Chapter 208: A Toss

Kael’s words practically echoed in Riley’s mind.

“Did I love the egg?”

The mortal hadn’t exactly expected to face that kind of question, nor did he think about that line of reasoning.

But as he looked into those clear, steady eyes, it was becoming painfully obvious that he was at least partly in the wrong—for failing to realize that he hadn’t really considered things from the perspective of a dragon and instead had been trying to evaluate things as a human.

Then again, who could have expected such developments?

On one hand, Kael—the literal dragon lord—had done what was probably the most controversial thing in modern magical history: factoring in basic human decency.

And all because he figured Riley would appreciate that.

And yet here he was, asking about the abstract concept of love.

So now, the same dragon who probably never once cared about the concept of love before was now looking him in the eye and asking about his opinion.

Then, surprisingly, when the question came full circle, the poor human realized he was just as clueless.

Riley blinked, trying to process it.

Not that he’d never liked anyone. There had definitely been cute people here and there—some attractive classmates and colleagues, a few crushes that went nowhere—but love?

How deep must emotions run before they’re classified as love?

Moreover, could dragons even experience love when, based on Kael’s own description, they could find their mates just by stumbling into them?

No names. No greetings. Just proximity and instinct.

Sure, humans talked about love at first sight. But sensing each other as eggs? Did that count?

Riley didn’t know.

And really, what answer was he even hoping for when he asked?

What outcome did he want?

More importantly, how badly would his decision change depending on what Kael’s answer turned out to be?

His mind whirred, overthinking in circles, until finally—

Hah.

Riley had his eyes closed, deep in thought—or at least pretending to be.

He’d been quiet for so long that even Kael seemed to give him space, which only made the silence worse.

And then, just when the dragon lord probably thought the mortal had fallen asleep sitting up, Riley muttered under his breath, “Screw it.”

Kael’s brow rose slightly.

But the human aide didn’t answer. Instead, he opened his eyes and looked at him with the kind of intensity that made Kael straighten just a bit.

“Do you have a coin?” Riley asked suddenly.

The golden dragon blinked. “A coin?”

“Yes, a coin,” Riley repeated, nodding as if it were the most logical request in the world.

Kael didn’t ask further. He simply raised his hand and produced an actual gold coin between his fingers; the engraved sigil of a dragon caught the light.

Riley took it carefully, staring at it for a second before asking, “Heads or tails?”

Kael looked at him again, this time with visible confusion. “…What?”

“Heads or tails?” Riley repeated, tone dead serious.

For a long moment, the dragon lord just looked at him like he was losing his mind. Then, finally, Kael sighed quietly and said, “Heads.”

Riley nodded solemnly, determination flickering behind his green eyes.

“Heads,” he murmured to himself.

Heads, I’ll be his mate. Tails, I’ll decline.

There were probably several things that one could’ve asked at that very moment, but even the dragon lord could tell that Riley was focused.

Then the determined aide turned toward the table behind him, holding the coin between his fingers. The metallic glint caught the light as he flicked it upward.

The gold spun through the air, catching flashes of light as it rose, fell, and turned again.

And for some reason, it all felt like slow motion.

Riley’s heartbeat thundered in his ears. Every spin of the coin echoed somewhere in his chest. All the blood in his body seemed to rush to his head, his heart, his eyes—everywhere but where logic was supposed to be.

When the coin finally fell, bouncing once before coming to rest behind the stack of documents on Kael’s desk, he just stared at the table.

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Kael’s gaze flickered from the table to Riley’s face—only to see a tear slide quietly down the human’s cheek.

Riley blinked, startled at himself, because apparently even his tear ducts were rebelling now.

And as his vision blurred, he realized something he hadn’t wanted to admit—

The entire time that coin was falling, he’d been praying it wouldn’t land on tails.

Kael, who didn’t expect such a reaction from the twig, looked over at the table. Should he use magic to lift the coin up?

He was about to ask when Riley, who had turned away, suddenly spun back around and slapped a hand over his mouth.

The golden dragon blinked once, unimpressed but clearly intrigued.

Another raised brow.

But Riley ignored it. He raised a finger slowly, the gesture both shaky and oddly threatening.

“Kael,” he said, voice unsteady, “tell me this. If… If one day, your fated mate returns—”

Something short of a scoff escaped the dragon’s mouth as he listened to that odd impossibility, but the daredevil of a human quickly raised his other one in warning.

“Let’s ignore probabilities,” Riley continued, his eyes darting nervously between Kael’s and the table, “I’m just asking—if it happens, how compelled would you be to leave me behind?”

That got the golden dragon’s attention.

He stilled, his golden eyes flickering with something unreadable before he tilted his head, as if considering it. Riley slowly removed his hand, his own trembling slightly.

The silence that followed stretched far too long for Riley’s liking.

Then, at last, Kael said quietly, “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of that happening.”

Riley’s shoulders drooped despite his best efforts, while his heart beat far too loudly for a healthy person.

But then the dragon leaned in slightly and asked, “But if I already belonged to you, would you let me be taken away?”

Time likely didn’t stop, but for those two, it felt like it did.

Riley’s jaw went slack as he gawked at the guy in front of him.

And then, slowly, one corner of Kael’s mouth curved upward.

Riley’s entire face turned bright red, his body heating up so fast he practically steamed. He grabbed his face with both hands, groaning.

He took a deep breath.

And another one before deciding to just throw caution to the wind.

“I—I really don’t know what to do with this,” he stammered, words spilling faster than his brain could keep up, “but I swear, while there may be no precedent for sending a dragon to hell, if you dare cheat on me, you might just be the first!”

Kael blinked once, his smirk growing wider.

“I have a short life, okay?” Riley went on, his voice rising. “So in that time—even if I turn into a wrinkly prune—you can’t just go looking for a nice new dragon with a shiny shell, got it? I swear—”

He was rambling now, entirely red, and Kael only nodded in perfect composure, looking for all the world like a man being lectured by his furious mortal partner.

“Then you agree to be my mate?” Kael asked smoothly once Riley ran out of breath.

Riley shut his eyes, took a deep breath, and nodded. “Yes.”

Kael’s hand immediately reached out, but Riley raised a finger between them. “But! I want to date first.”

Kael blinked. “Date?”

“Yes. Boyfriends first,” Riley said firmly, though the tips of his ears were still red. “It’s probably going to sound stupid to you, but I think it’s the only way to survive this kind of relationship.”

Kael’s eyes narrowed faintly. “Explain.”

Riley fidgeted but pushed on. “Okay, you said it yourself—this kind of relationship goes against your natural instincts. And because we don’t have anything that could even resemble a resonance anymore, especially with the sigil gone, we can’t just hinge everything on… on explosive chemistry.”

Kael’s brow arched, his mood shifting almost immediately. “Explosive chemistry?”

“Not what I meant!” Riley sputtered, glaring at him. “I’m saying we have to find a middle ground before we end up killing each other over something we can’t take back! Because sure, it would be a few years for you, but it’d be until the end of my days for me.”

He exhaled, rubbing his temples. “And then there’s the issue of not knowing love, which is basically maybe the only reliable glue for something as odd as this relationship. Because we both don’t know what love really is, we can’t use that as a basis. But how would we ever find out if we don’t try?”

Kael was silent, watching him carefully.

“But because there are consequences for failed relationships involving dragons,” Riley said, more softly now, “we can’t just jump the gun—for both our sakes.”

He remembered earlier—how easy it was for others to gamble with feelings, to try and fail without the threat of disaster looming over them.

But this wasn’t one of those stories. So he couldn’t expect it to be like everyone else’s relationship.

“So what would we be until we become mates?” Kael asked, his eyes narrowing again, pupils thinning to slits.

“B-boyfriends,” Riley said weakly. “We’d be boyfriends.”

“And what kind of compromise do I get,” Kael asked, leaning forward, “for being just a boyfriend?”

Riley realized too late that this dragon picked things up far too quickly.

“We’ll go to the guardians,” he said suddenly, his tone serious.

Kael blinked. “What?”

“I said I’ll go with you to see the guardians,” Riley repeated, sitting up straighter.

Kael stared at him for a moment, his brow furrowing slightly. “…Really?”

“Yes,” Riley confirmed. “Because more than anything, that’s what’s delaying this. I don’t want you to mate with someone who won’t even make it to next month.”

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