Page 48 of Payne's Envy

I angled my head, and my ears twitched. Did he compare me to a child? I roared and a blast of fire shot out of my mouth. He jumped up and hovered in the air. It was tedious to keep killing him.

Flying to the next tower, I let my senses roam through the castle. When I discovered Joy on the left side of the building, I flew to that spot and dropped. I raised my claws. Before I could slash into the brick, a whistle rang out.

“Let’s not do that, Payne.” Twisting my head around, I spotted three males floating in the air near me. They wore cloaks like the person with Ryan wore earlier. Just like with my mate, those three hadcolorsabout them. Like their souls wrapped around the outside of their bodies instead of the inside where they belonged. The one that spoke aura was blue.

The one with the beard and yellow essence smirked. “Aww. Aren’t you proud, Ryan? Your son has a tail like you.”

Blue and Red laughed, but I didn’t find it amusing. I would have sensed if Ryan was like me. I swiveled around, letting my tail whip through the air. The men disappeared. I found Yellow first, standing on the tallest tower with his cloak parted, hands in his pants pockets. Opening my mouth, I blew fire at him.

They laughed all around me, and I roared.

“Careful,” Ryan said. “He’s got a temper.”

“So, you really have amnesia?” Red appeared in front of me, hovering in the air. I swatted at him, but he disappeared again.

My irritation rose. Why was everyone in those woods so infuriating?

“He’s supposed to be Joy’s mate,” Blue called out.

“Are we supposed to be okay with that?” Yellow asked. “So, we forget how he made Joy feel all these years? Not a chance. The fact she’s not here chasing you the way she always does should be proof you fucked up.”

Always?

“We could ask Joy, but we want to hear it from you,” Red began. “What the fuck have you been doing all this time if you’ve loved Joy, too?”

A sharp pain ripped up my spine, straight to my head. When I opened my eyes, I stood in a hall, creeping around a corner. Where did everyone go? I was no longer in my dragon form. No longer on a tower about to kill the three males.

Wait, what was I thinking? What males? I had been trying to hide from Joy. It was easier to avoid her than it was trying to speak to her. How could I speak when all I wanted was to pull her close? I couldn’t—

“Didn’t Payne come through here?” My skin prickled at her soft voice. The steady clomping of her boots told me she was getting closer. I turned another corner in the hall. It felt so good to hear her. Even so, it hurt just as much.

“Stop!” Barron’s voice boomed.

It took every ounce of my control to stay put. Barron deserved his skull cracked open for raising his voice at his sister. I didn’t care how hateful wrath made him. “Can’t you see? It’s been weeks since he moved.”

My heart felt like someone had shoved a dagger into it.

“Yes, I know, and I haven’t gotten to see him much. We were supposed to hang out weeks ago, but I can’t ever catch him.”

All the air in the room seemed to disappear. It was hard to breathe. I gripped my chest as the fear held my heart, squeezing it for all it was worth. We hung out—my Joy. Tears blurred my vision. When the smell of burned flesh returned, I pinched my nose. Joy’s beautiful, flawless skin went up in flames as she screamed.

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you,” Barron muttered. “Payne hasn’t given you the time of day since he left. Shouldn’t that be answer enough?”

“I don’t understand,” she whispered.

“Yes, you do. Payne never felt the way you did. You’re nothing more than a sister to him.”

Lies!

Why would he lie to her? And yet I couldn’t correct him. Closing my eyes, I threw my head back against the wall.

“Why are you all trying to hurt me?” Joy’s voice trembled, and my hands shook.

All I wanted to do was console her. My insides were so twisted and upset, making me fucking sick of myself. Why couldn’t I be anything other than what I was? What the fuck was I? To hurt the best part of me? It made little sense. It didn’t! I loved her more than anything, more than myself.

“We’re trying to protect you,” Barron said.

Her tiny footfalls thudded as she ran away.

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