her, even if she was willing.
More to the point…Lyndi wasn’t willing.
But he had his foot in the door now, or, perhaps more accurately, they’d both got a taste of each other. Damned if he was going to waste this chance. Knowing Lyndi, he’d never get another.
“Your dragon took one look at her, and that was it. Am I wrong?” Deep asked.
“You’re not wrong.” No use denying it.
“But you’ve kept your distance until now. What changed?”
He was tempted to say Lyndi’s ultimatum, but that was only part of the truth. “I’ve watched Finn, Aidan, and Drake reach for what they want and be damned the consequences. Their mates are the most important thing in their lives.”
“Which is as it should be.”
But Levi shook his head. “For a long time, I thought the team should come first. Always. Lyndi puts her boys first, too. We have responsibilities and obligations.”
“Sounds like excuses to me.”
“Maybe so. But now I’m leaving.”
Deep jerked at that. “The hell you say?”
Levi grimaced. “My king is recalling all loyal gold dragons older than two hundred.”
“Fuck me.”
Levi could almost hear Calla saying, “Language.”
Deep crossed his arms. “So you got the push you needed, but now you’re going to be separated. It’s a conundrum.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
Deep shrugged. “What’s your question?”
Right. His question. “Assuming I can convince Lyndi to go against every other obstacle against us, does my claiming her put the team at greater risk? You’ve talked to the people we defend. You know the Alliance better than even Finn. You even know some of the kings, though it’s been centuries. That tells me that you, more than anyone else, can evaluate how big a problem this is going to be.”
Deep sat in silence for such a long time, heavy lids drooping over his eyes, that Levi wondered if he’d fallen asleep standing up.
“We’re in the middle of a tectonic shift in our world,” Deep finally said, his accent turning thicker, a sure sign he was dead serious. “Not just the kings. The way things are happening with mates and their signs. The number of phoenixes supposedly now in existence. Something bigger is at work here.”
An accurate picture in Levi’s opinion.
“I could easily feel like a boat adrift with no anchor and storms on the horizon. Except I have Calla to anchor me. Because of her, I know what is important.”
“You’re saying that nothing should stand in my way because Lyndi is too important?”
Deep shook his head. “I’m saying if she’s not your mate, don’t pursue her. Not right now.”
Fuck.
“But if you believe she is your fated mate—though I’ve only heard of one other instance that has happened with a female-born dragon—nothing should stop you. Because what mates bring for each other is the only stability we’ll find in life. Everything else is fire and violence. Mates are peace. The rest of the world…” Deep waved a careless hand. “Will sort itself out.”
Knots untied in Levi’s belly, tension draining out of him. Not all of it, but the pressure he’d put on himself to make the right decision.
Deep grinned. “Now, the bigger problem will be convincing her.”
Chapter Seven
Levi was going to get a piece of her dragon’s tail in the face if he didn’t stop sending such mixed signals.
Said the pot to the kettle, that small voice inside her piped up, and then her dragon huffed a laugh.
Oh, shut up.
And now she was arguing with herself. Terrific.
But she couldn’t move past the conflicting emotions whipping at her since he’d disappeared. After placing those large, warm hands on her skin, teasing while they stood in the kitchen, surrounded by the others, in a serious discussion…then walking away like she’d developed a sudden infectious disease, which stupidly reminded her of the day they met. She hadn’t seen him until she’d walked outside into the night, ready to help Deep find that group that had set a trap for them.
As soon as she’d appeared, Levi had proceeded to send her a smoldering stare, eyes glinting predatorially in the night, that reached inside her and twisted up her insides. Almost as fast as that happened, he’d shuttered his expression, dousing the glow.
That was different.
Now they were in the air, Levi flew ahead of her, having caught the scent once she’d got them to the right area. He took one stroke of his wings for every two of hers, an easy, flowing glide that she had to admit was a thing of beauty to watch. Which only made her glare at his back more.
She was