Since Levi had a potential head injury, perhaps it was a good thing that he couldn’t sleep that night. He was fully wired, animated by the prospect that he had actually found his soulmate. He had been living a relatively calm life since he had left the Kingdom, though he had to constantly look over his shoulder and occasionally attempt to outrun one of Carlyle Tallant’s men. Other than that, Levi kept to himself and had a pretty solid routine.

Eden was going to shake up his entire world. Levi was a determined, headstrong man. He knew that if what he had felt last night was still there and proved the bond to be real, whatever she said didn’t really matter to him. He would always pursue her—if they were mates, it meant they had to end up together. The memory of waking up to her face caused his entire body to tingle. That was going to be something that stuck with him for the rest of his days. It had been so surreal.

Early the next morning, Levi and Eden had arranged to meet at a pub on the far side of town in the early evening. Levi paced about his cabin, tidying things that were already tidy, just to give his hands something to do. He desperately wanted to go check on his mother, knowing that it would serve as an excellent distraction and give him some peace of mind to know she was all right. But it was too great a risk. He wasn’t sure when he was going to be able to get back to see Matilda, wondering if he was going to have to find a way to care for her solely through Ginny. He wished to just move his mother altogether, but he knew that it simply wouldn’t work. They would find her again, and it would be the same predicament.

Levi could have cried out in joy when it was finally time to leave for his meeting with Eden. He had been dressed for hours at that point, though it wasn’t as if he had put any thought into the outfit. He had a full wardrobe of plaid button-ups, black t-shirts, and jeans. He was a simple man, one could say. Dashing on a small bit of cologne, Levi exited the house and climbed into his truck. He had fetched it that morning, thankful that the warriors didn’t know which car had been his. If they had known, they probably would have torched it before laughing and walking away.

Riding into town, Levi didn’t listen to music, his thoughts going around in vicious yet excitable circles. The area in which Eden had picked the bar was a very crowded downtown section. She probably hoped that being in plain sight, along with mixing into crowds, would help them stay under the radar. Admittedly, being somewhere so public made Levi anxious, but he didn’t challenge her decision.

He ended up having to park a few blocks away. The entire area surrounding the pub was packed full of cars, bikes, and pedestrians. As he made the walk toward the destination, Levi froze midstride. Just as he had feared, there was a dragon lurking nearby. It wasn’t exactly hard to spot one out of a crowd. Dragon shifters tended to be taller than the average person and more fit than the modern human, with impeccable beauty. That, and from the lack of new dragons, he was fairly certain he knew every dragon’s face at that point.

Taking a few calming breaths, Levi headed in the opposite direction, knowing that if the man was following him, the last place he needed to lead him was to Eden. After turning a corner, Levi risked glancing back and cursed under his breath when he noticed the man walking in his direction. Levi headed down the street quickly, but not quickly enough to raise suspicion. He beelined directly into a crowd of people, gently pushing his way through so he could head down the street on the other side of them. He walked aimlessly, almost, sticking to his method that random was the best way to go when trying to avoid capture. If you didn’t even know where you were going, then chances were your chasers wouldn’t know, either.

Levi refused to look back for a long time, and when he finally did, the man was nowhere in eyesight. He exhaled, a hand resting on his stomach as he did so.

Thank God, he thought. Levi spotted the nearest street sign and began heading back in the direction of the pub. As he grew nearer, he saw the same dragon again. He kept stride with a group of men that were walking, trying his best to stay out of sight.

When Levi finally slipped into the front door of the pub, all of the stress and annoyance he’d felt dissolved. Like one of those cheesy 1980s movies, Levi looked across the bar and spotted Eden right away. He gravitated toward her, feeling as if it was nature itself moving him along instead of his own legs.

Eden was sitting in a booth, her chin propped up by her hand as she gazed out the window. When Levi approached the side of the table, she looked to him, and the corners of her full lips tilted upward. Levi’s heart skipped a beat. He had only known her for less than twenty-four hours, but he already had the impression that the vixen did not smile very much. He wanted to change that.

“Glad you finally made it. You’re late,” Eden lightly chastised.

“Yeah, well, I had some pests I had to shake off,” Levi explained as he sat down across from her. A waiter came up to the table, and he ordered himself a beer before glancing at Eden.

She paused, as though she had thought he was going to guess her order or something, before turning to the waiter and ordering herself a glass of wine. When the waiter paced away, Levi looked to her with a chuckle. “How very fancy for a pub.”

A sickly sweet smile that was obviously sarcastic came over Eden’s delicate features. “You could say that a pub isn’t my usual scene.”

“You’re the one who picked the place.”

“Well, I figured it would be the last place someone would look for me,” she said matter-of-factly, crossing her arms over her chest. Levi burst into laughter, for some reason finding the sentiment downright adorable.

“I can think of a few other places in town that would be less likely,” he jabbed as he finally regained his composure.

“Oh? Like where?”

“Like places little princesses should never trek,” he tutted, taking a gulp of his beer as soon as it was placed on the table.

Eden surveyed her surroundings before leaning toward him. “Just because I’m royalty doesn’t mean I’m a prissy little princess.”

“You’re right; it doesn’t. But you fit the bill, Miss Priss.”

She gaped and then glared at him. “You don’t even know me.”

Levi chuckled. “Come now, don’t be so offended. I never said being prissy was a bad thing. In fact, I find it cute, somehow. As crazy as that is.”

“Oh, please. You’re just infatuated. Are you even going to judge me fairly or just love everything I say and do because you feel compelled to?”

Levi once again drank Eden in. Her brilliant blue eyes were on fire with passion, and her pink lips twisted up in a sassy expression. She was a fighter, and a fierce one at that, even if it only extended to vocal warfare. Something told Levi, however, that her feistiness didn’t end with quick quips. He suppressed the thought, not wanting his mind to wander to lustful places.

“That will be a hard distinction to make, don’t you think? Because so far, I’ve been genuinely enjoying this conversation. Who’s to say it comes from a logical place? Who’s to say that it matters where it comes from?”

“I’m to say,” Eden instantly shot back. “I know that this bond is real. It’s hard to accept, but I’m trying to. If anything were to ever possibly come from it, I would want to make sure that you actually liked me for me. Not because I’m your destined one. That’s an absurd cop-out, and I don’t accept it.”

Levi’s head cocked to the side. “Eden, what makes you think that I wouldn’t truly enjoy this conversation?”

“Because I’m saying everything that comes to my mind. I’ve been told that I’m not the politest in conversation.”

“Well, that may be true to some extent, but I can assure you, I appreciate it. Why would I want things sugarcoated to me or put through a filter as if I’m a child? I’m a big boy, I am pretty sure I can handle anything you have to say.” Eden blinked and was silent. Taking a chance, Levi reached a hand across the table and grasped hers. Her slender hand was perfect in his hold: warm, soft, and it fit just right. “It’s admirable to be the way you are, Eden. Don’t let anyone tell you differently.”

Still, Eden said nothing, but she searched the depths of his eyes as though the words she was supposed to say lingered in them. When she came up short, her other hand gripped her glass. She downed a good portion of her fizzy beverage before holding up a hand to signal the waiter to bring her another.

Once she finished her first drink, the conversation went back to flowing as natural as breathing. Time didn’t exist as they learned everything about one another. Eden shared stories about how it was to live with Carlyle. While she wouldn’t openly say anything bad about him per se, Levi could sense her underlying resentment. She spoke of her siblings and shared brief stories about her brothers fighting growing up, and how when she fought with them, if they didn’t allow her to win, her father would punish them.

Levi’s heart ached from joy as she spoke about her healer training. The way her eyes sparkled and entire face animated made him hang onto her every word, wishing she would talk about it for the rest of the night. He was sure she could have, if given the opportunity. All too soon, though, Eden redirected the attention to him. Levi shuffled uncomfortably in his seat. He wasn’t used to talking about himself, and he honestly couldn’t remember a time when he had recalled his life to anyone. He shared what he could, though.

Levi was at least a hundred years older than Eden. He remembered when it was announced that there was a princess, but he had never gotten so close to the royal family to actually meet her. He talked about his travels through Asia and Africa and how he had been arrested by Carlyle when he returned to Europe. War had broken out in the time that he was gone, and every male in the Kingdom was supposed to be fighting. When released, he was put on the front line of an attack on the witches. He had done more damage to the witches in one night than Carlyle’s men had managed to in a fortnight.

Carlyle had wanted to make him the leader of the warriors, but Levi had wanted no part in it. He was a skilled and fierce fighter, but killing always left him with so much remorse that it had become hard to live with himself. Levi had announced his departure from the Kingdom, which, naturally, had not been taken in kind. Tallant’s men had been sent to fetch him, but he had managed to slip away from them. Over the past five centuries, the feud between Levi and Carlyle had grown stagnant. Tallant’s men never seemed to bother him much, but they would jump on an opportunity to try and capture him if they spotted him.

“I don’t understand,” Eden interrupted. “If they are after you, then why do you stick around so close my father’s home? You could move anywhere in the world and live in peace, never have to look over your shoulder again.” Levi shook his head.

“At this point,” he said, “I would be looking over my shoulder even if Carlyle gave me his blessing to live in peace. Besides, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon. My mother is the reason I stay nearby and risk capture nearly every day.” Eden’s brows furrowed, not understanding what his mother had to do with it. Levi took a deep breath. “She’s… she’s ill. My father’s been dead for centuries, and my sister Genevieve is married to one of your father’s warriors.”

“Oh,” Eden breathed in understanding. He didn’t need to explain why that complicated her mother getting the care she needed. While the Kingdom hadn’t banished her, they had done all but that. If she didn’t turn Levi in, she could not use any of the Kingdom’s resources.

“So… meditating. Is that something you could teach me?” Levi asked before taking another heavy gulp of his beer. He had to switch the subject, feeling the familiar hot prickle of rage pressing against his skin. It was absurd for the Kingdom to treat his mother the way they did when she’d had nothing to do with his decision-making, as awful as that may have sounded. It did warm his heart, however, that even in her subdued state, she continued to protect him.

Levi busied his hand by rubbing circles into the back of Eden’s, unmoving in his palm. Her fingers squeezed his in understanding before clearing her throat to respond. “Do you actually want to learn to meditate?”

“Why not?” he shrugged.

“Not many dragons care to. I’ve heard some say that it’s unnatural for our kind to be out of touch with our anger.”

“I get the feeling you’re plenty angry.” He grinned devilishly. “You just know how to control it, unlike almost everyone we know.” They chuckled for a moment before he nodded. “But yeah, I am curious to see what it’s like. You’re so passionate about it, how could I not want to?

“You’re the first person to take a genuine interest in it,” Eden said. “Most people’s eyes glaze over any time I mention it.”

“Because they have a hard time caring about anything that doesn’t affect them.” Levi polished off his beer, and then he curiously eyed Eden. “Do you wanna get out of here? Maybe go on a walk or something?”

She took a moment to think about it. In an instant, she seemed to be surprised by her own train of thought. “You know, I do actually.”

Levi dropped her hand long enough to stand up and looped an arm around her waist once she was by his side. Eden shot him a look as though she were about to tell him not to touch her, but then she gestured for him to lead the way. It was a relief to get away from the crowds of the pub, though Levi found himself already looking over his shoulder to make sure they weren’t spotted.

Eden leaned into his side. “You may not know this, but most dragons prefer to be at home at night. Get to stretch out their wings, all that.”

“Duly noted,” he murmured, still scanning about. When he was satisfied, his attention returned to her. “How often do you shift?”

“Not very often, actually. Probably the least out of everyone I know, besides my dad.”

“Because of the meditating?” Levi asked.

“Well, I suppose,” Eden answered. “Meditating and studying take up most of my time. Then there’s the simple fact that I don’t really have to shift all that much. In fact, I think that when I helped you, it was the first time I have shifted in nearly a year.”

“Wow,” he exhaled. He wasn’t sure why that was so shocking to him. Eden was a princess who, even in a snap, probably didn’t have to fight for herself. She was also a homebody, from what he had gathered, so shifting just for transportation didn’t apply to her. His fingers glided up her arm slowly as they walked. “What color are you?” He could feel her shiver at his touch, and he did his best not to smirk.

“Not quite silver, not quite purple,” Eden told him. Oh, that suited her so well. Levi found himself yearning to see her in her dragon state, but he knew that he would in time.

“Purple and green go rather well together,” he said with a wiggling of his brow.

“Is that your attempt at flirting? How childish.”

He shrugged. “It’s all I got.”

Eventually, they found themselves strolling through a nearby park, moving over the rolling hills of grass rather than taking the walking trails.

“You sure you’re okay with this? Don’t want you to break a heel,” Levi teased as he took notice of Eden’s foot attire.

“I could run circles around you in these,” she defended with a defiant lift of her chin.

“Yeah?” He grinned.

“Most definitely.”

Without another word, Levi took off down the hill. He heard her holler before bounding after him. He managed to make it all the way down the hill and around a tree before he felt two thin arms wrap around his neck as he was tackled to the ground. He gripped at the grass and tried to drag himself out from underneath Eden, laughing all the while. Eden managed to wiggle her hands down to his shoulders and flip him around. As Levi laid on his back, Eden hovered overhead, her auburn hair falling down like curtains. She kept her hands firmly on his shoulders, as though she really were holding him in place.

“Told you,” she bragged victoriously. In a single move, Levi flipped them around until Eden was the one pinned to the earth.

“You’re a quick little thing,” he complimented with a grin. “But you can’t outdo me, I assure you.”

“You’re going to get my clothes dirty,” Eden protested, beginning to squirm under his hold.

“No, your rolling around is going to get them dirty,” he chuckled. Levi lowered his head, brushing his nose against hers and watching her still completely before his hands viciously attacked her sides, tickling her. Eden howled in laughter and begged him to stop, and he tutted her, saying if she wanted him to stop, then she had to stop laughing.

As the tickling continued and Eden pressed herself into him in an attempt to get him to cease, tension rose between them. Her laughter stifled to an excitable giggle as Levi’s lips brushed against hers. When his hands stopped tickling and simply rested on her sides, Levi felt her soft hands graze up his arms. Never in his life had he wanted someone so badly, feeling as if he could combust if he didn’t have her touch. He went for it, leaning in to give her a kiss.

Eden turned her cheek to avoid the kiss. Levi backed up a bit and looked at her quizzically, trying to see if she had done it in playful jest. She hadn’t. The entire air around her was suddenly tense and unsettled. Eden slipped out from underneath him and sat in the grass next to him. Her hands busied themselves by picking through her hair, tossing away any pieces of debris she came across.

“Did I do something wrong?” Levi asked, his heart actually aching at the thought. He had just been playful—he hadn’t meant to upset her in the slightest.

“No, you didn’t,” Eden murmured, still not looking in his direction.

Levi plopped down, his brows drawn together. “Then… what’s the matter?”

Even though Eden was turned away from him, he could still see a sliver of her face. She was biting her lip nervously, and Levi found himself longing to reach over and pull the skin beneath her lip with his thumb to make her stop. There was no reason for her to be nervous around him.

A gentle hand rested on the center of Eden’s back, grabbing her attention enough to where she peered back at him for a moment before turning away again.

“Tell me what’s wrong,” Levi pleaded. Eden was quiet for a few minutes longer. She would suck in a breath as if she were about to start, but then she would deflate. Resting her head in her hands for a while, she seemed to gather her thoughts. When she sprung back up, she finally turned her full body toward him.

“I haven’t been completely honest with you. Well, I haven’t lied, exactly, but I have lied through omittance. I… I…” She let out a frustrated sigh. “My father has arranged a marriage for me. He’s been trying to force this on me for the past two hundred years, but I’ve managed to put it off. This past week, he finally got very serious about it, and… Well, in a few months, I’m supposed to marry Darian.”

Levi’s entire face scrunched up at the name. He couldn’t remember his face right now, but he knew that name. Back before Levi had left the Kingdom, Darian was a warrior who had desperately wanted Carlyle’s approval. It had been sickening.

Levi shook his head, not wanting to get hung up on that. “He can’t seriously expect you to marry someone if you’ve found your mate, right?”

“If my mate were another dragon or a wealthy human, sure. For a rogue that he has it out for…” Eden’s voice trailed off as her lips fell into a frown.

Levi stood up, scratching the back of his head as he did his best to remain calm. How could this be real? Their situation was already complicated enough without the threat of some warrior wanting Eden’s hand in marriage. There had to be something they could do… There had to be.

Eden’s hands rested on his forearms, and Levi pulled back, still struggling to regain his composure. When he was ready, he turned to her and pulled her into his chest. Eden was silent, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“I don’t know how we’re going to work this out,” he said, “but I promise you, I’m going to do everything in my power to make this work. For us to work. You know as well as I do that that we’re destined for one another. I can’t remember a time where I had such an easy time talking to another person, and something tells me you feel the same way. All I ask of you is for you not to give up on me, okay? Don’t lose hope about this.”

“Levi…”

His grip tightened on her. “Promise me you won’t give up on me.”

Eden averted her eyes from him, and his heart dropped. “I… I can’t promise anything, I’m sorry.” She then peeled back from him, and Levi didn’t fight her. “It’s getting late. I should… I should go. Goodbye, Levi.”

Levi didn’t say a word, but his eyes remained on Eden as she walked away from him. He could feel her sadness, even if she might have been trying to deny it herself. How had this happened? They had been having a great time…

Because it was a daydream to her, he thought. Exploring their bond was a vacation from reality for Eden. The further away she walked from him, the more it settled into Levi that she had all intentions to marry Darian because of her father.

Well, it just meant Levi had a deadline to make her see that what they had was worth the possible backlash.