Page 20 of Kidnapped Forced Mate

“Yup!” she calls out before slamming the bathroom door shut, leaving me in my bedroom to look around with the troubling realization that I'd just given up my own bedroom.

At this point, I'm willing to sacrifice a lot more for the sake of my brother. Seeing Stryker's disappointment in me, I knew I had to make amends. Quickly.

Remaining in the mortal world to drown my sorrows in alcohol and women wasn't ideal, so I followed him to the island only to discover that he was in the midst of freeing Olivia.

He's only furious that I'd locked her in my quarters. For months, we'd agreed that forcing humans into submission wasn't the way to go. We watched it happen with Draco and Aragon, and felt helpless, knowing they weren't thinking clearly when they did what they did.

Of course, I have my own reasons – Olivia hasn't been easy to deal with. At first, she demanded to leave. Now that I've freed her, she seems to accept that I'm not taking her back home. Perhaps she does value her life, after all.

Now, it seems I'm at her mercy.

I'm at the mercy of my brother, too, who'll no doubt keep a watchful eye on me so I don't make any wrong moves. He'll be sure to watch my every move and call me out if he thinks I'm being a cruel bastard.

I owe him this much – to attempt to show the woman enough kindness so that she might fall in love with me. I'm not counting on it since love should be a reciprocated thing. How do I explain to Stryker that I don't believe in the loose term? That love, to me, is as good as being a prisoner?

Glancing at the door when I hear Olivia turn on the faucet, I sigh. I could just treat this like all my other quests, charm my way into her bed – which happens to be mine – and give the clan what they want.

It won't be so bad, right? A walk in the park for someone with my experience in the field of charming human women.

I can only hope that she doesn't expect me to love her.

***

“So, this is a castle?” Olivia asks flatly when we step into the elevator.

I'd just given her a brief overview of the island just so she knows what to expect.

“Yes,” I smile, leaning against one wall in the elevator. “Quite impressive, don't you think?”

“I guess…” she shrugs nonchalantly, keeping her gaze fixed on the door as the lift takes us down.

If I was concerned that she would ever expect me to love her, I can see now that it takes more than a castle to floor her.

I thought I could woo her with a smirk or by casually running my fingers through my hair. None of those things seemed to have impressed her. I have my work cut out for me.

I clear my throat and ride the elevator in silence – a silence that stretches uncomfortably around us. It would be easier to just forego this whole thing if I wasn't so adamant not to disappoint my brother. While Olivia remains oblivious to what she's here for, Stryker is oblivious to my true feelings.

Gods… I hate having to lie like this, but my family hasn't given me much of a choice. With the weight of duties resting on my shoulders now, a torch that was passed from Felix to me, I must fulfill.

Mentally, I've come to terms with having to sleep with a human to produce dragonspirit children. I can manage that much. When it comes to love and fated mates, I can't accept that I'm forced to give up my freedom.

Glancing at the woman just as the elevator slows down and stops on the ground floor, I rake my eyes over her from head to toe. Dressed in a chiffon kaftan courtesy of Lily's preparation for my human mate's arrival, I notice the way Olivia's hips flare out. Her waist disappears in the flowing fabric, and voluptuous breasts appear ripe at her chest. I gulp when the blood in my veins rushes to my core, the opening doors providing a much-needed distraction.

I can work with this. Just because she's not my usual type, with red hair instead of dark brown and pale skin instead of tanned, she's curvy in all the right places. It won't be so hard to fulfill my duties in her bed if dragonspirit off-spring is my only quest.

“Come on,” I call over my shoulder when I leave the elevator. “We'll have breakfast in the dining room. Then I'll show you to the rest of the castle.”

“Hm,” she hums without an ounce of emotion, forcing me to glance over my shoulder with a frown. She doesn't even bother to look around at the dining room or appreciate the marvelously polished oak table underneath a candle chandelier dating back to the eighteenth century.

I frown warily, suddenly self-conscious about my lifestyle. Flaunting wealth always got me the woman I wanted in the mortal world.

Then why does Olivia appear disinterested, as if she couldn't care less that only the finest silverware on Earth is laid out on the table?

Relegating it to the simple fact that she's in unfamiliar territory, I pull out a chair and wait for her to take a seat. Instead, she saunters to the other side and pulls out her chair before taking a seat.

So, she's not one to care about chivalry, either. Scoffing under my breath, I take a seat and proceed with breakfast.

Another task was done in absolute silence.

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