Page 56 of Never Feed a Dragon

ten

VI

Eli tucked his arm beneath my head again, and I leaned against his side as he turned the TV on. “Want to watch another movie?”

“Sure.”

He turned something on, his fingers brushing my arm lightly as the movie started to play.

I tried to focus on the characters on the screen, despite the warmth in my veins and the constant pain. My body needed us together. Again.

“What’s your ex’s name?” Eli asked, a few minutes in.

My eyebrows lifted. “Seriously?”

“Yep.” He continued moving his fingers. Somehow, the touch to my arm just made me want him more.

I was quiet for a moment before finally answering. “Gavin.”

Eli made a noncommittal noise.

My lips quirked upward. “It’s a pretty normal name.”

“Never said it wasn’t.”

“Alright.”

We were both quiet for a few more minutes.

He spoke up again. “How long ago did it end?”

“About three years ago.”

Eli didn’t give away how he felt about that response.

He also didn’t stay quiet for too long afterward. “How did you find out about the cheating?”

My amusement faded. Quickly. “He got a text from his affair partner while he was in the shower after we hooked up one afternoon. She wanted to know if he was still coming over at 5. I asked him what he was doing that night, and he told me he had to be back to work at 5. I confronted him while he was still in the shower, and he admitted he’d been seeing her for over a year.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah.” I studied the ceiling. “I should’ve known. There were so many red flags, even Randa tried to point them out. I was just so in love, I refused to see them. It never occurred to me that I might love him more than he loved me. Cheating wasn’t even a possibility in my mind.”

“Well, it was his loss.”

I shook my head, my eyes stinging. “He didn’t try to win me back. He didn’t even apologize. My entire reality was shattered, and he barely blinked. He even proposed to his affair partner a few months later. Love is screwed up.”

“It doesn’t have to be.”

I scoffed. “Of course it does. Someone’s always going to love more, and be more at risk in a relationship. How could it possibly be balanced? Look at Randa and Jasper, and August and Elodie. When August left her, Elodie was destroyed. She was so upset, she literally vomited when another guy touched her. And Randa? If Jasper ever changes his mind about being with her, what the hell is she going to do? She has no money, and no way to get back to Scale Ridge. Their bank accounts are joint; she would have to move in with me, or with our parents, assuming she even manages to stay sane without him anymore. She told me how much she relies on him.”

“That doesn’t take into account the way August and Jasper would be affected by the relationship ending,” Eli countered. “Neither of them could fly without their mates, which is a deal breaker for a dragon. He would stay in an unhappy relationship his entire life for the sake of his wings.”

“Exactly! Everything is such a tangled mess for everyone involved. I can’t imagine a way it doesn’t end in heartbreak for whoever cares more. And knowing my friends, they’re the ones who’ll end up hurting.”

“August could barely function when he left Elodie behind. And Jasper would sooner sever his own limbs from his body than hurt Randa in any way.”

“August still left. And Jasper doesn’t rely on Randa like she does him. She told me herself that he’s the steady one.”

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