Page 53 of Marked Dragon

Nostrils flaring, Peter stepped around Elliott to get closer to me. “If it weren’t for Kelly, I wouldn’t have had to embezzle money. Her sickness damn near ruined our family.”

A cold realization washed over me. “Is that why you were so cruel to her in the end? Because treating her cancer was putting a strain on you financially?” I’d always wondered what had changed him from a caring husband and father to someone who ignored us to the best of his ability.

“Yes, she was going to die. Why stay in the hospital and rack up all those bills?”

My vision turned cloudy, and my eyes burned. “Because she was in intense pain and didn’t want to die in our house, where Eva and Elliott would have had to watch her dead body be carried out. She didn’t want those memories to haunt them.”

“So, she wanted to be a burden?” Peter snorted darkly. “Myburden, which forced me to deal withyou.”

Though I’d always known he felt that way, hearing it was worse than I’d anticipated. At least, it was out there—the elephant that had been shadowing our relationship if you could call it that.

Thorn snarled and stepped in front of me.

But Cassie was the one who spoke in a deep rasp. “Listen here. The day you chose to marry Kelly was the day you took on the responsibility of not only being a father to the twins but to Everly, too. If you didn’t want that responsibility, why marry her?”

“Because she got pregnant.” Peter ran his hands through his hair. “I wanted an heir for the family company, so I asked her to marry me. When she was healthy, it was tolerable. She handled all the children, but when she got sick—” He took a step back toward the wall.

Hurt was etched onto Elliott’s and Eva’s faces. Eva whimpered, “I always told myself it was because you were dealing with losing her, but that wasn’t it.” She stomped her foot and clenched her hands. “Then you were willingly going to hand me over to a dragon shifter prince to be hisbreeder?”

Peter huffed and rolled his eyes. “Don’t be dramatic. The Hales may be strong and powerful, but dragons and being a breeder? Come on!”

“She’s not being dramatic.” It was time for Peter to understand what he’d done, though I doubted he’d care. “They are dragon shifters, and he had no intention of making Eva his wife.”

“Wait.” Elliott stumbled back a few steps. “Is that why your eyes do weird things, and you were talking about shifting to get away?” He bit his bottom lip and glanced at me. “But you…you’re not one. How could you be with him?” He gestured to Thorn.

I licked my lips and stepped around Thorn to see my brother better. Thorn placed a hand on my arm, the jolt thrumming through my body. His action, and the way his feelings swirled through our bond, told me everything I needed to know without him saying a word—he was right here with me.

“That’s the thing.” I inhaled, trying to keep my voice level. “I am one. Now.”

His jaw dropped, and his attention flicked between Thorn and me. Finally, he asked, “Did he bite you?”

Saphira laughed from the living room, confirming everyone in there was eavesdropping on the conversation.

Damn dragon hearing.

“He turned me, but not with a bite.” We were getting off-topic, but Elliott had a right to some answers. “I fell and would’ve died if he hadn’t used his abilities to change me so I could heal faster.”

Elliott inched away, his legs hitting the footboard of the bed.

Sighing, Thorn lifted his hand slowly. “Don’t worry. I won’t change you.”

His shoulders relaxed marginally.

“Don’t be an idiot,” Peter scoffed and smacked Elliott on the back of his head. “You’re completely gullible if you believe that.”

A low snarl emanated from my chest as I stepped toward Peter. It was one thing when he treated me that way, but I would not tolerate him treating my siblings like that. “Touch him again, and what Thorn did to you will be a walk in a park compared to what I will do.”

Peter scowled.

“Dad, itistrue.” Eva moved to stand between Peter and me. “I saw people shift right in front of my eyes. Dragons are real, and Drake wants to use me as a breeder.”

“Why?” Peter tilted his head back and winced as if the movement hurt. “If they’re dragon shifters, why would they need a human to have kids with? Seems like it would weaken the genetic line, especially with someone like her.” He waved his hand at me.

“Clearly, you didn’t learn what happens when you insult my mate.” Thorn sneered and tugged me behind him again.

Vlad cut his son off. “Though tactless, Peter asked a fair question. In general, we live to be around five hundred. Because of our long-life expectancy, our women don’t reproduce very often. Normally, each couple is successful with one child, two if they’re lucky. Over the last two centuries, more dragons have died than have been born, so our numbers are getting dangerously low. Drake thinks the solution is to attempt to have multiple children with a human, while also having a wife to bear a true heir.”

“He’s operating under the assumption that dragon magic is strong enough that any child born will be a dragon.” Cassidy rubbed her forehead. “Though, no one I know can prove that. For all we know, the human could die.”

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