Page 64 of The Soul of the Dragon

It made me want to tackle him, to rub my body against his, and—

“Your need to mate is growing painful, and I have no desire to watch you suffer.”

“I don’t understand why this is happening. I’m not sure I even understand what it truly means.”

“So you keep saying,” he said. “And yet here you are. You can continue to fight it if you want, but you will lose the fight At least now you have the choice to face this with dignity. Later that will not be the case.”

I reared back, seared by his words. “I’m no longer some charity case you have to sleep with. Or a child you have to scold. I’m well aware I already embarrassed myself before when I suggested giving you my maidenhood simply because I didn’t want the King to get it."

A shudder worked over me at the reminder of how precarious my situation still was. His cold words were the stark reminder that I wasn’t safe. I brushed by him, but he reached out to stop me. The connection of his hand on my arm sizzled and burned, causing me to gasp.

“Kitra.”The sound of my name rumbling through his chest nearly did me in.

I looked up at his eyes and got the impression that he might regret his poor choice of words, but for whatever reason he couldn’t seem to voice them.

“Isaac,” I returned.

“It has to be me,” he said. “I didn’t want to be the one because of our opposing goals, but ithasto be. I won't let anyone else touch you.”

“That sounds like the worst reason anyone would have sex for.”

He laughed. “Hardly. And I’m sure you know better. Many do it simply for the pleasure, whether it means anything or not. And even others do it simply to procreate.”

I jerked my arm free, and despite the feeling that I was going to burn alive, I walked away from him. "I'm not breeding with you either!"

“Wait.”

“No,” I threw over my shoulder as I grabbed my clothes and without dressing, continued on the path towards the mysterious cottage. I needed a few minutes to pull myself together.

And if it was an orgasm I needed to feel better, I didn’t need him for that.

ChapterTwenty-Five

Kitra

By the time I made it to the cottage my situation had reached a boiling point. Even the brush of the air on my skin had become too much. I was lying to myself about the whole mating thing, but it couldn’t be helped. Isaac’s words had cut deeper than expected. Whether that was a fair assessment or not remained to be seen.

We’d been through a lot together in a very short time and I was under the false impression that had meant something to him. The reminder that he was still as focused on the amulet as I was frightened me. If we were as close to getting it as I thought we were, we would both soon have to make a choice.

I stomped towards the door of the tiny cottage, far too distracted to admire the charm of my surroundings. The front and side yards overflowed with flowers, stone pathways, and a riot of every imaginable color. All of it was overgrown and in dire need of someone to take care of it, but beautiful nonetheless.

In my haste to put some distance between me and Isaac, I didn’t even consider whether someone occupied this cottage and we would be their guest, or if this place stood empty. I jerked the door open, entered quickly and closed the door behind me.

Nothing was going to keep Isaac away from me for long, but as I leaned against the door, closed my eyes and took a deep breath, I gave myself a much-needed moment of alone time. This constant push-pull when it came to a certain dragon shifter was threatening to break me once and for all.

If ever there was a time to have my magic back, this would be it. Without it I was too vulnerable, too lost, too needy. Too everything. Trying to live as a fae without it simply wasn’t working.

It forced me to rely on others for too much. If this whole thing with the amulet didn’t work out, I was going to have to find another way. I couldn't continue like this.

When I finally opened my eyes again, I realized the cottage was simply one big room. There were some old chairs that looked comfortable enough in front of a small wood stove that would provide more than enough warmth on a cold night after the sun went down.

Straight behind that was a small kitchen that was only big enough to hold the basics. A sink, a refrigerator, and one bank of cabinets to provide a small countertop for workspace.

And the owner had used a row of bookcases filled to the brim with hundreds of books to separate what I assumed would be a sleeping area from the main space. It was a clever way to maintain some privacy while you slept.

There was nothing fancy about the space, but the coziness of it gave me a calming vibe that I desperately needed right about now. And that feeling made a new exhaustion begin to set in. Isaac would want to forage for food, but I simply wanted to rest.

And make this itch go away.

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