Page 82 of Love Bites Extra Hard

And one of them had brought an extra bikini for me, so I pulled it on without pause.

I noticed Stella sitting on the lake’s beach next to a guy who looked like Evan, a good distance from the kings. The kings were all still sprawled on the lounge chairs. I couldn’t tell if any of them were talking, from where I was, but it seemed likely.

“Spill it,” Clementine ordered.

I sighed, but told them everything that had happened since we’d been apart, minus Sylvester. I was vague about what the dragons needed me for, not including enough details for them to put it together. They tried to get it out of me, but I kept it quiet.

“What are you going to do about him?” Blair asked as I finished, her expression more curious than anything.

“I have no idea.” I leaned back, the base of my palms digging into the sand to keep me upright.

“He treats you well,” Zora said, though her voice was grudging. “You can’t ignore that any more than you can ignore the way he saved your life.”

“Or that you’re fated mates,” Clem put in.

“Or that you love the castle, and want to keep living there,” Izzy added.

“So you can’t leave,” Blair said. “Even if he would let you. Which he won’t.”

“I guess not,” I admitted. “But he still lied to me.”

“You could try the sex war thing,” Izzy suggested. “To really get back at him.”

“No. He would win.” I bit my lip. “He’s not going to let me stay in my own room anymore. Or do anything alone anymore, probably.”

“If you want revenge, you can agree to live with him, but tell him he’s not allowed to touch you until he’s proven himself trustworthy.” Clem smiled wickedly. “Think of all the ways you could make him regret lying.”

“Something tells me none of them involve clothing,” Zora drawled.

Clem’s smile widened. “Of course not.”

“The best way to get revenge wouldn’t involve nudity,” Blair said, glancing at the men in the lounge chairs. “He hid what he wanted from you by letting you call the shots. If you detach from the relationship, and let him decide everything, he’ll get frustrated. Fast. These guys think they want to dominate theirwomen, but there’s no fun in dominating someone who doesn’t care or have their own opinions.”

“That’s a good point.” Izzy’s expression was interested. “But the real question is, do youwantrevenge?”

“I don’t know. I just want…” I trailed off, staring at the lake. I didn’t have to raise my eyes to the dragon shifter in the lounge chair to know that he was watching me intently. He had been, since the moment I surfaced. “I guess I just want things to go back to the way they were before. When I didn’t know the truth.”

“Because things were casual?” Clem asked.

“Because things were safe.” I closed my eyes and let out a slow breath. “It’s not the relationship that I don’t want. It’s the risk. The uncertainty. I don’t want to put him in a position to hurt me.”

“He already was though, wasn’t he?” Zora asked. “His lies wouldn’t have mattered if you didn’t feel anything for him.”

My chest ached.

I hated that she was right.

“I was wishing for a way I could keep him just before everything with Stella and the injuries. It all just feels hollow now. Fake,” I murmured.

“He wasn’tfaking,” Blair said. “He was an asshole for keeping the truth from you, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t being himself.”

“He sat outside your room every day for a month instead of sleeping,” Clem added. “It’s hard to fake that kind of dedication.Kai would’ve just hauled me into his bed and told me to get over it.”

I tried not to snort, but failed.

“Given the situation, it does seem like he was damned no matter what he did,” Izzy agreed. “If he told you right off the bat and tossed you in his bed, you would’ve shut him out from the beginning.”

“Lying about it was a shitty call, but really, what was the alternative?” Blair asked.

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