Finding Faith (Return of the Dragons)

She hadn’t thought it was possible to be more shocked than she was when her dragon first started talking, but she was very, very wrong. He’s… Cody’s my mate? How long have you known? Why didn’t you tell me?

I’ve known from nearly the beginning. That was why I pushed you so hard to give him a chance. I didn’t tell you because you weren’t ready. You would have run as fast as you could, and there would’ve been nothing I could say to get you to give him a shot.

And what about last night? You couldn’t have told me when I was freaking the hell out about what he is? Maybe I wouldn’t have run like I had if I’d known he was my mate!

Oh yes, you would have, her dragon replied wryly. I know you inside and out, remember? You weren’t ready. Look, I’m not judging you. You went through hell, and you trusted no one after that. You needed time. Time to get to know him, time to come to terms with the fact that there really are good people still out there.

And that’s why you’re telling me now? she asked skeptically.

Yes. You accepted him today—all of him. And you came home ready to defend him to the other dragons. You know he’s a good man, so I knew you could trust that him being your mate is a good thing. You wouldn’t have believed that before.

Pursing her lips, she thought about what her dragon was saying. And in the end, she reluctantly acknowledged that her animal was right. Knowing he was her mate wouldn’t have made a bit of difference in the beginning.

Mates were revered, the one thing shifters longed to find in their lifetimes. Some never found them, never got to experience that sensation of completeness and total happiness.

Olivia had always dreamt of finding her mate. But after what she’d gone through, she wouldn’t have trusted in it. She came out of her imprisonment believing there was no good left in the world, in people.

She’d lost her faith.

But since meeting Cody, her feelings had begun to change. He’d done that. He’d shown her there was some good in the world, and in people in general. That not everyone was evil.

Despite what her dragon said though, she still thought she could have handled knowing the truth before she found out what he was. Her animal was wrong about that part. Because if she hadn’t already begun trusting in him, if she hadn’t already believed, down to her core, that he was good, she never would have gone with him earlier.

Maybe, her dragon said. But that was the call I made. And a day of not knowing doesn’t make much of a difference in the grand scheme of things, does it?

She rolled her eyes. I’m not going to validate your choice to hide something important from me, if that’s what you’re after.

Fair enough. Just remember when you have that talk with Fiona how painful your existence will be if you give him up. I don’t think you’re giving her enough credit—but if I’m wrong, don’t give up your mate just so you can continue to coddle her. You’ve done enough of that over the years, don’t you think? And I can’t see that it ever really helped her.

Ouch, she replied with a wince.

The truth hurts sometimes.

Shaking her head, she pushed her dragon’s voice

—and her unease at the thought that she was right about how she’d treated Fiona—away as she searched for her sister. She finally found her in the kitchen, and she did her best to smile as she approached her.

“Hey. Do you think we could talk? Outside, maybe?” she asked, not wanting the others to hear.

Fiona’s brow furrowed with concern. “Yeah. Is everything okay? You look worried. Is it Cody? Does what he is actually scare you?”

Shaking her head, she followed her outside, not speaking until the door was closed behind them. “I need to ask you a question, and I need you to be honest with me, okay?”

Frown deepening, her sister nodded. “Okay. What is it?”

Inhaling deeply, she prayed for courage—to not only ask the question, but to do what was best for herself, no matter what answers she got.

“Does it bother you that I’m with Cody?”

Fiona froze, her green eyes widening. “It worries me that he’s a hybrid. It worries me that we don’t know for sure he can be trusted. I don’t want to see you get hurt, Liv. Was I that obvious?”

Biting her lip, she hesitated as she weighed her sister’s words. “Yeah, kind of. The day he drove me home, everyone was all abuzz that he’d asked me out, but you left the room during the conversation and never returned. You were completely absent when they were helping me get ready for the date. And this morning, you seemed… well, you were smiling a little when you thought things might not have gone well with him, and then you were seemed off when I said everything was fine.”

“I guess I wasn’t as subtle as I thought,” Fiona muttered, making her heart sink. Eyes widening, her head snapped up as she locked gazes with Olivia. “Wait. Do you think it’s because I’m jealous again? Is that really what you’re asking?”

“The thought crossed my mind a time or two,” she admitted.

Fiona immediately shook her head, the look in her eyes earnest as she spoke. “Oh, Liv, no. Look, I was a spoiled, jealous, bratty idiot in the past. I wasn’t content with what I had—and what I had was more than enough. No, I wanted everything you had, too. And I acted inexcusably toward you, and eventually, my actions led to our capture.”