Free For the Memory of Dragons by Julie Wetzel Page B

remember all this, but you don’t
remember your name?”
    Leaning back in his chair, Alex grinned
again. “I don’t, but my dragon does.”
    “Can your dragon tell you who you are?” That
was a very sensible question from someone that didn’t know anything
about dragons.
    Alex sighed. “It’s told me what I am, but
not who. I’m an Elite. I know I’ve earned the right to use that
title, but I don’t remember what that means.” This point frustrated
him to no end. If he could just get two brain cells working
together, he was sure he could come up with the answers he needed,
but they all seemed to be on different vacations at the moment.
    “So, what does your dragon want?” Terra
asked timidly.
    Alex closed his eyes and drew in a steadying
breath, trying to center himself as much as he could, given his
messed-up state. Opening his eyes, he gave Terra a pointed look.
“It’s driving me to claim a mate.”
    “A mate?” There was a touch of alarm in
Terra’s voice.
    “A girl that it’s deemed would fit well into
my life.”
    “Someone you’ve met recently?”
    Alex smiled. Now she was just playing with
him. “Very recently.”
    Just a hint of red crawled up Terra’s skin
as she looked down and toyed with her napkin. “Maybe someone I
know?”
    “It’s most definitely someone you know.” He
loved the way she looked with that blush on her skin. “But Terra,
here’s the problem. I can’t pursue anyone until I know what kind of
life I could offer.”
     
    ***
     
    Wow! This was not how Terra had
envisioned the day would go. After being thoroughly rejected by her
dragon man, she was sure they would have an awkward day running
around, trying to find out who he was. But this was just over the
top. To be told that you could possibly be someone’s mate was a
little disturbing. She hadn’t even known him for a full day yet,
and most of that time, he had been out cold!
    Looking up from her napkin, Terra studied
the lines of her dragon man’s face. His pupils were still oddly
shaped, but now that she was used to it, his emotions were easy to
read there. He seemed serene on the outside, but she could tell
this whole thing had him severely distressed. Her heart thumped in
her chest. It actually hurt to see him in such a state. The idea of
being tied to someone she barely knew was frightening, but she
couldn’t stand the idea of leaving him as he was. She slid her hand
out across the table for him to take.
    He blinked a few times before lowering his
hand to hers.
    She squeezed his fingers reassuringly. “Tell
me what I can do to help.” There was just something about him that
made her want to do whatever she could to see him right again.
    The dragon man let out a depressed laugh.
“Shoot me down.” Gripping her fingers tightly, he closed his eyes
to wait for the blow.
    “What?” Terra asked, shocked. Of all the
things she thought he would say, that was not one of them.
    He opened his eyes and looked at her again.
“Tell me there is no way I stand a chance with you. And mean it.”
He paused for a second before he went on. “That should be enough of
a blow to knock me out of balance and back into a brooding
state.”
    Okay… A complete rejection would
settle his system back down. But could she really tell him that and
mean it? Did she want to? She had to know more before she made any
lasting decisions. “And what happens if I refuse?”
    The pupils of his eyes dilated as he drew in
a sharp breath. He sat rigid in his seat for a moment before
letting out the air very slowly as if he were considering how to
respond to her. His mouth moved, and he swallowed before
answering.
    “Well, that would drop me out of balance,
too.” He paused and swallowed again. “But it wouldn’t do anything
to settle down my instincts.”
    Terra rubbed her thumb over his knuckles as
she considered his answer. If she shot him down, he would go back
to brooding. Brooding didn’t sound like a very pleasant state to be
in.