Chapter Twelve

Asher’s entire body ached as the rescue transport landed in the airfield outside the compound. As predicted, a crew had come to check on the destroyed thresher and discovered him and Zoe.

He didn’t relish a night spent on hot sand, but a part of him was disappointed to be back. He knew there would be a mountain of thankless work waiting for him and he’d no doubt be swallowed up. Zoe would go back to exploring the compound without him, and before he knew it, she’d be gone.

Unless he did something about that.

But he didn’t know what he could do, short of making a declaration and begging her to stay.

The thought was more tempting by the minute.

Cirk met them the moment they stepped into the compound, two gurneys ready to be floated down to the med bay to tend to any wounds.

“Climb on,” Asher told Zoe, reaching for her arm to assist her.

She gave him a doubtful look. “You’re the one that’s hurt. I’m fine, just a bit thirsty.” She turned to the doctor. “You have to look at his back. His wing got injured in our flight and he’s bruised to high heaven. He keeps wincing.”

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “It hurts a lot less today.”

Cirk’s gaze bounced between them, lips pursed. “Great, now there’s two of you. You’re both getting checked out. You can walk to med bay or you can get on the gurneys, but if either of you collapse, I’m keeping you all day.”

Zoe took another look at the gurney but shook her head. “I can walk.”

Asher was going to make it on his own two feet if it killed him.

He took Zoe’s hand as they marched through the halls, just a step behind Cirk. He didn’t care if anyone saw or commented. No, he was happy if they did. He’d claimed this woman and wanted to proclaim it to the entire kingdom.

Had she really controlled his flame? Could she really be his mate?

The possibilities swirled as he walked, making the pain easier to ignore. It had dulled, but it wouldn’t fully recede until the underlying injury was healed.

Once they were in the infirmary, Cirk scanned them both and declared them well enough to go. Asher had instructions to shift into his other form for no less than two hours a day for two weeks but to not fly for more than fifteen minutes until all the pain was gone. Then the doctor left them alone.

“I have to get back to work,” he said with some reluctance.

Zoe cradled his head in her hands and leaned in to kiss him. It was gentle at first, but he swept his tongue in and she moaned beneath him, her hands sliding down to clutch at his shoulders.

His blood roared with need and he wanted to sweep her off her feet and lay her down on the nearest flat surface – probably an examination table – and have his way with her.

Instead he forced himself to pull back. They were back in the real world and he had a duty.

“Have dinner with me in my private quarters tonight?” he asked, already planning out the meal. He didn’t care about putting on a show for others, he wanted to spend time with his human. “And stay the night?”

She grinned. “I’ll see if I can clear my busy schedule.” She kissed his cheek and backed out of his embrace. “I’m going to go take an hour long shower. At least clean yourself before you dive behind your desk?”

“As you command, my lady.” The need to kiss her was too strong to resist, but he made it quick before he forced himself to walk away.

He took the shower, but had to make it quick. The morning was already gone, wasted in rescue and transport. He’d only cleared his schedule for a single day, but was now well into the second day gone. Remy had to be ready to kill him and he wouldn’t be surprised if something other than the thresher had exploded.

He found his sister in his office, her clothing rumpled as if she’d slept there. There were dark bags under her eyes and she glared at him as he entered.

“I’m sorry I lost contact,” he said and braced himself for her verbal fire.

“That’s why you’re sorry? I thought you were dead!” She launched herself out of the seat and wrapped him up in a tight hug. “I couldn’t get you on comms and then you didn’t show up. I was two minutes away from sending in the troops when the team found that downed thresher and then the two of you. Are you okay?”

Somehow in the course of the hug they’d switched positions. Asher took his own seat while Remy sat on the opposite side of his desk. “I’m fine,” he replied. “Cirk gave Zoe and I the okay. Just a bit banged up. I’ll be all healed before you know it.”

A strange look crossed his sister’s face, but it was gone in a blink and Asher wondered if he’d really seen it. “How are you not dead?” she demanded.

“I am a dragon,” he reminded her.

“Not that! You could take down a legion. I’ve been doing your job for one day and I don’t know how you haven’t collapsed in exhaustion. It’s the work of six people. I started delegating what I could, you really need to learn to trust people more. And you know that irrigation issue in Sector Three? Wrede sent you a message on how to fix it more than a month ago! I gave him the go ahead and things should be fixed by the end of the day today.”

“It’s fixed?” The irrigation issue in Sector Three had been a thorn in his side for awhile now, but Wrede’s messages were always too long by half and filled with sorry excuses and bad jokes. Asher had started skimming them after awhile and ignoring the worst of them. Apparently that was a mistake.

“All good,” Remy confirmed. “Do you really…” she trailed off.

“Do I really what?”

“Never mind.” She stood up and came around the desk. “Let me show you what I did.”

“I was only gone for a day!” He feared he’d have a lot to fix, but now it appeared that Remy had upset his entire system.

Maybe she should be the one in charge.

“There’s also this.” She shuffled through a mysterious pile of folders on the desk and handed him one with a frustratingly familiar seal.

“I don’t need the Agency, I have a fiancé,” he reminded her. A fake fiancé, technically. Whatever she was, Asher was done with the Intergalactic Dating Agency. “I think she might be my mate,” he admitted out loud for the first time.

“I know.” Remy shoved the folder at him again.

He snatched it out of her hand before she could smack him with it. “How can you know? I don’t even know!” It was only a feeling and a bit of evidence. He needed to explore things further and to see what Zoe felt about the whole thing. Remy couldn’t know anything.

“Read the file.”

Asher flipped it open and skimmed. Then he spotted the picture of Zoe and he scowled.

What?

Why?

How?

Zoe hadn’t said a word about the IDA. They’d spoken about it, he remembered. He’d told her about his search to find a bride. He’d specifically mentioned the agency. And she hadn’t said a word.

But the file right here had her listed as a client who’d signed up for their services more than a month ago. And it had somehow identified him as her mate.

How could they know that?

Rumor had it that the IDA employed psychics to aid in the matching process, but that was just marketing. They couldn’t really know.

Why had Zoe lied?

“She consented to be transported to you,” Remy said, pointing out a line low down on the page. “This is her signature.”

Right there in black ink, he saw it.

He slammed the file shut and glared at his sister. He couldn’t think of what to say.

“What do you want to do about it?” she asked. “You should probably talk to her. Find out her side of the story.”

“Her side of the story is pretty clear. We both knew that nonsense about the game was beyond belief. I can’t believe I…” He smelled smoke and looked down to see the paper of the file blackening around his fingers. He lifted up his hand and glared at his smoking skin. If he saw Zoe right now there was no telling what he’d say. And even with this betrayal, he refused to risk hurting her.

“Get her out of here,” he said. “Send her home. It’s done.”