Page 42 of Blood of Dragons

“No man would ask a woman if she’s ever been in love if he didn’t want to be the man she loves. Don’t be naïve, Calista.”

I turned my gaze out the window when his ferocity became too much.

“How many times have I told you—look at me.”

“Why are you here?” I turned back to him. “What do you want from me?”

His hard stare was accompanied by an avalanche of silence. “Don’t fuck him.”

“Like you aren’t bedding all your concubines.”

“I’m not.” His voice rose again. “There’s been no one else since our first night together. I desire no woman but you—and I fucking miss you.”

My eyes flicked away on instinct.

“How many times do I have to say it?” he hissed.

My eyes went back to his.

He stared and stared, waiting for me to say something, say what he wanted to hear.

But I refused.

He moved on when there was no hope for reciprocation. “Who is he?”

I didn’t answer.

“Calista—”

“You’re trying to figure out where I am. That’s what you want…that’s why you’ve come.” If he knew where I was, he would be there in the flesh. He would grab me by the neck and force my stare on his instead of commanding it across the table.

“Yes, I want to know where you are,” he said. “But that’s not the only reason I’m here.”

“Then why else?” I said coldly, feeling the disappointment pool in my stomach.

“I want to fix this…fix us.”

My eyes wanted to drift away, but they remained steady. “We can’t be fixed, Talon.”

His stare hardened on my face, and he drew a deep and slow breath.

My eyes glanced down to the empty plate in front of me, a few crumbs left behind.

He suddenly rose from the chair and came around the table, coming closer to where I sat. He grabbed Commander Luxe’s chair and brought it next to me before he sat, bringing us as close together as he could without touching.

I took a deep breath at his proximity, feeling the spark that always erupted when we were near each other.

His arms crossed again, and he continued his relentless stare. “You’ll never understand the profundity of these words I’m about to tell you, but I’m going to say them anyway. If I knew how much my actions would hurt you, I never would have committed them. I never would have come here and conquered your lands. I wouldn’t have pursued the dragons…not if I knew the price you would pay.”

I saw the hint of gold in his stare, the single bit of color in his dark eyes.

“Sleep eludes me every night because I think about it, think about how different your life would have been if I hadn’t come to these shores. I’m riddled with guilt because, of all people, you deserve what happened the least. I’m sorry that my revenge came at your expense.”

I shifted my gaze away from his eyes, looking at his cheek instead, that stare too much for me. It was hard to hate someone you cared so much for. It was hard to distance yourself from someone who was always in your heart. “I appreciate what you’ve said, but it’s time for us to part ways. I’ve found a place to call home, and you have a war to win. Our interests are no longer aligned.”

His eyes shifted back and forth between mine in devastation. “Nothing has changed between us?—”

“It’s done, Talon.”

---