Page 74 of The Dragon's Mate Proposal

“But that changed,” he said. “You might not want to believe that because you want to be angry, but you can feel it, Samantha. You know I’m telling the truth. That when I say, right here, right now, that I will not leave you, that I have no intentions to leave you, I mean every word of it. I want to stay with you. You. I want you. In every way you can imagine that means. And more … I want you to stay with me.”

I swayed backward as the force of his words hit me, merging with the intensity of his feelings, laid bare.

“But I won’t force you,” he added. “That’s one thing I will never do. If you do not wish to stay, I will take you home. To your people. You will always wear my scale, and we will never be entirely parted. But the distance will numb you to me. In time, you may be able to ignore it completely. Fall in love again. With a human. One who’s honest with you from the start.”

He swallowed, looking away with a sigh. “As I should have been.”

I worked my jaw, trying to find a reply, but I couldn’t. I didn’t have one because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to say. Warring halves of my mind and soul were battling one another to see who would come out on top.

Did I take him up on his offer and leave the isles forever, never again soaring through the clouds on his back or feeling his body pressed against mine? Or did I stay and try to work through the web of lies and half-truths? I didn’t know.

“I’ll give you some time,” Cade said quietly, spreading his wings.

“What do you mean? Are you going to leave me here?”

“Only for a time,” he said, waving my panic down with his hands. “To return to the house and gather some supplies. We’re going to have to live out here for now if we’re to have any hope of gathering enough gold to pay Kalann back.”

I frowned. “What about your deal with the sovereign?”

He smiled. “My debts come due very soon, Sam. The mine is the only way forward now.”

There was a tinge of sadness mixed with his acceptance of reality, and I couldn’t stop my stomach from matching him. All I would have to do was—

“Don’t,” he said, anticipating it. “I said once I wouldn’t force you. And I meant it. Take your time. Come to your own decision when you’re ready. Not because of me. I’ve already screwed up enough as is.”

Then he was gone, soaring into the sky, leaving me with a jumble of thoughts to try to sort out. I watched him go, staring after the black dot in the sky until he was gone from sight.

“Cade, Cade, Cade,” I whispered, repeating his name over and over again as I found a large, flat rock and sat on it.

Although my body was still, my mind was a whirling maelstrom of discordant thoughts and emotions. I couldn’t pick any singular one out to focus on. There was too much.

Tentatively, I reached over my shoulder, once again feeling the scale and tracing its edges along my bare skin. The joining was seamless, like it was a part of me from the beginning. There was no hurt, no tenderness. It was just there.

Cautiously, I lay back, until I could stare at the empty sky, wisps of clouds floating by on a breeze that never made it through the rocks that far below. Somewhere in the distance, a bird cawed.

A warm peace settled over me. The Dragon Isles was a special place. There was no denying that. If I chose to leave, I knew I would miss it for the rest of my days. Compared to the hectic life of the White House and DC, as a whole, the tranquility of the isles called to me. Whispered of home, even though I was new to it, it welcomed me.

Time passed. The sun slowly sank in the sky. Thirty minutes. Two hours. I had no idea how long it was. I lay on the rock, warmed by the sunlight, and thought about my life and the decisions before me. My eyes closed, and I continued to think, to ponder, to weigh all the pros and cons.

A shadow crossed my face, momentarily blocking out the sun. My eyes snapped open.

“You’re back,” I said as he landed at the face of the cave opening.

“Yes,” the lead speaker said as he turned to face me. “I am. And you’re alive. How intriguing.”

I scrambled back, but my shoulders bumped into the unmoving legs of one of the others.

“Look at this, Reed,” he said, hauling me to my feet and spinning me around. “Look what she’s got.”

“A scale,” the one named Reed observed. “Well, now, isn’t that interesting. Saved your life with it, he did. Though, it might’ve been for naught.”

I glared at the one holding me, working up the courage to spit in his face.

“Keep her there,” Reed said, then disappeared into the cave opening.

I stiffened in alarm. That must be why they were back.

In less than a minute, Reed was back.

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