Bearing Her Wishes Read Online Free PDF Page B

to talk around the issue would be an exercise in futility.
    “Ah. Finally. I expected the two of you to mate years ago.”
    Saul lowered to sit beside her on the patio. In his open-front shirt with his golden hair blowing in the summer breeze, it was easy to understand how Leiv had once mistook the two of them as lovers. Her Master was a handsome being, powerful beyond measure as a dragon, and more generous than any owner before him. She loved him unconditionally and, in return, he gave her equal affection and freedom to live her life.
    Mahasti knew him best, and over the years of voluntary servitude and friendship had become familiar with even the most subtle cues. She waved a hand to instantaneously summon a teacup, kettle, and small dishes of cream and sugar onto the table.
    “It was a moment of weakness, one I shall not repeat.”
    “Was the coupling not to your liking?”
    “No, not that.”
    “Where does the problem lie?”
    “Truthfully, I had hoped his curiosity would be satisfied.”
    Saul turned his head toward the meadow in the distance. Leiv’s cabin occupied a modest plot of land a half mile away, separated by pastures of sweet grass. “I see.”
    Over the century, Mahasti had come to understand those two words meant precisely what he said. He saw everything down to the inner truth of the matter and no amount of clever wording would keep Saul in the dark. She sighed. It also didn’t help that he had the vision of an eagle and could see the sleeping bear shifter snoring in the grass beneath a tree. “He would be unhappy beside me, and that is a fact we both know well. He wants a mate, Saul.”
    “Not any mate. He wants you for his mate.” A smug smile spread over Saul’s bearded features.
    “Leiv is a child who does not know his own wants. You and I will outlive him—”
    The smile slipped from her old friend’s face before she could take back the poor choice of words. “Yes, you will. Just as you and I will surpass the lifespan of my chosen mate, so shall you outlive Leiv.”
    A cold sensation spread through her belly. Mahasti turned her head and sighed. “My apologies, Saul. I did not mean — I did not think before I spoke.”
    Saul’s sad smile twisted a knife in her heart, filling her with a sense of endless remorse. “It is a sad fate, the burden of an immortal. Did you share this reason with Leiv?”
    “I did.”
    “You were dishonest with him,” Saul stated, his voice a disapproving rumble.
    “I never lied to him.”
    “You withheld the truth. A lie by omission remains a lie, dear friend. You may take my words of experience at face value, or you may choose to ignore my warnings, but you will never find a more deserving man willing to guard you. Never.”
    “What you suggest is…” She poured a cup of tea for herself, adding sugar in generous quantities. “It is not to be given lightly.”
    “As your Master and the keeper of your lamp, I have literally held your life in my hands for a century. My race is known for our greed, treachery, and our thirst for power, and yet you have entrusted your well-being to me, when I least of all deserve such a privilege. Tell me why.”
    “You saved me from a tyrant, Saul. Is that not enough?”
    “You have repaid the debt a thousand times over in the course of a century in my employment. Don’t take me to be a fool, Mahasti. At any moment, you could ask for possession of your lamp to be given to another and I would gladly give it; allow you to leave.” Saul thoughtfully leaned back with his eyes on the distant horses grazing the fresh green grass amidst his cattle. “Hell, I would let you stay, too. You are a friend and always welcome in my home.”
    “Your mortal has affected your speech.”
    “She has,” Saul agreed. Once he settled in, the man propped both feet on the adjacent chair and crossed his ankles. “You made an excellent attempt to drift the conversation to my beloved, by the way, but it is a failure nonetheless. Tell me