“Don’t,Donnie.”
He scowled.
“Why not? I’m glad to see you ditched that weight lifter dude. He was so wrong for you.”
World swimming again. Man, she hated Fae magic. This wasn’t working for her.
“And why is he wrong for me? Because he was good looking? Because he wants me?”
Oh, crap. She started to feel dizzy. Breathing, she regrouped. What had she been doing?
Oh right. Kal. “Because the sex is the best damn sex I’ve ever had?”
Donnie’s lip curled and his eyes narrowed.
“You slept with him? Fuck, Maddie. What the hell. Whatever. It’s fine. It's not like we’re together again or anything. Not yet.”
He reached for her again and she attempted to pull away. The world moved a lot slower than she remembered.
Kal. All she could do was think of Kal. As Donnie got too close, Kal’s massive hand reached from behind her, grabbing his forearm and stopping him.
She blinked at the spinning.
Oh, good. The only words going through her head.
Kal growled, a muted but familiar sound in her foggy haze.
“She has already told you no,” Kal growled.
Maddie tried to smile, pity wasn’t really her thing though.
“Donnie, Kal. Kal, this is Donnie.”
Donnie grabbed his arm back.
“Don’t you dare touch me, you freak.” Donnie’s eyes grew wide. “What the hell are your tattoos doing?”
Maddie glanced at her arms and shrugged.
“Glowing.”
Donnie glanced back at Kal, Maddie following his glare.
“What the fuck. Why do his glow too?”
Maddie would not get to break it to Donnie softly. There was no way to soften anything, and she didn’t owe him anything. Not anymore. She’d done everything she could, except marry him just because he believed he loved her.
“She’s my mate. You will keep your hands off of her,” Kal said.
Kal ran a hand down her bare arm, sending shivers up her spine.
“Mate?” Donnie’s voice screamed over the crowd. Maddie half expected everyone to stop and turn to look at them.
Maddie’s movements were slightly slower than normal as she reached up and laid her palm against Kal’s cheek. Reassuring him and reassuring herself, she supposed.
“Yes, Donnie. Wife, mate. Same thing really. But yes,” she shouted over the crowd. Somehow it didn’t seem as loud now though. Wow. These were some good drinks.
A rumble vibrated through Kal’s chest, waking her a bit.
“No. Mate. Wife is not for an eternity, a mate cannot leave, ever. We are soul bound.”
Donnie’s face turned a few different shades of scarlet.
Sort of pretty, Maddie thought.
“Maddie, don’t do this. You don’t understand. These guys, they are bad news.”
Kal’s arm encircled her and she smiled. He was the only kind of trouble she’d ever need.
“I might not know everything, but I promise you, Donnie, I’m safe.”
In her relaxed state she tried to reach out to Kal with her mind.
I think I’m ready to go.
His arm squeezed tighter.
I thought you’d never ask.
Kal pulled her away and dragged her in front of him.
“Wait!” Donnie called.
They didn’t.
Maddie passed Ellen who was making out with her husband. At some point in life Maddie had thought wolf shifters hot. If she’d only known.
Maddie wished Ellen all the happiness in the world.
She smiled to herself. She felt happy. This was happy. Crap, she was Fae drunk.
Nudging her, Maddie followed with Kal to continue past and towards the door. She smiled to herself, it was nice to see that anyone she’d be leaving behind would be fine. Except Donnie. But right now, that might not be something she could control.
Maddie could see the door in front of her, so close. The strobe lights behind them and less hypnotic, her head seemed to clear a little. Kal grabbed up her hand, the warmth of their connection flowing through her. Yup, she was good with this.
As they walked past the bouncer out onto the street, Maddie snuggled into Kal.
“Mate. I know what you are thinking.”
She smiled. “Kal, I highly doubt that.”
He stroked her back. “You may not be able to connect with me well yet, but I can still feel your emotions.”
She shrugged. Secrets weren’t healthy for a relationship, anyway.
“Fine then. Tell me. What am I thinking?”
They stopped.
“Aside from the fact you smell like sex, you also smell of longing. You aren’t happy with leaving that human behind, are you?”
Maddie swallowed. That really wasn’t right, but he nailed the longing part. She just wasn’t sure what it really was. Her mom mostly.
“I don’t regret leaving him. I do wish that maybe things would have been different. I wish he was different and not still waiting for me. But, mostly I just want to say goodbye to my mom. We wouldn’t leave without her, right? I mean without saying goodbye?
“We will wait as long as needed, my love, my mate. The benefit of being a dragon is I can fly wherever my brothers might wander off to. We are stronger together, but they would understand.”
She nodded. What was her problem really? A moment ago she was happy and carefree and now, well not so much.
“Let’s just walk home. Thanks for coming out with me.” Maddie started to tip over. All right, not quite sober, but at least the Fae magic wasn’t still clouding her judgement.
Moving forward, she leaned against Kal. The heat of the day still lingered on the concrete, while the air cooled more rapidly. The flashes of images from Kal’s planet surfaced.
“Kal? What’s your home like?”
She leaned closer.
“Our home, you mean.”
He put a hand on her shoulder.
“Are you cold, my love?”
Maddie nodded.
“Yes. And yes. Our home.”
Heat radiated out from Kal’s hand, filling her and covering her body.
“Better?”
She was better. She could get used to his strange magic.
“Our home. It’s beautiful. Different, and the air is thicker with magic. Earth doesn’t come close to the amount of magic we have. It’s warmer too. Much warmer.”
Kal paused.
“Maddie? Can you protect yourself? I mean, other than turn me into a chicken?”
She nodded. Tapping into their shared connection, she tried to feel what he felt. Anger. Fear. Protective.
“We’re being followed. Whatever you can do, do it.”
Allowing Kal to push her along, they ducked into an alley and waited in the shadows.
Three figures came to the mouth.
“We
