Kael's POV
The throne cracks under my grip.
"Sire, that's the third chair this month." Rhys doesn't even look up from where he's lounging on the council steps, throwing a ball of flame between his hands like a toy.
I force my fingers to rest. Black stone crumbles to dust beneath my hands. "Tell me again why I agreed to this farce?"
"Because your kingdom needs the alliance with the humans." Rhys catches the spark and lets it die. "Because the council won't stop nagging you about having an heir. Because you're almost four hundred years old and still alone." He smiles, showing too many teeth. "Should I continue?"
"No." I stand up, leaving the destroyed throne behind. My boots echo on the crystal floor as I pace. "She comes today. The human princess who's meant to save us all from war."
"You don't sound thrilled about marrying a beautiful princess." Rhys shifts to his dragon form—a flash of red scales and heat—then back to human just to annoy me. "Most kings would be celebrating."
"Most kings don't have my history with human brides."
The air temperature drops. Even Rhys stops kidding.
We don't talk about Vera. We haven't for fifty years. The human woman who swore she loved me, who I bonded with completely, who tried to steal my heartstone and nearly killed me when I found her betrayal.
"This one's different," Rhys says softly. "She has to be."
"Does she?" I turn to face him. "She's human. Humans lie. It's what they do."
"Not all of them."
"Enough of them." I walk to the window where I can see the road leading to my castle. No transport yet. "Besides, she's already lying. I can feel it."
Rhys straightens. "What do you mean?"
I pull the letter from my pocket—the one I sent three days ago. "I told her I knew she wasn't who she claimed to be. Told her to come anyway."
"Why would you do that?"
"Because I needed to see if she'd run or if she'd be brave enough to come despite being discovered." I crumple the letter. "And because Seraphine saw her at the border station last night."
"The phoenix mother went to see your bride? Why?"
" She felt something. " I meet Rhys's eyes. " Seraphine said the girl carries phoenix family magic. Dormant, but strong. Very powerful."
Rhys whistles low. "Phoenix blood in a human? That's impossible. The last phoenix-blooded humans died out centuries ago."
"Apparently not." I turn back to the window. "Which means either the human kingdom has been hiding a phoenix descendant and using her as a pawn, or..." I trail off.
"Or what?"
"Or she doesn't know what she is. Doesn't know what she can do." The thought makes something protective stir in my chest, which annoys me. " Either way, she's more than just a princess wife. She's something the people fear enough to send away."
"You think they're setting you up? Sending a phoenix-blood as some kind of weapon?"
"I think— " I stop. The air changes. Heat signatures grow on the road below. "She's here."
Rhys joins me at the window. We watch as a fancy human carriage rolls through the gates, pulled by horses that are clearly scared of being in dragon territory. They should be. We could eat them.
"So what's the plan?" Rhys asks. "Confront her immediately about being a fraud? Test her to see if she knows about her phoenix blood? Marry her and figure it out later?"
"I'm going to watch her." My dragon senses reach out, trying to feel her heat signature even from this distance. "I'm going to see if she's like Vera—a liar playing at love—or if she's something different."
"And if she's different?"
I don't answer. Can't answer. Because if she's different, if she's real despite whatever lies she's been forced to tell, then I'm in danger of the one thing I swore would never happen again.
Falling for a person.
"The ceremony is in an hour," Rhys says, breaking the quiet. "You should probably fix your throne before the court arrives."
I look back at the damaged chair. Wave my hand. Dragon fire melts and reshapes the stone until it's whole again. Perfect. Like nothing was ever broken.
If only I could fix myself that easy.
"Your Majesty!" A guard bursts into the throne room, panting. "The princess's carriage has stopped at the main courtyard. But there's a problem."
My stomach drops. "What kind of problem?"
"The girl won't come out. She's locked herself inside the carriage and refuses to open the door."
Rhys bursts out laughing. "Oh, I like her already."
I don't find it funny. I stalk past the guard, down the hallways, Rhys following close behind still chuckling.
We reach the courtyard where at least fifty dragons in human form have gathered to see their new queen. The fancy carriage sits in the center, door firmly closed.
"Princess Rosalie," one of my counselors calls through the door. "Please, you must come out. The ceremony—"
"I'm not ready!" A voice yells from inside. Young. Terrified. Very real.
The crowd whispers. Some dragons laugh. Others look insulted.
I push through the crowd. "Everyone leave. Now."
They scatter. Even Rhys backs away, though he's still grinning like an idiot.
I approach the carriage alone and knock once on the door.
"Go away!" the voice yells.
"No." I keep my voice cool. Gentle. "Open the door, Princess. Or should I say... Lyra Everhart?"
Silence.
Then the lock clicks.
The door opens slowly.
And I see her for the first time.
Brown hair that catches the light and shows bits of silver I don't think she knows are there. Eyes that shift between green and gold—phoenix eyes, I realize with shock. She's smaller than I expected, shaking in a dress too fancy for someone so young.
But it's her heat signature that makes me freeze.
It's chaos. Absolute chaos. Fear and determination twisted together. Lies and truth mixed so completely I can't tell where one ends and the other starts. And underneath it all, a warmth that feels like sunshine, like hope, like— Like home.
My dragon stirs for the first time in fifty years, recognizing something it's been missing.
No.
This can't be happening.
"You're not Princess Rosalie," I say, but my voice sounds strange even to my own ears.
"No." She lifts her chin, trying to look strong despite shaking like a leaf. "I'm not. I'm Lyra Everhart. Daughter of a store keeper. They pushed me to take her place." Her eyes meet mine. "And before you kill me for lying, you should know—I didn't want to come here. But they have my father. And I'd do anything to save him."
The truth in her words burns through me.
She's not like Vera. Nothing like Vera.
Vera lies for power. This girl lies for love.
"Please," Lyra whispers, and I see tears in her fiery eyes. "Just make it quick. Don't make my father watch."
She thinks I'm going to execute her.
She came here expecting to die.
And she did it anyway to save someone she loves.
My dragon roars inside me, demanding I protect her, and I realize with cold fear what's happening.
The mate bond.
It's already started to form.
With a person who isn't even who she claims to be.
With a girl who could destroy me just like Vera did.
"Get out of the carriage," I say roughly.
She does, tripping on the steps. I catch her arm to steady her and the moment we touch, fire bursts between us.
She gasps. I drop her arm like it burned me.
Because it did. Phoenix fire meets dragon flame.
Our powers know each other.
"What was that?" Lyra stares at her hand where we touched.
"Nothing." I step back. "Welcome to Emberfell, Lyra Everhart. In one hour, you'll marry me. And then we'll figure out exactly what kind of game your kingdom is playing by sending me a phoenix-blood in disguise."
"I don't know what you're—"
"Don't lie." My voice comes out harsher than I meant. "You're phoenix-blooded. You have magic you don't even know how to use yet. And someone in Aurelia knows it. That's why they sent you." I lean closer. "The question is: are you a weapon they aimed at me, or a pawn they sacrificed?"
Her face goes white.
"I— I'm just a bookshop—"
"You are not just anything." The words come out angry. Possessive. Wrong. "And by the end of today, you'll be my wife. My queen. My mate."
My voice drops to a whisper only she can hear.
"And may the gods help us both."