighting up.
“Raoul, would that be possible? Could some of the dragons perform aerial displays through the weather patterns?”
She’d asked me. Not Niles, who was sitting right beside her. Me.
“Yes,” I said. “That would be spectacular.”
“This is going to be wonderful,” Demi said. “The other clans will be so jealous.”
They continued planning for another hour.
Niles made suggestions that were actually helpful, which annoyed me further because I wanted to dislike everything about him.
Demi kept shooting me knowing looks that I ignored.
And Adele created small weather demonstrations to test concepts, filling the room with miniature clouds and gentle breezes that smelled like rain.
Every time she worked her magic, my body responded. Heat pooled low in my belly. My skin felt too tight. I wanted to cross the room, pull her into my arms, and feel that cool magic washing over me while I kissed her breathless.
Instead, I sat in my chair and pretended to review mental notes while my dragon side snarled.
“I think we have enough to work with,” Demi finally announced, gathering the papers into a neat stack. “Niles, we should go brief the entertainment coordinator about the aerial display requirements.”
“But we’re not finished discussing—”
“Yes, we are.” Demi stood, giving him a pointed look. “The entertainment coordinator is only available for another hour. We need to go now.”
Niles glanced between Demi, me, and Adele, understanding dawning on his face. “Ah. Yes, of course. Time-sensitive matters.” He rose and bowed to Adele. “My queen, it’s been an absolute pleasure. Your creative vision is remarkable.”
“Thank you. I appreciate your input.”
“Anytime. I’m always happy to assist someone so inspiring.” His gaze drifted over her face.
I stood abruptly, my chair scraping on the stone floor.
Niles shot me a conniving grin. “Cousin. Always a pleasure.”
“Leave,” I said.
“So commanding.” Niles winked at Adele. “Don’t let him bully you. Under all that brooding intensity, he’s actually—”
“Niles.” Demi grabbed his arm. “We’re going now.”