Page 29 of Unhaunt Me

He touched his shoulder finding the scale there over his gland.

“Mate?” His scent morphed to complete confusion. “Your tooth!”

“The healers can fix it,” I blinked, prodding the tooth in question with the tip of my tongue.

It had cracked the edge.

“I didn’t--- I didn’t mean to! I didn’t know it was going to happen,” Casimir said, distress and misery flooding over his scent.

“I know you didn’t. I’m not even sure--- Ouch! Give me a minute.”

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Grab my phone and text Roary we need a dentist, please,”I thought at him and prayed it worked. Our mating link was at least half open, after all.

I sighed in relief when he grabbed my phone and sent out the text. I grabbed a towel I packed just for this occasion and cleaned us both up as well as I could.

“I know you didn’t mean to,”I said, handing him his pants.“Trauma is a mother fucker but we’re going to figure this out. Whatever and whoever hurt you doesn’t get to win. There’s one more thing we can try. One more thing I think might work. We’ll need Roary’s help, though. I can’t participate and be part of the ritual.”

“Ritual?”

“I’ll explain later. We’ll talk it all through later.”

“Your tooth,” he frowned at me, his eyes misting over.

“Trauma spreads but it stops with us,”I squeezed his arm as someone tapped on the tent flap.“I love you. I’ll be okay. It’s just a tooth.”

Chapter Fifteen

Casimir

Three days later, we were back in ‘civilization’ and guilt still ate away at my insides. Neither of us were sure what happened. Everyone knew that something had gone terribly wrong during our claiming vows and a dentist had to hike up the mountain to zap the enamel of Tritus’s tooth with something that looked like a ray gun from some old human space alien movie. Whatever was in the gun worked because by this morning I couldn’t tell he ever chipped it on my pop-up book of a scale.

“It’s okay. I’m alright,” Tritus said for the millionth time since our claiming vows fell apart.

I didn’t believe him. It didn’t matter how much it smelled like he was telling the truth or how many of his thoughts poured over our half-open mating link. I’d hurt him and it didn’t matter whether I meant to or not. I flashed him the best smile I could manage but I wasn’t winning any awards for my acting any time soon. Crossing the room, from where he was helping Roary sort candles for our upcoming event, he sat on my lap and leaned his forehead against mine. He was beautiful and fit perfectly in my arms.

“I’ll say it forever, if I have to. I’m okay. It doesn’t even hurt anymore. I’m surprised that your nervous system bypassed the magic of the true-mate response. We need to bottle its abilities or moxie or whatever,” he chuckled. “We’re gonna fix this.”

“You mean we’re gonna try,” I corrected him.

“No, we’re gonna fix it. Your dragon or you or both or ---- I don’t know what, is afraid of my reaction from this set of memories. Well, when we do the ritual, that’ll be over. I’ll know it and then we can work on it. It’s not ideal. If you refuse I’m notgoing to bully you but I think until we at least start untangling this we’re not going to be able to complete our claiming vows and I’d like to know what’s going on inside your head.”

“I’m a piece of shit. That’s what’s going on inside my head.”

“You know when I first told Roary you and I had true-mate responded, they called you the hot, broody one. You are but maybe be a little less broody today. All the original Starscales who arrived here and built Starscale 1 came with trauma. I love you, Casimir, but this level of self-loathing isn’t healthy for you or me. All dragons are capable of violence but that wasn’t violence. That was self defense and you’ll never be able to convince me otherwise.”

“What if it’s not my story to tell, mate?”

“Well, you’re the one here. You’re the one aching and putting up walls that I can’t fly over. So, some part of that story is yours. You’ve claimed it as yours whether or not it is.”

I opened my mouth and attempted to spit out the words. If I could just tell him that – That what? I couldn’t even finish thinking the thought with him around.

“It’s not something you need to see. It’s not something I’d wish on anyone and –”

Tritus put his finger to my lips.

“Certainly not you,” I finished, speaking against his digit.

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