Lord of Destiny (The Dragon Demigods #6) - Charlene Hartnady Page 0,68

bullshit. I had almost forgotten how bad they all are.

I know I don’t have any choice. Not really. Making them wait is the only act of rebellion I have. Even that has run its course. I shift, watching as the asshole in front of me does the same. He is smirking broadly. “You always were a feisty one, Raven-girl,” he sniggers.

“Lance,” I say, holding back an eye-roll. I should have recognized him in dragon form.

He nods. “Always good to see you.”

I note how he leers at me. My breasts, between my legs…down my thighs and back up again. A slow perusal that has my skin crawling. I roll my eyes. “I can’t say the same.”

He laughs. “Always with the joking.”

Really?

I’m being deadly serious. He honestly needs to get a life. Lance tried to get me to go on a date with him when we were teenagers. I always turned him down even though he was nothing but nice. I had a crush on West from when we were kids. I dated a few guys because West didn’t seem to notice me. I eventually stopped when I realized I just plain wasn’t interested in anyone else. It was at that time that Lance pursued me relentlessly. It was irritating as hell, but it also finally got West to notice me.

Go figure!

So much has changed since. That was another lifetime ago.

“Enough with the nonsense,” Jackson says behind me. “We need to get her back under lock and key. Tarek will be pleased. It looked like one of the other groups may have captured the male.” He makes a face like the thought of Stephan disgusts him.

“Lucky for you! Capturing this one might just be enough to redeem yourself,” one of the others says. He’s older. I recognize his face, but I don’t know him. It’s the same with the other two surrounding me. One is older. The other quite a bit younger. A newbie for sure.

“I have nothing to be ashamed of,” Jackson snorts. “Or to redeem myself over.”

Another of the older men snorts out a laugh and shakes his head. “If you say so.”

“The female is easy on the eye and a firecracker in bed. I’ll miss using her. It was a convenience to have her warm my bed until I found a mate. It was as simple as that. I never planned on taking it further. I informed Tarek of her questionable actions as soon as I became aware. I did nothing wrong!” He holds up his hands.

My heart is sinking when I realize he is talking about Star. He found out what she did and handed her over to Tarek. Just like that.

“You’re an asshole!” I say, locking eyes with Jackson. I’m buzzing with energy.

“You’re the asshole, Raven. This is on you! You’re the reason she’s in there right now.” He points at the doors that lead to the cells. “You’re also the reason you’re going in there right now, too.” He looks pissed. “Don’t give me grief about something you did.” His eyes are blazing. I’d like to think that it’s because he’s upset that Star is locked up, but I’m pretty sure it’s because he’s been made to look bad. Image has always been everything to Jackson. It’s the main reason I’ve always known he would never mate Star. Never ever!

“I left. That doesn’t make me an asshole. Excuse me for not enjoying being treated like dirt…like nothing. No, I’m sorry…women in this weyr are treated like less than nothing. Excuse me for wanting more for myself!” I yell at him. I know it’s falling on deaf ears, so I’m not sure why I’m attempting to get him to understand. “We’re sick of being told who we can be with…who we can’t be with. Sick of being used as baby-making machines. Sick of being told what to do and when to do it.”

“That’s enough, Raven,” Lance says. I’m shocked when there’s tenderness in his words. “We’re also just doing what we’ve been told to do. Let’s get you settled.” He grips the top of my arm, careful not to hurt me.

“We’re not sheep. We shouldn’t have to follow blindly,” I make one last effort. “What you don’t know is that it’s awesome living amongst the humans. There’s a whole new world out there. Full of possibilities.”

“It’s the humans who are sheep,” one of the older guys says. “The humans…not us.” He has no idea. Then again, maybe he does. This weyr is a good place to be