********************

As soon as we'd walked into our rooms, my anxiety began to skyrocket. Dristan hadn't spoken, or even looked at me, since we'd left the tombs. I couldn't recall a time when he had avoided my gaze for such a prolonged amount of time.

Immediately upon entering, he stalked toward the balcony and hastily pulled the double doors open. He stood with his back to me, each of his hands on either side of the door frame, with his head lowered. I watched his shoulders rise as fall as he inhaled deeply. I waited for him to say something, afraid to even move.

Why was he so upset? Sure, I'd been injured, but I'd healed quickly. I was not human. I did not need to worry about the risk of death, unless I were up against a weapon like Dristan's. What I had done had not been wise, but I had saved Sylvie's life in the process. Was that so bad?

Finally, he spoke.

"Go take a shower and get rid of those clothes." He said, his voice ghostly.

My eyes narrowed at his back. "Why?"

His head lowered. " The scent of your blood is only fueling my anger. It will be easier for me to get a grip on my Dragon if you aren't reeking of blood."

My mouth popped open. "O-oh... Right, of course..."

I stood there, guilt pooling within me, as I studied the rigidness of his body. He was so tense, I thought that the door frame might break beneath his hands. I sometimes failed to consider his beastly nature. I didn't take into consideration the effect that my actions might have on his dragon.

Hesitantly, I reached down the bond, trying to feel out his emotional state. As my mind's metaphorical fingers gently brushed against the edges of his subconscious, I immediately winced. The emotion there was so strong that it nearly took the breath out of me.

Rage.

Confusion.

Hurt.

Frustration.

The strength of these emotions blindsided me.

But more than that, it was the presence that I felt in his subconscious that struck a chord in me. Feral, ferocious, intense. The emotions that I was detecting were not truly his...

They were his dragon's.

What must it be like, to constantly share emotion with his beast? What must it be like, to feel emotions so strongly, knowing that they are irrational, knowing that the emotions aren't really your own, and yet being able to do nothing about it?

"Brenya!" He snapped suddenly.

I jumped at his strict tone, before darting out of the room and into one of the massive washrooms.

**************

Like a tornado of furious, supernatural rage, I paced the living room, heaving in and out through my nose, desperate to calm the beast inside of me. I could still hear the shower running. I hadn't much time to gain control of my fury before she emerged from the washroom.

Mate, mate, mate...

Hurt, hurt, hurt...

Kill, kill, kill..

Sylvie, sylvie, sylvie...

I grunted in frustration, squeezing my eyes shut as his voice crescendoed. Between my ears, my head was beginning to pound relentless, like a war drum.

'Shut up, shut the fuck up!'

I snarled back at him, turning on my heel to stalk toward the liquor cabinet. I flung the doors open, snatched the nearest decanter of bourbon, ripped the cork off, and took three long pulls.

She, she, she...

Must, must, must...

Pay, pay, pay...

I growled, wiping the back of my mouth on my shoulder. The liquid burned the back of my throat and warmed my insides, all the way down, until it hit my stomach.

'No. Brenya would not want that. You must calm down!'

I took another three, long gulps of the liquor. My limbs began to tingle, relaxing the slightest bit, as the alcohol spread throughout my body. The pounding in my head lessened a fraction and I groaned in relief.

You, you, you...

Are, are, are...

Weak, weak, weak...

My vision went red. "Shut up!" I bellowed out loud.

I turned, about to take another long pull of the liquor, when I caught a view of my reflection in the mirror, hanging on the living room wall. I was disgusted with what I saw.

In the mirror, staring back at me with bared teeth, and eyes full of animosity, was a monster.

A monster, who had failed to protect his mate, and was now throwing a fit over it. A monster who had little to no self control, who allowed himself to fall victim to his inner demons, who didn't deserve to be with a women so... so good.

I shook my head at my reflection.

I should've let her see Sylvie... I could've supervised a visit between them, instead of being so controlling of her. If I had, and Sylvie had still decided to attack, I could've immediately intercepted it and prevented Brenya from being harmed.

But I had said no. I had made my mate feel as though I thought of her as a pet, some pretty thing that I could control as I pleased. It wasn't true, of course... I'd never thought of her as a possession.

I knew her.... I knew that she was free spirited, independent, and defiant. I knew that I could never keep her safe by locking her in a cage. Even if I could, I wouldn't want to. Her fierceness was one of the many things that I loved about her, I would never take it away.

But it didn't matter how I knew I felt. My actions had led her to think that I felt another way entirely. And I did not blame her.

I should've trusted her. I should've let her do as she pleased, and been there to protect her if she needed me to. I shouldn't have made her feel like a caged bird.

But she had to understand... She hadn't trained yet, not once. She did not know how to control her power. Without control, magic was a useless tool. I'd been afraid that, if Sylvie did attack her, she would lose control. And I had been right.

Yes, I should've listened to her...

But she also should've listened to me.

The sound of the washroom door opening startled me out of my staring contest with myself. I'd been so lost in thought that I hadn't even noticed the water turn off.

I whipped around, my eyes widening, and as my eyes met with her's, she winced.

It was the first time I'd looked at her since we'd left the tombs, and I realized immediately that my expression was likely not pleasant.

She was wrapped in a white towel. Her dark hair hung loosely over one shoulder, the end of it dripping onto the floor. As steam wafted out of the room from behind her, vanilla and cactus bloom filled the air, along with the subtle scent of flowery soap.

Brenya, Brenya, Brenya...

Safe, safe, safe...

Her eyes lowered to the crystal bottle in my hand, and then to the floor, as I stared at her in silence. I could feel my dragon calming a bit more with each passing second. The smell of her blood was gone. Her skin, now clean, smelled of her natural scent again. It helped.

"I didn't consider how your dragon would be affected." She said softly, shifting from foot to foot.

"No..." I murmured before taking another swig of bourbon. "You didn't."

She inhaled an unsteady breath. "I'm sorry."

"What for?" I growled, turning from her and sulking toward the kitchen.

The soft padding of her bare feet on the floor followed behind me.

"For not listening to you. I shouldn't have confronted her like I did... alone... I thought I could handle it. I thought I'd be able to defend myself if I needed to. I didn't realize that the stress of the situation would cripple my power. I couldn't think past my panic..."

I grunted as I set the decanter down onto the marble counter top. In search of a glass, I pulled a cabinet open and began to rummage through it.

"Yes, it was quite a foolish fucking decision. But that isn't what I'm upset about."

I spotted the glass I needed near the back of the cabinet, snatched it, and shut the cupboard door with exaggerated force. I turned just in time to see her jump at the sudden, sharp noise. She stared at me, gaping, as I poured myself a generous serving of liquor.

She eyed the brown liquid. "But your dragon obviously is."

I smirked, threw the glass back, swallowed, and slammed it down onto the counter.

"Quite."

She winced. I didn't back down as I stared into her mismatched eyes. I wouldn't sugar coat any of this. She'd sent my dragon into full blown panic mode. She'd hurt me. She needed to see exactly how upset we were.

"Then what is it that you are so upset about?"

Her hair was still dripping onto the floor. She clutched the front of her towel with both hands, and the damp material clung tightly against her lush frame. She'd bundled the towel so damned tight that her breasts were very closely pushed together, making the top of her cleavage quite noticeably pronounced.

The concerned expression on her face caused her groomed brows to pull together slightly, and her thick, lower lip was slightly pushed out. She looked... vulnerable. It was not often that I saw her this way. Normally, she was so damned collected, so certain of herself, so defiant.

I couldn't help but appreciate the moment. For once, she was unsure. For once, she was submitting to me. The sight of her, vulnerable and undone before me, sent a sudden throbbing sensation straight toward my cock.

Fuck...

I moved around the island, separating our bodies with the flat, marble surface. Her brows furrowed even further as she watched me. I tried to act casual, plucking an apple out of the bowl on that side of the counter top.

I rolled the apple between my hands. "Isn't it obvious?"

She sighed before stepping forward and pouring another portion of bourbon into my emptied glass. I watched her, both annoyed and aroused, as she threw back the liquor.

She licked her lips after she'd swallowed and I tried to hide my cringe as my cock twitched again. Gods damn it all... It didn't matter how angry I was with her... No matter what, she would always own me. I wanted her.

"Is it because I got hurt?" She asked, turning her eyes back to mine.

I stared at her. "No."

She watched as I took a large bite out of the apple. Then, I set the apple down, the missing bite facing her, as I chewed and swallowed.

"This apple is damaged." I said, stating the obvious. My hand quickly waved over the front of the apple. A tendril of magic left my hand, replenishing the missing part of the fruit. She stared at it, her eyes widening a fraction.

"But magic can fix it." I said, leaning my forearms against the cold counter. "If you are harmed, your magic will heal you. I know that, just as well as you do. Am I happy that you were injured? No, absolutely not. Am I angry? Of course. But that is not why I am upset with you."

As she sighed deeply, I conjured an extraordinary amount of effort not to watch the way her breasts rose and fell with the motion of her chest. My eyes stayed glued to her face as my teeth ground together.

"Then what is it?" She said, pouring herself another drink.

With one hand holding up the towel, her cleavage slipped out a little bit further.

I turned my back to her, sighing heavily through my nose.

"You insinuated that I think you are some sort of pet." I growled.

She was silent for a beat.

"I know. I'm sorry... I just can't stand it when you try to control me. I should've listened to you. I shouldn't have said that. You were right." She said, her tone sincere.

I shook my head slowly. "No... I was wrong, Brenya. I shouldn't have made you feel like you were trapped. I should've let you see her. I could've gone with you. I pushed you to your limit. What happened was my fault. I should've listened to you."

Another long beat of silence. I waited.

"Then why are you angry?"

I turned to face her. "Because you should've listened to me, too. Your powers are young, you could've been hurt far worse than you were. You have no training, no control, and no idea how to use your magic. You had no regard for my warnings. You didn't listen."

She stared at me, her sea foam green, and ocean blue eyes boring into my soul.

"You're right... I should've listened." She whispered, her eyes growing watery.

My anger melted instantly. I felt my shoulders sag at the sight of her expression.

"I should've listened, too." I said.

She gave me the ghost of a smile. "I guess we are both shit listeners, aren't we?"

I felt the corner of my lip quirk up. "So it would seem."

She let out a soft laugh as a single tear slid down her cheek.

"Don't do that..." I grumbled, squeezing my eyes shut.

"What?"

"Don't cry..."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing." I said, my eyes snapping open.

She shook her head once. "I can't."

I narrowed my eyes slightly. "Why?"

Her lower lip trembled slightly.

"Because you haven't forgiven me, yet."

We stared at each other from across the kitchen island. Another tear slipped past her eye.

Damn it all, the woman had me wrapped around her finger.

I pushed off of the counter, my eyes never leaving hers, and slowly made my way around the island. The closer I got to her, the further back her neck craned, as she stared up into my eyes.

I stopped an inch away, hating myself for making her cry. If there was a sight in this world that I detested, more than anything else, it was seeing my mate cry. I hated that she seemed to cry so often, and that there was nothing I could do about it. But this time, she was crying because of me. I'd hurt her feelings. And it softened me in a way I'd never experienced before.

How strange, the way that love could soften someone. It stripped me of my armor, made me utterly transparent, in a way that I'd never been before. It should've frightened me, how strongly I felt for her. But it didn't. She wasn't just some girl that I'd grown feelings for.

She was my mate. And I loved her.

She closed her eyes as I lifted my hand and gently brushed her tears away with the pad of my thumb. "I forgive you. I will always forgive you."

She smiled softly as her eyes reopened.

"Can you forgive me as well, mate?" I asked softly.

Her smile widened and she nodded, pushing her face further into my hand. "Yes.I will always forgive you, too... Even if you are an overprotective, fire breathing brute."

I chuckled quietly. "I promise you, I will not treat you like a pet. I won't cage you in like I did today. I will aim to do better in letting you make your own choices."

"Thank you." She said.

"But you must understand, mate..." I lowered my head, my expression growing dark.

Her brows rose a fraction as she studied my darkening eyes.

"Just because I am going to try not to be so overprotective, does not mean that you can run around making foolish decisions. You have forced me to save your ass on several occasions, mate. Shall we count your offenses?"

She blinked.

"You ran from the Bakru village, against my orders, and in result, you were almost killed by wolves. You signed your soul away to Ronan Regulus, despite my several attempts to make you see reason. You ran into the forest, without waiting for me, and came face to face with a murderous wolf pack. You killed the pack leader, using almost all of your magic, and sent yourself into a two week long coma, when I could've easily killed him myself. You were sliced to ribbons by Sylvie today, after I'd told you several times that it was too dangerous."

She winced with each of her foolish decisions that I listed.

"You cannot expect me to trust your decisions if you never consider my input. You must hold up your end of the bargain and listen to me before you make decisions. Brenya, I will always strive to protect you. You will always be my top priority. But if you continue to make foolish decisions, I will intervene. It is not because I think of you as my pet, or as some pretty possession that I can control at will... It is because you are my mate, and I love you."

Her eyes darted back and fourth between my own. I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. She was listening to me. She was truly listening to me. She was submitting.

"You..." I trailed my index finger down her jawline.

"Are...." I brushed my thumb, feather light, across her lower lip.

"Mine."

Her jaw went slack and her pupils dilated as I sent an echo of dominance down the bond between our minds. The dominance I'd sent to her was not the controlling sort... Not the kind of dominance that would have her on her knees before me.

It was a taste of the dominance of my love.

The dominance I'd shown her through the bond was the only way to make her understand that my love for her dominated every other instinct in my body. I wanted her to understand that it would always overrule any other emotion that she made me feel. Anger, sadness, everything. My love for her would always thrive.

And because of it, I would always protect her.

"And I am yours." I whispered.

She blinked back tears.

Gently, I tucked a damp strand of her hair behind her ear. "Can't you see why I struggle to control my protectiveness of you?"

"Yes..." She breathed.

"And can't you see why you must listen to me?"

"Yes..."

"We must work together. We must trust each other, listen to each other, and protect each other. Even from ourselves, sometimes."

"Yes." She mouthed, reaching her free hand up towards my face.

She ran her fingers over my lips, her eyes filled with love and admiration.

"I'm sorry for not understand that, before." She said, smiling slightly.

I kissed her fingertips. "It's alright, love. You teach me, I teach you. That's how this works. We'll learn and grow together."

"Yes, we will." She smiled.

I stared down at her, amazed at this exquisite creature that was my mate.

"I was quite angry, you know... with you, but more with myself." I said.

She withdrew her hand from my face. "I know..."

"I'm sorry for being so harsh." I added, examining her face.

She gave me a crooked smile. "It's okay."