Page 77 of Connor and the Dragons

She reached for my hand, hers warm and sure and familiar, and as much as I might have tried to remain her loyal servant, the words poured out of me.

“How am I to keep my oath to you, and also have… and I don’t think I can have them, because how could I? Connor is not of this world, and Oallian is patently ridiculous. I can’t be married, or whatever you do, to those two. Do you know how many times Oallian mentioned his dick this morning before breakfast? Way too many. And it’s not like anyone is… I mean, I can’t force them to be what they don’t want to be, you know? And I have failed you most of all, and you are my dearest friend, and should be the only person in this world I care about at all. But all I can think about is Connor leaving.”

“Connor is leaving?” Delsy asked. “When?”

“Sky is not going back to Earth. He is staying, for the troll. So when the mirror opens it will be Connor who goes, because he doesn’t want Sky to have to be separated from his love, and it isn’t like Connor has those sorts of feelings for anyone in Qoksmere, so it won’t hurt him at all to leave.”

“Well, then. Before Connor goes through that mirror to another world, you must tell him what you need. If he’s wrong, tell him he’s wrong. If he’s being an ass, show him he’s being an ass. Get angry, Kessrin. Feel passion.”

“I did get angry,” I said.

“Did you.”

“On a rock in the middle of the ocean. I yelled at Oallian, at length. And he doesn’t even seem bothered by it. Shouldn’t he be angry with me for yelling? I think—” I swallowed hard. “I think I called him a monster. And all he does in return is wave his dick at me and ask me if I want a ride on it.”

Delsy’s lips twitched, and she covered them with her hand.

“It is not amusing.”

“No,” she said, from behind the hand. “Did you want a ride?”

I did not answer her. But the answer was obvious. I mean, who wouldn’t. It was a very nice cock. “I am angry with both of them. Oallian completely lost control and tore apart the wizard’s house, and it was frightening.”

She nodded. “Connor told me in his report when they arrived. He believes Oallian was covering your tracks by acting like a deranged dragon. Is that the case?”

“I don’t know. Maybe? I thought he was just deranged.”

“Connor also fears you’re angry with him for offering you to this Harrowgate.”

“That is not why,” I whispered. “He does not love me. He told Sky that, when I was carrying him.”

Delsy stared at me for a long moment, her gaze assessing. “And you believe this to be true?”

“Why would he say it if it’s not true?” My voice was far too pathetic for my liking.

“If he must return to his world, then you will go with him,” she said. “Because however he may feel, clearly you are in love with him. Oallian, too?”

Fuck, was it that obvious? “Oallian is ridiculous.”

She smirked at me. “And quite fun, I think.”

“I don’t even like fun. Besides, we can’t bring Oallian into Connor and Sky’s world. They do not have dragons where Connor is from, and Oallian cannot always control his shifts.”

“But he can when he is at Connor’s side. At your side.”

“What does it matter if Connor doesn’t want us by his side? What if asking to join him would be an imposition?”

She stood and stepped around to me, pulling me into a tight hug. “If you love them, you have to fight for them,” she said into my shoulder.

I took a long, shaky breath. “That is very scary.”

“Scary? You told me once that you would rather never risk a bond at all.”

“My tolerance for risk has evolved,” I muttered into her shoulder. “I have grown as a person.”

“I know. And I can’t tell you what he’s thinking, Kessrin, but you’ll never know. Not unless you fight for it. Show them how important they are to you.”

“I do not know how,” I whispered, wrapping my arms around her waist, realizing it had been far too long since I’d hugged my best friend. “And what if being with them means I have to leave you?”