Page 51 of The Heart of the Dragon

"We can't. It's forbidden."

"Fuck forbidden," Kitra said as she moved lightning fast, pulling a knife from Gods knew where and pressing it to my mother's neck. "Dragons aren't the only ones with a mean streak, and I'm all about the greater good. And right now, keeping Rose alive falls into the greater good. So pull your heads out of your asses and tell me what I need to know." To emphasize her intent, she pressed the sharp blade against my mother's skin until the red bloom of blood dripped down her neck.

"You don't have to hurt her. Please."

I watched in disbelief as Kitra's fierce demeanor sent chills down my spine. I'd thought the dragons were the dangerous ones. I should have looked harder at the woman.

"The dark fae king… her father," my mother stammered. "And if he figures out she is alive, he will come for her."

"What?" I lunged forward, fueled by disbelief. My mind reeled, connecting dots that felt like they shouldn't exist. "You told me my biological parents were dead."

Kitra stepped back, alarmed, her eyes wide. “Oh Gods.”

"Exactly," my father said, yanking the knife from Kitra's hand and placing it on the kitchen counter before he grabbed a towel and pressed it against the tiny wound on my mother’s neck.

"But…" Kitra seemed at as much a loss for words as I was. "Why would the dark fae king care about one baby? From what I heard, he has sired many heirs. Doesn't he have a harem of seven wives? All whom have given him children?"

"But only one child was born with the omega mark," my mother replied softly.

Kitra didn't ask any more questions, and I didn't understand why. Were they talking about me? Was I that baby?

"Yes," Kitra said, looking at me.

My whole body jerked when she answered the questions I was positive I had not said aloud. "What the hell? Can you read my mind?"

"Also yes," she answered matter-of-factly. "If I try hard enough, and considering the situation we find ourselves in, I think it's warranted."

I shook my head. "No. Get out of my head. I—" I had an entire tirade in my mind ready to go, but the sudden cramping in my womb made it impossible to continue.

"I swear to the Gods," Kitra breathed, panic creeping into her voice. "I don't know what's worse—dark magic trapped andready to explode or an omega in the throes of mating heat. I know it hurts, but I promise it won't kill you. Not if Magnus has anything to say about it, and I'm sure he does."

Just as those words left her mouth, he charged back inside, the door slamming against the wall so hard I was sure he’d cracked the plaster. "What's happened?"

"Nothing yet," Kitra answered. "But I'd wager you need to stay close. We need to find her a safe place to nest until we figure out how to fix this. If the magic doesn't kill her, she is going to be in agony. I think I can buy us some time. Although I can't guarantee how much."

Ignoring everyone, Kitra helped me to the floor and laid me out on my side. She placed a warm hand at the small of my back and my eyes widened at the sharp tingles of her fingertips.

She looked at me with sympathy. "I'm really sorry, but this is going to hurt."

Chapter

Twenty

Rose

I stared around the room,my head still spinning from all the information being thrown at me as well as Kitra's magic. It was all too much to process. Especially the mating heat thing.

"You are all nuts, and I did not havemeet supernatural beings with too many screws looseon my bingo card this year," I blurted out, trying to make sense of it all.

"I didn't understand half of that, but I think I got the gist of it. You're not happy. You don't want to be magical, and you probably don't want to be an omega to an overgrown angry dragon with control issues."

Magnus shot Kitra a glare. "Not funny. And do we have time for this? She's turning every shade of red," he said, gesturing towards me.

"I have to say I agree withhim," my dad said, his lip curled in Magnus’s direction. "If what you say is true, and she's in matingheat, then we're all too late anyways. She'll be a beacon of magic to the dark fae king."

"Not hardly," Magnus snorted. "The dark fae king is dead. Deader than dead. My uncle made sure of it."

All heads in the room whipped to Magnus, and not one of them looked like they believed him.

---