Page 59 of Burned

“No. He’s the shame of his family, and I found him the way I did because he refused to strike the dragon attacking him. He’s a good, kind man.”

“Well, he’s certainly pretty,” Montrose says as Tino growls. “Settle down, lover.”

“What do you want to happen?” Hemingway asks. “Do you want to stay mated to him?”

Mate.

My dragon perks up then, making it very clear with the fierce swishing and persistent chanting in my head what he desires.

“With all my heart,” I admit. “But we’re doomed. If he chooses his family, it’s impossible.”

“We could torch his family,” Arson says. “Make it easy.”

“I agree,” Nico says. “They’ve killed dragons. We show no mercy.”

“This is why Alrick and I are not meant to be. I can’t willingly decimate his family. Perhaps Dahlia can give him a memory potion. He’ll forget I exist.”

“What about you though?” Dempsey asks. “You won’t forget.”

“I’ll survive. I always do.” I stretch my neck. “He’s leaving us to go to his family when we return stateside. I suppose we’ll see what happens after that.”

“If they attack, we have to defend ourselves,” Nico says.

“I’m aware.”

“Not to mention the other dragon clans in the area seeking revenge,” Tino adds. “This might get ugly.”

“I know.”

“But we’re with you, Lord,” Hemingway says. “Just like we’ve always been with you. You can try to shut us out all you want, but we’re not going anywhere.”

His words go straight to my heart. “I’m so sorry, brothers. I never meant to?—”

“We know,” Tino says. “You’re forgiven.”

“Could you… if it works out somehow… accept…”

“You accepted us,” Montrose says with an unusual softness in his voice. “How could we turn our backs on your mate?”

I meet Arson’s eyes and he nods. “I think I can speak for all of us. It’s not ideal, but who are we to question fate? Alrick’s your mate. We’ll fucking deal with it like we handle everything that comes our way.”

As my brothers and their mates voice their agreement, the tension in my chest releases, and I feel Alrick relax through our bond.

I have to believe that this wasn’t a mistake or fate’s cruel joke and Alrick is meant to be my mate. We’ll get through this to the other side.

Together.

ALRICK

Sittingin a back room alone rather than subjecting myself to the mix of curious and slightly hostile looks from Lord’s family was a good call. I felt the chaos of his emotions, but they seem to have settled now.

I hate that our time together ended so abruptly, but the reason behind it is even worse. Somehow my family found out I’m with them, I just can’t figure out how. What am I going to say?

Last night’s thoughts of staying with Lord come back to me, swirling around my head like storm clouds. I’m his mate. Hisfatedmate. The thing he’s wanted all his life. Everything makes so much more sense now, but what gets me is that he was willing to sacrifice himself for me. Breaking the bond would leave him without the possibility of ever having another mate. But what if…

My breath catches.

What if it was always meant to be me? He said his dragon led him to me, and that’s how he said they knew it was fate. That’s far more significant than if he was just taking a stroll in a deserted forest and stumbled upon me. It answers how I healed so quickly from a life-threatening wound.

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