Page 39 of The Keeper of the Kingdoms

“Listen, he is putting in a lot of time to win you over, I hope you’re at least giving him a chance.” She smirked. “If you aren’t, there are plenty of females in the palace that will. He’s causing quite a stir. They haven’t seen a fresh face in a while and a face like his…” she drifted off with a dreamy expression.

I scoffed. “He’s not—” But I cut myself off. I was wasting my breath denying it. He was unreasonably attractive.

“He’s not what?” Zaria teased, and it triggered my stubborn side.

“He’s not even that good looking,” I said as assuredly as possible. But it was a lie as clear as day.

“You aren’t even convincing yourself,” she laughed. “Just give him a chance. He’s your ryder, you will be together for a lot of years. You never know. Something might blossom.”

My cheeks instantly heated and I could tell from the cunning look in her eyes that she didn’t miss it. Her eyes lit up. I groaned.

“By the Goddess! Did something happen already?” She reached over and clasped my arm as if pre-empting an escape attempt.

“No.” I tried.

Her eyes went wider, and I feared they might pop out. “You lie! Tell me now,” she demanded.

I let my head flop back on the chair and closed my eyes. “We kissed,” I whispered.

“When?” she shrieked and I winced, lifting my head to glare at her.

“Goddess, Zaria, calm down. I think the gargoyles in the Twelfth Kingdom just woke up.”

She was almost out of her seat. “Tell me everything.”

“There’s really nothing to tell. We’ve been spending a lot of time together working on—” I glanced around, even though we were in private. “The project.”

Zaria nodded, then frowned. “Yuck, he didn’t make a move on you in the dungeons, did he?”

“No! He came by to see me in the healer’s wing and stayed to help me catch up on some potion orders.”

Zaria wrinkled her nose. “That’s not sexier.”

“It was quite sweet, actually. I spilled some things and he thought they might harm me, so he scooped me up and carried me to safety. Then we had a moment and it led to a kiss.”

There was a pause while she stared at me, grinning. “And?” she urged.

“And nothing, that was it.”

Her face fell. “That was it? When was this?”

“A few days ago.”

“A few days ago?”

“Is there an echo in here?” I deadpanned.

Zaria huffed. “You’re telling me you kissed a few days ago, and since then, nothing?”

“Yes. What did you expect?”

“Oh, I don’t know, lots of hot dragon sex?”

My eyes nearly pop out. “Zaria! What has happened to you?”

She smirked. “Lots of hot dragon sex.”

“Goddess save me, I do not want to know.”