Page 2 of Wrath

Now that our previous defects had been fixed, the Gomenzi Dragon DNA we’d been spliced with made it impossible for us to feel any attraction to a woman that wasn’t our true mate. I’d never been one to fraternize to begin with, but of course, the one female I wanted to mesmerize was completely immune to my charms.

“I’m taking my crazy family to my place,” Linette said. “You should join us for dinner, later tonight.”

“I’ll do my best,” I replied with a smile.

Despite her cheerful tone, I knew my little Half-Pint well enough to recognize the signs of worry. She had noticed her friend’s cool reaction towards me. Knowing that Kwan was my soulmate, Linette would try to make things happen overnight between us. But she didn’t know the tragedy that had befallen her friend. It wasn’t my secret to reveal. I just hoped Linette wouldn’t push Kwan before she was ready.

As I watched them walk away, I pressed my hand to my throat and swallowed hard. To my shock, although I felt the swelling beneath my palm, it wasn’t as massive as I’d imagined. Frankly, I expected it to be the size of a male frog’s inflated vocal sac before performing its mating call.

The affectionate psychic nudge of my brother Legion preceded his voice in my mind.

“They’ve awakened!”Legion psychically said as he walked up to me from behind.

“Yes,” I said out loud, turning to face him.

“Who?” he asked excitedly, his eyes flicking left and right to try and find the female that had awakened my mating glands.

“Kwan,” I said in a somber voice.

Legion’s jaw dropped, and he looked at me with a mix of disbelief and commiseration. “You never take the easy way around, do you?”

I snorted in self-derision. “Clearly not,” I replied.

As a co-leader of the Vanguard along with Chaos, Legion was fully aware of Kwan’s situation. As a Senior Officer of the Vanguard myself, it had been my decision to grant a special derogation to Kwan so that she could join us without following the standard protocols. Never would I have expected that in so doing, I was bringing my soulmate to my homeworld.

“Still, it is a long-overdue blessing,” Legion said affectionately. “If anyone can help her through this, it’s you. It’s a damn good thing she’s on your team, too. That will give you plenty of time to charm her with your lovely self.”

“I’ll need it,” I said grimly. “It will take forever for her to even notice me. I’ve never seen a more indifferent aura.”

“She’ll come around,” Legion said with a conviction that I found oddly comforting. “Your team is off on a mission soon. She’ll be your captive audience during the trip. Flaunt those shiny scales of yours.”

I snorted again. “There won’t be much flaunting happening. I want to soothe her pain. Such a mesmerizing aura shouldn’t be tainted by sorrow,” I said wistfully. “I want to see her smile and laugh. Having Linette around should help Kwan.”

“Yeah, Linette will help. But in the end,youare the best remedy she could ever wish for or need,” Legion said in a gentle voice. “You’ve always had the biggest hearts among us all. You were the glue that kept us together, the nurturer, and the booboo-kisser of the bunch.”

I burst out laughing while my brother’s eyes sparkled with mischief. I loved how Legion’s playful side had steadily blossomed since his mating with Ayana.

“I’m overjoyed that you finally found your soulmate,” Legion added, sobering. “My hearts were breaking for you.”

“Thank you, brother,” I said, deeply moved. “I had lost hope years ago.”

“If Chaos found his, romantically challenged as he is—or rather was—there was no way you weren’t finding yours,” Legion said teasingly. “If you need anything…”

“I’ll be fine,” I said, grateful. “Just tell my fucking glands to stop trying to murder me.”

Legion laughed and slapped my back.

“Welcome to the club. Hang in there, it will only last a few days,” Legion said with a teasing grin.

His gaze lingered on my swollen throat, then he shook his head like he couldn’t believe it. He squeezed my shoulder and left. I watched his receding back, my hearts filling with love for my brother. Legion was the firstborn among us, the six first successfully born Xian Warriors. Of that little group, Doom had been the first to find his human mate, followed in turn by Fury, Rage, Legion, and then Chaos. I’d been the last of the six to have never found his mate… until today.

Icast a friendly smile at a pair of Aspirants walking past me in the hallway of the second floor of the Aspirants Residence. With each step taking me closer to Kwan’s quarters, the beating of my two hearts picked up the pace. They pounded so hard in my ears, they all but covered the discreet hum of the hovercart laden with her personal belongings that was following me. Under different circumstances, I would have carried them all by hand, just to flaunt my strength. But as I had seized the opportunity to drop the bags of a couple more new recruits along the way to give Myriam enough time to finish giving Kwan the tour, the hovercart had made more sense.

It was absurd for me to get so worked up about simply having an introduction meeting with Kwan. Sure, she was beyond special to me, and I’d already failed at making a memorable first impression, but any talks of romance between us would remain shelved for the foreseeable future. Therefore, I needed to chill the fuck out before I made a spectacle of myself. I swallowed hard, enjoying the reprieve of my throat having gone back to its normal state over the past hour.

Stopping in front of her door, I took a deep breath and then rang the doorbell. The seconds it took for her to open stretched to infinity. The tingling returned with a vengeance as soon as my dragon felt Kwan’s presence. Forcing myself to ignore the swelling of my mating glands, I gave my mate a friendly smile and gestured at the hovercart.

“Hello, Kwan. I come bearing gifts,” I said in a light tone.

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