Sending Ranulf into immediate shock.“What— You— What did you do that for?”He lifted one of his hands to gently touch where her lips had pressed against his.
“I don’t know.”A blush colored her cheeks as she stepped away from him.“But I’m not sorry I did.”She lifted her chin, challenge in her eyes as she met his surprised gaze for a few seconds more before turning and running back toward the inn.
Ranulf watched Sephie until she was safely out of the falling snow.
Although “safe” perhaps wasn’t the right word to use when his mate was returning to a situation where a dragon hunter was holding her and her parents captive.
Letting her go back to the psychotic cruelty of a man who had already killed to get this far in his search for dragons was the last thing Ranulf wanted to do.
But, despite disliking the noise and chaos of humans, he did know that their affection for each other was as genuine as his was for his brothers.As such, he knew there was no way Sephie would have forgiven him if he had gathered her up in his arms and prevented her from returning to the inn.
Ranulf would have done the same for his brothers.
He would do so much more than that for Sephie.
His lips still tingled from where she had unexpectedly kissed him, pleasure and lust coursing through his body.
Ours, his dragon said proudly.
Ours, Ranulf agreed with the same pride.
Not being any closer to Wallis than she had to be was out of Sephie’s control when he held her parents hostage, she acknowledged seconds after returning to the inn and being immediately punched hard in the face by Edgar Wallis.
Her father, tied to a chair with tape over his mouth, gave an agonized groan and pulled futilely against the rope about his wrists, obviously distressed at seeing Sephie so poorly treated.
The painful punch had been powerful enough to knock Sephie off her feet.Blood now dripped down her chin, and the metallic taste of it told her that both her lip and the inside of her mouth were bleeding from the force of that blow.Her vision, at first a jumble of images as she fell and then landed in this unusual position on the floor of the bar, was now blurred by the tears of pain she stubbornly refused to shed.
The shock of being hit at all kept her lying there as she stared up at Wallis in disbelief.
“What the fuck did you think you were doing?”he demanded furiously.
She swallowed.“I did as you asked?—”
“I told you to give Drake the letter, wait for his answer, then return here.I didn’t tell you to cozy up to the bastard and then kiss him!”He was so incensed that he was almost frothing at the mouth.
“Ranulf was concerned?—”
“I don’t care if he was crying and sniveling.At no time did I tell you to fucking cuddle and kiss him?—”
“Ranulf wouldn’t cry or snivel for anyone!”she defended scornfully.“And I’ll kiss who I damn well please.”
Wallis’s mouth twisted as he looked down at her.“My God.”He gave a derisive huff seconds later.“You like him.”
Sephie glared.“I would like anyone who calls you out for exactly what you are.”
“And what is that?”The heated glitter in his eyes totally belied the mildness of his tone.
“A psychopath!”
She gasped as Wallis turned and this time punched her father in the face.The chair he was tied to rocked back on two legs before righting itself again, tears now streaming down her father’s bruised face.
Sephie scrambled to her feet.“You’re also a coward who first hits an unarmed woman and then a man who is tied up and unable to defend himself!”
“Do you have any idea how pathetic you sound?”Wallis mocked.“Besides, your insults don’t mean anything to me.I’m more interested in hearing Drake’s answer.”
Her jaw clenched.“He agreed to meet you in the church at ten o’clock.”
He nodded, as if there had never been any doubt in his mind that the answer would be anything else.“In that case, I have six hours to carry out the rest of my plan.”
