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His brow furrows together as he catches sight of the fresh bite mark on my shoulder. “Did I…”
“You did,” I say with a smile. “And so did I.” I nod toward his bicep.
He follows my gaze, and Drago goes pale. Like it’s the worst thing in the world for me to claim him.
“No, Willa. Say this isn’t so.” The pain in his eyes, his voice… I can hardly bear it.
I push at his chest, trying to get him off me, but the damn knot keeps him exactly where he is.
“Why would you say that? Is it so horrible to wear my mark?” Acid drips from my voice. Why is he being such a dick about this?
I’d expect this kind of thing from Rafe, but Drago…
Never.
A deep frown sears his forehead, puckering the scars along his brow bone. “It’s not that at all, Willa.”
“Then what exactly is the problem, here?”
Drago sighs, his eyes going watery. “Do you know what happens to a bonded and claimed pair when one of them dies?”
I shake my head. Claiming wasn’t a common practice any longer. I didn’t know much about it other than what Rafe and I had experienced. Psychic link and shimmering mark aside, there wasn’t a lot of difference.
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to claim you, Willa. I was half shifted, half out of my mind with rut fever.”
“Well, too bad, you already did.” If he didn’t cut this out, I was going to get my feelings hurt. Bad.
Drago shakes his head. “Willa, you don’t understand.” Whatever’s going on in Drago’s head makes Drago’s other head shrink, his knot as well, and I can finally kick him off of me.
You don’t get to be a dickhead and be inside me. Nope. Not happening.
I rear back and push him off with both legs hard enough that he stumbles back. Fortunately, or not, depending on his next words, the bed is big enough that he doesn’t fall off.
But I might push him off if he doesn’t start acting right.
I stand on the bed and tower over him. “Then explain it to me so I do, Drago. Or you’re getting kicked right the fuck outta my bedroom for hurting my feelings.”
He puts his hands up, as if I could actually cause him harm. “Willa, I was alway meant to sacrifice myself to the scourge. Giving it the life of the Champion and the magic we take is the only thing that keeps it from returning here but once a generation.”
The air rushes from my chest, and I fall back to the bed, limp, empty.
Devastated.
“No,” I whimper, lower lip quivering.
“I’m afraid it’s true. I thought since you had the others, losing me wouldn’t be so horrible. You’d have them to lean on. But now that we’ve formally claimed each other—”
His thought trails off, and I still can’t believe what he’s saying.
“You’re serious, aren’t you?” The words are hardly more than breath.
He nods once, gaze filling with sorrow. “This has always been my destiny, sweet Omega.”
I shake my head, but the tears are already flowing.
Drago is there in an instant, wrapping me in his huge arms, and the moment I’m fully embraced, a wail like I’ve never heard or felt before breaks free.
How am I supposed to be OK with this?
