Page 40 of Dragon's Code

“Kashton,” I say storming back into his room.

I stop in the middle of my outrage and stride to find him standing without a shirt on. I can’t help but drink every inch of exposed skin in. I’ve thought about Kash over the years, having fantasies and thoughts about his hot body. Even when he was a scrawny, gangling kid. He was always attractive and has only gotten better with age.

“What?” he asks, his voice gentle.

I lick my lips and drag my gaze back up to his eyes. “You said that I’m a potential dragon mate. That means I’m supposed to find a dragon to mate with, right?”

His eyes darken and his stoic expression turns dangerously angry. “What about it? Eager to find him now so you can become a dragon?”

“Fuck you, Kash. Why are you pissed at me now?”

“You just asked me to make you a dragon, like it’s this little thing.” His deep voice rises, getting louder with each word. “Now you’re curious about this dragon you’re supposed to mate with?”

“I didn’t ask like it was some little thing. I asked my best friend to help me become stronger. For a lot of reasons. I can help you in your war. I can protect myself so you don’t have to worry.”

“You’re the dumbest smart person I know sometimes. You think that if you’re a dragon I’m not going to worry about you. There is a vampire out there doing everything he can to eradicate my race, Athena. He doesn’t want good things to happen to humans either, but we’re his main focus right now. We’re not winning this war at the moment.”

“I can help,” I say in a small voice. “Even if I’m not a dragon, let me help. I help companies check their security against cyber infiltration and viruses. Let me help the dragons. It can’t all be magic and supernaturals. What about infrastructure? I’ve helped you before, even though I didn’t know that’s what I was doing.”

Kashton puts his hands on his hips and it seems to make his pecs look even bigger. Is he flexing or something?

Stop staring at his chest, Athena.

“What is it that you want? Do you want to be a dragon? Do you want to help the dragons? Do you want to be safe?”

“Tell me where I’m safe, Kashton. Is it here with you? Is it back in my secure apartment that my ex-boyfriend had no problem entering without setting off one of my alarms or cameras? I went through the video footage, he wasn’t there until I saw him in the hallway. He just appeared. I figured I was going crazy or something. I’m supposed to fall in love with a dragon, according to your witch friends, but that seems to make you angry too. What do you want me to do?”

His chest is rising and falling rapidly. I can’t tell what’s going through his mind.

“Talk to me. You’ve always talked to me.”

“I haven’t told you about the heartstones yet.”

“You’ve mentioned them, I think.”

“Every dragon has a ceremony when they’re only a couple of hours old. The clan witch ties the stone of his clan to the dragon baby. Every dragon has a heartstone. It has some power. Like it can lead you to your fated mate. We’ve found it lends some protection to the mates who wear them against some of Grey’s tricks. He’s been able to get into people’s minds and control them. The heartstone kept Finley safe when she was infected.”

“Wow. That’s really cool. So you have a chunk of tourmaline somewhere on you?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t. Not anymore.”

“What happened to yours?”

“I gave it to my best friend when she was fifteen.”

The weight on my chest grows with every millisecond that those words penetrate my mind. My fingers automatically find the locket around my neck. I toy with it. “I don’t understand, Kash.”

“I promised myself that you would never be hurt because of anything in my world. I’ve let you down. You were stalked by a fae bastard for reasons we don’t even know. The fae are powerful. We don’t fuck with them for a lot of reasons. Even vampires stay away from them.”

“How the hell is any of this your fault?” I point at myself. “I’m the one who met him, dated him, and let him into my world.”

“Maybe the spells that Syrena and Penelope are casting are getting messed up because my heartstone has been with you for so long. Maybe it’s all a big mistake.”

“Do dragons give their heartstones away lightly?”

His hands go into his pockets. “Not until they’re mated.”

“So like you meet a girl dragon, you fall in love, decide to get married, you exchange heartstones and what…?”

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