Page 19 of Kidnapped Forced Mate

“Who–who are you…?” I breathe, meeting the man's eyes and finding that it isn't easy to lose myself in them. He opens his mouth, and I notice that the mole is on the right corner of his mouth, resembling a heart instead of a flower.

“Stryker!” comes that distinctly bearish voice from the doorway, snapping my attention there. The man beside the bed drops my hand and stands back.

“What are you doing?!” the one at the doorway saunters forward powerfully, the air billowing around him and carrying that heady, musky scent toward my nostrils.

My eyelids flutter closed as the scent of his cologne wafts into my airways. I bask in the familiarity of the fragrance, just long enough before reminding myself that I can't be enamored by the dragon shifter man.

Gulping as I open my eyes again, an unsettling chill runs down my spine as I snap my head between the two men on either side of me.

It's like I'm seeing double, and it takes me a moment to realize that they're twins.

“I'm cleaning up your mess, Brother,” the one on my right, Stryker, scoffs as he reaches for the key and throws it at Stryder.

Stryder catches the key to his chest, staring wildly confused at the other man.

“I'll take it from here,” Stryder relents with a heavy sigh.

When his twin brother huffs and storms out of the bedroom, Stryder rushes after him, catching him outside the doorway. They speak in hushed whispers, and I can barely make out what they're saying. Still, the tension in the air is palpable, and I can sense that Stryder is in some kind of trouble.

Why, I'm not sure. The other twin, Stryker, seemed upset about me being tied to Stryder's bedpost. I don't have the slightest clue about what's happening, but I already decided I wouldn't care. I just need to go back; that's all I should care about.

But when Stryder comes back with a glum look crippling his face, I can’t help but wonder why.

I shouldn't care… I shouldn't care… I chime mentally as Stryder comes to the bed and takes a seat, lifting my hand on his lap.

“What are you doing?” I whisper, staring at his face while he unlocks the cuff on my right wrist.

“I shouldn't–” he sighs, blinking at my hand as it rests on his lap.

I'm suddenly aware I'm free, slowly removing my hand from his lap and wringing my wrist now that the metal is gone.

“I'm sorry, Olivia,” he repeats the words his brother told me, and this time, the apology carries a weight with it that causes my heart to skip a beat. “It was wrong of me to keep you a prisoner here.” Stryder rises to his feet and steps aside, bowing his head curtly. “You're free.”

I frowned, hesitating to even move in case this was a joke. After being locked away twice, it's hard to believe I'm free now.

“Does this mean I get to go home?” I ask, a flicker of disappointment making its presence known in the pit of my belly. Against my better judgment, of course. It's not a welcomed feeling, so I mentally push it aside.

Stryder lifts his head, meeting my eyes with an apologetic glint passing his green depths. “No,” he says, shaking his head slightly. “It just means you're free to walk around the island.”

“Oh…” I purse my lips together, pausing to contemplate his offer. It isn't much, since going back to my world and fulfilling my duties as an FBI agent was the only thing I'd hoped for. Now that I'm not restrained, I could easily find a way to escape the island, even if that's not what he wants. I could play the part of willing captor, and plot my escape.

But that tiny frisson of curiosity about the world of the dragon shifters has me staying exactly where I am. Curiosity killed the cat, they say. I'm not a cat, and I'm quite capable of protecting the one life I do have.

It's what prompts my next statement. “Fine, I'll stick around for whatever foolish reason you have to keep me here.”

“For your own safety,” he reminds me, his jaw clenching when he says this.

“Right… your inner dragon,” I scoff. “What do you expect me to do in this place, anyway?”

A strange flicker of hope lightens his eyes, his lips lifting in a feeble smile. “There's a lot that you can do here, Olivia. Why don't you rest for now, and I'll show you around tomorrow?”

Something in the way his voice pitches with hope has me confused. Apart from wanting to keep me safe because he believes I'm in danger, I can't help but wonder if there's more to it.

“Okay,” I agree, sliding off the bed and making my way to the bathroom. If he wants me to stick around, it must be on my terms. “I want something to eat,” I instruct him from the door. “And I'll need my own bedroom again.”

Chapter 9 - Stryder

“D-do you want this one?” I hesitate, watching Olivia disappear into the bathroom.

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