Page 3 of Dragon Thief of New York
Her gaze shoots up, but it doesn’t land on me. She focuses on something over my shoulder. I look back and see Damian. Shame threatens to bring up my lunch. I can handle the king’s wrath, but Damian’s… The look on his face cracks my heart open.
He’s dressed in shorts and a simple white t-shirt. His dark hair is damp like he came straight here after a shower. His mouth hangs open, and his normally tan skin seems drained and sallow.
I wish I’d been able to prepare him, warn him, say goodbye. After a year of flirting, we spent one wonderful week together, and now, this. Whatever we were building, it’s over. One glimpse of Kat ended it. No matter what my feelings are toward him, she’s my mate. It still hurts like something beautiful’s been broken and can never be put back together again.
But Damian’s hurt expression isn’t directed at me. He’s staring at my mate like she’s a ghost.
When I swing my attention back to her, she’s got her brow crinkled in confusion and a hazy look in her eyes. “D-do I know y-you?”
My head swings back around to see what he’ll say. He looks even more pale than before, his sharp features even more distinct.
“Kat,” he whispers, voice broken with emotion I can’t understand. Kat? Is that her name or just something he calls her? Kat. I like it.
But I think this just got ten times more complicated.
Chapter 3
Damian
Mybodyfeelslightand heavy all at once, like I’m floating and sinking at the same time. The woman in front of me is nothing like the girl I met fourteen years ago. Barely twenty-three then, she was sweet and carefree. I can already tell this woman is jaded, with a hard edge to her that tells me life hasn’t been easy since we parted. I should have checked up on her.
I wanted to. Every fucking day, I wanted to.
But I forced myself to stay away. Distraction was the name of the game for a while.
Until Otto.
Being with him made me think I could actually move on. It was the first time I dared to hope for a happily ever after, a committed relationship, even without a mate. It’s rare for dragons to commit to anyone until they find their mates, because… well, this could happen.
Otto’s found his other half. He doesn’t want or need me anymore. And to make it worse, the woman he’s found is the same woman the goddess chose for me. If she had only chosen me back.
Fuck, the goddess sure has a sick sense of humor.
Kat’s knuckles are white around the blanket as her gaze swings away from me with a shake of her head, like she’s trying to clear a memory that isn’t there. Not anymore.
When her focus locks on Otto, she scowls. “What the hell did you do to me?” The pissed-off glare she gives him makes it obvious she didn’t volunteer for this. “Who are you? What are you? And—fuck! I need to go! My son will be home any minute. I need to make dinner. This was supposed to be our night and—dragons! Fuck, I don’t—I’m not—this can’t be real!”
Son? Did she say son? Is she married? Did Otto even stop to ask?
My heart is pounding so loud it’s making my ears ring, but her panic is more important than mine right now. “Take a breath, Kat.”
My words draw her attention back to me, and for just a moment her eyes soften, but then they narrow in a glare that could melt ice. “How do you know my name?”
“Yeah, how do you know her name?” Otto’s youthful face creases with more lines than I’ve ever seen as his lips and eyes all turn down. “I don’t even know her name, and she’smymate.”
“I’m no one’s mate!” Kat swings her arms, which only dislodges the blanket, flashing a glimpse of her full breasts. Goddess, I’ve missed them. I squeeze my eyes shut to keep from ogling what I can never have.
“I’m a single mom who needs to get back to her kid,” Kat says, tucking the blanket under her arms the way someone might wrap a towel around themselves after a shower. “And I want out of wherever the hell this is.”
The air whooshes out of my lungs as my eyes fly open. She’s single. Thank the goddess. Well, fuck, she’s not single anymore. She’s mated. But at least Otto didn’t wreck a family with his thoughtlessness.
“You can’t leave,” Midas growls. He’s been silently blowing smoke, but now he’s glaring at Kat with an intensity that would intimidate most people.
Kat just puts her hands on her hips and stares him down like she’s the one in charge here, not him.
“Maybe we should all sit and talk this through.” Jeslyn tries to offer my girl a comforting touch, but immediately draws her hand away when smoke puffs out of Kat’s nose.
“The rest of the horde will be here soon.” Midas says. “Take her—”
