Page 50 of Blazing Reactions

“How noble of you.” Her fingers traced patterns on his chest, small sparks following her touch. “Though I should warn you, my experimental protocols can be quite... rigorous.”

His dragon rumbled appreciatively at her teasing tone. He caught her hand, pressing a kiss to her palm. “You need rest.”

“I need to finish these modifications. The neural shields-”

“Will work better if their creator isn’t swaying on her feet.” He pressed his forehead to hers, their bond humming with shared emotion. “I love your dedication, your brilliant mind, your need to protect everyone. But I also love you alive and healthy.”

“That’s not playing fair,” she murmured, though she leaned further into him. “Using actual feelings during a perfectly good bout of scientific banter.”

He laughed softly, gathering her closer. Her exhaustion warring with determination, filled his mind. Her genuine appreciation of his care mixing with frustrated determination to finish her work. The complex layers of her emotions fascinated him - so logical and yet so passionate, each feeling categorized and analyzed even as she experienced it.

“Come on,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Two hours of rest. Then you can return to revolutionizing dragon defense technology.”

“One hour,” she countered, already allowing him to guide her toward the door. “And you have to stay with me. For experimental validation purposes, of course.”

“Of course.” His wings manifested partially, curling around her protectively. “Purely scientific motivation.”

“Exactly.” She yawned, undermining her attempt at dignity. “Nothing at all to do with the fact that I sleep better when you’re there. That would be far too emotional and unquantifiable.”

His heart swelled with love for this woman who could make him laugh even as she drove him crazy with worry. He’d spent centuries believing emotion was weakness, that maintaining control meant holding himself apart. Now he understood that true strength lay in allowing someone to see all of you - even the scared, protective, occasionally irrational parts.

FORTY-SEVEN

The war room had finally emptied after hours of strategic planning. Talon stood at the window of his private office, watching the sun sink behind Manhattan’s skyline. Behind him, Levi poured two glasses of the whiskey they saved for serious conversations.

“She’s going to be fine,” Levi said, holding out one glass. “Asher’s probably the most capable person I’ve ever met. And I’m including you in that assessment.”

Talon accepted the drink with a wry smile. “I know. That’s not...” He trailed off, searching for words.

“Not what’s really bothering you?” Levi settled into one of the leather chairs, his usually jovial expression serious. “Come on, brother. Talk to me.”

Talon swirled the amber liquid, gathering his thoughts. “I knew the moment I saw her,” he finally said. “ She was brilliant and beautiful and absolutely terrifying.”

“Terrifying?” Levi’s eyebrow rose. “The great Talon Draker, terrified of a tiny scientist?”

“Terrified of what she could mean to me.” Talon sat heavily in the other chair. “I felt the mate bond trying to form and I... Iran. Buried myself in work, avoided her department, told myself it was better this way.”

“Because heaven forbid the mighty dragon CEO actually feel something?” The teasing held understanding rather than judgment.

“Because I’d spent centuries believing love was weakness.” Talon stared into his glass. “That letting someone have that much power over you was asking for pain. And then she...” He laughed softly. “She just walked into my life with her brilliant mind and her terrible science puns and her complete disregard for self-preservation, and suddenly all my careful walls meant nothing.”

“She does have a gift for demolishing defenses,” Levi agreed. “Must be all that research into breaking down cellular barriers.”

They shared a knowing look before Levi’s expression turned more contemplative. “You know why I understand?” He took a long drink. “Because every time I see Lori bent over those computers, cursing in binary and threatening to reprogram reality itself, I feel exactly the same terror.”

Talon’s eyes widened slightly. They’d all suspected, but Levi had never confirmed... “She’s your mate?”

“Yeah.” Levi’s smile held wonder and fear in equal measure. “And like you, I tried to fight it. Told myself it was just attraction, just admiration for her skills. But then I’d catch her singing Broadway songs to her servers at four AM, or watch her face light up when she solved an impossible problem, and...” He shrugged helplessly.

“And suddenly fighting it seemed pointless,” Talon finished softly.

“Exactly.” Levi leaned forward. “You know what I realized? All those centuries of watching others find their mates, thinking they were fools for giving someone that much power over them? We were the fools. Because this... this isn’t about giving someonepower over you. It’s about choosing to share your power with them.”

“When did you get so wise?” Talon asked, but his tone was thoughtful.

“Probably around the time Lori hacked my personal security protocols just to leave a note telling me to get more sleep.” Levi grinned. “Hard to maintain your mysterious warrior persona when your mate’s that determined to take care of you.”

“Asher reprogrammed my office lights to dim automatically when I work late,” Talon admitted. “After calculating the exact optimal lumens for preventing eye strain.”

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