Page 13 of Fated to the Drakarn Commander (Drakarn Mates 4)

"Wow," I drawled, dropping my pack with a precise thud. Echoed loudly. "Love what you've done with the place. Really screams 'Khorlar.'"

His brow ridge furrowed. "These are not my personal quarters."

"You could've fooled me. The total lack of anything remotely welcoming? Definitely your style."

Irritation? Close. A muscle twitched in his jaw. His wings rustled like disturbed leather. "These are siege chambers. They are built for function, not comfort."

"And your actual quarters?" Curiosity, sharp and unwelcome, pricked at me.

"Council members maintain private chambers here during times of crisis."

Not an answer. Typical.

"Lucky me," I muttered, circling the room again. Boots scraped on stone. I turned to face him and planted my feet. "Are you going to tell me what'sreallygoing on? Why me? Why the sudden Ignarath obsession?"

There was that predatory stillness. Utterly alien despite the almost humanoid shape. His eyes tracked me, pupils narrowing. The weight of his gaze was physical, sliding over my skin, raising gooseflesh I fought to suppress.

"Plaktish identified you as a target," he said finally, a low rumble.

"I got that part. Whyme? Not Terra? Not Vega?" I crossed my arms. It was a defensive posture. Shielding myself from that stare as much as projecting defiance.

A flicker across his face. Too fast to read. Discomfort? Hesitation? His nostrils flared again. He was tasting the air. Tastingme. My skin prickled with heat that had nothing to do with the warm temperature.

"Terra is Darrokar's mate. Protected." His words were measured. Too careful. "You were observed. During the training exercise. Your skills …"

A harsh snort escaped me. Unladylike. I didn't care. "Bullshit. We all have skills. There's more."

His jaw tightened. That muscle worked again beneath the scales. Wings shifted, spreading slightly, then folding tight. Agitation. A tell. "It is … complicated."

"Uncomplicate it." My heart was hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. Could he hear it? "I'm isolated. Dragged down here. I deserve the whole truth."

His wings rippled again. A subtle shift of membrane catching low light. His gaze flickered around the room, then snapped back to me. Unnerving intensity. Prickling heat crawling over my skin.

"The Ignarath seek leverage," he stated, the words heavy. "They may believe you hold … value."

"To whom?" I pressed, stepping closer despite the warning bells screaming in my head. His scent intensified—hot stone, wild spice. It made my head spin. "To Terra? Darrokar? Scalvaris?"

His nostrils flared. Wide, then narrow, a slow inhalation. He was scenting me again. A shiver traced its way down my spine, involuntary and infuriating.

"To me," he said. The words dropped like stones into silence.

I blinked, thrown. Mouth dry. Then watering. "What are you talking about?"

"During the Council meeting. Plaktish …," Khorlar's voice deepened into something darker. "made insinuations. About you." He hesitated. "He suggested you might be … claimed."

Claimed. The word hung there. Heavy. Loaded with implications I didn't want to understand. My chest tightened, breath caught.

"Claimed," I repeated flatly. The word tasted like ash. "Like … property?"

A low growl rumbled from his chest, vibrating through the stone floor, up my legs, settling in my bones. A physical force. "No. Not property."

"Then what?" I demanded, frustration building, pressing behind my eyes. "Because this feels damn close! Moved around, isolated, 'protected' whether I want it or not!"

"It is not—" He cut himself off, visibly struggling. His claws flexed at his sides. They were deadly, beautiful. Alien. His voice was more controlled when he spoke again. Measured. "The Ignarathbelieveyou hold significance to me. They would use that perception."

The pieces slammed together in my head, sharp edges grinding. Leverage? Usingme? Heat flooded my face, stinging my cheeks. Anger, pure and sharp. "What. Did. You. Do?"

His expression remained stone, but his eyes … a flash of defiance? Regret? Something deeper that clenched my stomach with an emotion I refused to name.

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