Page 26 of Love Bites Extra Hard

We snacked in silence for a few minutes. The trail mix dulled my hunger a little.

“Do you want to explain what happened back there?” I finally asked.

She shrugged. “Talon’s protective.”

“He was so pissed, you had to stop him fromgoing into the jail cell.”

“One of the girls Sylvester took was one of Talon’s closest friends. Jamie Vale. Everyone thought they were going to be fated mates when they were kids, but they weren’t. They screwed once, just to see how it was, and neither of them was interested in going back for seconds.”

My eyebrows lifted.

I had a hard time believinganyonecould have sex with Talon and not be interested in going back for more. Maybe he hadn’t been as experienced back then. Or maybe he was only good at foreplay.

That actually made me kind of hopeful.

Maybe after I screwed him, the itch would be sufficiently scratched, and I could stop wanting him so much.

“Jamie was laid-back, but she was strong. If Sylvester could hurt her, he could eat you in one bite,” Stella said.

“That doesn’t explain why Talon flipped out. Between your magic and the door, I was perfectly fine.”

“But Sylvester knows you’re here. He’s not just feeling lust—he’s feeling lust foryou.”

“That’s what siren magic does. Talon should know that.”

“There’s a difference between knowing it and feeling it. And seeing that fucker trying to reach the woman he’s sleeping with would piss off any male dragon.”

My face flushed. “We’re not together, though. It’s casual.”

“Dragons protect their treasure. If you’re screwing one of us, you’re our treasure.”

My face flushed hotter.

“Don’t be self-conscious about it. We all have a lot of sex. Fated mate bonds can happen to anyone, at any time. People think they can force it if they sleep with someone enough.”

“Does it work?”

“Once in a blue moon. Luckily, it didn’t happen for me and Sylvester.”

“How long were you sleeping together?”

Her humor faded. “A few years. We were friends for decades before that. What he did broke our friend group. A few of them thought he was just mentally ill. That they could’ve fixed him. But seventeen women?” She shook her head, her expression darkening. “It wasn’t illness. He knew exactly what he wasdoing. And we all saw the look in his eyes when we caught him. He was proud of the way he hurt them.”

“Fuck.”

She nodded, grabbing another handful of trail mix. When she held it out to me, I took some too.

“We should pick out the granola,” she said. “Redden always goes for that when he’s out of chocolate and raisins.”

“Redden doesn’t know how to share food, does he?”

“Nah. Only child and whatnot. He’s solid, though, so we keep him around.”

We were both quiet for a few more minutes. It wasn’t awkward. It was just… calm.

“Is there anything I can do to prevent a fated mate connection from forming between me and Talon?” I asked.

She snorted. “No.”

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