Page 738 of Love Bites

“Well, that’s good,” Math muttered.

“Dragons don’t usually survive the loss of a mate. They usually die of a broken heart within days.”

Math stared at the king. “I have to admit, death sounds better than thirty years of abject misery.”

“It’s why you don’t see many dragon widows or widowers.”

Now that the king mentioned it, that was true. Math didn’t know anyone who had survived the death of a spouse. His parents had died within five days of each other.

He sat and held his head in his hands. His dragon paced inside him. “This is all a lot to take in.”

“Didn’t your father take you aside and tell you this when you were a teenager?”

At that, Math laughed. “Did youmeetmy father?”

It was a rhetorical question, of course. The king had worked with the previous Duke of Draco on many occasions.

The king bobbled his head from side to side. “Okay, I can see where Cedrych may not have been forthcoming with details. I can’t believe you got to forty-two years old without knowing about the birds and the dragonflies.”

“They should have taught us about mating frenzies and senescence in school,” Math said. “This is definitely an appropriate subject for Supernatural Sciences.”

The king bobbled his head again. “They’ve had a new curriculum for the last decade or so. Back when you were in school, King Ianto was very conservative and believed that such things should only be discussed in private. You guys got abstinence-only magical sex ed.”

Math scowled. “I really wish someone had told me that I would have to choose between burning a woman I love alive or walking around like a zombie for thirty years. That’s something I would have liked to have beenpreparedfor.”

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