Page 45 of Devoted to the Dragon

Nothing makes sense.Except she does.

I swallow around the fire in my throat. “Funny, I was going to ask you the same question.”

In the distance, a shout rings out, and a chorus of wolves answers. They’re closing in on us.Without thought, my shadows release her.

“Run, mate. I will deal with the wolves.”

“A serpent will never be my mate.” She curses, slipping under my arm.

“I think that’s a done deal.”

She turns on me. Even without her dragon’s skin, she is all fire. “I will never trust you. My dragon would never accept you. Your people stole our hearts?—”

“And I plan to steal yours?—”

She shakes her head, anger pulsing from her and her voice rising. “They stole our hearts and tore them from us until nothing was left.”

I grab her arm and pull us almost flush. Her breath hitches, and those haunted eyes spear me.

“Those aren’t my mistakes,” I hiss.

Her voice is cold and unfeeling when she spits back, “No. You have already made your own.”

The words hit like a dart, ice creeping into my veins. The truth of her words guts me. I knew I was drawn to her from the moment I spotted her. My serpent was restless and eager to protect her. Did I listen to those instincts? Did I knock on her door and tell her to flee? Did I help her escape? Plead with my sister or mother?

No.

I knew something was different, and I let them hurt her.I hurt her.

The beautiful dragon—my dragon—yanks herself out of my grip and runs from me. This time, I don’t chase. My legs give out, and I fall to my knees, watching her move farther into the shadows. For the first time, I feel shame for what I’ve done. It’s heavy, taking over my limbs and shadows until I’m frozen.

I can feel the wolves in the trees, but my brain is trapped in a loop.The dragon is my mate, and I hurt her.

Sloan steps from the shadows, her posture defensive and her serpent ready to strike. “Where is she?”

I force myself to speak, though it feels as though I’m broken beyond words. “Got away.”

Sloan makes a disbelieving sound, circling me, her shadows a cyclone around her. “In the dark? You’re the best shadow-walker I know.” My sister steps closer, and I know she sees when her hand covers her gasp. “Oh! Knox.” She eyes my chest where the brand sits, a badge of my shame. “The dragon?”

I give a sharp nod.

“She will never accept you.” The hard rattling sound of Sloan’s serpent punctuates her words and gives voice to what I already know—to what I deserve.

“She said as much. It doesn’t change it. You know what this means.”

Sloan scoffs. “There is no way. We tried to capture her. Violently. The forest floor reeks of her blood?—”

“Sloan,” I say, begging her to hear me, “she is my mate. Myfated mate. Look at the rune.”

My sister freezes.

“You know what that means. It changes everything. You are bound to honor my mate. We are sworn to protect her.”

She huffs, but the sound is less that of a serpent and more of a sister. “You were supposed to be my ride or die on this while I kicked ass at making the first alliance with shifters in centuries.”

I chuckle, but it’s dark. All the light left with my dragon. “Yeah, well, you brought the fuckboy, and I fucked it up. What did you expect?”

Sloan paces, her shadows going wild in a slithering storm of chaos around her. “She’ll never agree to deal with us. Never accept what we are. And even if she did, once she knows we’ve been arming the wolves?—”

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