Page 104 of Dragon Unleashed

Naeve’s hands slow their flapping. “Oh. Yeah, maybe.” She looks past me to Raff, still out cold on the floor. “Is he okay?”

I snort. He’s a Maverik. He’s tough.

“He was trying to tell Chano to forgive Lorelei,” Alarick pipes up from the benches, his smug expression making my hackles rise.

Naeve’s mouth drops open. She scrunches up her face in courage, then advances toward me.

“He’s right.” She grabs my hand and forces me to look at the Aeternum mark on my finger.

I tug my hand from her grip, with more force than necessary. “Not you too, Naeve. We didn’t even bond to second level! That never happens. The Fates don’t want us together.”

Naeve shifts away from me. Her gaze darts around the room and she makes an odd hum.

“About that. If you’re holding that against Lorelei, y-you should probably know…it was Farrell.”

She backs up another step, but not nearly quickly enough. My hands are around her throat and her back smacks against the wall a second later, her toes dangling off the ground.

“Say that again?”

Alarick pulls desperately at my sleeve. I glance between him, my wildly whipping tail, and Naeve’s puce face. Heaving myself backward I drop her, balling my hands into fists. She didn’t deserve that.

Naeve scrambles up and dusts herself off, clucking at a tear in her tights.

“See? You care about her.”

“So help me, Naeve, tell me what you meant.”

She pauses to purse her lips. “Farrell got Professor Allegra to make a potion. A mate-blocker. The prof hated Lorelei, so she didn’t take much persuasion. It would only have lasted a few hours. If you’d tried again…”

“He what? And you knew! You knew, and you didn’t tell me, or Lorelei?”

She turns gray. “I didn’t know at the time, I swear. But after, when it was done, Farrell told me. It’s the worst thing I’ve ever kept from Lorelei. Farrell being a dragon doesn’t compare.”

Naeve swallows and wrings the edge of her shirt in her hands.

“Then the Virrey was threatening Lorelei. He wanted her married to Farrell and it seemed almost easier you two weren’t bonded. It bought her more time.” She hiccups back a sob. “It kept Lorelei safer.”

I lean against the wall, the reality sinking in. All this time I blamed our not bonding on Lorelei’s betrayal. In reality, it was a damn spell. Would I have cared so much if we’d bonded to second stage? Would I have forgiven her more easily?

“IknewFarrell wanted her for himself,” I snarl.

Naeve grabs my hand again. “You care.”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t want a royal mate. She lied about who she is. She’s just like the rest of the bloody royalty.”

Naeve gets right up in my face this time, both hands on my arms like she’s about to shake me.

“You listen to me, Chano. She didn’t tell you because firstly it doesn’t mean much to her. She wasn’t brought up royal. And secondly, sheknewyou’d react like this. And here you are. Proving her right, with your temper tantrum. Pull your head out of your ass.”

She whirls and storms away. Alarick quietly pads after her.

Am I really theputahere? Am I the asshole?

I grab Raff under the arms and drag him toward the infirmary. The nurse scowls, tapping her foot as we approach. She should be used to it by now. As I lug his stupid loyal ass onto the hospital bed, my Aeternum mark catches my eye. It looks as good as the day it first appeared.

The Fates are screwing with me. Making me doubt myself when it comes to Lorelei.

But Farrell? Thatidiotahas it coming. With a final heave I get Raff into a comfortable position and turn on my heel, ignoring the twittering nurse.

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