Page 42 of Dragon's Code

“Are they all dragons?”

“That’s none of your business,” Jerrick snarls.

Jasmine throws her head back and laughs. “You’re all idiots. There’s a drought of female dragons so you muddy the bloodline with these mutt bitches. What kind of dragons are they?”

Michelle’s hands are clenched at her sides into fists. “We’re fucking obsidians, you twat.”

That wipes the smile clean off of Jasmine’s face. “Obsidians?” She glances around at all of them again. “They’re extinct.”

“Not anymore,” another female pipes up.

I glance over at her. She’s pregnant, like at least seven months. She looks beautiful and powerful even in a vulnerable state.

Jasmine shakes her head. “This can’t be happening. The Elders will freak. They’ll execute all of you for breaking the ancient laws.”

“No, they won’t,” Kashton says through his teeth. “Not if we’re given the time we need to present our case to them. The dragon lines were never purely dragon blood. The Obsidians were wiped out for some reason. They didn’t just all die off for no reason. For all we know, the Elders are responsible for their extinctions. Same with the Larmiars. It’s time for a new age.”

Jasmine turns to look at all of them again. Her eyes fall on me. “You’re still human.”

“So what if I am,” I say.

Jasmine saunters up to me. I don’t know how she moves like a real life Jessica Rabbit. “You’ve known Kashy for a while.”

I take a step toward her. “Stop calling him that. You’re not his friend. You’re certainly not his lover. You’re not his mate. You don’t get to be so familiar with him.”

She crosses her arms under her breasts, this time not to accentuate them, but to look poised and pretty. This poor woman acts as though she is a prize to be won. What happens when no one is competing for her, because all she is, is a trophy.

“I’ll call him whatever I want. It’s not as though you’re his mate,” she says in a snide tone.

I realize that she doesn’t find me intimidating. She’s picking a fight with the only person she considers weaker than herself. “No, you won’t. He’s not yours.”

“Oh, sweetheart, do you have a crush on your little friend? He’s not yours. He’ll never be yours. My heartstone lit up many years ago when we were together. He’s my mate.”

Everything inside of me goes absolutely still. That can’t be true. The tightness in my chest pulls to a vibrating tension. It feels like someone is sitting on my chest. I can’t breathe, let alone move. I don’t want to be in this room with this gorgeous woman who says something that’s clearly true, because Kashton isn’t calling her a liar.

I take a step back. My hand is resting on my chest, the locket under my palm. It’s warm and vibrating. Maybe I’m imagining it all, I don’t care, it keeps grounded.

“If he’s your mate, then why aren’t you together?” I ask in a quiet voice.

I’m not showing weakness. Quiet is not weak.

“We both decided we wanted to have fun first. Enjoy our lives before we joined together and he took the throne.”

Kashton bursts out laughing. “Wow, you’ll just make up whatever you want, won’t you?” He moves toward us, standing at an equal stance from both of us, creating a fucking triangle. The metaphor isn’t lost on me, but I’m ignoring it. “Your heartstone didn’t light up and mine sure as shit didn’t light up. We’re not mates.”

“Yes, it did. You don’t remember. We were at that ball. We were sixteen. You danced with me and my heartstone lit up.”

He shakes his head. “It wasn’t because you and I were dancing. It didn’t light up when we touched. It lit up when someone put their hand on your arm and asked to cut in. He wasn’t a prince though, so you blew him off.”

She blinks at him. “What are you talking about?”

“You understood me just fine. It wasn’t me. I’m not your mate.”

“Yes, you are. I’ll show you right now.” She moves toward him.

I don’t know what possesses me, but I charge to head her off. I step right in front of Kashton before she can even touch him. “No.”

Jasmine gives me her condescending stance and smile all over again. “Honey, just move aside and let fate reveal the truth. If you’re so sure that I’m not his mate, it’s easy enough to prove.”

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