Page 22 of The Dragon's Stone Hearted Mate
“Can’t can’t start fresh if you leave behind a mess,” I countered.
“It’s not my mess. I didn’t kill him. I didn’t hire a hitman or---” Morvan started but I shook my head.
“This isn’t for Torvan. Forget what that wolf said. This isn’t so he doesn’t get a boo-boo from banishment. This is for you. Say goodbye or tell him you hope he rots in a pit that only has cacti for chairs. I don’t care what you say. I only care that you have the chance to say what you need to say.”
“You know it doesn’t change anything, right?” he sighed, stepping back from me.
Instantly, I missed his warmth leaning against me.
“It can change everything. Will he still be dead? Yes. But for now, he is still your brother as you know him. Get some closure.”
“He still died alone like we all will.”
“I will not perish alone for if that day comes even if you are not with me in this physical world you will be in my heart as you have always been.”
He almost told me to stop my sentimental bullshit but deep down Morvan didn’t think it was bullshit any more than I did. If that’s how my dragon really felt he wouldn’t be so caught up in how the cycle of life and death robs souls again and again of‘everything they know.’ He wouldn’t care about the uncertainty. If you have nothing to lose you don’t care if it’s all gone.
“This is so messed up,” Morvan started to pace. “I bet Cutter would give anything to talk to his dead mate again or Sherry or anyone here.”
“And if you could trade Torvan for one of them, I’d consider it sweet to give them the opportunity, but that’s not the case,” I said gently.
“This is unfair to you,” Morvan said.
“Because I can’t go?”
“No,” he shook his head. “This. All of this. You stood there for a literal eternity waiting on me and this is what you get.”
“Mate, dragon of mine, I am not disappointed. Is this ideal? You and I? Yes. That your brother won’t take a hint even from beyond the grave? No, but you did nothing to cause that.”
“You want to know what’s really messed up?” he paused his pacing to ask me.
“What’s that?” I asked, more than happy to be his sounding board.
“That I want to call Teal and say ‘you’ll never guess what this asshole is doing now.’ Only I can’t because we’re not talking. I can’t call him to say how asinine this is because I quit talking to him because I thought Torvan was worth dying for!” He balled his hands into fists at his side.
“You’re allowed to change your mind, mate,” I said, taking a step toward him and placing my hands on his shoulders.
“But what does that say about me?”
“That you’ve grown? Everyone changes and it’s easy to miss someone in theory but now he’s back and he’s still dead. Which means he’s showing his truest colors. I’d much rather have you here with me than have you die to save someone who thought an abundance of resources were more important than you.”
“Do you promise you’ll be here when I get back?”
“I do. Nothing will stop me from waiting on you. I already waited this long what’s a few more days or weeks?” I smiled softly at him. “Take care of business when the time comes. Being my dragon doesn’t mean you’re stuck here every second of your life. Just come home to me when the day is done.”
“Maybe I want to spend all my days with you too. I want to know what makes you tick and everything about you. For once, I want Torvan to stop overshadowing every aspect of my life,” he groaned. “I need you before I go. I need our true-mate response solidified. Not touching you hurts. I can’t imagine being in a different realm than you. It seems blasphemous somehow.”
“I will be with you. I have always been with you. From the moment we chose each other we were inseparable,” I whispered and leaned in to kiss Morvan. His big, strong hands found my hips and I wrapped my arms around him too. Our tongues danced between our mouths, and I allowed myself to get lost in him again. Saying goodbye would be hard for him but he’d fought harder battles and came home whole.
Chapter Twelve
Morvan
We didn’t finish our claiming vows that night. As much as I wanted to sink into Rho, I wanted some real privacy when we made love. I didn’t want to worry about who might stumble upon us or interrupt us. If someone else showed up while I was trying to show him how much I needed him, I might take their head. So, instead, we raided the kitchen, and I made Rho up a snack tray full of tasty Earthside food. I avoided anything that I didn’t recognize and was pretty sure the blob with tentacles was still moving on the plate. Campers came from worlds scattered across the Other World gateway network. So, nothing in those big fridges or tidy pantries surprised me.
“I don’t actually need to eat,” Rho said. “Well, not in the ways you all do. I can eat.”
“And you have to stay at the camp?” I asked, double-checking what he said earlier about not being able to come to Earthside with me.
