Tipping The Scales: Knox (Mate Craze)(34)

I don’t know what I expected after saying the last thing that my dragon wanted me to say. What I wanted at that moment was for her to grab my keys, take my truck, and leave town as soon as possible.

She needed to have her life.

By letting her go, I was saving her life.

She was so young and vibrant. I wouldn’t take that from her and being mated to someone who you didn’t want was like being in a cage.

She pulled her hands from mine. “What in the actual fuck, Knox?”

That I didn’t expect.

“Don’t, Kallie. There is no argument you can make that would change my mind.”

“What if I told you that I loved you?”

I had gotten back up and walked toward the back window, still in view of her, but so far away. If she told me she loved me, then at least I would go insane with a smile on my face.

“What if you did, Kallie? Would it change your reasons for wanting to stay with me? If you loved me, the first thing you would’ve said on that porch was that you loved me and wanted to be my mate. That wasn’t the case, was it?”

She wrung her hands and wiped them with a little too much force on the thighs of her jeans. “I don’t know, Knox. It’s too fast. Isn’t it fast for you?”

I blew out a breath and turned around to face her. I had to see her face.

“Yes, Kallie. It was fast, but no less true. I have loved you from the moment I saw you at the diner. I knew you were my mate before then, but the genetics of who we are wouldn’t allow me anything else until you were of the mating age. I love you now, and I will love you for the rest of my life. I don’t care if it’s fast or what it looks like from the outside or to humans. We dragons fall heart first, and hard. But that doesn’t change my decision.”

Her fists were balled at her sides and the redness that had once marked sadness was now preempting a side of Kallie I hadn’t seen yet.

I wasn’t sure I wanted to, either.

She stood up and squared her shoulders.

“You listen up, Knox… fuck, I don’t even remember your last name right now, but I’m sure it’s something dragon-y. I should probably know that since I’m here wanting it to be my last name too. I came here to do some research and have a nice spring break, and the next thing I know I’m looking at my person-boyfriend-guy I’m dating-whatever turn into a dragon right in front of my eyes. Then he tells me that I’m his mate. I’m supposed to be his wife and have his dragon babies or some shit. And so I go home and cry and beat myself up about the way I feel about you and how I shouldn’t have run last night. I should’ve stayed with you, let you wrap your arms around me, that’s not normal. None of this is normal. And now I’m standing here, telling you that I want all of the things that you do and you’re telling me to go? I wish I had never come here. I wish I had never met you.”

That’s what I wanted, what I needed from her at that moment. She needed to be angry with me. She needed to be furious enough to leave this place and never look back. Fuck if I didn’t want her with every fiber of my being, but not like this.

“Good. Forgot you ever met me. Go on with your investigation and whatever fun you were having here with Rhi before I ruined it. I will stay out of your way. I can even fly somewhere else if that makes you feel better. Keep the damned truck, too. It smells like you now. I don’t want it anymore. The only thing I ask is that you keep our secret. I don’t want to endanger my clan because of a stupid move on my part. I should’ve know better.”

She was crying again, but still raging.

“It’s not like anyone would believe me. I won’t tell a soul, not even Rhi.”

“Fine. But just know that this was real for me, Kallie. I wanted you for life and not just to save myself. I wanted everything with you.” My chest was breaking open over and over knowing that I was driving away the other half of my soul. If it had to end, it shouldn’t be like this. I didn’t want the last thing I saw of my female to be her hating me from across the room.

“Yeah? Well remember that I wanted to help you have it, and you turned me away like a coward bastard.”

“Whatever lets you sleep at night, sweetheart.”





14





Kallie





Keep the damn truck, too. It smells like you now.

“Fuck you, Knox!” I screamed in retort as I barreled out of his driveway in said Damn Truck. “Fuck you!” I knew it was childish and that he couldn’t even begin to hear me, but it felt good to say. How had things fallen so far off track? How?

The road was a blurry mess in front of me and all logic told me to pull over until my stupid tears dried up. Had I been in the city I would’ve done just that for fear of ramming into someone after missing a stop sign. Here, they had a total of four and those were all in town in the opposite direction. I was fine.

Reaching in my pocket, I dialed Rhi. There was no way I was going to discuss the evening with her, but she would worry if I just didn’t show up. Or not worry if she found her own entertainment, but given the entire town spit fire, my guess was she was alone. She picked up on the first ring, the sound of music blaring in the background. Her music. She had to be in the car.

“Where are ya?” The background music lowered. Car it was. Please let her not be drinking. She usually had some sense when it came to that, but we were usually within walking distance, too.