Page 40 of Desired By the Dragon

“She’s my mate,” I breathed, ignoring him entirely as the world rocked on its axis and my thoughts fixated on her. Kiernan. The way her laugh sounded when I surprised her, full and rich and carefree, the sleepy gold of her eyes in the morning, the way she felt on my tongue when she came and I drank down everything she gave me.

Mate. My mate.

Elation turned sour as I remembered the look on her face before she’d left earlier.

“I know it’s not what you signed up for⁠—”

“You’re right. It’s not.”

“Fuck.”

Taylor’s grin faded. “What?”

“Well, this just makes it all ten times worse. Now, I didn’t just lose the woman I love, but also my fated fucking mate. My perfect match. Fucking flames, people would kill for this kind of connection and I’ve already blown it.” I tugged at my hair and Taylor gently eased my hands away from my head when a worrying clump drifted through the air.

“No, no. You’re looking at this all wrong. This is how you win her back.”

“She doesn’t trust me,” I muttered dully, shoulders lumping as that blow hit me all over again. It hurt twice as hard now I knew how fundamentally I’d let her down, how badly I’d allowed others to do so.

“But she might trust fate.” Taylor crouched down so he was looking up at me from between my knees, like he was a fucking school teacher and I was a kid on the playground. “There’s not a dragon alive who would turn down this kind of connection, and you know it. Besides, it just confirms what you both already knew.” He smirked. “You’re perfect for each other.”

I breathed deeply, feeling the truth of his words. Taylor was right. Kiernan and I were perfect for each other. The fucking universe had said so, we’d never stood a chance at staying apart. Not when we were fated.

“So what did she open up to you about?” Taylor retreated back to the fireplace and I sat bolt upright. “What? I’m just trying to distract you from your whole doom and gloom vibe.”

“She thought her ex was following her. She was into some bad shit before she came back home and this guy, her ex, might be out for revenge.” I stood and immediately started pulling on clothes haphazardly.

“Whoa, whoa, what are you doing?” Taylor’s eyes widened as my claws flashed out and shredded a pair of socks before disappearing again. “I don’t think you can be out like this right now. There’s something weird happening with the wards and the last thing the cove needs is to see a dragon in the middle of the town square.”

I shrugged. Who gave a fuck about exposure when my mate’s life could be in danger? Who knew what this guy was capable of? Panic edged into me at the mere thought and a plume of fire flew out of me in a straight line heading for Taylor.

He cursed and lifted a hand, splitting the flames in two around him and into the hearth where it vanished up the flume.

“Okay, you may have a point,” I conceded. “But I can’t leave her out there on her own, either.”

“I’ll call Tazmin.”

I blinked, slowly unwinding the three scarves I’d put on in my blind panic. “You have Taz’s number.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

Taylor narrowed his eyes. “Shut up and be grateful.”

I raised my hands in supplication as Taylor murmured down the phone. After assembling a more practical outfit, I resumed my pacing until Taylor hung up and nodded at me.

“Taz will find her and make sure she’s okay.”

I blew out a relieved breath, some of my adrenaline draining away and leaving only shock behind. I sat down heavily and Taylor nodded, like he’d been waiting for me to crash, and walked over to my mantle where the decanter of whisky sat.

He poured me a drink and then handed it over, letting me stew in my thoughts. It was probably the quietest he’d ever been.

“I have a mate,” I whispered and Taylor grinned, raising his own glass and clinking them together.

“Yep. Congratulations.”

I laughed, the sound more awestruck than amused, and Taylor nodded again, just standing there as we sipped our drinks in silence. “What do I do now?”