Page 49 of The Dragon and Her Thief
“Do you know who I am, girl?”
“An idiot,” Kelsey declared. Mythia had to admit, she was quite proud of her mate for not showing fear and standing up to Xomor. She would definitely have to reward her for her bravery.
“Watch your mouth, girl,” he snarled.
“Watch yours.” Mythia rested her hand on the hilt of her sword, issuing a warning growl.
“What did you want me to say? You’re my great… I don’t know how many greats grandfather? My ancestor?” Kelsey spat. She moved to stand in front of him and placed her hands on her waist. “Mythia told me of the curse. That whosoever held the medallion, you are bound to protect.”
Mythia tensed at Kelsey’s closeness to the other dragon. She kept her hand on the hilt of her weapon, prepared to defend her mate if necessary.
“Then you know why I am taking you away from Mythia. You are my responsibility.”
“The hell I am. Where have you been all these years? Our family has suffered. Each generation has struggled to make ends meet.” She poked him in his chest. His eyes widened as she continued on. “You know you have family, but you’ll only come around to protect someone because of a necklace? Did you seek out our family to see if we needed help anyway? You were there when Paxton lost the necklace to Mythia.”
“That is why I fought Mythia, to reclaim the —”
“It shouldn’t have mattered about the necklace!” Kelsey hollered, her voice echoing through the air.
Xomor took a step back from her, but Kelsey pursued him. He flicked his gaze to Mythia in shock. Mythia bit back her laughter and slid her dagger back into its sheath. It may be Xomor who needed rescuing.
“But I am here now to take you away and—”
“I’m not leaving my mate.” Kelsey pulled the neckline of her dress to the side to brandish her claiming mark. Mythia’s chest puffed out with pride. Her mate was proud to have been claimed by her.
Xomor froze. He moved closer to Kelsey and took in her mark, then sniffed it.
His eyes met Mythia’s.
“You are true mates.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. He would be able to sense the bond between two people who were destined for each other. He stood up to his full height. “Then I have no claim.”
“No, you don’t.” Mythia moved behind Kelsey and wrapped an arm around her waist. “Now leave.”
He stared at Kelsey for another moment before jerking his head in a nod. He spun on his heel and began walking away from them.
Mythia let out a deep breath. It was over, and she didn’t have to kill in front of her mate. She pressed a kiss to Kelsey’s head. She would take her mate home, and they would discuss her standing between two dragons.
“Wait!” Kelsey broke from Mythia’s hold and raced after him.
Kelsey stopped suddenly when Xomor turned back to her with his gaze hard.
“That’s it? You’re just going to leave?” she panted, trying to catch her breath.
“What are you talking about, woman?”
“First of all, my name is Kelsey.” Without looking, she could feel Mythia come to stand near her. It baffled her that he was just going to leave, and that was it.
“What are you asking, Kelsey?”
“I don’t know. Don’t you want to meet your other family? See how they are? Get to know them?” She looked up at the piercing blue sky. “Isn’t it lonely living a long life and not getting to know any of your descendants?”
“You just said it. Dragons have long lives. We outlive many people. Without a mate, there is no other person to walk this earth with. We are better by ourselves.” He jerked his chin toward the air behind her shoulder.
“But is it truly? Isn’t it better to know them and love them than to never have any memories of them?” she asked softly, stepping forward. “I think it’s honorable of you to honor a curse that someone put on you, but I think what makes a great dragon would be protecting those in his family because he wants to, and not because he’s made to.”
He stared at her for a moment before blinking.
“I haven’t been the best person or easiest to get along with,” he said.
