Page 90 of Tempting Her Dragons

“Why?” I ask, grinding my teeth.

“I was there,” she whispers. “In the Games. I also was in a cage.”

“What?” I don’t remember her.

“We didn’t speak. You were always with the other dragon and the wolf. I watched you, though, from a distance.”

“If you know what we went through,” I rasp. “Why am I here?”

“I fell in love in the Games.” Her face becomes soft. “Jay was nice to me. He loved me back and protected me. I knew the best hiding spots and he would meet me there and be together. He promised that he would get me out and we would get married. I wanted three children. Since I was a coyote, I knew it would be challenging. He was human, but he was the mate of my heart if not through the bond. I was able to shift sometimes since he took the collar off. Jay was the love of my life, and you took him away.” Her eyes swirl with hatred.

“How did I take him away?” I know what she is going to say, and my stomach clenches.

“You and your friends killed him,” she yells. “He was doing his job, and you targeted him. You ripped him from my life, and you have to pay.” I see figures in the distance and smell the presence of many humans. She’s working with others.

“Why now?” I don’t argue yet; I need her to answer my questions.

“After the Games, you disappeared. It took a long time to figure out who you were, and when I did, I couldn’t find you. I decided to come back to where I knew your family was and wait. I was shocked the first day you came into the coffee shop. You didn’t recognize me, but I knew who you were. I cut my hair and dyed it. We weren’t close enough for you to remember my scent.” She drops her knees, leaning forward. “I had doubts at first. You seemed unhappy, and I wanted you to be.” She shakes her head and frowns. “I felt a weird attachment that I didn’t understand. You were nice.” She pulls on either side of her head, bunching her hair in her fists. “I almost liked you, and I thought maybe it would be enough that you were sad.”

“I was sad?” I mumble. I didn’t think so, but finding my mates has opened my eyes to the reality of my life. “What happened today?” She’s spent years building anger and hate for me after what happened.

“You met your mates,” she spits, dropping her hands to the grass. “You were thrilled. Your face was lit up with joy. It hit me that I couldn’t allow it.”

“I was happy,” I say softly, tracing the metal of the collar. “You decided to take it away.”

“I had to,” she cries. “Why should you be gifted with mates? You took away my chance of happiness.”

“Who are those men?” I ask.

“They are Jay’s friends. I found them. He told me all about them and where they lived. I went to them a year ago and told them what happened. Of course, I had to explain what I am. They are ready for you to pay and start the games again.” She shrugs. “We spend time together, and I’m going to turn them into coyote shifters.”

“You can’t,” I say.

“Yes, I can.”

“Do they know it will kill them? Trying to turn a human into a shifter outside the mating bond almost always ends in death.”

“It will work,” she snaps. “They want me to do it.”

“Why haven’t you yet?” I ask.

“I wanted to make sure they were dedicated to me.”

“You wanted them to prove it by helping you take me,” I say.

“Yes.” She looks over her shoulder. “They had their doubts, but I convinced them.”

“I’m sure,” I mutter. “Do you plan on keeping me in a cage forever?”

“I want you to die like Jay did. You don’t deserve happiness,” she says ruthlessly.

“What did you give me?” I slip my fingers further between my skin and the collar. She is forcing me to face my fears, and I have to conquer them. Now that the shock is wearing off, I realize this collar is different. Weaker.

“Drugs.” She lifts a shoulder. “We found someone who had something that could affect you for long enough to get you here.”

“Do you always carry it with you?” She couldn’t have known I would stop in today. I have to make her talk. I want answers and time to let my dragons come for me.

“Yes.” She looks over her shoulder and then back. “Every time I see you, I wonder if the time is right. I thought if I could get you alone, like going out for drinks, everything would fall into place. The guys have become impatient. I didn’t tell them everything about you, or they would have taken the decision away from me.”

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