Dragoned in Half

Fears-Jefferson

  It's been three days and my mate has yet to leave the room or speak a word. The trays of the delicious dishes that I have prepared especially for her have gone uneaten. She has received many visitors and yet no one can get a response from her. My ears prick as the sound of her weeping hits them and I know that she is awake once more. I can hear the slight shuffling of the sheets as she moves and her cries.
 
  My heart is breaking and there is nothing that I can do about it. in this instance I have no idea how to help my mate. I am running out of ideas to try. The one that keeps swinging through my head is my only option and its one that I truly do not want to make. I never pictured that things would go like this when we arrived back at the clan. The thoughts of the future that I had with our mate when we got home seem to no longer apply.
  And its all because of him. I curse once more for the brother that I have been paired with. I have gone through that last day in the facility countless times now as I try to find a reason. Why did he do this? I believe that our mate is perfect and is so well designed for us and yet he continues to push her away at every avenue. I feel that this finally decision of rejecting her has cost me to lose her forever.
 
  Our mate is not lost to us. She will come out of this. Her dragon will not allow her to continue to wallow as we are still here for her.
 
  At my dragons words I freeze. I look up at the ceiling of the living room knowing that she is up there. I don't know how it so easily escaped my mind that she would be getting a dragon. From what I have heard many of the other human mates received there dragons almost immediately after mating. There are no instances that resulted in a rejection though. Perhaps that could have been delaying her arrival.
 
  "Can you sense her dragon, Artemis" I ask him hopeful for the first time since we have arrived home.
 
  Her beast is with her. I have heard snippets of the voice of my mate but none else. Once the bond is complete I will be able to speak to her fully.
 
  I lean against the wall as I ponder what this means. Before I know it my feet are moving towards the stairs and I am climbing them. This here is what I needed. This brings me another avenue other than having to call on my brother to try to fix the mess that he caused. I had thought that since he was the one to cause out mate pain, perhaps being in her presence would make her want to heal. I had begun to hope that bringing him back would have her come back to me.
 
  I burst through the door and her weeping beneath the blankets stops as I see her freeze. She sniffles slightly and all the tension leaves my body as I run a hand through my hair. Taking things slow I approach the bed. My eyes go to another tray of uneaten food and it causes anger to rise in me. I understand being in pain but with what he did she should still take care of herself. If not for him that she could do it for me.
 
  I don't believe that she is going to respond well to out anger. Jeffers--
 
  I yank the cover off of her and it flies across the room as my breath quickens. I don't even flinch as the glass of the plate breaks against the wall and food flies. I refuse to let things continue to be this way. I throw my dragon into a mental cage as she just lays there. Her gaze refuses to go to mine. For days I have left her here to wallow thinking that she just needed some time. Now I know that I was wrong and she has made her self content to stay this way.
 
  "Get Up!" I yell at her. Her gaze flies to mine but instead of moving she just rolls over. Placing a knee onto the bed I swoop her into my arms as she struggles against me and releases a scream. As she struggles in my arms I make my way toward the door. An odd sound leaves her lips as she passes through it and she holds onto the door jamb tight. When I tug her she doesn't move but only growls as she hangs on with all her might.
 
  "Let go of the door Julia" I command her as I try to keep my patience. I pull her once more as I try to go through.
 
  "Noooo!" She screams at the top of her lungs.
  "You will let go of the door and you will do it now. I have had enough of you acting like this" I yell at her as I try to meet her gaze. I can see the silent tears that spill down her face as she continues to hold onto the door. From this side view I catch a brief view of her eyes flashing and it renews my strength to continue. If she wants a fight then I will give her one.
 
  As she is in my arms I take a moment to enjoy the tingles of our bond across my skin. It feels as if it has been so long since I have felt them. Even though she is moving erratically and pissed at the moment I could care less because I am holding her. Seeing that she still refuses to let go of the door I take a seat on the floor with her in my arms in the doorway. Her grip loosens on the door but she still doesn't let it go as the tears continue to fall.
 
  "You have to let go of the door love. You need to leave this room. it's not healthy" I tell her softly.
 
  "Noooooo!" She sobs loudly as she still refuses to meet my gaze. Her answer makes me angry, however. She should still care for her own health.
 
  "Why the hell not?" I ask her as I get tired of this childish tantrum.
 
  "Because I can't" She wails as she finally releases the door. Open sobs leave her lips as her eyes close and she turns in on herself. I watch as my mate wraps her arms around her knees and conceals her face against them as she openly cries. All the anger leaves my body at the display of her sadness and I pull her tighter against me. My hands run along her arms as I try to comfort her. I'm at such a loss right now that I don't know what to do.
 
  "You can leave this room baby. You can do it with me" I tell her nearly desperate. As I say the words she finally lets me look into those beautiful chocolate eyes of her. To see the outside red and filling with tears breaks my heart for her even more. More than anything, I wish that I could take this pain from her. She doesn't deserve it.
 
  "And then what. You find the time to reject me just as he did" She whispers as she bites her lower lip. My head jerks away from hers as if she had slapped me. How could she even believe that I would do that.
 
  "I would never reject you Julia. You are my mate and I love you. Anything that happens between us would be cherished for all time. I will NEVER reject you" I tell her with everything in me. I can feel as the emotions of my beast back me in this promise. She is ours.
 
  She looks so shocked by my words that I frown. Is this what kept her up here in this room all this time. The fact that my brother would reject her automatically meant that I would. Anger heats my blood at the very idea of it. "I am not my brother Julia. He may have been a fool to not see how you complete us but Artemis and I are under no misconception. We would take you as our mate now if we believed you were ready" I admit to her as I swallow nervously. As far as a proposal to a future with us, this would be the most solemn one that we could make.
 
  "What if I'm not enough Jefferson. What if he refused me because my families past is true? What if I truly am destined to be alone?" She ask as she stairs out into the hall. I would be a food to admit that her questions aren't warranted. However, to me in this moment they sound like crap.
 
  "And what if I am not destined for you? What if this path here is the one that we are supposed to have? What if what my brother has done leaves you to pine after him forever instead of paying attention to me, the mate who loves you? What if what he has done breaks the bond that we could have forever? The questions you ask point to your fears Julia. I have them too. I'm afraid that because of the actions of my brother, I may have lost you forever" I state.
 
  My confession leaves the air in the room heavy as I wait for her reply. My heart aches as I wait for her rejection that I just know is coming. She has known since meeting us both that she would have two mates. I also have to face the fact that we never discussed what she would do if one of those mates were unavailable.