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There was no mistaking that. I stood up, painfully aware of the erection straining against my zipper.

My head spun, still wrapped in lust. “How can you keep pushing away what you and I both know is true?” I asked, slightly breathless.

She was even worse off than I was. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, her cheeks burned with color, her lips quivered.

I could smell the desire blooming between her thighs—it was so strong, so demanding, I had to take a few steps away from her for fear of it overtaking my senses.

“I can’t let myself when I know what I know. I already told you.” She shook her head. “I’m promised to Bradley. There’s nothing I can do about it.”

“You had nothing to do with that promise. You said it yourself, it was a promise made when you were born.”

“It was a blood oath. You must understand how serious that it. Your species assigns just as much importance to rituals as we do, especially when blood is involved.”

“There must be some way.”

“If there is, I’m unaware of it.” She was as close to looking like she was about to cry as I had ever seen her. “Please, Pierce. Don’t make this any more difficult than it already is. I have to go back, or else risk breaking the blood oath made when I was born. I have no idea how bad things could become if that were to happen, but I know it would risk a war within my clan. Maybe…” she bit her lip. “Maybe with you, too.”

There was nothing to say to that.

I left the room in spite of the dragon’s demands that I do no such thing.

I understood what my dragon, in his single-mindedness, couldn’t comprehend.

Taking Jasmine as my mate could bring war to our family.

Unless there was a way around the oath.