Page 30 of Owen

“She still carries their blood,” Iris snarled.

“Barely,” I snarled in return. “Truly. It’s been so watered down over the centuries, I highly doubt there’s a trace of witch hunter in her. And even if there was, what of it? She was utterly unaware of the existence of you lot until now.”

I turned to Hecate. “Am I right? You are the only other who would know for certain, having been in her head. Did she have any understanding of your existence before this?”

“None.” She was firm on this, and I might have kissed her out of sheer gratitude were it not for Dallas’s presence, and the lingering taste of Molly’s lips on mine, which I had no desire to rid myself of.

I would never kiss another. Not as long as I lived.

“She is no threat to us. In fact…” I looked around, prepared to fight if that was what it came to. “In fact, I believe she is my fated mate.”

Iris groaned. “I knew it. I knew he was going to say it.”

I’d had about enough of her. “You have nothing to do with this!”

“Enough!” Dallas bellowed. “I won’t hear any further argument. I’m sick of it. Iris, if Owen believes this to be the case, there is no fighting it. This is a sacred bond we’re talking about here. Nothing to trifle with.”

She glared at me from across the room, her expression stormy. “I only find it convenient that this human happens to be his fated mate, when he’s doing everything in his power to protect her and keep her memory intact. It seems to me to be a ploy, nothing more.”

I could only laugh. “If I fight, ‘tis on behalf of my fated mate. She is more than a mere human to me, someone to meet and forget. She is everything. And I won’t allow any of you to fuss about in her head ever again.”

I expected Hecate to take offense to this and steeled myself for a fight. When she smiled, then, I couldn’t have been more surprised.

“Why didn’t you say that in the first place?” she asked, shaking her head. “You dragons are the most unlikely lot imaginable. Why not tell us what your dragon knows? I would never consider clearing her memory if she’s to be part of your clan, living as your mate. There would be no reason for it.”

“Yes, but does she not have to accept becoming his mate?” Iris asked. Always looking for the loophole, that one. “She has to accept him as a dragon, does she not? And if she doesn’t, there is nothing else to be done but to wipe all memory of this from her mind.”

My fists clenched of their own accord, but a sharp look from Dallas held me in place.

“She does have to accept him,” he acknowledged with a slight shrug.

“Aye, that she does,” I agreed with bravado I hardly felt. “What of it?”

“Do you believe she will accept who you are? What you tell her?” The sneer in Iris’s voice was unmistakable.

Leslie came to my defense, standing and staring the witch down. “And why would she not? If she feels what Owen does, she will understand. She will accept him. That is the way it’s always been when our dragons find their mates.”

Iris looked around and, clearly finding herself outnumbered, favored us all with a snarl. “So be it. When this goes wrong, don’t pretend I didn’t warn all of you.”

She marched toward me.

I stepped aside to let her pass. She didn’t possess the strength or skill to clear Molly’s memory, which was the only reason I allowed her to leave the room. Otherwise, I would’ve had no choice but to block her as I’d blocked Hecate.

Hecate shrugged. “You know Iris by now. She’ll get over it.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“She doesn’t have much say in what we do, does she?” Dallas slid an arm about Hecate’s waist, then turned to me with a quizzical look. “You’re certain of this?”

“Weren’t you certain when you realized who she was to you?” I asked, nodding to his mate.

“Aye, but there was more to it than that, and you’re well aware of it.”

“All I can do is try,” I shrugged.

“And what does your dragon think?” Leslie asked.

I snickered. “Do you need to ask? Can you not hear him?” I could hardly hear anything else but his roar in my head. Demanding satisfaction. Demanding the mate for whom he’d waited so many centuries.

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