Page 82 of To Spark a Dragon's Love
Ember and Riley were on their feet and heading toward me. I didn’t want their pity right now. I couldn’t afford to fall apart. I held out my hand to stop them, but it wasn’t why they froze in their tracks.
His presence pulsed against my back. The warmth of him eased the chill of the early morning. Each cell in my body lit up at his return.
All eyes in the room were focused my way.
I turned to him.
When I did, the full force of the mating bond hit me squarely in the chest and I gasped as itsqueezed.The excruciating pain almost made me double over, but Malachy wasn’t outwardly injured.
He stood unbent and unbroken.
It was only the torment swirling in his eyes that betrayed the full strength of what he could no longer hold back.
Malachy looked around the room, meeting everyone’s eyes, and licked his dry lips as he lowered his gaze to mine.
“Earth no longer requires my assistance.” His voice was cold, devoid of emotion. But he was silently crumbling before me. Such a strong man, brought to his knees as he said, “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you.”
30
Malachy
What Now?
“Malachy, please let me in,”Willow’s voice slipped through the cracks in the wall I was struggling to hold up around my mind. It was physically killing me to keep her out, but when I realized she was feeling my pain, I had to do something.
I paced the inside of my bedroom, slamming those walls back up, as my beast continued to rage.
Rejected. Worthless. Weak.
Will you fucking shut up?I bumped into the table, rattling the empty liquor bottles that mocked me with their complete uselessness in drowning out the voices within my head.
The silence outside my room was welcome. The voices and knocking hadn’t stopped for the past two days. They’d grown tired of trying to get me to come out. It was for the best. I needed time to think of how to face Willow again without breaking her heart.
“Oh shit.”
The scared whisper broke through my haze, followed by the earsplitting sound of a reciprocating saw being turned on.
“Who gave her power tools?” Lucan growled.
“Mind your business,” Riley growled back. “Let her work.”
I hurried to the door, reaching for the doorknob and pulling my fingers back seconds before the teeth of the saw came jutting through the wood.
“I’m done playing around, Malachy!” Willow’s voice was steady over the tearing of teeth and wood splinters as the saw jerked to the left. Sparks flew as it hit the strike plate on the door jamb.
Kieran and Lucan began to yell at her.
My dragon roared, telling me to protect my mate. I risked my limb as I wrenched open the door, wanting to get to Willow before she hit a support beam and brought the walls crashing down.
“You,” she spat, pointing the vibrating saw at my chest.
“Enough. I’m here.” I held my hands in the air.
“I don’t think so.” Willow swung the saw in an arc, making everyone stagger back a few feet. “I’m taking the lock from your door until you stop throwing a tantrum.”
“A tantrum?” I panted.
“Yes, a tantrum!” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she screamed.
