Page 13 of Happily Ever Witch
And hemightgive it to them.
Possibly.
Being in a mystical coma for almost two years was extremely irritating. Trevelyan was predisposed to look favorably on those who woke him up, regardless of their motivations. So, he’d hear them out. If they begged, and paida lot, and didn’t piss him off maybe he’d make a deal. Maybe. Otherwise, he’d just kill them and get on with his life.
Then, offarless importance than all of the above, was the witch.
Marrok’s witch.
Trevelyan had told the others to leave her alone with him and they had. Truthfully, they seemed grateful to be rid of her for a few moments. Maybe they thought he’d kill her and finally stop her talking. Now, it was just him and the woman, alone in the lab. So far she didn’t seem any happier with him than he was with her.
“What are you reading?” She demanded, a suspicious frown on her pretty face.
Trevelyan ignored her.
The situation would be simpler if the witch’s attachment to Marrok was physical. Trevelyan knew it wasn’t, though. Marrok had found his precious True Love and that smug bastard was the most moral Baddie ever born. He’dnevercheat on Scarlett. Not even with a woman as beautiful as Esmeralda. No, the witch really did consider Marrok her brother.
Her fucking “family.”
She wanted to stand with the wolf and his moronic group of morons, because she thought they were all super-terrific. That was much worse than if she was just having sex with the man. Trevelyan could counteract sex. He was very good at sex. Surely, better at it thanMarrok.
(Not that Trevelyan had any firsthand knowledge on Marrok’s skills, as they both preferred women. But you could tell just by looking at him that the wolf had no imagination, atall. In a sex contest, Trevelyan would completely win. He was sure of that.)
Also, sex didn’t mean very much. Sex was just sex. It came and went. Lately, it had been in the “went” column, if he was being honest. Even before the mystical coma, he’d been avoiding it for… reasons. But, what did it even matter? Only loyalty counted, in the long run. And Esmeralda’s allegiances were tied to Marrok and her friends in the Enchanted Forrest.
So be it.
Trevelyan had given her a choice. He’d warned her that there were two sides to the war: dragon or wolf. Anyone who stood with Marrok would be mowed down along with him, when Trevelyan struck.
Even Trevelyan’s True Love.
She wasn’t his mate, after all. He hadn’t decided that only she would do for him.
Mates were important to dragons, because they were the partners theychose. You and your mate stood together against threats, and went after the same goals, and fought the same enemies, because you were loyal to each other. Perhaps, you raised some children to perpetuate your line and increase your family’s power. Youractualfamily. Couldn’t be simpler. True Love was an alien concept, butloyaltyhe understood.
Too bad the witch didn’t.
“What are you reading?” She demanded again. “You might as well answer me. I’m hard to ignore. Ask any of my parole officers.”
Trevelyan shot her a glare, still scanning back and forth between the files. One was his and one was Esmeralda’s,both from the Wicked, Ugly, and Bad Mental Health Treatment Center and Maximum Security Prison. He understood enough of the WUB Club doctors’ bullshit to know he was screwed. That reeking hellhole of a prison had taken his blood. It tookeveryone’sblood.
And the markers in his exactly matched the witch’s.
Trevelyan sighed in frustration. It had been pointless to even double-check the results. He didn’t need the damn mystio-physiological screening to feel their bond. Bad folk instinctively knew their True Love. At least that’s what he’d been told. Trevelyan had never believed it, until now. (He never believed anything he couldn’t see, hear, taste, scent, or feel for himself.) But, he’d opened his eyes, saw Esmeralda and… recognized her. Somehow, though, he’d been hoping that the files would disprove what he already knew was real.
Why was his luck always so fucking lousy?
The woman was devoted to Trevelyan’s mortal enemy, she seemed horrified to have him as a True Love, and she wasn’t a dragon. Dragonsalwaysmated with dragons. What in the frozen-hells was he supposed to do with a mate who wasn’t even a dragon?
She wasn’t his mate. Obviously.
The witch might be his True Love, but there was no way he’d ever choose her as amate. If he kept her, she’d surely just be an ancillary part of his life. Perhaps that would work. Trevelyan wasn’t known for close relationships. Maybe he could just put her somewhere and forget about this mess.
“Whatever you’re reading, you should probably stop.” She persisted. “You look pissed and youalreadylooked pissed,so maybe you should read something else, before you set something on fire.”
That wasn’t likely to happen for a while. His powers were too drained from the long sleep to take on his dragon-form. He could feel the monster stirring, but it wasn’t able to emerge, yet. That did nothing to improve his mood.
“That White Rabbit is measuring Dark and Light magic on a continuum.” He reported, since she wasn’t going to stop nagging about the files. “These charts are full of information on his testing process. Did he tell you that?”
