Page 30 of Kidnapped Forced Mate

Smiling to myself, my resolve feels refueled as I head up the stone path leading to the castle. I have to do this on my own – to test a theory, I suspect.

“Olivia…” I call out as I walk into the bedroom. She's out of bed already, nowhere to be seen. When she pops her head out of the bathroom doorway, the smile she throws me is almost disarming.

“Will you join me on the balcony?” I ask, proceeding to the glass sliding door.

“Er--what's going on?” she asks hesitantly from behind but follows me out anyway.

“Nothing,” I shrug, taking a deep breath before turning to her. She wears a look of deep concern that furrows her brows, matching the worry I've had all morning.

Then she notices the scratches on my face and gasps. “What happened to you?” She reaches out and touches my cheek, and I wince.

“It's nothing,” I assure her, but she isn't convinced.

She clicks her tongue and comes closer to inspect the damage. “Did you get into a fight?”

Her concern for me warms my heart, tingling my toes with the urge to kick my feet like I'm giddy.

Gods… What has become of me? Why am I changing so much?

I take her hand and kiss her inner wrist, the sweet gesture feeling so natural that it lifts my lips into a smile. I place my hands on her shoulders, watching her worry subside as she smiles sheepishly.

“I'm going to kiss you,” I tell her.

“Okay…” she frowns again but closes her eyes and parts her lips.

“Don't be frightened,” I warn, stepping closer until her warm breath fans my lips.

“Why would I–”

I hush her when I crush my lips to hers, my eyes closed as I savor the sweetness of the kiss as she swoons and melts into my embrace. Electric awareness courses through me, igniting every fiber in my being and filling me with a gallant sense of power.

The taunting chuckle of my dragonspirit fades into the recesses of my mind, turning into a chuffed scoff as if to tell me, “I told you so.”

As I tilt my face and deepen the kiss, my tongue exploring the warm depths of Olivia's sweet mouth, I feel my shoulder blades tingle. Reunited with my inner dragon once again, I'm able to invoke it without much thought. It's as simple as breathing again, as simple as holding Olivia in my embrace and feeling her melt in my arms to the melody of our passionate kiss.

This is what the inner dragon wanted me to see. It wanted me to persist in protecting my human mate even without the dragonspirit. It wanted me to know that it was more than just the dragonspirit that wanted to protect her.

I, too, as Stryder Vulkan in my human form, would do anything to ensure that her life wasn't in danger. Without blaming my inner dragon, who could easily disconnect from me if we weren't on the same page.

“I understand…” I internally relent, keeping my lips on Olivia's. As the kiss turns more passionate, so does the strength of my dragon, sprouting my wings without having to force it forward. I smile on the kiss, the torrent of distending wings behind me lost in the passion of our lips. I pull Olivia closer, hugging her tightly to my chest as I lift us off the balcony.

She giggles when she pulls away, realizing we're miles from the ground.

“What are you doing?” she titters, staring at the island down below as she wraps her arms around my neck.

“I'm taking you back to the mountain,” I say, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “This time, you're not gonna fall.”

“If I do, you'll just catch me,” she giggles, eyes sparkling with joy when she looks at me.

“Always,” I promise – a solemn oath I plan on sticking with for eternity. Now I understand that the human means more to me than a simple quest. I was foolish enough to think she was just another fling. Until my dragon disappeared to knock some sense into me.

She is my peace. She is my strength. She is the human I'm meant to have children with for a reason. It might not be love I'll ever be able to feel, but protecting her makes me a better dragon.

Chapter 14 - Olivia

“Wait…” I frown, stepping onto the ground on the mountaintop and out of Stryder's arms, when I spot a familiar chest hidden behind a rock. “... Is that what I think it is?”

He chuckles as he retracts his wings behind him and treks forward over the rocks. For a split second, I'm distracted by how hot he is, climbing over the rocks like a nimble, muscular athlete.

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