T he vixen in front of me is the human equivalent of a fire-breathing dragon.

She’s viciously angry about something, and she apparently has plans to take that fury out on me. That ball of fire was unexpected, to say the least.

Her eyes, though, are the most incredible I have ever seen. They’re like ice; so many facets of blue and steely demeanor lay behind them. She’ll be the most unstoppable force alive once she masters her power.

Her presence is damned near suffocating—I can’t think about anything other than the way she looks in those field clothes. They hug at her curved hips, lean muscle evident even hidden in black Ravels issued clothing.

A decent male wouldn’t be so blatantly studying the dips in her body.

I never claimed to be decent, though.

She’s looking at me like she wants to eat me alive, and if I’m not careful, I might let her.

Lamond says something, but I hardly process it. My words fall flat, because my eyes haven’t left the painfully fascinating woman in front of me.

She’d folded into a bow in response to him. Part of me fears that she sees who I truly am. The other part of me can hardly suppress the laugh that threatens to escape.

Aledrya.

When she said her name, it played on a loop in my mind in her rich voice. It’s been many years since I've heard that name.

Lamond is droning on about making sure I’d been briefed on preparations, as if it’s news to me. There’s something about the way his eyes keep flicking over to Aledrya, lingering on her a moment too long.

I don’t fucking like it.

We enter the Ravels. Lamond is explaining to me that this passage is new, they built it so they’d have more direct access to outdoor training areas.

While he knows who I truly am, he doesn’t know how involved I tend to be in even mundane things. I built this corridor. Bit-by-bit, I’d constructed this entire cave, but I keep my mouth shut. I don’t need the accolades, and I certainly don’t need them from Lamond.

I’m getting more unreasonably pissed with every passing second.

My mind doesn’t process anything Lamond is rattling off, his asinine whispering in my ear in an effort to keep it from Aledrya.

I can feel her eyes boring into my back. She has the rapt attention of a lioness with hungry cubs to feed. What she doesn’t realize is that she’s clawing her way into my mind, screaming things internally with total abandon. I reign in very carnal instincts.

Because she’s thinking things about me that elicit a very male response from my body.

The moment I saw her in the dining hall weeks ago, I knew. My entire being had been drawn to her, that laugh sucking me into her orbit, like my existence hung on her happiness.

Indeed, it does; because I find myself wondering what I’d have to do to earn a smile from her. Which is why I can’t allow myself to get close to her.

Everything I care about turns to ash.

In my agitation, I say, You are not so covert.

Her footsteps halt.

What the Beneath? Her sultry voice wraps around my mind. Gods, she has no clue she’s talking to me.

You’re screaming your thoughts at me. Did you honestly think you were being stealthy, trying to listen in ?

Get out of my head, she hisses, but she may as well have just raked a tantalizing finger up my spine.

“Will your bark ever have any bite? Come up here and make me.” I can’t help the words as they tumble out; she’s driving me insane dancing at the edge of my mind. She comes close to smacking into me, and her scent of warm jasmine and amber is like an attack on my senses. I’d kneel before her if Lamond wasn’t looming over my shoulder.

I clearly need to get away from her sooner rather than later.

Her hands are on fire, the most enticing deep red flames that feel like they’re beckoning me.

“Now that is fascinating,” I can’t help but add.

I can feel Lamond peering over me, looking at Aledrya. The desire to sling a fist at him is unnerving.

She extinguishes her fire, eyes fixed on me.

I say nothing, too transfixed by the burning intensity still flickering in her gaze.

The smile she throws my way is cunning, my pulse pounds in my throat from it. What I would do to be the reason she smiled in a way that didn’t look like she wanted to murder me.

“Would you care to escort us to the dining hall?” Her voice drips like honey. Her arm brushes against mine, making my skin prickle with heat. I resist the urge to leap across the hallway, to put distance between us.

Her touch is a reminder of what I cannot have.

She moves, jolting away from me as if I’d struck her. The logical part of me is relieved she’s no longer touching me. But the carnal desire to send my hands through that thick, golden hair and kiss her remains.

It’s undeniable that she’s the most exquisite female I’ve ever seen, but I squash the thought before it can take root. “You’ve been here for how long, and you’re not able to get yourself to the dining hall? ”

I watch her throat work, the way her pulse flutters in her neck. Her mouth drops open in disgust, eyes widening in shock. “Forgive me for thinking you were a gentleman.”

Her plush lips press back together, threatening to unravel my self-control.

“Whatever did I do to give you that impression?” I ask, savoring the flushed color appearing high across her cheekbones.

Her eyes flare once more with heat as she draws in a sharp breath. “I suppose you’re right. You’ve been an asshole since you arrived.”

That damned mouth might kill me.

“Aledrya.” Lamond’s aggravating voice again. “The man is an accomplished leader and like a hundred years old—”

“I am not one hundred years old ,” I scold Lamond, unable to keep the irritation out of my voice. I have no issues dropping it as I turn to Aledrya, encroaching on her space slightly.

She doesn’t yield, arching a single brow in challenge.

“Watch your mouth, it’ll land you in hot water eventually, Aledrya,” I growl low enough for only her to hear.

With a brush of my power, I dispatch to the corridor that will take me to the meeting rooms.

To think her power, her intelligence, is still so raw and undeveloped. I shiver at the thought of it. She’s going to rule this damn world with that power when she learns how to summon it properly.

The idea that I get to help train her…my heart thunders at the thought. To be near her, to see it for myself. I don’t let myself think about what that’s worth. A front-row seat to see what the most incredible and otherworldly woman I’ve ever laid eyes on can do.

Playing with fire is a dangerous thing.

Stalking toward the meeting room, a few of the officers and guards on duty offer warm welcomes. I find the Major already waiting for me in the room, so I drop into a wooden seat, drumming my fingers on the table. He’d summoned me hours ago by carrier pigeon, but I’d taken my time arriving .

I know what he wants, and he’s not far-sighted enough to know how to position it.

“We need more troops,” he says, laying all his cards out on the table instantly. “War is coming.”

I’m not sure how I manage to rein in my eye roll. “Yes, well aware.”

“Has Lord Laz found anything?” the older man is asking, eyeing me closely.

Gods, I hate when he calls him that. Laz had no interest in reclaiming his title within his home province of Aledon.

“He has, but no news of Rathian rallying any troops yet. Our contacts on the other side of the continent need more time.” I pause, tensing my jaw. “We cannot call up on numbers yet, Major. I won’t allow it. Our people have lived in peace for a very long time.”

The Major lets his disagreement flash in his eyes. Despite him appearing much older than me, I have forty years on him and many more battles under my belt. The more powerful the Fae, the longer the lifespan. “I understand why you personally do not want to call up.” He holds my stare. “What will happen if war comes, and we have not rallied enough bodies?”

“Then we will deal with it.” I cringe at his crass choice of bodies instead of people . I don’t make a show of masking my dominance, my arrogance for this. “But we will not call up, not yet.”

Ah yes, because you have always been exceptional at masking your arrogance, Orion croons.

The Major’s jaw ticks, but schools his face into neutrality. “Very well.”

I like the Major, but with the pressure of war coming, I don’t need adversity here, too. I refuse to scare my entire population because of a hunch.

There has to be another resource, another way, other than involving my people. They deserve better than the ugliness war brings. I’d protected them for so long, but the King of Torrent has had a less than promising record of evil doings. He’s only exacerbated the tension between the Fae Realm and the Human Realm. More than ever, our realms are unaware and uncaring of one another. That in itself is a dangerous weapon .

“What do you think of Aledrya?” The Major is asking, leaning back in his chair. He folds his hands behind his head, his question casual. Yet I feel my heart rate increase.

“She has a long way to go,” I offer blandly, flexing one of my hands resting on the table.

He hums to himself, nodding. “Of course, but I think she has a lot of potential. It was a rocky start getting her here, but she’s done wonderfully in training so far.”

Tipping my chin, I gesture toward the stack of papers between us. “What else?”

I suffer through the Major’s rundown of recent happenings before he finally rises from his seat, signaling the end of our meeting.

Walking with him to the door, a sliver of my power fills the space at its own liberty. He tenses, remembering what I’m capable of. Even after all these years, there are times my summoning is hard to keep in check. Keeping it leashed is often as taxing as using it.

Offering a quick goodbye, I head to check in on the training hall and Overhang. Over the last few months, the Blocks have not been as secure as they should be.

Rounding the corner into the dining hall, I trip over myself seeing Aledrya sitting at one of the tables. She and Lamond are leaned in, as if discussing something absolutely riveting. I stiffen to see how he’s looking at her, as if she holds his world in her dainty hands.

I could hazard a guess as to why that might be.

It’s the same reason I can’t get her out of my head.

A shiver of anger rolls up my spine, and I quickly temper my emotions before my power draws any kind of attention. Namely, from the golden-haired beauty I find myself being wholly captivated by.

Jealousy is an ugly emotion, something I’d not encountered. Not even with Treia, who was relentless in her attempts to evoke any kind of envy within me .

I feel a hand on my shoulder, peering over to find Laz standing there. “You look displeased, Ridge. Not that that’s anything new.”

“What would I be displeased about?”

Laz flicks his gaze towards Aledrya, his scowl matching mine. “My sister appears to be rather cozy talking to Lamond, don’t you think?”

“Don’t even think about getting involved. I’m going to the Overhang,” I grunt, my shoulder clipping his as I push past. I swallow my bitterness toward Lamond, opting to take the long way in lieu of watching Aledrya and Lamond for even a second longer.

I feel her though, her bright spirit dancing at the edge of my mind. It’s a strange sensation. One I don’t particularly care for. Letting females into anything other than my bed isn’t something I have an interest in.

But there she is. An iridescent ember flame latching itself onto my very soul.