Serena woke slowly, awareness seeping in before her body followed.
The scent hit her first. Familiar. The same one that threaded through her dreams. An arm was wrapped around her, warm and solid.
Sunlight crept in through the window, brushing her face.
Her head throbbed.
Panic bubbled up, sharp and instinctive.
Something terrible had happened, but she could not think of what.
The arm around her tightened immediately, possessive but careful, as if it had been waiting for that exact moment.
"Hey, Serena," a calm voice whispered close to her ear. "You're safe."
Her lashes fluttered open as the room swam into view. She registered the I.V. attached to her arm first, then the silk camisole and shorts she was wearing.
She swallowed, her throat tight.
"Dexmon?" Her voice came out rougher than she expected, as the room finally settled around his face.
He felt the ripple of confusion through the bond before she ever spoke it. Dexmon shifted, propping himself up on one elbow, reading her expression like a map.
"First off," he said quietly, "please call me Dex."
Color rushed to her cheeks at the simple request. For reasons she could not explain, it felt far more intimate than it had any right to.
"And most importantly," he continued, voice gentler now, "how are you feeling?"
She huffed weakly. "Like I got hit by a drunk troll riding a warhorse." She winced, her hand drifting to her sternum. It was sore. Deeply. Bandaged beneath the thin fabric.
Dex laughed, a short sound that held more relief than humor.
"Where are we?" she asked, throat raw, like she had swallowed fire.
"Hang on," he said, already moving.
He rose and returned with a small jar filled with a cloudy white liquid.
"I am under strict orders to make you drink this," he said dryly. "Just so you know, I tried it. Tastes like swamp water mixed with regret."
He twisted the lid off and held it out to her.
Her hands trembled.
Without comment, Dex kept his grip on the jar and lifted it carefully, guiding it to her lips.
She was too thirsty to object and drank it down in seconds. Dex only lowered the jar once he was certain she was done.
Relief followed almost immediately. The raw burn in her throat eased. The tightness in her chest loosened. Everywhere felt better.
Dex retrieved a second jar and helped her drink that one too, steady and patient.
"Thank you," she said once it was empty. Gods, that helped. The pounding in her head dulled, and the deep aches in her body began to fade.
She eased back down against the pillows.
And to her shock, Dex climbed back onto the bed with her, settling in close, his arm draping easily around her waist as if it had always belonged there.
She froze, eyes flicking to him.
Dex caught the look and huffed softly. "Before you say anything, I've decided you're too weak to escape."
She let out a laugh, the sound light and genuine.
Dex smiled faintly, satisfaction flickering in his eyes as he tightened his arm slightly.
"What… happened?" she asked. Her mind felt thick, fogged, like she had surfaced too fast from deep water.
Dex hesitated. Just a fraction of a second. Long enough to decide she deserved the truth even if it frightened her.
"You were poisoned." He watched her face for any sign of panic. "I felt a mirror of the poisoning. Not as badly as you, but enough."
The arm around her waist tightened. "Enough that I knew something was very wrong."
It took a moment for the memory to claw its way back. The pain. Coughing. The terror of not being able to breathe, choking on her own blood as everything narrowed to panic and fire. Someone had pulled her upright, understanding she could not breathe like that. No hesitation.
The same scent as the one around her now.
Dex.
He had just known.
Was that because of their dragon bond?
"I think it was Agnes and my mother, but I have no proof," he continued.
More confusion flickered across her face. Why was he lying beside her like this? She did not mind, but he was also betrothed. And why would he tell her any of this if he loved the woman who had done it?
"Thank you for telling me," she whispered. "I won't repeat that to anyone."
She meant it. Silence would be the best policy no matter what came next, but it mattered to her that he understood she could be trusted with something this heavy.
Dexmon swallowed. Emotions he had not invited stirred at her sincerity, sharp and unwanted.
She spoke again before he could find a response.
"I didn't realize Velkaris was your dragon," she said. "When I bonded with him, I wasn't fully in control. I don't remember riding him. Just… touching his face." Worry shadowed her expression. "Would you be able to tell her that? I tried, but she didn't want to hear it."
She bit her lip. "I do hope that can put her mind at ease."
Dexmon frowned for a moment. No one had explained dragon bonding to her properly. That should have been his responsibility. He had dropped the ball. And worse, she still thought he was interested in Agnes.
No.
That ended now.
"Dragons choose who they bond with," he said, measuring each word. "It happens on a soul level. It would have happened regardless of circumstance."
His gaze held hers. "A true bond means the dragon can read your thoughts and emotions. Deeper than even a fated mate can. The strongest riders are true bonds, and in our culture, that kind of bond is sacred."
Serena absorbed that, the weight of it settling over her.
"It's also extremely rare," he added. "Outside of you and me, there are only two others in Drakenfell with true dragon bonds. Everyone else trains with a dragon and builds a relationship over time."
"That explains a bit," Serena said, the pieces finally clicking into place. The hospitality. The protection. Why no one had questioned her presence.
"Yes," Dex said, then exhaled. "But our situation is rarer still."
"A dragon bonding to two riders only happens when two souls are intertwined at the deepest level. The last time it happened in Drakenfell was forty years ago." He paused, letting that settle. "So you can imagine the shock when Velkaris chose you."
He met her eyes, his expression serious.
"Dragons bow to me as Master and Commander of the Draken Forces. When they bowed to you as well, that sealed it." His voice softened. "You are ours to protect."
He hesitated, then added quietly, "I should have explained all of this to you sooner. I'm sorry that I didn't."
"Thank you for the context," she said, her mind clearly racing through the implications.
"What are you thinking?" Dex asked gently, surprising her with how easily he had noticed.
A faint flush crept into her cheeks.
"Truthfully," she said after a moment, "I'm honored by that… but also surprised. I'd never seen a dragon before or met a dragon rider. Until I met you." She paused. "And I didn't know you were a dragon rider until Agnes mentioned your bond."
Dex studied her, then nodded slowly. "Somewhere in your lineage, you are descended from a dragon bloodline. There are only a handful of families capable of producing true bonds. They are all High Houses in Drakenfell." His gaze sharpened, thoughtful. "That was another reason you were immediately considered ours to protect."
The words settled over her.
Dex's voice broke through her thoughts.
"I need to clarify something," he said, meeting her eyes directly. "I ended things with Agnes two weeks ago. I continued to publicly court her for the sake of diplomacy. It was against my better judgment, and last night proved exactly why." His expression hardened. "I ended it again. This time publicly."
Serena blinked, caught off guard. Agnes and Dex kissed last night. He didn't pull away.
"Oh," she said softly. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"I'm not," Dex said immediately.
He was watching her now, really watching her, his expression stripped of humor or pretense.
"Cruelty is not a trait I want in my queen."
Serena considered his words for a moment. No, she did not like the way Agnes had spoken to her or the actions she had taken, but she could not help wondering how much of it had been shaped by Queen Bellatrix's influence.
"Perhaps there is a chance she was not involved in the poisoning and simply acted out of character yesterday," she said, choosing her words with care.
Dexmon stared at her, genuinely taken aback by the depth of her empathy. Her ability to separate hurt from hatred.
"I'm lying here ready to go to war," he said dryly, a faint smile tugging at his mouth, "and you're suggesting mediation."
She let out a quiet laugh. "Good point."
Dex grinned, openly pleased with himself for managing to make her laugh.
He took a slow breath, choosing his words with care.
"I wanted to speak with you sooner," he said quietly. "But I was publicly courting her, and out of respect for you, I wanted to end that completely first."
Serena's brows knit together, confusion flickering across her face again.
"You are not just my bonded, Serena." He swallowed. "You are my fated mate. You don't feel it yet because your wolf is still healing."
She blinked, stunned. The words landed like a fist to the chest, but they explained everything. How he had tracked her in the forest when she fled. How he'd felt the poisoning in his own body.
"I don't want you to feel pressured," Dex said quickly. "And if you choose Gavriel, I won't stand in your way." The corner of his mouth lifted. "I do reserve the right to be insufferably smug."
"I want you to choose what makes you happy. I'm just hoping I'm part of that choice."
"Gav is my friend," Serena said, chest tightening at his words. "I promise. I've known you both for the same amount of time, so let me clear that up."
A grin tugged at her mouth. "And I've only kissed one of you."
Dex grinned back before he could stop himself.
"But...are you sure we're fated mates?" The words tumbled out.
Dex tipped his head back against the headboard and laughed softly. "Yes. I'm sure."
An understatement of the year. She didn't know the half of it.
"Then of course, Dex." Her voice was sure. "I wish I would have known."
This time, Dex blinked.
That easy.
He stared at her, incredulous, warmth blooming in his chest so fast it almost hurt. Why in the gods' names had he waited two weeks?
Elated did not even begin to cover it.
He lifted his hand and traced her jaw with his thumb, slow and reverent, as if committing the shape of her to memory.
He leaned in, careful, stopping just an inch from her lips.
She did not pull away.
Instead, to his surprise, she leaned forward and closed the distance. Her lips met his.
The instant their mouths touched, a literal jolt snapped through him. Sharp. Electric. Like something had just locked into place.
He stiffened.
Even aware that a jolt was coming, remembering the first time they kissed, it still stunned him.
The kiss quieted the storm inside him, one that had been building for over two weeks. It brought warmth. Grounding. Relief.
And with it, something else began to stir. A different storm. Sharper. More dangerous.
He pulled her closer. The kiss deepened, turning more urgent, more charged. His tongue traced the seam of her lips, testing, asking.
She parted for him, her body answering his touch with a heat that was both exhilarating and unsettling.
The hunger clawed beneath his skin. A need so fierce it bordered on desperation.
He burned for her.
His wolf surged with the overwhelming urge to mark her.
At that same moment, the sound of the door opening snapped them apart.
Dex closed his eyes, breathing hard, pushing his wolf down.
Hale and Elara tumbled through the door.
"You're awake!" Elara gasped, before turning into a blur of red hair and recklessness, launching herself across the room with the grace of a flying squirrel.
She landed squarely on top of Serena and Dexmon, full body contact, zero hesitation, zero fucks given.
Serena grunted on impact, her ribs protesting.
"I was so worried," Elara said, voice cracking.
Before Serena could wheeze out a reply, Hale made a noise like a delighted bear and launched himself straight for the bed.
"WAIT—" Dex said sharply.
Too late.
Hale misunderstood the situation by an entire continent. He knocked the wind clean out of Serena and elbowed her sternum in the process.
Dexmon reacted in a flash, catching Hale's elbow mid-air before it could do any more damage.
"Hale," Dex said calmly, through clenched teeth, "if you crush her again, I will kill you."
"Oh." Hale's voice dropped to a whisper, as if that would help. "Right. Sorry, Serena."
At that exact moment, Gavriel stepped into the doorway and froze.
He took in the scene in one horrified sweep.
Dex half-propped against the headboard. Serena flattened and wheezing beneath a pile of limbs. Elara sprawled across them like a feral blanket with no intention of moving. Hale somehow on top of all of it, knees on the mattress, looking proud of himself.
Then the bed let out a sharp, traitorous crack.
One of its legs gave out and the entire structure lurched sideways.
Gavriel backed up slowly.
"Nope."
He turned around and walked out.