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The words came out breathy, and her eyes stay locked on Midas as she asks the question. Midas just scowls and stares at the menu, but my blood boils. No one looks at my mate like that. He’s mine. If I could breathe fire, I would singe her beautiful ponytail right here and now.
In my loudest voice, I say, “I’ll have the chocolate chip pancakes.” And a side of whipped cream I can shove in your face.
I’m not sure where this jealous streak came from. I’ve never been that type of girl, but the surge of anger over a simple bit of subtle flirting has my body burning.
“Oh right. Okay.” The waitress scribbles my order on her pad, but keeps her attention on my mate. “And for you?”
When Midas lifts his eyes to her, there’s not an ounce of life in them. His lips are turned down. She noticeably shivers, but leans closer. Fuck that! I stand up, move around her, and slide into the booth next to Midas. “What are you going to have, my love?”
We both freeze as I realize what I just said. It’s not the same as saying I love him, but it’s significant. More significant than is reasonable after knowing each other for barely two days.
His eyes don’t leave mine as he says, “Bacon. A pound of it. Well cooked.”
Without giving the waitress a chance to ask if that’s all, he seizes the back of my neck and slams his lips into mine. I’m vaguely aware of the waitress walking away, but Midas doesn’t break our kiss. The jealous fire in my blood melts into desire. He nips at my bottom lip, shooting sparks straight down to my clit.
“Hmm, I love it when you’re possessive.” His hand slips under my sweater, skating across the bare skin at my back. “What did you want to do to her, little queen?”
“I wanted to singe her hair off.”
He startles me with a rare laugh. “You have a dragon in you already.”
Something about the statement feels true. Even though my mind is still uncertain about the decision I’ll make, my body and heart have already begun some kind of transformation I can’t understand.
“How did you get your scar?” I ask, trying to change the subject before I agree to something rash. I trace the line on the side of his face.
His jaw muscles tense under my touch, but he doesn’t hedge or withdraw. “Defending my mother.”
“From what?”
He sighs and takes a long drink of his coffee before he replies. “Ours is not the only dragon horde.”
So, horde is right. But that’s not what sticks in my mind. It’s the confirmation that his world is as dangerous as I guessed.
The people around us chatter on. Dishes clink. Someone hollers something from the kitchens. But in our little corner, there’s only a weighted silence.
“Is that… how your parents died?”
He takes both my hands, covering them in his larger ones. “We’ve had peace for a long time, Jeslyn. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“It’s not me I’m worried about.”
If I become a dragon, I’ll have ways to protect myself. But Finley won’t.
“I will defend her with my life,” Midas says, already reading me so easily.
“Yesterday, you seemed more likely to attack her.”
He looks away and drops his head. “A new mating bond is fragile. Until we’re fully mated… it’ll be difficult to control my dragon. Especially around a perceived threat.”
“My sister isn’t a threat.” My voice rises and a few people turn their heads. I lower my volume. “She’s important to me, and I can’t be with someone who doesn’t get along with her. Maybe you don’t understand because you and your brother are clearly estranged, but—”
Midas flinches. I shouldn’t have brought up his brother. It’s clearly a source of pain for him. I slide my hands from beneath his to on top of his and move a little closer. “What happened between the two of you?”
Midas wraps his arm across my shoulder, pulling me into his side. “He blames me for our parent’s death and hates that I made peace with the Silver Horde. He can’t see past his anger to acknowledge the lives that were saved by that peace.”
“Oh, Midas.” I wrap my arms around him, trying to offer some kind of comfort. The decisions he’s made as king haven’t been easy. I see that. His wisdom has cost him a relationship with his brother. And now, that brother wants to kill him. I can’t let that happen.
“I should reject the mating bond.”
