Page 18 of Never Feed a Dragon

“Just… tell me I saw wrong, and that we don’t have a potential mate bond,” I blurted. “Please.”

There was a moment’s pause.

I heard Eli let out a long breath. “We don’t have a potential mate bond,” he finally said.

I must’ve seen wrong.

I finally relaxed against the door, for all of ten seconds.

Then Eli added, reluctantly, “Having sex seals the mate bond. Heat started while we were still fucking. Our bond isn’t potential. It’s permanent.”

My body went rigid.

My eyes widened in something that felt a lot like horror. “Tell me this is a joke.”

“I can’t, Spaghetti.”

The panic in my throat thickened. Quickly. “There has to be some way to break it then, right? It can’t be permanent, permanent. Maybe if you hook up with someone else, or?—”

“No.” He cut me off, his voice harsh. “Neither of us is hooking up with anyone else. End of the fucking discussion. The only way to break a bond is before it’s sealed. If you can resist giving in to heat, you don’t become mates.”

“Then we’ll resist giving in to heat, whatever the hell that is!”

“Heat starts when a dragon’s magic selects a mate. Mine chose you, finally.”

“Finally? What do you mean, finally?” I shot back.

“Nothing. It’s just—the magic of heat sends my fire into your veins. Sent my fire into your veins. You’ll have to deal with physical warmth and pain if we’re not touching until it ends. If we hadn’t had sex, it would be longer, and worse. Because we did, we sealed the bond, and prevented the worst of the pain.”

“I would happily take pain over a permanent mate bond.” My voice rose. I was almost yelling, though not intentionally.

“I know, Vi. Heat ignited when I was inside you. I tried to pull out, but you climaxed before I could, and it pushed me over the edge.”

“Then you obviously didn’t try hard enough,” I snapped.

“The bond would’ve sealed even if we didn’t finish together. We were already?—”

A loud knock sounded on the front door.

“Who the hell is coming to your apartment this late?” Eli’s growl was low.

Feral.

Maybe that was a little of the caveman thing Elodie had mentioned.

“Are you seeing someone?” he demanded, sounding almost nothing like the Eli I knew.

I heard his footsteps before I had time to answer, and hurried to my feet, yanking my door open. My blanket was still wrapped around me, and I nearly tripped over the bottom chunk of it.

“It’s August and Elodie. I texted her. I’m not seeing anyone. And you’re naked, E.”

He glanced down at his erection, then at the pants still in his hands.

Elodie knocked again, louder.

My phone started to ring, and I answered. “Hey. Just give us a minute.”

“He’s still sane?” she checked.

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