Page 52 of Cage Me

This visceral emotion gripped his heart with a fist of razors, shredding him from the inside out. Because, he knew he couldn't give Azy what she wanted.

He would never let Kur-Jara lay his eyes on her again.

She would be pissed. She would hate him for taking this choice from her.

He would let her hate him. He would hide her from the world. Lock her away in a golden tower. He would bare her hatred like a black mark on his soul, if only it would keep her safe.

He was a coward, and she was his greatest fear.

Chapter Fourteen

Chp 14 – Aquawoman to the rescue

Fear flash across Cage’s eyes. He tried to hide it, but she didn't miss the abject terror her wants and words had caused in him.

He wasn't going to help her destroy the Black Dragon. He wasn't going to listen to what she wanted or even try to give it to her.

That hurt like a shard from a broken mirror slicing her open. They were mates, but they weren’t meant to be together. Not like this.

She understood. He was going to do what he thought was right, just like her father had, just like she had.

At least Cage and her father had acted out of love.

Maybe, for the first time ever, Azy was too.

Love for herself.

“You're not going to help me fight Kur-Jara, are you?” She wasn't sure why she asked, she knew. Perhaps, she was just giving him one more chance.

“Azy.”

She held up her hand, stopping him from saying anything more. “Don’t.”

She pushed away from him and marched off toward Fallyn's tent. Stupid dragon. Stupid mermaid.

Cage followed, so she stopped and pushed him away again. “Leave me be for a while. I need to think.”

He swore under his breath. “We have a few hours before the plane gets here. You have until then to figure out how stupid you’re being. Dragon warriors have been fighting the darkness for a millennia. We aren’t going to be able to defeat the black soul just because you want us to. It will mean the end of us.”

He turned and marched away. She didn’t try to stop him.

She watched him walk away from her.

A pulsating pain rippled through her chest and spread across her back and neck. She laughed at herself for thinking it was her heart breaking.

Nevermind. She wouldn’t think about that now. It had been her decision to voice what she wanted, and now she needed to accept the consequences for that.

She ignored the pain and went to find Ninsy and Fallyn. It might be too late, but she would apologize for trying to make the same kinds of decisions for Fallyn, taking away her choices, just because Azy thought it was right.

Ninsy met her outside the tent, and looked her up and down. Azy was being weighed and measured. She didn’t care.

“I see you found your inner strength, my lady.” Ninsy smiled at her.

Azy patted her self, trying to imagine what Ninsy was seeing. “That's a really weird thing to say.”

Ninsy shrugged. “Am I wrong?”

Azy thought about that for a second. Was that what had happened between her and Cage? “No, I think you're right.”

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