"What he means, Lord Finnley, is I already have a mate," he all but shouted.
Gone was the lecherous smile. Finnley's face was now a mask of rage and shock. He stepped forward. I felt my hands turning to claws and my vision switching to infrared.
"Your father gave his word, his promise to me you would be mine. Your ass will be mine. Whoever this mate of yours is, I don't care. If you don't bond with me, I'll burn your circle to the ground. I will kill every dragon, every mate, everyone! Glenfinnan will be nothing but ash and rubble," Finnley snarled.
He turned to Alister. "You have until the end of the week to talk some sense into him, or we go to war." With that, Finnley turned on his heel and stomped out the door, his man close behind him.
Clusterfuck
Roarke
What a clusterfuck, I thought as I flopped down on the recliner across from Krispin in my living room.
It was late by the time we got back to my place on the other side of Glenfinnan, but I knew I had to update Krispin on what had happened at my father's house. Devin went up to our room and I yearned to join him.
Closing my eyes, I put my head back and exhaled loudly. I’d forgotten how comfortable this recliner was. I had not been home for nearly a year. I’d been gone even before meeting Devin in my need for distance from my father. I opened my eyes and looked at Krispin, who was waiting patiently for me to speak.
I exhaled again. "It's a clusterfuck, Krispin," I said.
“Coming here, I thought I'd only have to deal with my overbearing father. It turns out we have to deal with a crazy-ass lord of the neighboring Dragon circle,” I said with a shake of my head. A part of me wished we had never come here, but I knew it would have been worse if we hadn't.
"Tell me what happened," Krispin commanded.
“At first, I got into it with my father. He disrespected Devin and I. I revealed my new lineage and was ready to come to blows, if necessary. Then my da got in the mix and put us both in our place.”
I smiled, thinking of my dad. He was so strong for such a little man, I knew he loved me and wanted the best for his family.
"We achieved a tentative truce, and I felt my father's acceptance after I explained everything, but then Lord Finnley showed up for dinner," I continued, exasperated.
"Apparently, Aaran told my father we were coming home. He didn't tell him about Devin, but my father knew we were on our way here. My father thought it would be a grand idea for Finnley to get to know me."
"How bad did it get?" Krispin asked.
"Bad. Finnley blew up. He threatened the circle. That he would raze it to the ground unless I bonded with him. He gave my father until the end of the week to bring me to my senses." I growled the last part. "After he issued his threat, he stormed out of the house."
I stopped talking. Krispin's face was a mask of rage. It was a fearful thing to see the Dragon King when he was angry.
"What is your father doing to fix his lack of judgment?" he snarled.
"After Finnley left, my father called his inner circle to prepare them for a possible attack," I explained. "He also called for an emergency council meeting. There hasn't been a war between dragons in nearly two millennia. The hope is that he can stop Finnley before he can start."
"Why is Finnley so set on this union?" Krispin asked.
"I don't know. Devin asked the same question. My father didn't seem to know, but I think he was holding back," I replied, voicing my impression.
"Why do you think your father is holding back? For what gain?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. He got all tight-lipped, and I think… I think he fears Finnley, and I don't know why."
"Do you think Finnley wants your father's seat on the council?" Krispin asked pointedly.
I paused; it was the question that I had been asking myself all night. My father was definitely afraid of Finnley, and that made little sense. Father was the Red caste representative, and the Red caste was the warrior caste of dragons. But Finnley hadn’t batted an eye in delivering his ultimatum.
"I don't know. To my knowledge, Lord Finnley is of the Green caste and can't really challenge my father for his seat. It’s just odd that my father fears the man," I replied.
It made me crazy; it was like putting together a puzzle when we didn't have all the pieces.
"Finnley's a green dragon?" Krispin asked in surprise.
