Page 74 of Dragon King’s Bullied Mate

Before she could lose her nerve, Lyra blurted it out. “I know what Mikael is.”

Malaya’s expression didn’t change other than one eyebrow rose. “He told you?”

“No.” Lyra swallowed. “I saw it myself while he was unconscious.”

There was no shock or denial. Malaya merely leaned back further into the chair. “And?”

Lyra blinked. “And… that’s your response?”

“What did you expect? Screaming? Dramatic declarations?” Malaya snorted softly. “The entire royal bloodline carries dragon blood. Some stronger than others.”

“But Mikael…” Lyra hesitated. “He’s different.”

“Yes,” Malaya said simply. “He is.”

The fire cracked softly between them.

Lyra lowered her voice. “Sometimes when he looks at me, it feels like something inside him is watching too.”

Malaya smiled faintly at that. “That would be the dragon.”

A shiver ran through Lyra despite the warmth of the room. “He frightens me sometimes.”

“Good.” Malaya’s gaze sharpened. “He should. Mikael was raised to become a weapon long before he became a king. Most rulers crave power. Mikael was shaped by it.” Then her expression softened slightly. “But he would burn this entire kingdom to ash before allowing harm to come to you or Beckett.”

Lyra stared at her.

Malaya tilted her head. “You really don’t see it, do you?”

“See what?”

“That man is catastrophically in love with you.”

Heat rushed instantly into Lyra’s face. “Malaya…”

“I am serious.” She laughed softly at Lyra’s horrified expression. “Humans think love is fragile because human affection changes so easily. Dragons are not built that way. When one chooses…” She paused carefully. “It becomes permanent and absolute. Oh, and highly possessive.”

Lyra’s pulse quickened uneasily. “And Mikael?”

Malaya’s voice gentled unexpectedly. “Mikael has never looked peaceful a single day in his life until you arrived.”

That night Lyra couldn’t sleep. The wind howled against the castle towers while moonlight spilled across Mikael’s chambers where the fire had burned low. Though exhaustion tugged heavily at her body, her thoughts refused to quiet.

Mikael noticed immediately. He always noticed. “You’re troubled. Talk to me.”

Lyra stared upward at the canopy overhead for several moments before finally whispering, “What if this isn’t real?”

Silence settled between them. Mikael shifted closer. “Explain.”

She swallowed hard. “I know you care about me,” she admitted softly. “But sometimes I wonder if you only feel responsible for me because I saved your life, and now everything has become too complicated to undo.”

Mikael went utterly still. Lyra forced herself to continue despite how vulnerable the words felt. “I don’t belong here. Everyone sees it.” Her voice cracked slightly. “And I’m afraid that eventually I’ll wake up one day and realize I’ve disappeared completely into your world until there’s nothing left of me anymore.”

For a long moment Mikael said nothing. Then he slowly reached for her hand beneath the blankets and laced their fingers together.

“I have spent my entire life surrounded by people,” he said quietly, “yet I have never once felt peace beside another person until you.”

Lyra’s breath caught. Mikael’s gaze held hers in the darkness, frighteningly open now in ways she had never seen before.