Page 51 of Pierce

He rolled his eyes. “While I was trying to save your life for the second time. You tend to forget that part.”

“And I always will,” I teased.

“You’ll never let me live it down, will you?”

“No. Not ever.” I giggled at the look of mock pain on his face.

We both turned in surprise at the sound of footsteps.

Alina looked elated and stricken all at once. “You have a way to break the oath to Bradley?”

When I nodded, grinning, she barely choked back a sob.

I rose, with Pierce behind me.

“What is it?” I asked.

Smoke entered the room, frowning deeply.

And there I was, deluding myself into thinking the others would be happy for us simply because we were happy. Was I selfish to assume they would be?

“This loophole only covers one of you.” Smoke nodded at me. “You. Not your sister.”

I closed my eyes briefly as the truth sank in. Of course. There was no reason for Alina not to go back. Especially since I was staying.

They couldn’t get away with keeping the both of us.

“It would open a whole new world of trouble,” I murmured when it was all clear.

My sister looked heartbroken, and I understood why because I felt the same way.

We had spent our lives leaning on each other, trusting one another when there was nobody else we could trust.

We were each other’s secret keepers. The best of friends. And there was no way we could be together once she was gone.

“I don’t want to leave you.” She took my hands and squeezed hard, searching my face with anxious eyes.

“I know. I don’t want you to leave. I don’t know what life is like without you.” I looked at Pierce, who deliberately looked away.

I knew I was putting him in a bad position by even hinting that I wanted him to do something about it. I didn’t want to press.

Smoke did the talking. “If you don’t go, it would mean extreme danger for you, your sister, and the rest of us.” He sounded like a man convicting himself to death.

Only his sense of honor was strong enough to send Alina away. The deep attraction between them was obvious. I wondered if they were fated mates, too. Stranger things had happened.

“I know that.” Her big, luminous eyes filled with tears. “It’s just that I’ll be alone, and I’m not looking forward to it.”

“I thought you had an uncle.” Pierce didn’t sound unsympathetic, but his dragon had what he wanted.

His dragon would advise Pierce to keep his nose out of any further conflict. How I knew that, I’d never be able to explain. Something about mating with him had unlocked insight into his thoughts. It was unnerving and exciting all at once.

Alina and I both rolled our eyes. “He’s our uncle by blood, but there’s no affection,” I explained. “He and Papa never exactly got along. He was the tight-fisted one, the one who would rule the clan with an iron hand if he ever managed to get his hand around it. And he has now.”

“If anything, we remind him of Papa, and he hates it.” Alina shuddered, rubbing her hands over her arms. “He gives me the shivers. Not in a good way.”

“And you’ll be alone with him.” Smoke’s jaw tightened until I was sure his teeth would crack under the strain.

“He would never hurt us,” I jumped in, and Alina shook her head adamantly in agreement. “He’s just not the warm, loving type.”

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