Tipping The Scales: Knox (Mate Craze)(33)

“There was once a Viking who hunted dragons, not for food, but because they feared us. The dragon Vellock bit him on the shoulder and then disappeared, taking the other dragons somewhere they would never be hunted again. The hunter thought he was fine. He went on to marry and had twins. When the twins got older, they began having some weird behavior and on the night of their fifteenth birthday, they changed into dragons. We are the descendants of those twins. Vellock had given him the ultimate punishment. All of his descendants are the creatures he feared and hated the most. And now you know why there is so much Viking history in town as well—it’s our heritage.”

She leaned forward in the chair as I told the story. In her face, I could see her natural color returning, pushing away the red splotches from her crying.

“Do humans know? I mean except me? Is there like some sector of the CIA for dragon activity?”

I chuckled at her. “I hope not. I don’t think so. That’s why we have this town. Our clan is safe here. We don’t see many tourists. I keep them safe here. The clan and our… stuff is protected under my command.”

Something flashed in her eyes. She needed a place to feel safe, too. My mate needed to feel safe and right; if not, then there was not a damned thing I could do to help her.

“You’re in charge of all these people. I get that. That’s why they look at you the way they do, they revere you.”

I shrugged. It was something I’d gotten used to over the years. “Yes. My father was the Alpha before me and his father before him. It runs in the family.”

“But not to women. A woman can’t be an Alpha.”

I knew that question was coming.

“No, not to women. It’s not that we don’t believe women can be Alpha, it’s that we would rather them be safe. It’s just our animal’s way. With a male in charge of safety and security, our females are protected and so is our race. They are our mothers, our sisters, our daughters. Without them, we are just a winged frat house.”

She busted out laughing, and I fumbled around wondering what I’d said to make her laugh.

“What?”

“I was just thinking about, you know, dragon babies. Please do not tell me that there’s eggs or something. Eggs are a deal breaker.”

I had to laugh right along with her. “Kallie, there are no eggs. Our females get pregnant and give birth to a human baby. Shit, woman. That was funny.”

“Wait, so I won’t turn into a dragon? You won’t make me turn into one?” If I didn’t know better, I thought I heard a little bit of longing in her question. Maybe she would’ve wanted to be like me, to fly in the clouds with my mate by my side would be the ultimate gift.

“Some humans who are mated to dragons choose to turn so they can have the benefits of being a dragon. Others choose to be human. If they are female, it doesn’t matter in terms of life span though. The male dies when the female dies.”

She gasped and switched positions in her chair. Something I said had set her off.

“Wait, what?” It was a part of being a dragon I hadn’t ever really given a second thought to, but to humans, I guessed it was an issue.

“Let me explain a little more. When a female dies, the male dies at the same time or shortly after, like in hours. But when a male dies, the female lives on. It’s because the female is the center of the family. We think it is because dragon children bond more with their mothers than their fathers. Males, left without their females would go into a Mate Craze and die a slow death filled with insanity. It saves us from a bit of torture. That’s the evil we spoke about earlier. Can I ask you something now?”

There were tears streaming down her face again, and I hated that I was the one who put them there.

“Yeah. Ask me whatever,” she choked out.

“Are you here to accept that you are my mate?”

She nodded while the tears flopped down onto her thighs.

“Why?”

Fuck. I already knew the answer. I scrubbed my hands over my face knowing that I’d have to refute her decision to be my mate if it was just to save me. I’d save her life over mine with every breath in my lungs.

Not her.

I wouldn’t chain her down to a life she didn’t want out of guilt.

“This is all so new to me. I mean, like last night new. I don’t know why you chose me or what. Hell, I mean, I like you, maybe more, but two dates doesn’t mean forever where I come from, you know? There’s only one thing I do know at this point. I don’t want you to be evil or insane or whatever you will become if I’m not your mate. I can do this. I can be your mate and help you. I can finish school and come back here. I’m sure people around here need a lawyer, right? It can be done. Whatever I can do to save you.”

Freya, the Viking goddess of war and death, would be proud of the warrior spirit in her, but I was having none of it. I leaned forward and took both of her hands in mine. She scooted forward, and it was all I could do not to scoop her up and perform the mating rights right then and there so she’d never leave me, selfish bastard that I was. I looked down at the floor for a while, begging it to give me some undeserved courage to say all the things I didn’t want to say, but that my mate needed to hear.

“Kallie, I love that you would do that for me. You are an honorable female, a brave and giving woman if ever there was one. Your strength of character is one of the things I love about you. But I can’t take your life in exchange for mine. I won’t have you chained to me for any reason except love. I do not accept you as my mate. You are the most beautiful person I have ever known, inside and out, but I won’t ruin your life. You need to leave as soon as possible before I change my mind.”