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“Adara is getting weaker?” Mara and Alana had told her everything that had happened with Adara, but she hadn’t traveled to the cave. There was no point. She couldn’t see the temple forming, and the caves were littered with small rocks. Easy to avoid if you were full-sighted but dangerous when you couldn’t see. She had no desire to twist her ankle... again.
“Yes. She told me you were my mate and that I needed to protect you. I believe she knew your power would mature and that it would draw the darks.”
She tried not to be bitter. It wasn’t his fault Adara sent him to her. She had no defense against a dark dragon, and she had lived that lie once before. Still, she had been controlled by a dragon previously and her mother had died believing her stepfather loved her. Then he had used her to get to Tempest. Her life of luxury had been a lie. Did the women in the shop feel like her mother did? Was Rhadan any different from Devlin? He wasn’t dark. She could feel the malevolence when in their presence now, but she remembered being under Devlin’s spell. The stepfather she thought loved her. The man who intended to use her the same way he had her mother.
“I can protect myself,” she said.
Rhadan was silent for a moment. “I am not a dark dragon, Tempest. I would never seek to control you. Your immunity to my power is a gift unlike any I have received. You have no concept of what your free will means to me.”
“You say that, yet you just read my mind. That isn’t free will. That is invasive and rude.”
Rhadan huffed. “Rude? That is ironic. You have no concept of that word.”
Her fingers bunched in the fabric of the throw pillow, nestled beside her. “Are you serious? I was raised by a dark dragon and would have been his next wife. I was an object. Worse, a drink box Devlin planned to sip from when he had the inclination.”
“I am well aware of your origins, and I am truly sorry about your mother. She did not possess the skills to protect herself from a dark like Devlin. That does not diminish the effect my power has on those around me. Rude is having your human friends, both male and female, begin to worship you in the unhealthiest of ways. To avoid human contact for fear you will infect them with your power. To welcome the darkness and your slumber while those around you gaze on you with adoration.”
Tempest had promised herself she would never feel like she wasn’t in control of her destiny, but the world he described was worse than a nightmare. Still, she couldn’t let anyone, any man, have any jurisdiction in her life. And what if her immunity was temporary? He couldn’t guarantee she wouldn’t fall under his power as all others had. Maybe the reprieve would erode in time.
“That is not how it works, Tempest. I did not understand until your power reached for mine, but we are part of one another. You will always be immune to radiance.”
“Only yours. Devlin used it on my mother. So, another dragon could use it on me.”
“No other dragon possesses radiance. I am the first to possess this... gift. Devlin controlled your mother’s mind. Every dragon can accomplish this feat with a human. The colored dragons only use this to protect humanity and shroud our presence from society. The darks use it to acquire power and druid blood.”
Tempest placed her elbow on the arm of the couch and leaned into her knuckles. “Don’t remind me. My mother was nothing more than a well-dressed sippy cup.”
“I believed that you wanted your independence and a chance to work in the store since your world with Devlin was... confined. But you have distanced yourself from the dragons on purpose. You understand Adara needs you as do your sisters, but you expected to live your life apart from us.”
She turned to him. “Do you blame me? I accept my druid heritage. I want to save Adara, and I know none of us can survive without her, but I will make my own choices and you declaring I am your mate, won’t change that.”
The chair made a sound as he leaned toward her, “After everything I have told you, do you honestly believe I want your compliance? That your defiance isn’t the greatest gift I have been given since I formed my wings?”
She swallowed hard from the emotion in his voice. She believed him, and that was scarier than him ordering her to follow him upstairs. Her body seemed to attune itself to him as he spoke, and she couldn’t let anyone have power over her or her body. “I don’t want a mate. Especially one that controls those around him.”
CHAPTER 4
Rhadan’s power pulsed as his eyes lit with flame. He took a calming breath when Tempest flinched, and he smelled her fear. He knew she didn’t understand his power. Nobody truly did. “Do you think I want this? To control those around me? That I use my power out of hubris?”
“Then why do it? Can’t you turn it off when you don’t need it?” she whispered.
“I wish I could. Unlike the magic we can control, this is part of me. Like having blond hair or blue eyes. It is part of who I am.”
Tempest folded her hands in her lap. The simple blue dress she wore under her cardigan hid her curves, and considering he had a year of complete torture ahead of him, he was thankful for that. “Legion explained that the dragons have inherent gifts. Similar to the druids. Thorn can put anyone asleep. Legion holds the power of your species, for example, but he never explained radiance.”
Rhadan blew out a long breath. “It is not a power understood by my brethren. When it developed, we did not understand its effects and there were incidents. It is not a power I would wish on anyone.”
She leaned forward. “Why?”
He motioned to those around him before remembering his mate could not see his actions. “Do you think I wish the attention of women and men who care nothing for me? Knowing the adoration in their eyes is a result of my power? It isn’t real. My power is a lie.”
Tempest wet her lips and he could see the hesitation in her face. “Why did you order me upstairs if it wasn’t what you wanted?”
“I asked you to go upstairs so we could talk. Whenever I make a request, it is followed. Druid, dragon, or human. I was shocked when you didn’t follow my request, but I am pleased you are immune. No matter what happens, whether you accept me or not, at least your responses are your own. I cannot influence you.”
“Fair enough. What do you want then? Was Adara the only reason you came, or did Mara tell you Natalie is feeling unwell?”
“I was unaware Natalie was ill. I told you Adara sent me and that is the truth.”
