Page 17 of His Relentless Mate

“Just like that?”

“Just like that,” he said solemnly as he rolled to his side, dragging her with him and easing her head onto his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

“I missed you, Trace. I missed you so much,” she whispered.

“It’s okay, baby. We’re together again, and no one will ever change that.”

“Before it occurs to you to be concerned, you should probably know I’m on birth control, and at my last physical, I was clean.”

“Same with the clean, but since I’m a dragon, our DNA is incompatible to make babies.”

“Do you want babies?” she asked, raising up on one elbow to look down at him.

“I think the idea of babies with you has some appeal. Do you want to be a dragon because I can’t be changed back.”

“I think being a dragon could be fun—soaring above the clouds… could I breathe fire?”

He laughed. “Yeah, baby, you could breathe fire, but you do give up a part of your humanity. You should take some time and think about it… oh, who the hell am I kidding? It was all I could do not to claim you when we were making love.”

“How does that work?”

“I’m not going to kid you; it’s painful, but it’s simple. I just inflict a claiming bite, and the change starts almost immediately. I slept through mine, as I was so close to death, but you’d probably feel kind of like you have the flu for a day or two.”

“So, let’s catch our killer first, and then we can have kinky sex, and you can bite me.”

Trace smiled at her, tracing her jawline with his finger. “I mean it, Annika. I love you and I want you with me.”

“I love you, too, and I’m not going anywhere… not without you.”

She was his, and he was hers, bound together by something deeper and stronger than anything she had ever known. Together, they were unstoppable. Together they would catch the serial killer and find their own happily ever after.

Chapter Nine

Trace

Trace woke up to an empty bed, the cool sheets beside him a stark reminder that Annika was no longer there. For a moment, he lay still, his heart sinking as he reached out to the vacant space where she had been. The warmth of their shared night lingered in his memory, but now, in the morning light, that warmth was quickly replaced by an unsettling chill.

Anger and unease surged through him as he sat up and reached for his phone on the nightstand. His mind raced with worst-case scenarios. Why would she leave without saying anything? He quickly dialed her number. The phone rang on the other end, but there was no answer. His texts went unanswered too, the silence on the other end gnawing at him.

A growl of frustration rumbled in his chest, his dragon instincts flaring up. He had let his guard down, let her slip away after they had finally begun to reconnect. He wasn’t about to let her go now. She was his fated mate, and damn it, he was going to bring her back and claim her. So much for being an enlightened dragon-shifter. The thought of Annika out there alone, possibly in danger, fueled his determination as he pulled on his clothes and headed for the door.

But when Trace reached his Range Rover, he noticed a small piece of paper tucked under the windshield wiper. He snatched it up, his eyes scanning the note hastily scrawled in Annika’s familiar handwriting.

Trace, headed back to the cottage to pack up my things. Meet me at the Blackbear Diner for breakfast. Love you, Annika

He let out a long breath, his tension easing slightly as he read her words. Shaking his head, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Trust Annika to slip away quietly and then leave him a note as if she hadn’t just left him in a cold sweat. But the humor didn’t completely dispel the lingering concern in the back of his mind. He crumpled the note in his hand and tossed it onto the passenger seat before climbing into his vehicle.

As he drove into town, the early morning sun rising over the rugged Alaskan landscape, Trace’s thoughts drifted back to the investigation. The complexities of the case weighed heavily on him, pulling his mind in several directions at once. The revelations from yesterday had opened up more questions than they had answered, and now they were faced with the possibility that the web of lies and cover-ups might reach deeper into the town than they had ever imagined.

His duty to the town was clear—protect the people, uphold the law, and maintain order. But the truth was equally important and finding justice for Carl Hansen’s family had become a personal mission for him. The tension between those two duties gnawed at him as he drove, the weight of his responsibilities growing heavier with each passing mile.

As he passed the police station, Trace’s attention was drawn to a small group of protesters gathered outside. They held signs, their faces a mix of anger and frustration as they shouted about wasted resources and the reopening of old wounds. Trace’s jaw tightened as he watched them. He knew that not everyone in town supported the investigation. Some people wanted to let the past remain buried, but Trace couldn’t let that happen. Not when the truth was so close, just out of reach.

He slowed his truck as he passed the protesters, his eyes narrowing as he recognized a few of the faces in the crowd. They were familiar—people he had grown up with, people he had known for years. It hurt to see them standing on the other side, but he pushed those feelings down, forcing himself to focus on the task at hand.

The Blackbear Diner came into view, the small, rustic building a staple in the town, known for its hearty breakfasts and strong coffee. Trace parked his Range Rover in the gravel lot and walked inside, the bell above the door jingling as he entered. The scent of bacon and coffee greeted him, the cozy warmth of the diner a welcome contrast to the turmoil in his mind.

Annika was already seated at a booth near the window, her face lit by the soft morning light. She looked up as he approached, a small smile playing on her lips as she waved him over. Trace felt the tension in his shoulders ease as he slid into the booth across from her, the familiar comfort of her presence a balm to his frayed nerves.

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