won’t even speak to me about it.” She
takes a long breath and meets my eyes with an, I dare you to say anything negative look. “He’s gay,” she says bluntly.
I choke on the piece of meat I’m in
the process of swallowing. Before I can clear my throat, Sierra’s
arm swipes across the table and our plates crash to the floor. I
stare at the mess of broken dishes and food for a long moment
before bringing my stunned gaze back to Sierra.
Her eyes are a dark vortex of anger.
“You son of a bitch. He’s no less of a man than you or any other
shifter,” she yells as she jumps up from her chair. “I hate you,”
she adds as she heads for the door.
I’m so shocked at her sudden loss of
composure that she’s almost outside when I manage to speak. “Will
you give me a chance to respond?” I ask calmly.
She turns and her fists go to her
waist with her legs spread to evenly distribute her weight. My
little wolf knows how to fight, though this doesn’t surprise me. If
she often has fits of temper like I’m witnessing right now, she
needs the skills. “Go ahead, I dare you,” she replies as a low
growl escapes her throat. Her face is flushed and her rapid
breathing causes her chest to rise and fall. The tight leather of
her top is like a second skin. My cock twitches in appreciation. If
she sees the reaction I’m having to her temper tantrum, the
situation could become violent.
To turn my thoughts away from my
aching cock, I look to the empty space in front of me and think of
the ruined food that I’m almost tempted to pick up off the floor.
It’s that good. I need to fix the situation first. I peer back up
at her as I gather the words that will make her understand how I
feel. “There were only four dragons left after the curse. Now
Bastian and Laryn have found mates. For Tahr and I, every bride we
love eventually dies. While we wait for another claiming, we are
alone.” I clear my throat before continuing. “Do you actually think
I care if Tahr finds a mate who just happens to be the same sex? I
don’t. It means his mate transcends to dragon and flies forever by
his side. I will rejoice for him.” I can’t help my slight smile.
“Though, from the way he is with his past brides, I don’t think his
true mate will be other than female.” I snap out of humor quickly.
Both his and my life will be filled with empty years and it hurts
so deeply I want to scream—year upon year of loneliness that we’ve
been through so many times before. I speak again before I’m sucked
into the misery that is my fate. “I choked on the food only because
your blunt words surprised me. The Goddess chooses our mate. If
your brother’s mate is another man, so be it.”
The blaze in Sierra’s eyes fades and I
can do nothing but look away. I don’t need her pity.
Chapter Four
Sierra
Sarn’s pain fills the room like a
heavy shroud. He’s angry and desolate. I know some of the story
that brought him to this point. He grieves for his dead bride and
he did something to upset the other dragons. I have no clue what it
is. I head back into the kitchen and fill two more plates with the
leftover food from the stove.
I sit Sarn’s fresh plate of pork and
rice in front of him. “Sorry,” I mutter before meeting his eyes. “I
have a temper and the easiest way to bring it out is to say
something bad about my brother.” Heat creeps into my cheeks. “Or
make me think you’re insinuating something bad. We’re very close
and his heartache is mine even though he tries to keep me from
feeling it.” My eyes drop and I sit in my chair again. I tip my
head so I can see him from the corner of my eye and wave my hand at
his plate. “Please eat. You need the calories.”
Sarn picks up the new fork resting on
his plate and eats every last bite. I like watching him enjoy the
meal after seeing him struggle just to keep the soup down. He looks
better, his color is good, and he doesn’t appear to be shaking as
much.
We both