bed. He eagerly opened it and grabbed a pile of clean
clothes. He hadn't looked forward to wearing yesterday's
outfit. He wondered for a moment how they got his stuff,
but he figured it was easy enough for them to send a courier
for his things from the theater.
Quickly dressing, Raven raced towards the silver
coffee pot. With a smile, he poured the steamy liquid into a
delicate white cup. Barely waiting to set down the pot, he
quickly put the cup to his lips.
The first sip brought a frown to his mouth, and he
quickly set the cup back on the tray.
"What's wrong?"
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"That's the worst thing I've ever tasted."
Kaemon leaned over and sniffed the liquid. His
tanned face paled.
"How do you feel?" he asked, snatching Raven up
in his arms.
"What is wrong with you?" Raven said, laughing.
"It's just bad coffee, not a planetary tragedy."
Kaemon didn't answer immediately. He was too
busy running out of the bedroom, carrying Raven in his
muscular arms.
"Get me a medic," he shouted to the first servant he
found.
"Kaemon, stop panicking. What's wrong?"
Kaemon looked at him with fear in his golden eyes.
"It wasn't just coffee, love. It was poisoned."
"How do you know?" Raven's stomach churned and
the room spun. "Stop moving me."
"We need to find you a doctor."
"What's going on?" To Raven's relief, he heard the
king's voice. Hopefully, Kaemon's father could get the
prince to stop spinning him.
* * * *
Kaemon watched in relief as his father marched up
the hall.
"Raven was poisoned. It was in the coffee."
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His father's face grew thunderous. He pulled out his
communicator and dialed.
Kaemon was too busy watching his lover to listen to
the conversation.
"I'll be fine," Raven said, patting Kaemon
reassuringly. "I only feel a little sick."
He knew his mate was trying to make him feel
better, but nothing would calm him until he found out
exactly what was in that coffee.
"A medic will be here in a moment. Let's put Raven
back in the bedroom where he can rest." Kaemon followed
his father's good advice.
It was only a matter of minutes before a doctor
arrived, but it felt like hours. Kaemon smiled in relief at the
sight of the doctor. From all accounts, Dr. Blythorpe was
the best healer on the planet, but as he'd only recently taken
over as the chief healer, Kaemon hadn't needed his
services. The blond man rushed into the room, his keen
expression scanning Raven as he headed to the bed.
"Morning, Your Highness, what is the problem?"
"My lover's been poisoned." Kaemon couldn't stop
the panicked sound in his voice. He knew he should be
calm, but it felt like his heart was shredding as he watched
his lover lay on the bed.
"What makes you think that?"
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"I could smell the poison in the coffee."
Blythorpe nodded. "Take off your shirt," he said to
Raven.
Raven stripped.
"Close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths."
Kaemon watched as the doctor placed his hands on
Raven's sculpted chest. The healer's attention was focused
solely on Raven. He barely gave Kaemon a glance. "This is
going to tingle a little bit, but it shouldn't hurt. If you begin
to feel any discomfort, you tell me, all right, handsome?"
"Will do."
A soft humming filled the air. Blue light poured
from the doctor's hands and spilled across the dancer.
Kaemon watched, fascinated, as the glow slowly
encompassed his lover.
Raven giggled. "That tickles." His voice sounded
low and relaxed like he'd received really good drugs.
Kaemon would've asked questions, but he didn't
want to distract the healer.
After a few minutes, the doctor lifted his hands, and
Raven lost his blue glow.
Dr. Blythorpe straightened and pinned Kaemon
with his brilliant eyes. "You might want to find out who is
after you."
Kaemon frowned. "Why do you say someone's after
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me? Raven is the one who was poisoned."
Blythorpe nodded. "Yes, but the person used a
poison that only kills dragonkin. Raven's body would've
processed it with only a little discomfort, but no real harm.
Someone thought you would drink the coffee, not him."
"So he's fine?" He indicated his lover, who was
sleeping soundly on the bed.
"Yes, I only encouraged him to go to sleep. I didn't
know if you wanted him hearing this. I removed all of the
poison from his system."
"I thought you said it wouldn't hurt him."
"It won't kill him, but it's better to be safe than to
leave a strange poison in his body. I'd hate to be wrong for
the first time."
The last was said with a brilliant smile that warmed
him down to his toes. The doctor had great bedside manner,
immediately putting Kaemon at ease. He could see why his
father had hired the man to head the healers. Apparently he
wasn't the only one who found the man charming. The big-
ass mating band covering his arm from elbow to wrist was
a huge no trespassing sign. Kaemon guessed the rumors
about Nevair, the planet's religious leader, finding his mate
were true.
Two enforcers dressed in black entered the room
armed to the teeth.
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Kaemon was about to demand what they were doing
there when Dr. Blythorpe turned and saw them.
"It looks like my ride is here. Call me if you have
any other problems."
"Will do." Kaemon watched as the guards flanked
the doctor protectively, watching their surroundings like
someone was going to jump out at any moment.
Nevair definitely wasn't taking any chances.
Kaemon made a note to tease the man about it later
when he didn't have his own mate to worry about.
* * * *
Raven opened his eyes, trying to fight the sensation
of being wrapped in cotton. The first thing he saw was the
prince.
"Hello, handsome."
A wide relieved smile crossed Kaemon's face.
"Hello, gorgeous."
"Did I miss all the fun?"
Kaemon placed a soft kiss on Raven's forehead.
"No, I saved it all for when you're feeling better. The doctor
said the poison wasn't meant for humans so you should be
fine."
Raven stretched, and although Kaemon knew the
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man didn't mean to put on a display, his body didn't care. It
jumped at the flash of flesh like a dog begging for a treat.
"I want you to spend the rest of the day in bed. If
you're feeling better this afternoon, I'll show you around the
palace. Call me on your communicator if you need
anything. I've programmed my number into it."
Kaemon pressed Raven's hand between his palms.
"I wouldn't survive if anything happened to you," he
confessed.
Raven gave him a confused look. "Kaemon, we've
only known each other one day and not even a full one at
that."
"Length of time means nothing to dragonkin. You
are my mate, chosen for me by the dragon goddess. Once
we find our mates, we never choose another."
"Whoa." The dancer sat up, a panicked expression
crossing his handsome features. "What do you mean
never
choose another
?"
Kaemon climbed onto the bed to settle next to
Raven. Trailing his fingers across Raven's cheeks, he
mapped the man's skin with his fingers, relishing the
sensation of skin against skin and the hitching noise Raven
made. "For each dragonkin, there exists one mate. Not
everyone finds theirs."
"H-how do you decide if someone is your mate?"
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Kaemon shrugged. "The dragon tells us. When we
were making love last night, my dragon told me that you
are mine."
"And what? I don't have any say in this?"
A cold ball settled in the pit of Kaemon's stomach.
It had never occurred to him that Raven might object. It
was considered an honor to be chosen by the dragon, but
then Raven wasn't dragonkin or even from the planet.
Kaemon swallowed back the bile threatening to escape. "Y-
you could deny my claim. It has happened before."
Of course those dragonkin went mad and took their
own lives, but he wouldn't share that information. He'd
rather be dead than have a mate that didn't want him.
* * * *
Raven looked into the prince's eyes and saw utter
devastation in their depths.
Shit.
"I'm not saying no. I'm just saying I need to think
about this."
His day was just getting better and better.
Kaemon pressed a soft kiss onto Raven's forehead,
sending tingles up and down his spine.
"Get some rest. I'll come check on you after my
meeting."
Raven nodded. He must have dozed off, because
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when he opened his eyes again, the king sat at his bedside.
Blinking, Raven tried to focus on the other man.
"Hello."
The king looked up from what he was reading on
the slim screen he held in his hand. "Good afternoon,
Raven. Are you hungry?"
Raven nodded. "I could eat." His stomach still felt
tied in knots but more from the king sitting there than any
poison.
"Great!" The king's smile flashed bright as sunshine
as he picked up a small platter of fruit off the bedside table.
"The chef thought some fruit would be a good start. He's
studying up on vegetarian dishes right now to make your
stay with us more comfortable."
"Did Kaemon tell you he thinks I'm his mate?"
The king sighed. "Yes."
Raven sat up a little higher as he ate. "What exactly
does that mean?"
"For dragonkin, to find your mate is to find the
other half of your soul." The king turned sorrowful eyes
towards Raven. "I never found my mate. I had a good life
with Kaemon's mother, but it was never a great love match.
She didn't awaken my dragon. Kaemon tells me you are his
mate. He'll also never tell you that dragonkin who find their
mate only to lose them either kill themselves or go mad."
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Raven's stomach churned, and for a moment, he
thought he was going to spew back up the juicy fruit he'd
just eaten.
The king gave Raven a cold look. "You think long
and hard before you decide your freedom is worth my son's
life." With that last remark, the king stood up. "Get some
more rest. Kaemon is worried about you."
Raven waited until the king left the room before he
muttered, "Bastard."
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CHAPTER FOUR
After a few days of rest, avoiding the mate dilemma
and attending a small but heartbreaking wake, Raven was
ready to take Trisha to school. Once she was settled, he'd
have to figure out what he was planning to do about his
career and the protective dragonkin who wanted to claim
him.
"Are you sure it isn't too early? Shouldn't she take a
few more weeks off to deal with her grandmother's death?"
Kaemon shook his head. "It is more respectful to
carry on and remember our loved ones as they would like
to be remembered. If we give her too much more time, she
will start to worry more about her new school and think
about all she's lost. The best thing would be for her to move
on. Dragonkin think of death as just another part of our
spiritual journey."
"But she's not dragonkin. I mean not raised that
way. She was raised as a human."
Kaemon gave a frustrated growl. "Then it is best
she learns our ways."
Raven knew when he was beaten. The prince wasn't
going to change his mind about anything. He got a hard
kiss on the mouth when he nodded his acquiescence.
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Raven laughed breathlessly when he was finally
released. "Are you going with us?"
Kaemon brushed a hand across Raven's head. "No. I
have an important meeting that can't be rescheduled. I'm
putting my daughter in your hands. Father called ahead so
they are expecting you both. It won't take more than a few
minutes of your time. Afterwards, you can come back here
and keep me company."
"Just out of curiosity, if you have a school at the
palace, why are we going to a different school to register
Trisha?"
Kaemon flushed. "Because the school at the palace