Page 15 of Dragons Of Shadow and Sea

But I trust in my mate. She hasn't said the word out loud, but I know she loves me, and she loves Jianyu, too.

She's going to let this new mate of hers touch her and love her. Fuck--she's probably going to fall for him the same way she fell for us. She's going to let him inside her.

But there's something else I know.

Holding this asshole's gaze, trying not let it show how this is tearing me apart, I force myself to shrug. "You've never met a woman like her."

Chapter

Four

EMBER

And here I thought things were bad when it was just Rafe and Jianyu who hated each other.

I hold my tongue as Malik escorts me back to the elevator and up to the witch's living room. The Witch herself--if she goes by any other name, no one's told me--bids me farewell. Her gaze lingers on my bracer, but I can't bring myself to worry about that right now.

We head outside, Obi following at a discreet but menacing distance. I'm already tired of the guy following us around, but I also can't fault him. He's worried that I pose a threat to his friend, and I'm glad my mate has someone so dedicated to protecting him.

As we walk, Malik glances at me out of the corner of his eye. "You are not happy."

He doesn't need to be magically, emotionally bonded to me to be able to tell that. My arms are crossed over my chest, and I've been subconsciously keeping a foot of distance between our bodies. It doesn't matter that my skin is crying out to be in contact with his. That my blood is hot with need, the connection between us demanding satisfaction. My breasts are swollen and ripe, and it's almost impossible to ignore the slick achiness between my legs. I want my mate. Desperately.

But we've just left my other mates in a freaking prison cell.

"You can't keep them locked up in there forever."

"No," he allows, voice thoughtful. "Probably not."

"There aren't even beds. Are you feeding them?"

"They will be cared for humanely."

"'Humanely'?" I parrot back, incredulous. I hug myself tighter and speed my pace, glaring at him, but that's a mistake. Even looking at my mate in anger makes me want to throw myself at him and beg him to take me. I tear my gaze away, training it intently on the ground beneath my feet. "They're royalty. They're my mates."

Malik lets out a growling huff of breath, and our connection darkens with his frustration. "We'll get them beds and bedding and food and a television, if that is really what concerns you."

I stop short and round on him. "I want their freedom."

"I cannot give that to you." His voice is a quiet roar, his confidence absolute.

And it's killing him. He hates to tell me no, just as I hate to have to ask these things of him, but how can I turn my back on Jianyu and Rafe? How can I leave them there?

How can I not?

Something inside Malik's eyes softens. "Not yet, in any case."

It's the first time he's seemed prepared to give so much as an inch. I still want to demand their immediate release, but I know far too well the position he's in.

Over and over, my mates and I keep finding ourselves in exactly these kinds of positions. Their duties to their kingdoms outweigh their desires.

I want to laugh almost as much as I want to cry.

The gods must be having so much fun at my expense. Giving me these incredible mates. And then making it impossible for us to be together.

Exhaling hard, I turn away and continue walking down the path. I'm exhausted, wrung out from stress and magic and sheer lack of sleep. After a moment, he joins me at my side again, giving me my space but clearly wanting to reach out.

By some unspoken agreement, we each keep our hands and thoughts to ourselves for the remainder of the walk.

---