Page 74 of Dancing with My Elf
He nodded with a certainty. “I know it.”
With a slow blink, I said, “That can’t be possible. We’re not even the same species.”
Lucas brushed his hand over my thigh, and the familiar sparks returned.
“That doesn’t matter.” His slight smile was edged with optimism. “Others have been fortunate enough to find the mate bond across species. Look at Sebastian and Gianna.”
I tipped my head. “We’re not Sebastian and Gianna.”
“I realize that.”
The conversation with Gianna and Nova replayed in my mind, the way it had been irking at me. “I thought it wasn’t possible for you to find a mate.”
“Who told you that?”
I rubbed my temple. “It doesn’t matter.”
He narrowed his stare. “Nova and Gianna?”
“I don’t know.” My shoulder jerked. “Maybe.”
He huffed. “They need to stay out of my business.” After exhaling audibly from his nostrils, he added, “I don’t blame you for being skeptical. I was, too, at first.”
Questions roiled as I tried to catch up with his surprising revelation. “Why do you even think it’s possible?”
He pumped out his chest and placed his hand on it. “I feel it in my heart and soul. My dragon knew right away, but it took me more time.” He fixed a probing stare on me. “More time as I got to know you. More time as I fell for you.”
Oh, sweet and sour spells. What I would have given to hear him say such affectionate words at another time. Another time where our world wasn’t threatened by the most destructive beings I’d ever encountered.
He appeared so vulnerable, I just wanted to take him in my arms and run with it. But I couldn’t. Too much was at stake.
Emotions swirled around me like a fog as I wrestled between what I felt and what I thought was the right thing to do. I thought of my father, my family, and everyone I’d met over the years whose lives were destroyed by demons. My attraction to Lucas distracted me from the moment we met. This new possessiveness with my growing feelings compounded it, and it made me less effective in my job. We were at a time where I couldn’t afford any distractions. If the demons won, we wouldn’t have a chance.
Nobody would.
“I’m sorry, Lucas. The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but you must know this can’t work. I’ve spent years trying to stop them, and it’s more critical that I focus on that now more than ever.” A weight slammed into my chest before I forced myself to utter words I wish I didn’t have to say. “We need to end it.”
Hope in Lucas’s eyes fell, replaced by dark shadows. A whirlpool of regret churned inside. How could I be the cause of his pain?
His jaw twitched. He stared straight ahead. “I understand.”
Then he opened the door and walked away.
Lucas
Sunlight drifted onto my face. I groaned and turned away from the window, covering my head with a pillow. Last night had to be a nightmare. Otherwise, I’d have to face the bitter truth that I’d found my mate—and she rejected me.
I had zero interest to get up and go out, the way I usually spent the day. The only time I went downstairs that morning was to feed Shadow. He wouldn’t let my heartache get in the way of his stomach. He must have sensed something was wrong as he spent much of the day on the bed near me. Curled up in a gray ball on top of my gray bedspread, he blended in, matching my gray mood.
“Thanks for hanging out with me, bud.” I ran my fingers through his soft fur. “You’re the only one I want to see today.”
Shadow meowed and licked my hand. His tongue rubbed the back of my hand like wet sandpaper that tickled in a weird way. I resisted the urge to pull my hand away though as he was comforting me with his kitty kisses. Some people claimed that cats were cold and didn’t care about their caretakers. They only stuck around for food. That wasn’t true. I’d already fed Shadow and here he was offering his support with a subtle head nudge or simply sitting quietly nearby.
I pulled out my phone and checked my calendar. Ugh, I was on the schedule to work that night. No way was I up for that.
I called Frank. “Hey, I’m not feeling well and can’t come in tonight.”
Frank was not pleased or sympathetic. I ignored him. “Did anyone from the Network reach out?”
