Page 40 of Cops and Robbers

Lewis said, “In all cliché fairness, Raz is the glue that holds us together.”

“I’d have left their sorry asses ages ago if it weren’t for him,” Sid muttered.

Caige grunted as if in agreement.

Heat centered at Raz’s heart and flushed up his neck.

Lewis laughed. “This man carried my hallucinating ass across the desert even when I was screaming how much I hated him. Could have parked me in the shade and come back, but he nearly killed himself carrying me.”

“You don’t leave anyone behind.” A motto Raz would live by until he died.

Kate coughed and sucked in air before coughing again, partially choking on whatever she had eaten. Raz tensed, ready to assist if needed, but she held up her hand in a stopping motion.

“You good?” Lewis asked.

She nodded and took a drink of water. “Just went down the wrong pipe.”

“Oh, look. I found your programming code problem,” Sid mumbled, half-eaten egg roll in hand.

“What? Really?” Kate rose to her feet and walked around the table to Sid. “Let me see.”

“There”—Sid pointed to something on his laptop screen—“you missed closing this part.”

Kate leaned across his shoulder. The near contact between the two felt like someone shoved a red-hot poker up Raz’s spine. The pressure in his skull had steadily been building to a peak, and it reached eruption level. His fists twitched, muscles flexing throughout his entire body as his dragon pushed against his skin, filling the surrounding room.

Caige yanked Sid’s chair away from Kate.

Had he not, Raz might have reactively jumped over the table to give Sid another black eye. As it was, his energy sought to dominate the room, and the other dragons rose to the challenge, creating a fierce ache in his head—the pressure of all the fighting forces a heated powerhouse against his skin. Kate’s angry gaze flew to Raz, her hands on her hips. “What the hell is going on? What’s with the pressure?”

Raz cleared his scratchy throat and tried to offer her a grin. “Dragons are terribly territorial.”

“What does that—?”

Lewis cut her off, voice tight with alarm. “Raz, you’re going to have to…”

“Yeah. I know. I’ll get some air.” He needed to remove his dragon’s attitude from the others before he started a fight between everyone. Leaving the room, he sucked the dominating vibes with him until they pulsed hot against his skin.

He unlocked the front door and exited into the city. Taking a deep breath, his Insight filled with the spirit essences of every human on the street and in their cars. Each paw print of every dog or cat that walked the sidewalks. The energies crammed his brain to the brim, masking the urgency to Mark Kate.

He headed straight for the parking garage and climbed up the steps to the fifth floor, taking three at a time. Once he reached the top, he breathed in through his nose and out of his mouth and paced beside his car.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Kate’s sharp tone cut through him. “Seriously, how can we get anything done when you keep leaving me—err—us?”

She followed me without my noticing? He closed his eyes, savoring the feel of her spirit essence, purity and metal, even as his dragon threatened to blind him.

“Kate.” He turned toward her, and a car honked behind her. A couple walked to their SUV. “Not here. Will you come with me?”

“What? Where?” She walked closer to him with drawn eyebrows.

“Somewhere more private. I need to explain myself. I didn’t mean to fuck this up.” He took the last step toward her, his instinct to crush his lips to hers. Claim her with his dragon. Instead, he leaned his forehead against hers.

She didn’t back away.

Sweet relaxation filled his head, like a painkiller taking effect. Her hands on his abdomen were soothing. She tilted her head against his, hands moving up his chest to around his neck. Her lips whisked against his as if she too couldn’t resist the pull. The light touch sent lightning through him.

“Raz…” her voice quivered with vulnerability.

“Please come with me.” He leaned back, studying her. The explanation he needed to give her required a more private location. His heart thundered as he thought her hesitation was her finding a way to deny him.