Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 86059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86059 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 430(@200wpm)___ 344(@250wpm)___ 287(@300wpm)
Even after all this?
She has used me—betrayed me—but she is still my mate. I would never harm her.
But I cannot trust her, and right now, I cannot look at her. I fling myself into the madness, shove at the roof of the house and explode out of it, beating my wings to take off into the sky.
RACHEL
Coughing, I barely manage to escape the collapsing house before it tumbles to the ground. Thanks to Jurik’s rage-induced flight, the entire building collapsed and I stare mournfully at the rubble. Somewhere in there is my pack, and the magazine, and…
And I’ve been left behind, I realize dully. I stare up at the skies, but Jurik’s body is nothing but a gold speck retreating into the distance. His thoughts won’t touch mine, as if I’m polluted somehow. Gone are the pleasant, sexy thoughts from earlier.
There’s nothing now, just remnants of his anger.
I think of how ugly he was to me when he woke up, and it hurts. I don’t know what I did wrong—is it so weird to want to return to Fort Dallas? But it hurts to be abandoned. Hurts to be left behind, alone and helpless.
I’ve been abandoned before. My parents deserted me when I got hurt in the early days of the After. I remember how betrayed and awful I felt, how alone.
I feel like that right now. I thought a bond with a dragon was supposed to give us a mental link? A forever partner? Instead, I’ve been abandoned an hour after we had sex.
That…stings. A lot.
More than that, it hurts that when he looked at me, he was disgusted. I’m used to that from others, but it cuts deep coming from him. He’s always made me feel pretty…until now.
I don’t know what I did that’s so wrong. That made him instantly hate me. I guess I’ll never know, either, because he’s left. I try to reach out to his mind, but I feel nothing but madness, nothing but sheer and utter chaos.
Maybe he didn’t realize it was me he took as his mate. I touch the bite mark on my neck. Maybe he realized it was a mistake once he saw me and realized what he’d bound himself to.
And now he’s left me to fare for myself, miles and miles away from the fort. I look at my surroundings—at the cute little houses—with considerably less enthusiasm now that I’m trapped.
I thought that the worst thing that would happen would be that Jenny and Manda would get kicked out of the program. That they’d be forced to fend for themselves in the fort. I thought that would hurt me the most.
Turns out, the betrayal and disgust in Jurik’s eyes hurts far, far more than I imagined it ever could.
30
JURIK
YOU ARE LOST, Luminoura tells me, her infant mind pushing through the darkness with all the grace of a thunderstorm. WHERE ARE YOU?
The world is slow to return. I drown in the overwhelming color and sound until Luminoura reaches out to me again. This time, I follow her light, and as I do, the madness recedes. I sit atop a tall building, the slaughtered remnants of a herd animal in my claws and my head full of questions.
It is night. I do not remember it being night. I wonder how much time I have lost.
Immediately, I think of my mate.
Rachel.
She does not want me—just wants to go back to her hive—but I want to reach out to her just the same, because I need to touch her mind. I hunger for her, even though I do not want to.
She betrayed me…but I still need her. Still crave her.
I shift from battle-form to clear my raging thoughts and reach out for her. I only vaguely recall leaving her side, just the rush of anger and betrayal I felt. I push through the clouds of anger that threaten to overwhelm me again, and send a wave of affirmation to Luminoura, letting her know I am fine. I turn my focus to my mate, clearing everything else from my head.
The thread of Rachel’s thoughts is surprisingly easy to find. It is there, clear and sweet and pure…and full of terror. She is scared and hurt. She is abandoned and feels alone. I can practically feel her tears on my face.
Rachel’s sadness claws at me. It is my fault she is so sad. Yes, she betrayed me, but…she is my mate. The last thing I want is her misery. I push aside all my anger and shift to battle-form once more, heading toward her.
I follow the stream of Rachel’s thoughts through the skies, and they lead me back toward her as unerringly as a scent trail. I have gone far from her indeed—when her scent returns on the wind, I feel such intense relief that it washes over me like a physical thing. There, my spirit says. There is your mate.