A Song of Destiny (Great Plains Dragon Feud Book 2) Read online

  She saw the flash of his beast in his eyes. It made her laugh. The beast gave Cash a primal smile.

  “I’m not going anywhere,” she said.

  Ember dropped to her knees and threw her arms around Cash. “You gave me my fire. I thought that would have been enough to show you that I’m not going anywhere.”

  He let out a shaky laugh and put a hand to her lower back. “So, is that a yes?”

  “Yes, you fool!”

  Cash kissed her hard on the mouth. His teeth scraped over her lower lip. The possessiveness in it made her heart flutter. When he pulled back, he removed his hand from her back. At first, she pouted, missing the warmth of it. But Cash used his free hand to pluck the ring from the box and take her hand so he could push it onto her finger.

  But before they could celebrate the promise they’d made one another, a sharp knock pierced the air. They both stilled. Cash cursed under his breath and stood, heading toward the door like he knew what kind of doom awaited him on the other side.

  Ember froze at the sight of Alice Montoya on their doorstep. Alice surveyed the nearly empty interior of their new home with obvious contempt before fixing that cold glare on Cash.

  Alice flung out her hand. Strips of white rained down around them. Ember frowned and lifted her hand to catch a drifting piece of makeshift confetti. It was just paper, though Ember couldn’t tell what had been printed on it because she couldn’t fit the bits and pieces of words together.

  “Your contracts with me have been voided. Each. And. Every. One.” Alice’s upper lip curled as she spoke.

  Ember stood and took her place by her mate’s side. Cash relaxed when Ember touched him. They were in this together, no matter what problem showed up on their doorstep.

  “That’s fine by me,” Cash said. “I don’t need you to dictate my life anymore.”

  For a split second, Alice seemed taken aback. “Excuse me?”

  Cash shrugged. “You gave me a path to walk when I didn’t know what to do. I owe you thanks for that, but nothing more. My life has taken a new turn. I don’t need you to do anything for me anymore.”

  Another car pulled up and parked directly behind Alice’s sleek sedan. A woman who looked alarmingly like Cash got out of the driver’s seat. She waved and ran around to the passenger side of the car to retrieve a reusable tote.

  Ember pushed past Alice, completely disregarding her, and went to help the new visitor. The new woman handed the totes to Ember. The aroma of fresh baked bread reached her nose. She lifted the bag to get a better sniff, but the new woman gasped and grabbed Ember’s hand.

  The woman fixed her gaze on Cash. “Why didn’t you tell me you were going to propose? I am your mother. You should tell me these things!”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Felicity,” Alice said. Ember could almost hear Alice rolling her eyes. “You have no idea how your son has thrown his life away. That woman is a Barnes dragon.”

  Cash’s mother, Felicity, gave Alice the bird behind her back and winked at Ember.

  “Ignore that old bat,” Felicity said. “Let’s go inside and see what we should put on your wedding registry. Were you thinking about a winter wedding? Or did you want to wait until summer?”

  Ember led Felicity inside, past Cash who guarded the front door. Alice seemed lost. For every Montoya who mated with a Barnes, Alice lost more power within their family clan. If this trend continued, the Montoya clan would consist of Alice and Quincy alone. Ember shuddered to think about what might happen then.

  Ember did not envy the loveless in their families. Callum and Alice struggled to hold onto the things they thought they knew and the paths of power that gave them purpose. But that wasn’t what made life worth living.

  She didn’t know if either would ever find true joy. She had no hope for Alice, but she held out for her father’s sake. She hoped that he would be able to attend her wedding and smile with his whole heart because his daughter had found someone who could make her happy for the rest of her life.

  “I think a summer wedding sounds wonderful,” Ember said, because that might give her father more time.

  Callum Barnes wasn’t ready to make amends with anyone. The man had a lot of healing to do on his own before he could think about asking for forgiveness from his daughters. When Ember saw her father park in the line of vehicles in her driveway, she knew that he was trying.

  Her father might not approve of Cash yet, but she thought that would change in time. Callum loved her, after all. He wanted only the best for his daughters. The man had no idea what that actually was, but he was trying.

  Ember would be there when Callum was ready to be the father he should have been. And maybe they would all look back on this and laugh. They would see the past as what was done and gone. She wouldn’t have to keep opening her old wounds to show him just how much he had hurt her.

  Ember was ready to move on because she had almost everything she could have ever wanted. She had the love of her mate and the promise of a future with him. In time, she could have a family who understood that love.

  What’s Next In the Great Plains Dragon Feud Series?

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