Page 60 of Dragon Me Through Space

“So …” I took a bite and waited until I swallowed before continuing. “I’m your betrothed. How does that make you feel?”

“Great,” Wayne said nonchalantly. “I already told you I thought you were our mate, so this makes things easier.”

Zeke set his spoon down in surprise. “You said what?”

Wayne shrugged. “I had a feeling she was our mate and I told her as much. She smelled like someone I remembered, which turned out true, and we’ve all felt the connection between us.”

“Wayne!” he shouted and sighed loudly, his entire body shaking with the movement. “I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“I’m really not sure how I feel about this,” I admitted. On one hand, I was stoked that these sexy dragonkin that I’d started developing feelings for were betrothed to me, but on the other hand, it seemed … convenient. Too convenient.

“I knew you smelled good, and familiar, but it wasn’t until today that we all put it together,” Wayne explained.

“Familiar?” I asked.

“We met when we were nine, almost ten,” Zeke answered. “Your parents brought you to our planet to meet us and sign the agreement.”

My eyes widened as I recalled the day they were talking about, the memory finally resurfacing. I had been so excited to meet Dragonkin, people who could shift into dragons. It was like a fantasy and they had been so kind and generous when we’d arrived. “I remember meeting you all, but my parents didn’t tell me it was for a betrothal!”

“We were all very young, so they just told us all it was for trade business and to create a treaty between our planets,” Zeke explained. “It wasn’t until later, after you’d left and we were notified that you were missing, that we found out you were now our betrothed.”

This was all so crazy to hear let alone accept. The ship I’d snuck onto for escape, the Dragonkin who I’d gone on dates with, these protective and handsome males, were the ones I’d been searching for.

Was it fate? Had fate led to us finding each other when we had been separated by the cosmos?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

“It doesn’t benefit your planet for you to keep me as your mate now. Will you still go through with it? Will your families still agree for us to be married?” It actually hurt to ask, because I was terrified of their answer. “Would you at least provide me asylum? I don’t need a big place to live, even a small shack with the bare basic amenities is fine. I can find a job and⁠—”

Wayne set his hand on mine where I realized I was wringing them in my lap. “You are our betrothed, Xoe. We were sent by the High King to find you after your parents were killed. Plus, being our fated mate tops even a political marriage.”

Oh.

“But—”

Zeke patted my head twice. “No need to worry, Starlight.” He smiled kindly, if not a little condescendingly, as he said, “We’ll take care of you. No matter what.”

Something within me snapped. The words. The safety. The both of them touching me.

Tears welled in my eyes and bubbled over as great, wracking sobs followed.

Zeke’s eyes widened, but Wayne immediately pulled me into his lap and rocked us while running his hands up and down my arms.

“You’re safe. You’re safe. Nothing will harm you while we are with you. It’s okay now, Xoe. We’ve got you. Forever.”

Zeke rubbed my back and the two Dragonkin let me have my moment. Let me grieve my dead parents. Let me grieve for the life I had lost. Let me grieve and arise renewed and fresh from the flames of the pain and disaster.

Once I finished crying … again, I took a shower, dressed comfortably, and rejoined them in my room.

Fidgeting with the end of my tank top, I said, “I don’t really want to be alone tonight. C-Could you stay with me?”

Wayne pulled his shirt off in one swift motion, pulled the covers back on my bed, and said, “Of course. Whatever you want, mate.”

Mate.

It sent a little exhilarated thrill through me that made my lips quirk up on their own accord.

“I need to check in with Preston, but I’ll return,” Zeke promised.