Chapter Ten

Madison

“L ook,” I said, putting my hands up in the air. “I’m not overly thrilled about it either.”

“Then why bother?”

“Because,” I said, chewing on my bottom lip. “You seem genuinely upset about what you heard. You clearly cared a lot for this woman, and if she truly was murdered, then she needs justice.”

Callum just stared, his blue-green eyes trying to decipher if I had a hidden meaning.

“Or, if it sounds better, you can just think I’m doing it so you’ll kill this mystery dragon, and I’m doing it to help there be one less dragon around. How’s that?” I said, returning to my sandwich while I let him choose whichever reason made him feel better.

“If I do let you help, there’s a good chance you’ll be in harm's way.” As he spoke, Callum picked up his chair and brought it back to the table so he could sit next to me and keep eating.

For a moment, peace reigned between us.

“I was in the military,” I reminded him. “I can handle the concept of danger. Don’t expect me to beat any of your people up, though. But I won’t crack under pressure if that’s what you mean.”

What the hell are you thinking? Why are you doing this? You don’t even know this guy!

It was true, but there was something about how he’d reacted to this news. The pain in his voice as the truth sank in had tugged at something in me. I wanted to help.

After all, I knew about loss.

“Okay, I guess.” Callum dug into his second sandwich. “Thank you. I think.”

“You’re welcome,” I said around a mouthful. “Besides, what else am I going to do, right?”

He just nodded.

“I don’t understand how anyone else didn’t tell you this,” I said abruptly. “Are you just an idiot, and everyone knew but you? Or did they hide it from you? What about your family? None of them ever brought this concept up?”

“No,” he said. “They did not.”

I snorted. “Well, that’s kind of nice to hear.”

“How so?”

“Oh, not really. I just enjoy knowing I’m not the only one who has a messed-up family that never properly talks.”

“Excuse me?” Callum asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Just that everyone assumed you knew, I guess, and not one of them actually thought to make sure, especially after, what, two years? I mean, come on. Someone should have said something to you, but they didn’t. That’s a bit dysfunctional, don’t you think?”

“No,” he said, standing up abruptly. “I don’t, actually. My family is fantastic, and considering you don’t know a damn thing about them, you shouldn’t be insulting them.”

“Calm down.” I watched him warily. “It’s no big deal, really.”

“Calling someone else’s family dysfunctional is actually really rude. I’m surprised nobody else has ever told you this,” he said. “Is this how humans all treat one another?”

My spine stiffened at the derogatory arrogance present in that question.

“Don’t act so superior,” I said, pushing away from the table and walking into the middle of the open area. “You have problems just like we do. Neither of us is perfect.”

The look on his face made his thoughts on that clear. I almost pointed out that his dead and murdered mate was first-hand evidence of that imperfection but stopped myself. Some things, while perhaps accurate, were off-limits. That was one of them, and despite my anger at everything happening to me, I intended to be better than that.

“I think you know there’s some truth to what I’m saying,” I said, keeping my words firm but not sharp. “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be quite so upset over it. But don’t worry, I get it.”

Callum made a face that clearly said he wanted to know what I meant.

“My family was messed up, too,” I admitted, steering away from the painful memories. “My brother and I both knew it. It was obvious for just about anyone to see that things should’ve been done differently.”

“Like what?”

There was a hint of curiosity in his voice. Did he really want to know more? Or was he patronizing me? I couldn’t tell.

“My parents hated one another,” I said with a vague gesture of one arm as if that explained everything. “They pulled the whole ‘let's stay together for the kids and keep it hidden from them until they’re eighteen’ bullshit routine when they shouldn’t have.”

“That’s a thing?” Callum asked in disbelief.

“Right,” I said. “You look human, but I guess you don’t really get that.”

“Dragons mate for life,” he said. “Only mated dragons have children.”

I nodded, trying to determine how much of that was him being serious or not. “Uh-huh. Well, my parents should not have mated at all, let alone for life. They should’ve split up. Instead, they dragged us all into their downward spiral.”

“Humans.”

“Callum!” I snapped angrily and loudly. “You need to stop it with the attitude about us, all right?”

He rocked back slightly. For the first time, we locked eyes, and I wasn’t sucked into the weird dragon-eye vortex thing. I wondered why. Did my anger shield me? Or was it his doing? There was just so much I didn’t know! I needed to find some answers, somehow.

“Very well,” he said in time, nodding slowly and acknowledging my point. “I will try. But you are wrong about my family. They didn’t tell me for a reason. I’m sure of it.”

I gave in. “If you say so, but personally, I doubt it. Families are like that, Callum. They do things to one another.”

“I am sorry for the family you were given,” he said coldly, storming into what I assumed was his room to grab a clean shirt. “But I assure you, families don’t just ‘do that’ to one another. Not over something like this.”

“Where are you going?” I asked as he headed for the door.

“To get the reason.”

Then he was gone. Leaving me alone. I stared at the door.

He hadn’t locked it.