If she were to guess, David wanted her to warm up to Brad through his sister. But little did he know that until she had an honest conversation with Brad, she wasn’t going to consider the decision to marry him, or whatever the dragons called it, her only option.
She stood. “Okay, then let’s go so I can get some sleep. But I hope we can snag some food on the way since I haven’t eaten yet.”
Brad’s deep voice came from behind her. “I’ll ensure you have something to eat. Come on.”
“I’ll see you in the morning, Tasha,” David stated. “Good night.”
Something about the tone of his voice told her there was no arguing the point. Everything would have to wait until morning.
And she felt like she should obey, which was weird. It must be yet more dragon-shifter magic, of a sort.
So she merely followed Brad out of the room and down the same corridor. Only once they were outside did she stop in her tracks. When Brad finally turned toward her, she said, “I can’t wait until morning to hear this answer of yours, Brad. Why’ve you done your damnedest to make me think you hate me?”
As she watched his pupils flash in the dim light, she wondered what his inner dragon was saying.
But since she couldn’t read minds, Tasha waited for the man to answer.
Brad knew he should’ve been prepared for Tasha’s question. Ever since he’d run into David in the hall and his clan leader had mentioned how mating Tasha was the best course of action, he’d dreaded having to explain everything.
And now here she was, his fated female, wanting answers.
His dragon huffed. It’s because even you’re realizing how stupid your reasons sound.
Not entirely true. I don’t reveal everything about myself to most people.
But she’s our true mate, one that we’re about to mate officially. She should know the truth.
Brad didn’t have it in him to argue that Tasha hadn’t said yes to the mating yet.
Instead, he studied the human female in the dim light, his dragon-shifter eyesight allowing him to see her as clearly as in bright daylight.
Her brows were pinched a little as she stared at him. Even though he was so much taller, and stronger, and could shift into a mighty dragon, she didn’t show a bit of fear. Maybe she was a little afraid, but if so, he couldn’t tell.
For a human, she was incredibly strong.
Which, damn it, made him want to tell her more than he should.
Brad finally replied, “The reason I tried to brush you off all the time is because when humans and dragon-shifters get involved, things get complicated. If nothing else, you should know that from what happened with Ashley and Wes Dalton.”
Wes was the clan leader of PineRock, another dragon clan in the greater Tahoe area. Brad didn’t know him well, but the two clans hadn’t been actual enemies in a long, long time. And not attacking or threatening StoneRiver made the dragon leader somewhat okay in his book.
Tasha nodded. “Yes, I know that, but not just from what happened to Wes and Ashley, either. Remember that when a place opens its doors to dragons, we have to memorize a set of laws and take a test.”
He growled, “The laws are the fucking problem.”
She tilted her head. “While I can see that point of view, I think there’s more to it. Something you aren’t telling me.”
His dragon stood up tall inside his mind. She’s really preceptive.
Are you surprised? Nothing happens in her bar that she doesn’t know about.
Brad could brush it off and tell her to wait until morning, as David had said.
But now that his fate was almost assuredly tied to hers—Tasha was smart and would see how mating him was the only way StoneRiver could protect her for the foreseeable future—Brad decided fuck it. He’d be honest and see how she reacted. “Humans cause trouble. One stole my ex from me. They ran away in the middle of the night, and I have no idea what happened to her. She could’ve fucking died for all we know. She should’ve waited and at least consulted the clan leader. But no, she didn’t. And I’m sure the human was the reason she didn’t.”
And there was his truth. He’d been hurt by her betrayal, of course he’d been. But the days, weeks, and months of wondering whether Amber was still alive or not had been the worst part.
No doubt the human had convinced her to run. And a dragon-shifter on the run became a target of ADDA, the League, and possibly rival clans. The four Tahoe clans weren’t exactly friendly with one another, but they at least each minded their own damn business and stayed out of trouble.