Page 13 of Real Scale Blazer

Quinn’s head snapped toward him, and she caught the mischievous glint in his eye. “You’re messing with me.”

“Am I?” His lips curved into that subtle smile again. “You’ll have to stay and find out.”

Something in his tone made her pulse quicken. Before she could formulate a response, an excited squeal echoed down the corridor.

“Quinn! Quinn!” Lydia came bounding around the corner, Gerri following at a more dignified pace. “You have got to see this! They have a library with floating books! Actually floating! And there’s this garden where the flowers change color based on your mood, and—” She skidded to a stop, looking between Quinn and Kai with a growing grin. “Oh, sorry, am I interrupting something?”

“No,” Quinn said quickly, just as Kai said, “Yes.”

They looked at each other, and Quinn felt that same spark of energy dance between them even from several feet away.

Gerri cleared her throat delicately. “Your Majesty, perhaps you could show Dr. Quinn the geological survey room? I hear it’s quite... impressive.”

The knowing look in her eye made Quinn want to crawl into one of the palace’s apparently sentient walls. But Kai merely nodded, his expression returning to its usual regal neutrality.

“Of course. Quinn, if you’ll follow me?”

“Actually,” Quinn held up her seismometer, which was still registering unusual readings, “I’d like to start taking somebaseline measurements. Is there somewhere with a clear view of the mountain range?”

“The eastern observatory would be perfect,” Lydia chimed in, then blushed when everyone looked at her. “What? I was paying attention during the tour.”

“The eastern observatory,” Kai agreed, offering his arm to Quinn with old-world courtesy. “Shall we?”

Quinn stared at his arm for a moment, torn between maintaining professional distance and not wanting to cause offense. Finally, she placed her hand lightly on his forearm, telling herself she was imagining the way his muscles tensed slightly at her touch.

“We’ll just leave you two to your... geological survey,” Gerri called after them, her tone suggesting she meant anything but.

“Have fun!” Lydia added with an exaggerated wink.

“I’m going to kill them both,” Quinn muttered under her breath.

“I heard that!” Lydia’s voice echoed down the corridor.

Kai’s shoulders shook with silent laughter as he led her through the palace. “Your friend is... enthusiastic.”

“That’s one word for it.” Quinn sighed. “Look, about Gerri and her obvious matchmaking attempts?—”

“You’re here to work,” he finished for her. “I understand. Though I must admit, I’ve never met a scientist quite like you.”

“What, you mean one who doesn’t curtsy?”

“One who sees right through royal protocol to the heart of things.” He glanced down at her, his ice-blue eyes softening slightly. “It’s... refreshing.”

Quinn swallowed hard, suddenly very aware of her hand on his arm, of the solid warmth of him beside her. “Yes, well, geology doesn’t care about titles. Rock formations don’t bow to kings.”

“No,” he agreed, something like admiration in his voice. “They don’t.”

They reached the eastern observatory, and Quinn’s breath caught for what felt like the hundredth time that day. The room was a perfect dome of crystal, offering an unobstructed view of the mountain range. The twin suns were setting, painting the sky in impossible colors—deep purple bleeding into orange and gold with streaks of pink that seemed to pulse with their own light.

“This is...” She shook her head, at a loss for words.

“Beautiful?” Kai suggested.

“Geologically fascinating,” she corrected, but couldn’t help smiling. “The crystalline structures in those peaks... they shouldn’t be possible. The formation patterns defy everything we know about mountain building on Earth.”

“Perhaps,” Kai said softly, “there are some things that can’t be explained by Earth science alone.”

Quinn turned to argue, but the words died in her throat. In the fading light of the alien suns, his eyes glowed with an inner fire, and something ancient and powerful stirred behind them. For a moment, she could see both the man and the dragon, power barely contained in human form.

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