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“I don’t get it either. You’d think they would be punished for rejecting their mate. Instead, we are punished by being severed from our families and friends while mending our broken hearts.”
“Yeah. It’s nine different kinds of stupid and messed up.”
Kaida could feel that she struck a nerve and dropped it. They both continued to work on plucking the garden until it was bare once more. Kaida’s back and shoulders felt tight from constantly bending over or staying hunched over to do the work. She glanced down at all the crates of produce and had a sense of pride washing over her. She never did any kind of work growing up as it was something for the hired help to do. Kaida now wished she had pitched in every so often so she would have felt this feeling long before now. She felt productive and proud of herself for having been a help to others. The soreness in her body was a reminder that she was working for a purpose, and some of those crates were filled because of her.
A tickling sensation spread across her skin as a distant roar broke the silence. Kaida looked up into the sky to see the glimmer of a dark blue dragon overhead. The dragon circled the area from above a few times, roaring a couple of times to draw attention to itself. Kaida noticed that Azulia shook her head before going inside the house. As the dragon continued to circle, Kaida noticed it was getting larger. The sensation grew stronger as the dragon approached. A noise reverberated inside of her chest that caught her off guard, and she looked down at it like something was going to burst out of it any second.
What the hell was that?She thought to herself.
Thump.
Kaida looked up to find Beckett looking at her with a smile and a hungered look in his eyes. Kaida blushed and looked away as she tried to formulate a sentence. She cursed at herself for wanting to look at him in a way that enticed him the way he enticed her, but she had no idea how to do that. It didn’t help that he wore his usual brown leather jacket and dark-washed jeans, showcasing his chiseled abs and pecs. The difference in his appearance was his hair being tied back from his face, somehow making him look more like a bad boy than before.
I’m doomed,Kaida thought to herself before finally coming up with something to say to him.
“What brings you here today?” Then it hit her, the only rational reason why he would be there, “Oh, Gods, don’t tell me another training session!” Kaida slid the palm of her hand down her face in exasperation.
With as good of a day as she had been having, Kaida did not want it ruined by being around Blaze and his hot-tempered hatred of her. If anything, she would rather spend the day training with the girls instead. Her mind immediately tried to think of reasons why she couldn’t go until she heard Beckett bark out a laugh.
“No, I think you earned yourself a small break after almost leveling us in one shot.”
Kaida batted her eyes at him, feeling foolish as she did but keeping a confident smile on her face.Fake it until you make it.“What did you have in mind?”
Beckett flashed her a wicked grin, then said in a husky voice, “I have some ideas. Care to join me?”
Kaida should have known that Beckett would call her bluff and continue with the flirting. The way his voice deepened made her panties wet and filled her with a need. She tried to hide the fact that she rubbed her legs together, but Beckett glanced down briefly and then shot her a devilish grin. Kaida squirmed for a second but managed to collect herself.
“That wasn’t really answering my question, but I guess I will let it slide this time. Can I at least know where we are going?”
Beckett’s wings burst out of his shoulders, “nope.”
When he held out his hand, Kaida hesitated for a moment. Something stirred inside of her that caused her to think she was trusting Beckett once again without thinking things through. The last time she did that, she agreed to fight all four of the Elemental Dragon Princes. That was one of the worst decisions she ever made, and it almost cost her life.
Beckett slowly retracted his hand and looked down at the ground briefly before returning his gaze to hers, “is something wrong?”
“This isn’t a trap, is it? The other three aren’t going to be where we are going, and you four are going to attack all at once?”
Beckett’s shoulders slumped, “you think I would do that to you?
“I don’t know what to think, Beckett. The last two times I’ve agreed to go with you without thinking anything through, the first session I nearly died from training at the hands of your friends, and the second I almost passed out. Those three want me dead even if I can help them cross back into Dragaal. How am I supposed to believe you would give up friendships you’ve had your entire life for me?”
Beckett stared at her. There were tears forming in his eyes, but Kaida didn’t see them fall as he bowed his head.
“I would give up my last breath for you, Kaida.” If it wasn’t for her hearing becoming more enhanced since her dragon’s magic unlocked, Kaida wouldn’t have even heard what he said. It was in a whisper with a shaky voice. When he looked up at her, the tears were gone, but his eyes were watery and red. “The Great Dragon gave me a Fated Mate even though I’ve never done anything to deserve one, and I already fucked it up. I thought having all four of us training you at once would put enough pressure on your dragon to protect you for it to emerge. Instead, I almost got you killed. Worst of all, now you don’t trust me… and that’s the final stab to my heart that I need. I don’t know what I have to do, but I will make you trust me again. If it means cutting those three out of my life, I will. I’ll have a house built for us around here, so you can be closer to your friends. I will burn this island down right now if it means you’ll forgive me for not being the best I could have been since you arrived here.”
Beckett’s confession made Kaida’s eyes get watery. She didn’t expect him to say anything along those lines to her. She didn’t even want any of what he proposed. Not once did she think to cut him off from the other three. Kaida just wanted them to put their ancestral hate aside since she planned to help them take over the throne. She felt the wall he put up inside of their bond come crashing down. A wave of Beckett’s guilt flooded it, and it twisted Kaida’s gut in response.
“I’m sorry. This whole thing has been confusing for me. It is not helping that I was rejected, and you keep putting up this wall between us. One minute you’re sweet, the next you are standing next to them like you are on their side. Enzo did the same damn thing, Beckett. He made me think he would accept me regardless of my status as a dragon, or lack thereof, and then rejected me the moment he learned my dragon didn’t emerge!”
Blue scales spread across Beckett’s skin as he snarled, “the dickhead who rejected you is Prince Enzo?! The fucking hypocrite! I’ve heard that asshole’s speeches to the kingdoms. He broadcasts it here because he says we are still his people. He preaches love, compassion, and acceptance, BUT THEN REJECTS HIS FUCKING MATE?”
The power that rolled off Beckett nearly choked Kaida as her body wanted to lower itself to the floor. She felt warmth flow through her body, and the pressure she felt from his power lessened. Beckett scrunched his face in different ways. He bent his head down a little, hunched over, and she could hear him take deep breaths rather than let them out. She even noticed his hands clenching as scales began to form all over his skin. Kaida only witnessed her parents do this a handful of times in her life. If it was what she thought, Beckett was trying to gain control over his dragon and not shift. His dragon fighting for control this way was a very bad thing. It could mean destruction due to his dragon being this angry.
Fuck, this isn’t good.
Kaida searched through her mind to remember what her parents did to keep the other from going nuclear. A memory popped up from a time when her father was this close to losing control. Her mother tried to talk in a calm voice at first, but that didn’t work. Then she ran her hands up his arms, and he started to calm down.
Touch. Mates are able to calm each other through touch!
