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much.”
    â€œDid you ever think it might just be that your mother can’t love?”
    Iona hesitated for a moment and then sighed. “Yes. Unlike my mother, I’m not going to go through a string of men. I have my work. That’s enough.”
    â€œIs it?”
    â€œI’m sorry?”
    Sammi leaned forward. “I’m not saying what your mother put you through is right. It wasn’t, but that was only one kind of relationship. Love exists, Iona.”
    â€œI’ll take your word for it.”
    â€œHave you had a relationship with a man before at all?” Sammi asked, unable to help herself.
    Iona smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Not really.”
    â€œDo you mind if I ask how long you stayed with one man?” Iona stared at her long enough that Sammi added, “I’m sorry. I’m just trying to understand your view on things, that’s all.”
    â€œA month.”
    A month. Sammi slowly let out a breath. That wasn’t a relationship. That was a fling. How could Iona know if she was like her mother or not if she didn’t try?
    â€œI’ve shocked you,” Iona said.
    Sammi started to deny it, and realized that Iona would know she was lying. “A wee bit, yes. It takes longer than a month to know if a relationship can work out, and even then it took me a good half dozen before I met Tristan. It was only by me learning from mistakes and what I knew I didn’t want from those earlier affairs that I saw what could be with Tristan. I knew I would walk through Hell itself for him, and in some ways I did just that.”
    â€œLove isn’t meant for everyone,” Iona said softly. “It isn’t meant for me.”

 
    CHAPTER
EIGHT
    Laith braced a hand on the doorway and listened to the conversation between Sammi and Iona. It had been Iona’s laugh that pulled him from his office. He knew it was her without even looking.
    Her wavy blond hair looked like spun gold next to the black shirt she wore. She sat straight against the back of the booth, her posture denoting that she had closed a wall between her and Sammi.
    Though he was guilty of having a string of human lovers, Laith also kept relationships from developing. That hadn’t always been the case, however. At one time he thought he had found his mate. It was eons ago, right before Ulrik’s lover tried to betray him.
    After what the female did—and consequently the Kings’ retaliation against her—Laith hadn’t been able to look at his woman the same. Then the war with the humans broke out, and the strain on their relationship was like the straw that broke the camel’s back.
    He might have had difficultly trusting humans with more than helping him run the pub, but he never despised them as Ulrik and even Kellan had. Matter of fact, Laith didn’t think much about them at all. The Dragon Kings were meant to protect the humans, and they did to a degree. The Kings didn’t protect the humans from themselves. Not once had the Kings stopped a human war.
    The Kings had, however, stopped the Fae from taking over the realm. It was one of many wars the Kings fought for the humans without them ever knowing it. Unlike others, Laith had done his duty without much fuss simply because he had given his oath. And an oath, once given, was binding.
    He couldn’t take his eyes from Iona. She lured him, enticed him without even trying. Laith didn’t want to think what she could do to him if she tried. His body vibrated with uncontrollable need and uncontainable desire.
    Every fiber of his being told him to leave, but he couldn’t. Iona was appealing in ways he couldn’t begin to describe, exciting in ways he didn’t try to define.
    There was no denying her beauty, but it was more than just her flawless sun-kissed skin. She had an air of confidence that hid the uncertainty and trepidation within. That combination of self-assurance and