Page 80 of The Flame King's Captive

“Yes. He’svile.”

18

Zabriel

The hairs at the nape of my neck are bristling the moment the wordsanother Alphaare out of my Omega’s mouth. Another Alpha? Another Alpha what? Looked at you? Smelled you?

Touchedyou?

A vein is throbbing in my temple. I tug Isavelle closer to me, sweep the hair from the nape of her neck, and check for teeth marks. Her flesh is as pristine and unmarked as always, but I still growl at the thought of another Alpha being anywhere close to my unmated woman. Another Alpha what? Where? Who?

“Zabriel, what are you doing?”

I grasp Isavelle’s upper arms and peer into her face. “Why were they vile? What did this Alpha do to you? Who was it?”

Isavelle scowls up at me. “Dragonmaster Stesha. The Temple Crone sent me to give him a scroll.”

Oh. Him.

Some of my anger abates, and I straighten up. Stesha’s got a bad temper, but he wouldn’t touch what’s mine.

A wave of Isavelle’s scent breaks over me, so powerful that for a moment I think she’s perfuming and going into heat. Then I remember she just came from the Flame Temple, and the Temple Crone must have anointed her with oils.

“Blood and fire, you smell…” I trail my fingers along her throat.

I can’t control myself any longer. I scoop Isavelle against my body and hold her so tight her feet leave the ground. With my nose buried in her neck, I take deep lungfuls of her.

“What are you—oh, the oils. Do I smell more potent to you? I caught my scent for the first time, as you smell it, but it’s fading now.”

A perfect thing for the Temple Crone to do for my Omega who isn’t sure she’s an Omega. I wish I’d been there. “Mmm. Sweet little dragon.Fuck.”

Isavelle laughs. “You sound a little drunk.”

I feel a little drunk. What was the Temple Crone thinking by sending Isavelle to Stesha covered in these oils? He smelled her like this before I could. Anger and possessiveness rush through me, but I force myself to focus on my upset mate.

When I straighten up and set Isavelle on her feet, I notice that Godric and the other soldiers have left the room.

I smooth my mate’s hair down. “Sha’len, what happened with Stesha?”

Isavelle describes her brief conversation with the dragonmaster. “I wasn’t the most respectful I could have been, and I didn’t hand over the scroll when I knew he wanted it, but he called me a brat and he was sorude.” She stares up at me, her green eyes sparking with indignation. “Are you furious with him for insulting me like that? Or are you on his side?”

“If I was on his side, would that make you upset?”

Isavelle hesitates. “He was just so awful to me. The Temple Crone said you would always protect me, and that’s what this Alpha and Omega relationship was all about.”

A hopeful note enters her voice. She’s trying to understand what we are to each other. She cares what I think, and she’s craving my protection. I could jump for joy.

I fold my arms and gaze down at her sternly. “Isavelle. Did you talk back to an Alpha and defy him?”

Isavelle’s eyes fill with resentment and hurt. “I did. And I’d do it again. He was horrible to me.”

“He shouldn’t have called you a brat and been rude to you, and I’m going to talk to him about that, but there’s something I want to say to you first.”

Isavelle’s chin juts forward and her fists ball at her sides as she anticipates the telling-off I’m about to give her.

I smile and reach out, stroking a forefinger down her cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”

Isavelle blinks, her anger melting into surprise. “You are? What for?”

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