Page 27 of The Ice Prince's Fated Mate
I leaned my head back against the wall with athunkthat expressed my feelings perfectly.
Anna moved off the edge of the bed and came to sit next to me. I leaned my head on her shoulder for support. That was the thing about besties. One moment they were calling out my attitude, and the next they were there for me, no matter the issue. I loved them for it.
“Do you have any ideas on how to get it to wake back up?” she asked, resting her head on top of mine.
I was silent.
“Just tell us,” Milly said, moving to lie on her side and looking down at us. She grabbed a pillow to put under her head so she could be comfortable with the silver band of the slave collar still around her throat. “It’s going to come out eventually.”
She was right. “I ran into Dirk outside. He heard my frustration and thought I was under attack. So he came running. It was awkward. I was pretty mean to him.”
“That explains dinner,” Anna said. “I thought even for you that was a bit cold.”
I shrugged gently, so as not to disturb her head. I didn’t keep many things from my friends. We shared just about all our secrets, thoughts, and dreams.
But my past was one thing I had never been able to vocalize. From the moment they found me running for my life and welcomed me into their group, the two of them had never judged me. Never thought less of me. They treated me like an equal, and if they knew the truth, that would change.
I wanted to be their friend. Not their rehabilitation project.
“What did Dirk have to say?” Milly asked, adjusting her pillow.
“He suggested maybe I should revisit the site of the crash. That maybe it would bring my dragon back if I got over that memory.”
“That’s a pretty good suggestion,” Anna said, rubbing my arm. “Are you going to do it?”
“Yeah. I actually was going to ask you if you’d take me there. Since you can shift now and all.”
It still felt weird to think about. For years we’d been nothing more than a trio of Clippys with only our brains to help us survive. Now Anna could shift on command. It was hard to believe.
“Do you remember where it is?” Anna asked. “I don’t know anything besides it was ‘deeper in the mountains,’ according to Caz.”
I thought about it, trying to recreate the frantic flight in my head. “I think I could get us there.” I hoped I sounded more confident than I felt.
Anna wasn’t fooled. She shook her head. “You should ask Dirk. He would know exactly where to go.”
“He already volunteered. I said no.”
There was always Caz, but I wasn’t going to go ask Dirk’s brother. He would just send me to Dirk as well.
“So go tell him you changed your mind,” Milly suggested, giving me a long “this is the obvious answer” look.
“You guys, I can’t. Dirk is … I can’t.” I held up a hand to stop any comments. “I know his marks are on my side, but I don’t feel anything toward him. Maybe I did in the moment, but right now? Nothing, okay. No yearning, no need, no nothing. He’s just another Elite, even if he wants me.”
“I disliked Caz at first,” Anna said into the silence that followed my protest. “I was pretty mean to him. I assumed he was just like all the others we’ve encountered… because why wouldn’t he be?”
I nodded. That was exactly it. Dirk had taken something from me without asking, simply because he was stronger. It didn’t matter if he hadn’t meant to or if he was a good guy. He had done it, and now I was left with no choice, and that grated on me. It brought back bad memories.
“But I was wrong,” Anna said, shifting so she could look at me as she spoke and make sure I was paying attention. “Caz isn’t like the others. He’s stuck in a world not of his making, and he’s doing his best to change it. Sure, he could just kill everyone who resists, but that would leave the Ice Kingdom open, vulnerable. The Reds would attack. Maybe even the Fae. Who knows whatthe Stormwings would do if they found out. But the point is, he’s trying. And Dirk is helping him.”
I clenched my teeth, holding on to the perception that Dirk was just another Elite jerk. I had to. He had to be. Didn’t he?
“I can hear you grinding your jaw from here,” Milly said, covering up a big yawn.
“Dirk is a good man. You can’t blame him for what happened to you,” Anna continued. “Think back to how things started with Caz and me. It wasn’t voluntary. Do you really think I’d be throwing myself at the bars of a cage and touching myself publicly for a man I didn’t know? You aren’t the only one who’s done things in the moment, courtesy of our dragon, that the human part of us didn’t like.”
That was Anna telling me to grow up. Politely.
“I’m still learning what it’s like to have this other side of me awake, El. But one thing I do know is that they’re animals. Beasts. They don’t care about our societal rules. All they care about is being with their mate. Fighting it just makes it worse. They’re going to drag us along for the ride no matter what we want.”
