Page 21 of Ancient Promises

“What?”

He lowered his gaze and stared earnestly at her.

“They’re mating calls. Those are females and they’re answering a call.”

Diem frowned. “I don’t understand. Who called them?” When he didn’t answer but continued to stare at her, she put two and two together quickly. “You called them?”

He shook his head furiously. “Not intentionally. When I came to town and shifted unexpectedly, my dragon let out a call. They must be answering what they thought was a mating call.”

She took a step back. “Let me get this straight. You shifted in the street and took off my door because I’m your truemate, but those females think the sound your dragon made was youaskingfor a mate?”

“Diem,” he said, reaching for her.

She took a larger step back and put her hands up. “Nope. Your dragon doesn’t want me so he called for dragon females? That’s…really fucked up.”

She turned and walked away, too shocked to cry.

“You okay, hon?” Veron asked as she made her way into the store.

“Yeah. Don’t let him in here again. Please.”

“You got it,” Jair said.

She walked to the counter and sniffed. She couldn’t stop hearing her beasts’ unhappy growls in her head, which coupled with the sound of the dragon females drawing closer with their happy-sounding calls, was going to drive her insane.

Of course he’d want to be with his own kind. He probably knew she was a hybrid, and since he was a purebred his dragon sent out a call.

It was utter bullshit of course. She was a good female. A great one.

But deep in her heart she wasn’t surprised. People left, it’s just what happened to her. She wasn’t one of those females who was going to get a happily ever after. Eivross knew they were truemates but wasn’t going to claim her, which meant he wouldn’t be sticking around. She’d rather have never met him than hold him for just a heartbeat in her arms and lose him forever.

She picked up the old book he’d wanted to buy and shoved it on a shelf under the counter. She looked around at the store, thinking she could work to busy herself so she didn’t think about the happy meetup her truemate was going to have with one of the females coming to town, but she couldn’t see past the tears that suddenly blurred her vision.

It was one thing for Eivross to not want her as his truemate. It was an entirely different thing for him to call for a mate right in front of her, a hell she didn’t want to witness.

Turning from the work to be done, she left the shop and went up into her apartment.

Her phone buzzed, and she saw it was Arely.

“Are you okay?” her friend asked. “I was emptying the cafeteria trash when I heard dragon calls.”

Diem walked all the way to her bedroom and flopped on the bed. In a rush, she told Arely about the events of the afternoon, from the kiss to the confrontation in the street.

Another dragon call sounded overhead. They were so close!

Any minute now, Eivross would take one of those females as his mate and she’d have to see the couple around town.

“You’re truemates, though.”

“I guess it doesn’t matter,” Diem said.

“I’m sorry, babe. Do you want me to come kick his ass?”

She laughed, which made tears slip from her eyes. She brushed at them with shaking fingers.

“No, it’ll be okay. This is so unfair.”

“I’m sorry your truemate is such an ass.”