CHAPTER 109: FINE. NOT FINE.

Well, Riley would like to say that he didn’t.

He absolutely didn’t.

Nor did he care about the look the dragon had been giving him.

Nope. Not one bit.

All he cared about right now was whether he was about to start foaming at the mouth and whether he needed to prepare new, more comprehensive lists. Possibly last-will-and-testament-type lists.

If there had been internet access, he would have gone through his browser history and scrubbed what remained of his social media accounts. Because who knew if this really was the end?

He had asked Kael earlier, but the giant lizard with the far-too-large hands only said he had already tried taking everything out that he could.

Then Riley made the mistake of asking what methods had been used.

And Kael, in the most painstakingly calm tone imaginable, had described how he had sucked, licked, and swallowed everything he could reclaim. But then he added that the moment before he had done damage control was something else entirely—

Which Riley didn’t let him finish.

He practically launched forward and clamped a hand over Kael’s mouth, horrified.

He didn’t even need to foam at the mouth at this point. If those words were spoken again, the reminder alone would be enough to eject his soul straight out of his body.

Kael only raised a brow at the audacity. A human covering a dragon lord’s mouth? Unthinkable. And yet the reckless aide looked like he had sprouted a backbone overnight, clinging to it with such grim determination that he no longer cared that he was doing this to someone who could snap him in half.

Not exactly bravery. More like desperation.

Because Riley was sure of one thing: he didn’t want to relive the details of what had just happened. And if he hadn’t seen firsthand what dragon blood could do, he would already have been running for the hills. At this rate, he’d gladly work at the Ministry instead of a vacation for as long as it didn’t involve facing him.

But that was wishful thinking.

"Sir," Riley tried, voice clipped.

"Now you call me Sir?" Kael’s eyes gleamed, far too amused.

"My Lord," Riley exaggerated, dragging the title out with so much sarcasm that even the walls might have winced.

Kael looked smug. Of course he did.

"Are there no other ways to maybe take back dragon blood? Like... I don’t know, some sort of evaporation?"

"Well, there is."

"Really?" Hope sparked instantly. "Then can we try that?"

"It’s death. And I didn’t take you for someone actively seeking that."

Riley froze. Then groaned. Then thought maybe, just maybe, today was the exception. Normally, no. But today? Yes, sign him up for voluntary evaporation.

His temples throbbed. A migraine was coming, surely the first sign that something was going horribly wrong inside him. Maybe the dragon blood was about to manifest. Maybe he was about to turn into a balloon and burst.

But he wasn’t the only one concerned.

Kael had been checking Riley in subtle ways since earlier. Testing. Watching. His attempts to call back his own blood had been genuine. He wasn’t exaggerating when he’d said he had been sucking and licking. But eventually, nothing else pulled through, and Kael wondered if that was truly all.

Except... could it really be everything? Considering how much blood was on Riley’s lips earlier?

Kael doubted it.

Which was why he watched the twig like a hawk. Not because he was panicked, but because if he let himself show even a flicker of alarm, Riley would panic tenfold. And then, who knew?

Kael wasn’t even sure if human hearts could handle beating that fast. If they couldn’t, his aide might just perish well before his time.

And wouldn’t that be a shame?

It would. Kael thought the human was at least passable as an aide and certainly less irritating than most others.

This one also cooked, didn’t reek of anything nauseating, and on rare occasions when he wasn’t actively plotting to stab him, he could even be soft and pliant.

"Sleep it off."

"Sir, how could I possibly sleep this off? Wouldn’t it be better to stay awake and watch for sudden symptoms?"

"Ideally, you should stay awake," Kael said smoothly, "but with your vitals all over the place, how am I supposed to know if it’s a symptom of the dragon blood affecting you or a remnant of earlier?"

"!!!"

Riley was too stunned to speak. The audacity. The sheer nerve. But he couldn’t argue, because between the two of them, Kael was the living stethoscope and Riley was painfully aware that his heart was thundering.

Not in the way Kael thought. Definitely not in that way.

...Right?

He forced himself to calm down, muttering that he would, eventually. "It was just from being surprised by Lord Orien’s sudden appearance."

Kael took a beat before responding with a single, "Sure."

That one word infuriated Riley more than an entire lecture would have.

Still, his string of curses had to be shelved because Kael finally shifted to the results of their so-called experiment. Riley, who had won himself a week off, had no intention of answering. But when he realized Kael was only asking pertinent questions, he figured he could grace the smug lizard with answers.

"So was there feedback from the wound earlier?"

Feedback. If it meant the initial reaction, then yes, Riley remembered it. He reacted. The problem was what came after. And the kind of feedback he actually received. That part needed a lot of processing, and he was definitely too biased to judge.

So he stuck to the basics. "Yes, there was."

"In terms of scale?"

Good question. Unfortunately, that was where things got blurry. For a moment, Riley prayed he wasn’t secretly some masochist discovering a whole new side of himself.

"I’m not sure, Sir."

"Not sure?"

Riley nodded, still looking baffled.

"But at least I didn’t die," he added quickly. "I’m just... not sure."

"Then, if not that, what was your discovery? Because you’re saying it’s what allowed you to come up with that strategy."

Riley rubbed a hand over his face. He had known Kael would eventually ask this.

"Well... it’s how your body reacts to perceived threats and danger unconsciously. So when someone uses force, it’s met with force. But when force isn’t exerted, it’s met with skin."

Kael’s eyes narrowed. Riley continued anyway.

"So for it to work, you—or your body—must consider it as anything but an attack."

"So, of all places, you decided on there?"

The aide’s face soured instantly. He didn’t want to answer, but he knew he had to.

"Sir, the best would’ve been your eyelids, but I think I’d die before I got that close. And since you said no to using that other method..." Riley flicked a glance at Kael’s crotch. The dragon lord’s eye twitched. "...my best choice was only that."

"Fine."

It was not fine. Not for Riley. He felt like he had suffered through hell and now even given away important information.

So he held out both hands like a merchant demanding payment. "Then, Sir, for the added information, I would appreciate a fitting compensation."

Kael clicked his tongue in amusement. "A compensation?"

Riley nodded, eyes suddenly clearer, sharper.

"What? Are you asking for another kiss?"

"!!!"

Riley’s face twisted as if he’d bitten into something rotten, yet the heat climbing his neck betrayed him. "With all due respect, Sir, I only accept cash and vacations. A resignation would also be great. Thank you."

"Then should I also ask for compensation for checking on your well-being?"

"H-hey! Sir, that’s different! This is you ensuring the safety of your worker! This is a workplace hazard!"

Kael gave him a long, pointed look, and Riley felt it down to his bones. The dragon lord didn’t need to say much. He had simply realized that this reckless human was, without question, his greatest workplace hazard.

"Fine. If you can sleep within the hour."

"!!!"