Page 17 of Kidnapped Forced Mate

“I think this is the place,” Stryker says as he stares up at the apartment building we've arrived at in Los Angeles.

His grand plan is to “accidentally” bump into Olivia in her apartment building, then charm my way into her heart.

I need to buy myself some time since Stryker is adamant about getting down to business now that we know who my mate is, thanks to the Cube.

“Why don't we er–” I pause, looking around the street, when I spot an open bar. I nudge my brother's arm and point at the joint. “Why don't we have a drink first?”

Stryker chuckles, raising a skeptical brow. “Do you need something to take away the jitters?”

“Something like that,” I lie, crossing the street with Stryker following me.

I know I can't lie to him forever. But I can distract myself long enough to figure out how to tell him that Olivia Jackson is already on the island, tied to my bedpost.

As soon as we enter the bar, we're able to turn heads, as we often do on our visits to the mortal world. Stryker orders our drinks while I lose myself in the attention of a group of women seated at the bar.

All it takes is one glance at the pretty women for them to swoon. While I lap at the attention, in the back of my mind, I can't help but wonder why Olivia seems unfazed by my presence.

Shrugging the thought away, I focus on using my charms where they always work. Small joints like these often produce the most exquisite one-night stands.

I can do with the distraction.

“Hey…” Stryker draws my attention to him, and I notice his disbelieving frown when I turn.

“What?” I chuckle as I reach for my drink. I can practically feel the women's swooning gazes boring into the back of my head as I take a deliberate sip.

“We're not here to fool around, Stryder,” my brother whispers as if we're on a top-secret mission. “We're here to find your mate, remember?”

Chugging down my whiskey, I stare ahead blankly as if to prepare myself for the moment of truth.

“There's no need to find her…” I sigh heavily, the weight of my secret almost off my shoulders.

“Are you having second thoughts, Brother?”

Second… Third… Many thoughts end with me giving up my chance to fulfill the duties bound to me by the dragon clan.

If only my inner dragon would comply and allow me to set the human free.

“That's not the problem here, Stryker.”

“So, there is one…” he nods, taking a sip of his drink.

“She's on the island already,” I reveal flatly, to which Stryker slowly turns his face to me, eyes widening curiously.

“Why didn't you tell me? More importantly, how did this happen?”

Taking a deep breath, I keep my gaze fixed on a half-empty bottle of Jack on the shelf behind the bar. I'm usually a half-full kind of guy, but right now, I'm not very optimistic.

I hadn't been planning on telling Stryker the truth any time soon. In fact, I didn't have a plan. I'm just going with the flow, and leaving the island for a night out in the city sounded like a good idea.

Stryker thought we were coming here to meet my mate for the first time. I just needed to get away from the island, away from her, away from the responsibilities that shackle me to dishonesty.

I just can't do it anymore. That's why I finally came clean, telling my twin everything. He listens intently, not as surprised as I thought he'd be when I told him how I saved her and took her to the island.

I just don't have the heart to tell him about my reluctance to go ahead with having her as my mate.

“Fuck…” he murmurs under his breath, ordering another round of drinks. “So we're not here to find her?”

“Not while she's locked in my bedroom.”

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