Page 13 of The Dragon’s Stone Hearted Mate (Mori’s Mementos #1)

Mori

CAMP AIR

I tucked Sherry into her bed and left the closet light on so that she didn’t wake up in the dark if she woke again before sunrise.

Back on Earthside, Preston chuckled as he took notes.

His laughter vibrated over our twin link as he stood watch over my body.

Sure, I could’ve traveled to Camp Air in the literal sense but with our probable upcoming trip to Moonscale London, I figured I could make this trip a short one.

I didn’t count on a rabbit trying to beat me with a broom and then crying on me about a statue turning into Morvan’s mate.

I’d be lucky if I got to speak with Morvan at all if the rabbit was telling the truth and not having some delusion.

Grief caused a lot of weird symptoms. So, I wasn’t sure what to make of her story nor the lion who eavesdropped at our window after punching several ghosts.

He carried his own set of problems clearly written on his face.

“Hello?” Morvan’s deep, draconic voice called from outside the cabin, and I sprinted to the door before he bellowed loud enough to wake up the sleeping rabbit shifter.

“SHHH!!!” I opened the door and slid out, closing it behind me as gently as I could. “Don’t be so loud. I just convinced her to lay back down.”

Morvan was taller than me because most dragons were. Next to him stood an omega who smelled like earth and rain.

“Is that your statue?” I asked, my words coming out sharp because I was anxious to be back in my body.

“This is Rho. He’s my mate,” Morvan said. “Rho this is Zigmore---”

“Mori. I go by Mori,” I reminded him. “It’s nice to meet you Rho. I’m afraid you’ve given Sherry quite the start but that’s not the reason I’m here.”

“You’re here because you put my mate’s brother in the freezer,” Rho nodded.

“I did no such thing,” I laughed. “I wouldn’t have wasted my time. Some spirits are worth every second of effort and some aren’t worth the effort it takes to greet them. No offense, Morvan.”

“Only some taken,” Morvan narrowed his eyes on me.

“Well, you’ve met your mate. So you were bound to get a headache.

Both of you were. That’s how it happens with true-mates.

That’s what Dern always said. Be thankful they came together for you.

I get headaches all the time and am yet to meet my mate.

I’m here because Torvan attacked one of the restaurants and Crilus locked him in one of the walk-in freezers. It’s become a headache for him.”

Morvan blinked at me, confusion contorting his handsome features. Rho wrapped a protective arm around his mate.

“I didn’t know you’d met your mate, or I might have waited. Crilus wouldn’t have been thrilled but he’s already pretty mad at you. You pulled a big disappearing act on him.”

“How did you even find out I was here? Did Chole tell you? Isn’t there some law about that?” Morvan asked, firing off his questions without taking a breath.

“Chole? I’m not sure who that is but no there is no law about scrying for your location. At the point I resorted to that you were all but reported as a missing person. You abandoned –”

“I didn’t abandon anything,” Morvan snapped before I even had a chance to finish my sentence. “Crilus agreed to take them on.”

“I understand that given what happened with Torvan that---” I tried again.

“Fuck you, Mori! You don’t understand anything! Now you’re here with the insane story of my brother’s ghost being locked inside of a walk-in freezer to try to get me to come back?! Did Teal put you up to this?”

“Teal didn’t put me up to anything,” I said. “And you’re going to have to do a lot better than ‘fuck you’ to get me to go away. Now, do you want to see him, or do you just want me to banish him back to Frost’s Pit?”

“Why would you send him back there?” Morvan asked and Rho let out a long, slow breath.

“Because he hasn’t learned his lesson yet, mate,” Rho spoke slowly, turning to step in front of his mate, blocking me from his view. “Such places are meant to aid in the evolutions of souls. You have to understand why the powers that be wouldn’t want to put him right back into the cycle.”

“Then they shouldn’t have let him escape!” Morvan said, his eyes shifting to that of his dragon.

“Should I give you two a moment?” I asked.

“No,” Rho said, turning to face me. “When does he need to be there? He cannot miss the chance to say goodbye. I know my dragon. He will regret it for the rest of his life. I am unable to leave the land of my birth, but he will go if I have to convince the sad lion to drag him there.”

“I’m not—” Morvan started but Rho turned around to kiss him.

“We’re going this weekend. I can’t leave him locked in the freezer much longer.

It’s starting to feel unethical. I was sort of hoping---” I stopped speaking because the pair of mates were still playing tongue-hockey, but Rho quit caressing Morvan’s chest long enough to motion for me to continue speaking.

“I was sort of hoping that speaking with Morvan might convince him to go back to where he needs to be. It would be better for everyone if he went peacefully. Banishment is painful for the spirits it’s aimed at. ”

“He will be there,” Rho said, pulling away from the kiss long enough to speak and then kissing Morvan again before he had the chance to counter.

One day I wanted to want someone enough that kissing them would be more important than getting my point across -right or wrong. I wanted someone to want to kiss me like that.

“Pheromone Swap tonight?” my wolf chimed into my thoughts asking about the romping app.

I had nothing against it but there wasn’t a single person in the Nightshade Bear Territory I wanted to hook up with.

More knitting with Preston was on the schedule tonight but there were worse fates.

I could be dead and locked in a freezer all because even dying didn’t stop me from being a dickhead.