Origin Exposed: Descended of Dragons, Book 2 Read Online Free Page B

through a lot together. It just happened. I don’t know.”
    “And you’ll continue to see him?”
    “Yes,” I admitted, and he flinched ever so slightly.
    “Didn’t you think you owed me some kind of explanation?” he asked, his voice growing lower in pitch with each word until it was almost a growl. “Did what was between us ever cross your mind?”
    I huffed out a breath. “Of course I thought about it. I did. But I heard you were seeing Pippa and I chalked our make-out sessions up to…I don’t know…drunken flirting.”
    He didn’t just flinch that time. He balked. Ewan had deeper feelings for me than I’d realized, that much was obvious.
    My insides turned over in shame and I snapped my eyes shut, unable to meet his gaze again after comprehending how thoughtless I’d been. The restaurant’s small dining room expanded and stretched until I was forced upon a tiny dais for all the world to inspect. I felt minuscule. More than just an insensitive love interest, I had been a bad friend. A bad person. While it was no defensible excuse, my treatment of Ewan was probably the result of being so used to the hook-up culture of my college town before coming to Thayer. He didn’t deserve that, and he obviously hadn’t expected it of me.
    I finally looked up to find Ewan’s face strained. His deep eyes held anger, rejection, pain…and restraint. A lot of restraint.
    “I’m sorry for what I said,” he offered again. “It was crude.” Then he stood to his full height, using the significant advantage to drive home his next point. “For what it’s worth, I thought we had the potential for something legendary.” He leaned in close to me, his breath a puff on my forehead beneath my scattered hair. “And Stella?” he said, barely above a whisper as he ran a finger from the top of my shoulder down my bare arm.
    “Yes?” I managed before a compulsory swallow.
    “I still do.”
    With that mic-dropper, he turned his back to me and stalked toward our friends.
    In the restroom, I attempted to compose myself, trying and failing not to feel like a real asshole. My mirrored reflection revealed too much. It seemed to amplify my flaws, which had stacked so high I might never reach the top in order to clear them. But improving myself was necessary, no doubt about it. I had mistreated Ewan. Badly. I couldn’t feel sorry about Gresham, but did regret my gross insensitivity.
    I liked Ewan, who’d proved to be an exceptional person. It might take a while but I hoped I could regain his trust. Eventually, maybe he could even forgive me.
    Resolved to be a better person, my true image was reflected in the mirror once more. Someone once told me I looked like a Scot and an Italian had been thrown into a blender. My auburn hair was long and a little wild. But rather than pale or freckled skin, mine was olive. My face was filling out my big features as I grew older. I’d been a gangly kid with a big mouth and over-large eyes. Cute, but never pretty.
    After reapplying lip gloss, I made my way back to our table. It took a lot of effort; quite a bit of humility, but I smiled at my friends to show that all was well…or that it would be.

----
    R elief flooded me when the waiter arrived to take our orders and broke the tense atmosphere. “Ah, Ms. Stonewall,” he said and pushed his smeared glasses higher up on his nose. “It’s a pleasure to have you. Whatever you like, it’s on the house.”
    “No! Thank you for the gesture. But no. I enjoy your food and I’m happy to pay.”
    “I insist. My mother’s people were Fae. My parents told me the tale of the Steward Massacre, just as I tell my children and they will tell their own. Each generation must know that we lost many in those days. Mothers cleaved to babes in cellars while caves were set afire by those demon dragons. We lost much.” A lock of gray hair fell over one eye and he brushed it aside with his pen. “Too much.” His milky eyes came back into focus and found