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I shake my head, my eyes filling with tears. “I know that. But what if the next one…”
“She would want you to have a life.”
“What life?” I snort. “It’s not like I had one before this.”
She crosses her arms, challenging me with the lift of her chin. “So, maybe it’s time to make one.”
“You mean retire.”
She shrugs. “We could go legit. Start a kitchen herb business. One that doesn’t include poisons.”
I consider that idea, but my mind can’t seem to conjure what that future would look like—not without seeing my mate there with me.
Ugh.
“The male you saw,” I say slowly, “In that other future… what was he to me?”
“What do you mean?”
“Were we… together?”
“I’m not sure. I think that was part of the choice you need to make—the choice that will save you.” She pauses and then cocks her head. “Do you know who I’m talking about?”
“I met someone,” I say quietly.
“Who?”
I hesitate, trying to calculate how much to tell her and how much to hold back. “A dragon. From Tartarus.”
“No way,” she breathes, eyes wide. “What was he like? Tell me everything.”
A killer.
A monster.
“Well.” I swallow hard. “He’s my mate.”
“What?” she demands. She returns to the table, keeping her distance, I note. “I cannot believe you sat on this for a whole day. Tell me everything.”
My mouth lifts at her enthusiasm. It’s the first semblance of normalcy I’ve had. “He was at the bar when I finished work the other night.”
“What did he say?”
“Nothing.”
“You didn’t speak to him?”
“No, I just felt… It happened so fast, and I think he was as shocked as me.”
She shakes her head, amused, but then her expression pinches, and she goes still. “Is he the one who did this to you?”
I hesitate, shaking my head rather than spilling the terrible truth. “I’m not sure, but there was a darkness in him. Something I’ve never felt before. Strong magic. It made me dizzy. At the time, I thought it was the mate bond, but now I’m not sure.”
“You think he cast a curse?” she asks. “A dragon?”
“I don’t know.” I sigh. “What do you think?”
“I couldn’t see the male in my vision, but I think you deserve to know one way or another.”
