Caz growled angrily. “Thatisgoing to change, Anna. Starting with this. The changes I make will all be because of you and Ella. In the end, everyone will believe you.”
I wrapped an arm around him and squeezed. “Thank you.”
He slid his hand down my back and palmed my ass in response. “Anything for you.”
“I still can’t believe she would do somethingthat openly,” Dirk was saying, shaking his head.
“The descriptiondoesmatch,” Florian pointed out, stroking his chin as he leaned forward onto the island. “Of course, we’ll have to make sure our evidence is orbtight.”
Caz stood up straight. Nothing else changed, but everyone in the room fell silent, recognizing that their leader was about to speak.
“We now have a prime suspect to track and see what they do. But we also can’t lose sight of our other objective. Milly is still out there and needs to be found. So we have two missions. Track Bryna and locate the new markets so we can find Milly. Lots to do. None of which, unfortunately, can be done from here.” He clenched a fist. “Therefore, I will be returning to the citadel. The women will be staying here.”
“I’m staying,” Dirk said without hesitation.
“No,” Caz rumbled with a hint of alpha power behind him. “You’re coming with me. Florian is staying.”
Dirk frowned at Caz, but he recognized a command when he heard one.
“Are you sure it has to be this way?” Florian asked quietly, glancing at me and then back.
Caz bared his teeth, his eyes glowing silver-green. His dragonreallydid not like the thought of being separated.
“I see no other option. We need to find these markets and infiltrate them. Following Brynaisn’t a guarantee of success, but the citadel is going to be an unsafe place. I will not take the women back to it. Not until Ella is ready.”
Caz’s eyes hadn’t stopped glowing the entire time. Now he pulled me tightly to his side, seeking comfort and reassurance only I could give him. Me. His mate.
“I don’t like it either,” I whispered as planning for the next few days began. “I don’t want it, Caz. But I agree, I don’t see another way.”
He sighed. “I know. And if you abandoned your friend, you wouldn’t be the person my dragon and I are obsessed with.”
I smiled, squeezing him tighter. “You said this place was secret anyway. We’ll be fine here. Florian will take good care of us.”
“Better not betoogood care of you,” Caz rumbled protectively, rolling his shoulders.
“I don’t think we need to worry about that,” I told him firmly.
Caz shook his head. “My dragon hates the idea of you being alone with another man. It doesn’t matter who. You belong to me.”
I shivered at the possessiveness as the implication worked its way down my spine with delicious slowness. My dragonlikedthe idea of being his, and only his.
And truthfully, I wasn’t sure I hated it either.
“Then hurry back to me,” I whispered, archingup against his side to nip at the bottom of his earlobe. “And then you can show me just how badly you missed me.”
Silver light flared even brighter in his eyes. “I want to claim you so badly,” he growled, turning to shield me from view of everyone else. Or maybe it was to hide the giant tent his hard dick was causing in his pants. “My dragon even more so. When you talk to me like that, it makes it very hard not to take you upstairs right now and bite you while I’m filling your pussy with every inch of me.”
My mouth went dry, and I stammered, searching for words as my brain melted at the aggressive desire he had for me.
“Three days,” he added, leaning in close and kissing my neck lightly as a tease. “I’ll be back in three days. Then I’m not leaving without you.”
“Promise?” I whispered, suddenly never wanting to be apart from him again.
“The Red King himself couldn’t keep me from coming back to your side. Iwillbe back for you. Then I will claim you, and I will have you as mine for eternity.” Caz’s eyes glowed brightly with his dragon, his arms around my waist as he stared into my soul. He words were etched onto the very basis of my being. “Thatis my promise.”
Thirty-Two
Anna
