The storm dragon just laughed, though. “I suppose that’s true if you think our mates must be one of these two lovely ladies. But there is an entire tiny town here full of people whocouldbe our mates. It may not be someone in this room.”
That isnothow this works,Maya thought, her head mirroring her thoughts as she shook it side to side. “I don’t really care who they expect to mate me with, I’ve no interest.”
The blond shifter voiced his agreement, “I’m with Maya. I’ve no interest in finding a mate.”
Maya looked at Naomi, who was sighing, and she felt sorry for her business partner. Clearly the pair had already started to bond, and yet the blond was openly stating he wasn’t going to let that bond become anything serious.
As usual, Naomi didn’t seem willing to fight for what she wanted. Instead, she pointed out the problem both the blond and Maya had voiced. “Neither did anyone from the sixmembers of the Christmas group with the prince. It was pretty much the only thing they all had in common.”
The blond didn’t look happy with what Naomi had said, but it also seemed like something he didn’t know. “How can you be sure of that?”
“Both Sasha and Noel joked about it,” Naomi said, her eyes meeting the blond shifter’s, and Maya thought it was her way of pleading with him to give their bond a chance to grow.
Then what Naomi had said sank in, and it did not match what Maya knew of her cousin. It was possible that she had always misread the relationship between Sasha and Noel, though—it wouldn’t be the first time she had misunderstood a romantic situation. “I thought they were childhood sweethearts.”
Both of the males gave her a strange look, but Naomi stepped in and explained. “They weren’t together.” The tone she used was similar to the one she used with staff, which made Maya feel a bit better. There was just something reassuring about her business partner explaining things to her the way she would anyone else. “Her parents didn’t approve of him, so Sasha broke off their relationship. It was being on the island that made them realize they were meant to be together.”
It wasn’t at all what Maya had expected to hear, but she didn’t get a chance to ask about it since the blond shifter quickly spoke up. “Well, that’s certainly a romanticized version.”
She turned and frowned at him as the storm dragon chipped in, “It’s not wrong, though. The details don’t matter as much as the result anyway.”
Naomi soon stopped any potential argument as she made her own point. “They are married, and if they hadn’t been on the island, I doubt they would have ended up together.”
When the storm dragon muttered, “I guarantee you they wouldn’t have,” Maya wondered just how well he knew thecouple that he could be so certain. He definitely wasn’t related to either the bride or the groom, so what made him so sure they wouldn’t be together?
Instead of being upset with him, though, Naomi took his perspective as a sign that she was right. “See, there you go. It’s not necessarily bad to be here.”
Despite what she had initially said, Naomi sure was making it sound like she wanted to be on the island. This nettled Maya because it may have left the impression that her mind could be changed. “Of courseyouare happy to be here. I swear, you go through relationships like you are trying on new clothes. Perhaps you don’t understand this isn’t a dating pool.”
The words were no sooner out of her mouth than Maya regretted how harsh they were. She had been taking out her frustration on Naomi since she had disappeared for a while at the wedding venue, but this situation was decidedly not her business partner’s doing. Maya’s expression did not reflect the way she felt, though, especially as both of the males started arguing with her. The blond seemed particularly bothered by her words. “She’s still very young. And I can’t imagine she has much time because of her job to really have a chance at a relationship.”
While ashamed of her statement, Maya was not going to be patronized by a guy who had never met either her or her business partner before that day. Putting her hands on her hips, she seemed to double down, instead of apologizing. “That’s no excuse for the way she doesn’t take things seriously.”
In what Maya thought was recognition of his attraction to Naomi, the blond looked at the young shifter as he said, “When I was her age, I was fairly careless about my love life too.” His gaze shifted back to Maya as he chided her a little, “People learn from their mistakes, Maya. I’m sure even you have things you look back on and regret how you behaved.”
The use of her name felt wrong, and Maya wanted to be just as petty in arguing back. Quickly replaying the interactions, she sought the names of the two interlopers as she retorted, “Not when it comes to lovers, Apollo.” To emphasize that she was not going to further engage in the argument, she grabbed the tablet off the desk where the blond had placed it. Then she turned to the storm dragon. “Cosmo, if you would please set this up, I have more important things to do here than waste time talking.”
There was a half grin on the storm dragon’s lips as he watched the way she gripped the device. Maya looked down and saw that her knuckles were turning white because of how tightly she was holding it. Instead of pointing that out, though, he asked something she felt she had already answered. “So you don’t mind getting booted off the island for failing to commit to a mate?”
Hoping to ensure that neither of the two guys would continue to pester her, she shot back, “It would be an absolute blessing.” As she finished, the storm shifter’s hand appeared on the device.
Instead of immediately removing it from her grasp, though, he asked, “Even if it means you will have to live alone for the rest of your life?”
After everything she had been through, Maya couldn’t see a future where she would ever trust anyone enough to get close again. Not wanting to articulate that and risk the possibility that one of them might want to prove her wrong, she simply replied, “I could certainly live with it.”
For some reason, that got to Naomi. “I don’t mind as long as you tell everyone that we have to deal with from here on out that you nixed the idea of ever getting into a relationship. Forever. I swear, after we leave here, if I getone more guyasking me how to get close to you, I’m going to start killing them.”
Maya’s expression was frozen as she looked at her business partner. In the two years that they had worked together, Naomi had never mentioned guys asking about Maya. At least not in that context.Where is all of this hostility coming from?I’venever encouraged any attention from guys, so why would they bother her about me?
When the storm dragon started laughing, Maya just looked at him, clueless as to what was so amusing. The blond was gentler as he asked, “That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?”
Pent-up anger appeared on Naomi’s face as she gestured toward Maya. “Look at her, then look at me.” She then gestured to her tall, fit form. “Do you really think anyone is interested in anything with me, besides a romp in a bed, when there is a prize like Maya literally nearby all the time?”
“Naomi!” Maya exclaimed, feeling a jumble of negative emotions, yet unable to distinguish any of them.
Now that she had started, Naomi wasn’t about to stop. Turning to her business partner, the younger shifter said, “During the morning of this last wedding, I had to ward off about two dozen guys, Maya. Even you aren’t so oblivious that you would fail to realize how many people take an interest in you.”
How is that my fault? I don’t encourage it. And it’s not like they are actually interested inme.She tried to voice this, believing that Naomi was accusing her of making life more difficult. “Well, that’s … it’s only because they know I’m an acceptable choice for those in the court. And with so many—”
