Page 14 of The Dragon's Captured Heart
“It’s more than your stupid tattoos,” Callum snarled, lips pulling back in anger. “Dragons don’t flit from person to person thinking they’re happy like you humans. When we find our mate, we know it. We mate for life because that sort of thingmeanssomething to us. Unlike you people.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but he cut me off.
“Bonding our scales to one another is more than a mark signifying the other person. It creates a literal, tangible bond between us.”
Scoffing, I waved him off.
“Ah, the ‘expert’ on dragons doesn’t believe me. How surprising. Well, it does. You become linked with your mate, feeling their emotions, their heartbeat. You are as close to becoming one as possible. Your human brain could never comprehend that, though, but just so you’re aware, you don’t justremovethat. To tear off the scale is to die.”
“But you said she’s already dead.” I crossed my arms, challenging his rhetoric.
“You’re right, I did,” he hissed. “And I should’ve died with her. But I didn’t. Now, thanks to that unknown reason, I’m stuck here, explaining the basics of our culture to a human who has no respect for our ways and thinks they’re just the cheap, trashy markings of skin that humans are so fond of because they hate the way they look so deeply they have to change it.”
I swayed backward under the vehement onslaught of his words, but only so far. The last sentence spiked my own anger, stiffening my spine.
“Okay,now,who has no understanding of the other person’s culture? Tattoos are a means of expressing ourselves, of showing the world who and what we are. It amplifies the person inside, taking much of what can’t be seen and making it visible.”
Callum didn’t look like he believed me, but neither did he argue. Instead, shrugging, he grabbed some plates and stacked them high with food. Then he shoved one my way. I eyed the sandwich, trying to hold back my drool.
“It’s not drugged, I promise,” he said when I didn’t initially reach for it. “Just eat.”
I looked at his plate and the sandwiches, steak hanging out between crusts.
“Unbelievable,” Callum hissed, setting the plates down and allowing me to pick which sandwich to take.
I took the biggest one, earning a snort.
We moved to the table and sat, eating in silence for several minutes. My stomach thanked me.
“So, why are you still alive then?” I asked abruptly, speaking out loud the puzzle I’d been working on in my head. “You said you should be dead. Meaning your link keeps you alive? That if one mate dragon dies, they both do?”
“Yes,” he said through a mouthful of steak and bread, already onto his second sandwich.
“So, why not you?” I frowned, biting down again.
“I don’t know,” he said. “Nobody knows.”
“That’s not entirely true.”
Both of our heads whipped toward the doorway at the unexpected third voice joining our conversation.
Chapter Nine
Callum
“My Sovereign!” I yelped, standing up to salute so fast that my chair rocketed back across the room.
The Ruler of All Dragonkind lowered her head in regal recognition before her emerald-green eyes flicked ever so briefly to the third person in the room. The only person still sitting.
“Get up,” I stage-whispered out of the corner of my mouth at Madison, who was still holding her sandwich in both hands, munching away.
“Why?” she asked somewhat petulantly. “Who is this?”
“This is the Sovereign of the Dragon Isles,” I hissed at her. “She is the one who leads our people.”
“What people?”
“Allof them,” I snapped, kicking at her chair angrily. “So, show her some respect.”
