Page 94 of Always Say Yes to a Dragon

My wings stretched to curl around her. I winced as the movement revealed cuts and bruises. “Trophies are good,” I said carefully. “They mean the recipient has done a good job. But you shouldn’t insult yourself by saying you’re a discountanything.”

“I’m not an object.” Her breath heaved in and out. “I’m not a woman-shaped substitute for gold!”

“Obviously. You’re way better than gold,” I said.

Her nostrils flared.

Fumbling for the right words, I added, “And you’re a person. So you can leave at any time.” My breath caught on the words, my heartbeat ratcheting up at the reminder.

Elle gaped at me for a long moment. “You know what? I think I need a few minutes.”

She stormed off, her dress swirling in her wake.

I stared after her. She’d asked for space, but everything in me screamed to follow, so I flexed my wings and stared at the wall, trying to calm myself enough to give Elle what she’d requested. Long breaths in and out while I reminded myself that she hadn’t shownanyinterest in Udar, that she’d disappeared in the direction of our room, not the dining room.

And then my fucking dad showed up. Because of course he did. It was the perfect opportunity to make me feel worse.

“Az’zael.” Dad dipped his head in a curt greeting. “I know you and Udar have had your differences, but I thought you could get along for a single dinner party.”

My scales darkened. “I gave Udarmultiplewarnings to back off. He’s the one who tried to poach my mate. Are you going to talk to him, too?”

Dad’s eyes went wide. “It’s not stealing if she wants to leave.”

I threw up my hands. “What the fuck do you want from me? I’m an adult, yet every time I turn around, you and mom are lecturing me like I’m still a kid! I’m trying to make it work with Elle, but that’s pretty goddamned hard when you undermine me at every turn.”

Dad looked shocked. “Undermine you? We just want you to be the best you can be.”

“You want me to be like Udar: the perfect son with the perfect hoard and the perfect balance of knowledge and gold-sniffing. But I’m not.” I rubbed my face. “This is why I don’t visitmore, you know.”

My dad recoiled. “What?”

I waved a hand at him. “Figure it out yourself if you’re so goddamned smart. I have to go find Elle.” Or do anything else that got me away from my family.

I took my time clomping after her, racking my brain for the right opener. Tell her I’d already commissioned a bracelet for the Rúndiamhra Síoraí set? Udar had made such a big deal out of it.

Only, she hadn’t seemed to care.

I wanted her to give me all the soft words she’d given me the last time we’d fought. About how she liked me and saw how hard I worked and that we’d figure things out together. But to get that, I’d had to give her time and space and understanding, and my insides crawled and twisted with the need to claim her after fighting Udar.

So I slowed my pace again and dragged in breath after breath as I plodded down the hallway.

23

Elle

Fuck. Great. Having a fight outside a dinner party after my boyfriend beat his brother’s ass, like the trashiest of white trash.

I stormed away from Az and back to our room before he could say something else ridiculous. Even if leaving halfway through meeting his parents was embarrassing, facing them again while I tried to pull myself together sounded way worse. My back was soaked with sweat after having two dragons transform mere feet from me.

God, I should have known this would be a disaster. We’d started off the night with my mom making us late. Then his parents picked him apart about random bullshit. His brother only added to it, and of course his sister was no help.

I’d never been more grateful to be the only child of a single parent.

Back in the room, I called Mama. She’d ask me a million questions, but I needed to check on her, and it wasn’t like tonight could get any worse.

“Hey, Mama.”

“Hey, baby, how’s that fancy-schmancy dinner going? Do his parents like you?”

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