Mated to the Fire Dragon (Elemental Mates 4)

He wouldn't be used to destroy her. He'd rather suffer this pain for the rest of his life.

The pain was nearly unbearable—even so, he forced himself to get up and walk away from the bedroom door.

In case she'd try to come after him and touch him again, he left the house. The thing inside him was still present. He could feel it clearly now, a darkness in his chest, a shadow where his heart had been.

There's still a chance, he thought as he sat down beneath a tree. He could keep an eye on the house from here.

No dragon would be able to approach. He could keep Alyx safe from here.

And most importantly, now she was safe from him.

Chapter Thirteen: Alyx

“That goddamn idiot.”

In her frustration, Alyx hit her pillow.

She'd thought that everything had been fine. She'd had the best day ever—and not just because one day ago, she'd still been trapped underground.

The sunlight had been great. The small shifter town had been exciting. Freedom and ice cream and people who smiled at her—she'd missed all of that so much that it still felt like a dream.

But the best thing about the day had been the way Braeden had never left her side.

The way he'd smiled whenever she looked at him. The way he'd been so proud to show her this shifter town, where no one was trapped in caves, and where everyone could live happily and peacefully.

She'd thought that it was because he wanted her to like his shifter world. He'd called her his mate, after all. He'd said that if they mated, it would be forever.

Perhaps that was when she should have known that it was too good to be true. So far, every man had run when it came to the point where it could mean forever.

But it was Braeden who'd brought it up first.

And she'd felt it too. She'd seen it—the connection between them, pulsing like golden light.

She'd felt it in every touch, seen it in every look.

She'd thought he meant it, damn it. And now he'd run like any of the men she'd tried dating during the past few years.

He's the dragon of fire. He's incredibly powerful. Maybe he's starting to realize what a letdown a human mate would be.

It was true. She had no powers of her own. She'd be his weak spot. If Steele attacked him again, she would be helpless.

He deserves a mate who can support him.

Only Liana was a human woman just like Alyx, and that seemed to have worked out just fine for her and Timothy.

So what was wrong with Alyx that Braeden had suddenly run?

He'd wanted her. She'd seen it. She'd been able to feel his need and desire through the forming bond between them.

He doesn't want the mate bond.

The realization was terrible. But what other explanation could there be?

Why couldn't you stay and talk to me, you bastard?

Frustrated, Alyx hit her pillow again. Then she took a deep breath.

I need to talk to someone. Anyone. Anyone who's not part of this entire crazy world of shifters.