Dragons Don't Forgive (4 page)

Sierra watches each move I make. “I
can trim that after we clean up if you want.”

I grunt, which is the best I can do
because I’ve stolen a piece of meat from the center dish on the
table. The flavor consumes my taste buds. Delicious. I’m not even
sure if the cook at my castle could create something this
delectable.

I glance back at Sierra and she drops
her gaze pointedly to my plate. I decide to play nice so I can eat
more of the delicious food without causing her ire to rise. I’ve
kept only a little soup down, but each day the consistency has been
heartier, thus preparing my stomach for solid food. I really know
very little about beastkind metabolism here in their realm but
Dragons usually need lots of calories because they burn quite a few
when they shift. I haven’t shifted once since coming to the earth
realm. Because of our size in dragon form, we register on radar as
aircraft, which is dangerous for our kind. Well not really
dangerous for dragons because we can easily take out any human
threat, but, it’s chancy for beastkind. It would cause problems
with the government that rules the surrounding beastkind
territories. The shifters here don’t have the ability to escape to
another realm if things go bad.

As far as I know, dragons are the only
shifters capable of jumping realms without suffering a consequence.
From time to time we take human children across if their parents
give them over to save their lives. These children are critically
ill. Once they cross, they’re free from their illness, but they
lose their ability to speak. These children are raised by adults
who once crossed over as children. They remain in the dragon realm
and serve our needs. I have no idea how many of these servants I
have. They quietly go about their day and mostly stay out of my
way. I give little thought to who prepares my meals or changes the
bed linen. I’ve watched Sierra do both. I shouldn’t like that she
performs these menial tasks, but I do. I never felt the humans of
my realm took a personal interest in me other than to see my needs
met. They appear neither happy nor sad. It’s obvious Sierra finds
enjoyment in caring for me even with my sour
disposition.

I take another savory bite of meat and
barely manage to hold back another groan. It melts in my mouth with
the taste of herbs left floating on my tongue. I chew slowly before
swallowing then try the rice next. It’s just as good.

“
Do you like
it?”

Sierra looks so hopeful but I downplay
how wonderful it is. I finish chewing and take a long drink of
water before answering. “It’s good.” Her lips purse slightly and I
try again, “It’s really good.”

Now her smile lights up her face. “I’m
glad. My other mother, Amy, taught me this recipe and I’ve always
loved it.”

“
Other mother?” I ask
before I can stop myself. I shouldn’t be encouraging conversation.
I need to maintain a mental distance from what she is obviously
offering. I’m not an idiot and her wanting to be friends is a ruse.
She desires me as much as I desire her.

“
My birth mother was killed
a few weeks after she gave birth to my brother and me. Marcus, the
liege of the Southwest Clan, and his mate, Amy, raised me and my
brother for a few years. When my father mated again, we moved to
Florida to be with his new clan. I grew up traveling between the
clans and spent many hours in the kitchen with Amy.”

She smiles wistfully at the memories
she conjured and it’s impossible for me to remain silent and
uninterested. I have enough painful memories of the deaths of those
I’ve loved and decide against asking about her birth mother. “I
thought vampires didn’t eat or drink anything but blood,” I
question instead.

Her lashes do the sweeping cheek
thing, which makes my cock stir. “Mostly they don’t,” she answered,
“but they will enjoy some wine now and then. Marcus changed Amy to
vampire and she discovered that she loves to cook. She began
preparing meals for the clan when her chef found his mate and he
cut back on how much he works. Amy’s a great lady and really the
only mother I’ve ever known. Talya, the she-cat my father mated, is
more of a sister to me.” Sierra lays her fork on her plate and
laces her fingers with her elbows resting on the table. “Talya
doesn’t enjoy cooking, so I did a lot of it when I grew older. I
love to cook, but I don’t want to step on any she-bear toes while
I’m here.” She gives me an exaggerated wink. “You’re the perfect
guinea pig.”

Her smile is teasing, but I don’t take
the bait. I like conversing with her. “What about your brother?
Does he cook?”

She bursts out laughing at the
question and I love the sound as it echoes off the cabin walls.
“No, he can’t cook to save his life. He’ll need to find a mate who
will provide food for the table or he’ll starve.”

I think about the argument she had
with her brother. She yelled the entire time and I couldn’t hear
his side of the conversation. It leaves me curious. “You challenged
him for not having a mate…”

Her smile fades quickly. “I guess I
did. I was angry and shouldn’t have antagonized him with a subject
that is very painful for him.”

“
The absence of a mate is
not painful for you too?”

She shakes her head. “I
haven’t given up on finding a mate. That special shifter is out
there somewhere and I will wait for him to sweep me off my feet.”
Her eyes grow dreamy for a few seconds and I know she’s thinking
about this suitor that will come one day. The thought shouldn’t
bother me, but it does. Her teeth flash with another grin and she
speaks again. “Impatiently, but I will wait.” Her expression turns
serious. “My brother has an entirely different problem and he’s
hiding his true nature. He 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 finish eating and without a
word begin picking up the broken glass and food from the floor. We
work in tandem like we’ve done it before. I can’t help but inhale
his scent when he leans close. My wolf lets me know she wants him.
She’s resting on her haunches ready to pounce. She’s never been
this irritatingly persistent and I can’t help wondering if it’s
because she knows he’s at the top of the food chain. Vampires are
the deadliest beings on earth. Dmitri told me a short while ago
that a dragon, in his natural form, is deadlier. It’s hard to
believe after seeing Sarn in such a bad condition for so
long.

“
Do you want me to trim you
hair?” bursts from my mouth as soon as we’ve finished cleaning up.
I don’t want to leave and it’s all I can think of to keep me here
longer.

Sarn’s hand goes to the unruly
strands. His expression lets me know he’s about to object. Before
he can tell me to leave, I continue. “Friendship, that’s all I ask.
Truthfully, I don’t want anything more. I could really use a
friend.” Liar, liar pants on fire. We both want the other. If I can
smell his arousal, he can smell mine. I don’t care. I do need a
friend and in that I’m not lying.

He shrugs. “Are there scissors
available or will you hack it off with a blade?”

I can tell from the way he says it
that he doesn’t really care which I use. So like a man. “There are
scissors in the bathroom drawer. I’ll grab a chair while you soak
your head under the water again.”

He does exactly as I ask.
This is a surprise because I know he doesn’t take direction well,
which is a complete understatement. I watched him for far too long
while I worked behind the bar at the nightclub. Many of the other
women in the nightclub watched him too. It was something about his
cold stare and his “I don’t give a fuck” attitude that had women
flocking to him. Being gorgeous didn’t hurt either. He never
offered to help the bear shifters at closing, just sat at what
became known as
his
table. Some internal clock would finally signal that he
needed to get up and stumble to his room. He’d take a bottle of
whiskey with him while looking entirely devoid of emotion. He hid
his sadness and anger behind solid walls most of the
time.

Then there were the nights that his
demons took over. He’d pick fights by making passes at women who
obviously brought dates. Those were the worst nights. Humans
visited the club and beastkind had to tone down their superhuman
strength when dealing with Sarn. He was too drunk to care and had
to be brought down quickly, usually by three or four bouncers.
Staying away from the dragon at those times was next to impossible.
I wanted so badly to soothe his pain.

In the hours before the nightclub
closed for the evening and he wasn’t too drunk, he held court at
his table. Women sat on his lap, leaned against him, or ran their
hands over his shirt and arms. I followed those female hands as
they dipped below the table and I knew exactly when they were
touching more than his shirt. I wanted to sever fingers at this
point, but I could never look away. He didn’t encourage the women,
but my heart broke a little more each time he stood up, took one of
their hands, and led them toward his room. The night I opened his
bedroom door, I’d missed seeing him leave but knew he had been
drinking heavily. I was worried and went to check on him. Seeing
him disappear with women was one thing. Seeing him in bed with two
of them was entirely another.

I was devastated and at the same time
too angry to be around. I took the next two nights off work and
went to my cabin in the bear territory. I shifted to wolf and
wandered through the forest for almost forty-eight hours and let
her have the lead. I learned early in life that I had to try and
hold back my wildness. Shifting to wolf and staying in beastkind
form was the only way I could control myself. I have no idea how my
parents put up with me. Aside from my wolf form, my brother was the
only one with the ability to calm me. When he became distressed
because he refused to face his demons, I took over as the composed
twin. It’s like his troubles gave me the strength to join both
sides of myself and find harmony in being wolf and human. Or maybe
the easier explanation is that I finally just grew up. Until, that
is, I saw Sarn with two women. My thoughts were pure aggressive
animal. So, with distance between me and the dragon, I used my wolf
to straighten out my head.