AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“We mainly stayed within the university property. Before that, I lived with my coven. We were a warrior coven, so my life consisted of training and sparring. Not a lot of time was available for exploring or traveling.”
The idea of growing up like that made me sad. Then again, it beat being homeless and broodless like I was. “I’m sorry. That doesn’t sound fun.”
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. “It’s why I play the asshole part so well. I was trained to be that. Alphas are strong and protective. They take down the enemy with unrelenting force. I could kill an army if I wanted to.”
My heart shattered at the way this strong, amazing alpha viewed himself.
“But you don’t want to do that, do you?” I asked quietly.
“Anytime before this, I would have said no, but now that the Arch Mage took your dragon and almost your life... Well… He could stand in a room surrounded by an army, and I would kill all of them without a single moment of hesitation.” The fire in his eyes backed up his vehement speech, and fuck, if his declaration didn’t turn me on a little.
“I never knew somebody offering to murder someone could be so hot.” He smirked at my words and leaned in closer, his brown and amber eyes glowing with amusement and a touch of heat. Honestly, he was the kind of sexy that would take my breath away if I wasn’t starting to get used to his presence.
“You find that sexy, do you?” he joked. We fell silent as the waitress came back with our drinks. She promised to be back in a few moments, so we finished picking our meals, ordering the moment she returned. The smell of steak was so strong that I was practically salivating as I glanced around the room, scoping out what was on the other guests’ plates. Thankfully, our table was nestled in the back, giving us a chance to talk without the crowd around us booming so loudly we would have to shout to be heard.
“This place is cozy for being in the city,” I finally said when the silence started to stretch on.
“You don’t have a very good view of the city, do you?” he asked.
“No, not really. Most of my time in the city was spent in dark alleys, sleeping among the homeless to blend in. I was strong enough to save myself if anyone tried to bug me. There was always that fear that they’d take one look at me and figure out what I was, so I kind of associate the city with fear,” I admitted.
“Growing up, we learned about the extinct species, and dragons aren’t the only one. It makes me wonder if there’s more out there like you, supposedly extinct species hidden away for their protection.”
“Dragons were supposed to be the strongest species, yet they still fell. The amount of people that attacked our brood… There’s no way we could have fought back and truly won. We tried, but a small army versus a large one is still going to end the same way no matter what our species is.”
He shook his head, his lips twisting into a scowl. “I hate our history sometimes. Your kind didn’t deserve it, and you know it was done out of greed, ignorance, and fear.”
I chuckled humorlessly. “I think everyone hates their history. We set ourselves up for failure. Instead of becoming a part of society and being protected along with everyone else, we chose seclusion. Every dragoon brood had fortified compounds, but they weren’t impenetrable.”
“I’m sorry you had to witness that and everything that came after,” he said sincerely. Our eyes met, and my breath caught. I was still getting used to having someone care this much about me and my feelings.
“It was horrible,” I agreed, “but I think it’s been long enough that I emotionally detached myself from it. I don’t remember much of my parents now. Despite that, it’s hard for me to trust easily. Other supernaturals haven’t exactly given me a chance to like them, and most of the people that have come to Mountainview, well, as far as I can remember, have been humans. It’s almost been easier that way, allowing me to stay detached from the supernatural world.”
“But lonely,” Kane said softly, reaching out and taking my hand.
“And now I have fourmates,” I said like I was testing out the word.
He laughed. “At least you’re finally admitting it.”
“How could I not?” I shrugged, then promptly steered us away from getting deeper into this emotional conversation. Not that I wasn’t glad that we had talked about all this. He likely already knew what I’d shared, but his past was new to me, and I felt like I understood him a little bit better now. “So, what’s after this?”
“Well, I’ve got an idea, but I’m afraid it might be too cheesy.” His cheeks turned a little pink. I let out an excited squeal, though it was quiet enough to keep from disturbing anybody around us. Whatever had this alpha blushing had to be good.
“Stop it. At this point, we’re doing it no matter what it is. It’s done,” I declared around my ridiculous grin.
He let out a soft growl. “If you tell the guys and make fun of me, I’ll never take you on another date again.”
“Oh, don’t lie. You would take me again.”
He was saved from answering when they brought our plates out. The moment my food was in front of me, all conversation paused. When I glanced up, Kane was busily clearing his plate, both of us turning into animals when food was presented to us.
Ever since my magic was gone, it was like my appetite had doubled. Then again, I was also growing and incubating two eggs, which could account for my body’s increased nutritional needs.
“Dessert or date?” he asked when the waitress took our empty plates away.
I thought it over, tapping my finger on my chin. “The babies want ice cream, so I vote we do the date, then we can get ice cream on the way home?” I asked hopefully.
“Your wish is my command.” He waved down the waitress and handed over a few bills to cover our food and her tip. Once she thanked us and moved away, he took my hand and led me from the restaurant. As we walked, I leaned into him, breathing in his scent and taking a moment to study him. Kane was strong and made me feel safe, but I was glad he wasn’t afraid to let his guard down with me sometimes. In my time, I’d seen far too many that thrived on intimidation, forcing omegas to submit, and that never could have been me.
