Page 82 of Bite Me

Ky paused in front of them and then shouted, “Up ahead.” He and Jakob rushed forward. Ky shifted back into his Dragon form, but Jakob did not.

In a moment, Jada and the others saw why. Slumped against the side of an outcropping of rocks, sat a great big red dragon. His breathing was labored, and Jada saw why. A dagger was sticking straight out of the middle of his chest.

“Match, what happened?” Jakob examined the wound and Match's chest. The dagger didn't look that big, so it must have hit something vital.

Ky circled the small room and must have felt they were not in any immediate danger, because he shifted back to his human form too.

Match must have communicated something only to the other dragons because they exchanged a glance and then Ky pressed one hand against Match's chest and grabbed the dagger with the other.

“On the count of three, you pull that out, and I will heal what I can. But I think it went directly into his heart.”

Ky nodded and braced himself. Jakob blew a green mist over the place where the dagger stuck out of the red dragon’s chest. Match groaned, and smoke rose out of his mouth and nostrils as he coughed at the pain.

“Now,” Jakob yelled.

Ky pulled the dagger out and Jakob blew more green mist directly into the wound.

The red dragon shimmered and became a man again. “Be careful with that blade. She's poisoned it.”

“Jesus, bro. What did you do to that girl?”

Match did not respond.

“We need to get him out of here. That won't be enough if the poison is still in his blood.” Jakob helped Match to his feet and then supported him with his shoulder. “You're lucky to be alive, you son of a bitch.”

“Where is she? Where did Fallyn go?” Azynsa asked.

Match shook his head. “I don't know, I just… She wanted to get away from me.”

“I have to find her.”

Ky looked first at Azynsa and then over at Jada and Portia. “Azza, we can't leave you. You're a Dragon's mate. And he needs you. He's dying.”

Ky apparently knew who this girl's mate was. But how?

He waved Jada and Portia over to them. The shard at Portia's neck lost its dull color and began to glow.

“Ow, ow, ow.” Portia ripped the shard from her neck. It had left a burn mark over her heart. “What is happening? Why did it do that?”

“It's as I suspected. That shard is not yours, and Jada never should have given it to you.”

Umm, what? Pinpricks stung Jade's chest around her heart. This. This was why Ky was so standoffish. After everything, he still thought she had stolen Cage's shard.

Ouch.

How could he think that?

She swallowed and the pinpricks were replaced by the weight of a thousand stones on her chest.

Because she hadn't ever really let Ky get to know the real her. Had she ever let anyone see who she really was? She only barely knew herself. She never made real decisions, except what kind of ice cream to have that night. But whenever she and Ky were together he had openly trusted her. Had trusted that she knew her own mind.

He understood her better than anyone else, maybe even herself.

“I'm sorry, Ky.”

Ky sighed and nodded. “I understand. I really do. She's your sister. I may be your mate, but it's only been a few days. I swear to you I will do everything I can to make sure that in the future you can trust me.”

Jada took his hand in hers and pressed it open palm to her chest, over the bone carving with his soul shard. “No, I'm not sorry about the shard. I didn't take it. What I apologize to you for is not giving you the chance to see the real me. I didn't give you any reason to trust me so it's no wonder you think I betrayed you for my family.”

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