a few days, she started to seek me out. We would take long walks and go for flights over the mountains. It soon became a game for me and my dragon to try to make her laugh.
“I thought I was lucky at finding my true mate so early.” He looked back at Jane. “If we find our true mate at all, it’s usually a bit later.”
Jane reached out to touch Kai’s uninjured shoulder, but then pulled back, lest she break the spell. “Then what happened?”
He gave a bittersweet smile. “I’d only gone to visit my mother on Clan Snowridge because I was about to join the British Army for two years. I had always wanted to be a Protector, like my uncle. But I needed the military training and experience before I could even apply.
“I had thought about giving it up for Maggie, but she encouraged me to go. She needed time to digest what the mate-claim frenzy would be like and the two years would give us both time to grow up a little more. While I didn’t want to leave her, I figured having her two years later was better than never having her at all.
“So, I went. The army suited me. I always had a place to be, a schedule, and a task. I excelled at all of my training and eventually learned to control my dragon so I could fight in the harshest environments, such as combat zones. While it was hard to be away from Maggie, I knew I had made the right choice. At least, I thought so until I finished my service and returned to Clan Snowridge to visit her, my mother, and my baby sister.”
Kai paused and Jane waited with bated breath. She had a feeling that whatever happened next had changed him from the young dragonman who had liked long walks and making a young woman laugh to the stoic workaholic sitting next to her.
With a sigh, Kai’s voice filled the room again. “The instant I landed, my mother was there to greet me with a look that told me something was wrong. When I finally wheedled the information out of my mum, I found out that Maggie had recently mated one of the clan’s accountants, a shy male who worshiped the ground she walked on. To say I was upset would be putting it mildly.”
Jane frowned. Something was missing from his story. “Wait a second. If you kept in touch with Maggie, how did you not know something was wrong?”
Kai shrugged his good shoulder and grimaced. “I later found out she was afraid I’d come racing back, force a kiss, and then she’d be under the spell of the mate-claim frenzy. Instead, she thought pretending everything was fine was a better idea. Especially since if I had challenged her mate or had attempted to kill him to claim Maggie, it could’ve started a war between Stonefire and Snowridge. And she knew I wouldn’t want that, or I’d never see my mum or sister again.”
“Rubbish. I can’t imagine you ever forcing a female, not even in your youth.”
Kai shook his head. “I never would. But some mate-claim frenzies go wrong and Maggie’s cousin had suffered one. Instead of talking about her fears, Maggie ran away from them.
“To be honest, I did the same with my anger. I came back to Stonefire and ranted at the previous clan leader, Victor Holmes. While Victor was different than Bram, he had been a good leader. He gave me two options—stay on Stonefire and get a grip on my dragon, or leave the clan until I could do so.”
“Judging by the bars, I’m guessing you stayed.”
“Yes.” Kai met her eyes and she wished she could read his expression. “Although I sometimes think it would’ve been easier if I had left.”
~~~
As soon as Kai started talking about his past and problems with Maggie, he hadn’t been able to stop.
Not even Bram had been able to get so much out of him. The old clan leader before Bram had known, of course, but Kai had wanted a fresh start with Bram. While Bram had known the basics and had seen him a few times during the worst three weeks of Kai’s life, Stonefire’s current leader had never really pushed on the subject. He sometimes
“I thought I was lucky at finding my true mate so early.” He looked back at Jane. “If we find our true mate at all, it’s usually a bit later.”
Jane reached out to touch Kai’s uninjured shoulder, but then pulled back, lest she break the spell. “Then what happened?”
He gave a bittersweet smile. “I’d only gone to visit my mother on Clan Snowridge because I was about to join the British Army for two years. I had always wanted to be a Protector, like my uncle. But I needed the military training and experience before I could even apply.
“I had thought about giving it up for Maggie, but she encouraged me to go. She needed time to digest what the mate-claim frenzy would be like and the two years would give us both time to grow up a little more. While I didn’t want to leave her, I figured having her two years later was better than never having her at all.
“So, I went. The army suited me. I always had a place to be, a schedule, and a task. I excelled at all of my training and eventually learned to control my dragon so I could fight in the harshest environments, such as combat zones. While it was hard to be away from Maggie, I knew I had made the right choice. At least, I thought so until I finished my service and returned to Clan Snowridge to visit her, my mother, and my baby sister.”
Kai paused and Jane waited with bated breath. She had a feeling that whatever happened next had changed him from the young dragonman who had liked long walks and making a young woman laugh to the stoic workaholic sitting next to her.
With a sigh, Kai’s voice filled the room again. “The instant I landed, my mother was there to greet me with a look that told me something was wrong. When I finally wheedled the information out of my mum, I found out that Maggie had recently mated one of the clan’s accountants, a shy male who worshiped the ground she walked on. To say I was upset would be putting it mildly.”
Jane frowned. Something was missing from his story. “Wait a second. If you kept in touch with Maggie, how did you not know something was wrong?”
Kai shrugged his good shoulder and grimaced. “I later found out she was afraid I’d come racing back, force a kiss, and then she’d be under the spell of the mate-claim frenzy. Instead, she thought pretending everything was fine was a better idea. Especially since if I had challenged her mate or had attempted to kill him to claim Maggie, it could’ve started a war between Stonefire and Snowridge. And she knew I wouldn’t want that, or I’d never see my mum or sister again.”
“Rubbish. I can’t imagine you ever forcing a female, not even in your youth.”
Kai shook his head. “I never would. But some mate-claim frenzies go wrong and Maggie’s cousin had suffered one. Instead of talking about her fears, Maggie ran away from them.
“To be honest, I did the same with my anger. I came back to Stonefire and ranted at the previous clan leader, Victor Holmes. While Victor was different than Bram, he had been a good leader. He gave me two options—stay on Stonefire and get a grip on my dragon, or leave the clan until I could do so.”
“Judging by the bars, I’m guessing you stayed.”
“Yes.” Kai met her eyes and she wished she could read his expression. “Although I sometimes think it would’ve been easier if I had left.”
~~~
As soon as Kai started talking about his past and problems with Maggie, he hadn’t been able to stop.
Not even Bram had been able to get so much out of him. The old clan leader before Bram had known, of course, but Kai had wanted a fresh start with Bram. While Bram had known the basics and had seen him a few times during the worst three weeks of Kai’s life, Stonefire’s current leader had never really pushed on the subject. He sometimes
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