Page 29 of Protecting His Treasure

“Do you hate her?” Silas asked.

“Of course. But that has nothing to do with my mate.”

“Your mate is a witch.”

“I feel like we’re going around in circles here but getting nowhere. I love my mate. I hate the witch who banished me here. The two have nothing to do with each other.”

“But your mate is a witch,” Silas said.

“No shit,” Kaede yelled, flame igniting in his eyes.

“You’re angry now,” Silas pointed out.

“No shit,” Kaede said again.

“Are you angry with us? Or are you angry at witches?”

“What the hell? I came here for help…”

“First, we must figure out what you need help with,” Thompson told him. “None of our treatments have worked before because we weren’t treating your root problem. I believe this is why unhinged shifter never understand what caused them to become unhinged. They blame it on their inner animal and their curse. But we do not believe that is the only factor. The curse of the first full moon tugs on all of your emotions. It pulls on your love, your hatred, your anger, your joy. And it twists those emotions up, making the shifter confused about what he’s feeling. He can’t tell if he’s feeling love, hurt or anger. They’ve all been melded into one. Your inner animal has it harder than others. For sixty years it has felt nothing because of the curse a witch placed on you right before she banished you here. Your dragon is having a hard time telling these emotions apart.”

Lies. I know what love is. I know what hate is. And I know the difference.

“I don’t think my dragon has a problem telling love from hate.”

“There’s a thin line between love and hate,” Silas told him. “Sometimes those lines get blurred. Sometimes they get crossed and you don’t even realize you’ve crossed them. Then when you search your mind and heart, seeking the exact moment when you crossed it, you can’t find a definitive answer. Love and hate can sometimes feel the exact same. Sometimes you can hate someone you love. And vice versa. Sometimes you can love someone you hate.”

“So, you’re saying I secretly hate my mate?” That was bullshit.

“No,” Rankin told him. “We’re saying you hate witches. And your mate is a witch.”

Again, they were going in circles. “How do I keep myself from hurting my mate on the night of the full moon.”

“You love your mate, Kaede,” Thompson told him. “We do not believe you will hurt your mate on the night of the full moon.”

Kaede’s eyes widened. “Really?”

All four men nodded.

“But,” Silas started. “We do believe you will kill a witch on the night of the full moon.”

“Kill a witch. But the only witch I’ll be with is my….” Kaede couldn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to. Silas finished it for him.

“The only witch you will be with is your mate.”

“But you just said you didn’t believe I would hurt my mate.”

“We don’t. But we do believe your dragon will kill a witch during the night of the first full moon.”

For a second, a brief moment, they’d made him feel hopeful. Then they’d taken that hope and ripped it to shreds.

“I should go,” Kaede said as he rose from his seat.

“Sit down, Kaede,” Thompson called out.

“I should leave. This isn’t helping.”

“We’re not done.”