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“Why would it be strange?” This modern language wasn’t difficult to learn, but it felt odd on my tongue.
Arizona sucked in a sharp breath of air while her parents’ eyes grew wide. “Rez, now really isn’t the time.” Arizona hissed under her breath.
“Because one of you would have to feel jealous, or at the very least some awkwardness, knowing what was going on in the other room. We all walked in on them together this morning!” Her father waved at Zon.
It took me a minute to put the words in the correct order before speaking. “There is no jealousy between us. It is beautiful to watch her with Zon, and he feels the same when she is with me.”
The color drained from her parents’ faces, leaving them the color of sun-bleached bones.
Rez! Having more than one partner is not common and is considered unacceptable in most societies!Arizona’s pulse raced, panic coursing through her.
I don’t understand. They are your parents, they would have found out, I tried to reason with her.
Maybe not! she protested.
Unless you planned to cut them from your life or cut us from your life, then it is impossible that they would be kept in the dark forever.
There was a long pause. Too long. My stomach lurched as the realization of what her silence meant slammed into me.
My Queen? You did not plan for us to stay together? My words shook as the mental link between us wobbled.
Her words were so soft that I nearly missed them. I-I don’t know. This is all so much to take in.
I tried to see things from her side. Her fear, her confusion, her uncertainty.
But my pain was too strong.
We’d dedicated our lives to her when she was nothing more than a vision in the high priestess’ head. I’d allowed myself to be magically bound as a gift to her, even though it had meant I would live without a mate in my previous life.
I’d survived those long years filled with loneliness, clinging to the glimpses of visions the priestess showed me. My love for her had grown every day. It had never occurred to me that by the time I met her, times would have changed so much that she was unwilling to accept the mates the priestess had prepared for her.
Now, I was faced with the possibility that I would be forced to live a second lifetime without my mate’s love. Without Arizona.
The pain of that knowledge was too strong. I could no longer bear to be in the room with her, knowing that she was contemplating a life without us. I didn’t want her to feel pressured to accept us, but neither could I handle the hurt that her hesitation was inflicting on my soul. To be near her, but not to be claimed by her… it was a special type of torture.
I tried to speak to her, but the mental link between us trembled and crumbled. Without my confidence in our bond, my mind couldn’t maintain the link.
Clearing my throat, I managed to speak with a calm voice, a voice that hid the tumultuous storm raging inside me. “I think maybe it is best if I give you privacy with your parents.” I fought the urge to lean down and place a kiss on her head and strolled from the room.
I walked out the door of her dwelling—home—and made my way down the hall, and emerged outside, following the way we had come the night before. Standing at the edge of the road, I wasn’t surprised when Zonkut stepped up by my side.
We were not brothers born of blood, but we had been best friends since hatching. I almost smiled at the memory of Zonkut fiercely defending me when we were children. While I carried the strength of a beast that struck fear in the hearts of those around me, I’d never been eager to brawl.
Children could be cruel, and they seized on my reluctance, viewing it as a weakness. Zonkut had no such reluctance, and he relished any opportunity to hone his skills as a fighter. He’d pulled me from tight situations several times. Now he was in this mess because of something I had drawn him into.
I’m sorry, brother. Of all the visions the priestess shared with me, I never saw one where our bonded would not wish to claim us. I ground my teeth together. We both gave up our chance for a family when we last walked the earth, all to be part of her life. And that may not be possible now.
Zonkut’s answer, when it came, sounded far away as though underwater. His skills with mental communication were not nearly as strong as his skills with his claws and teeth. I hold no grudge. You did not force me into this destiny. It is like a battle. We may win, or we may lose. There were no guarantees.
A battle? What a strange way to look at love. But the longer I thought about it, the more I thought he might be onto something. What if I treated this as a battle for Arizona’s heart?
My heart still ached at the thought of her hesitancy and the rejection that could bring. That was because I felt as though I’d known her. I was already in love with her before I’d met her in person, and the thought of her refusing to claim us was devastating.
The problem was that Arizona hadn’t known anything about the priestess, dinosaur shifters, bonding, or even magic until a few hours ago. She needed time to understand and then hopefully accept us.
We needed a battle plan.
It was time to capture our beautiful Arizona’s heart.
