Page 9 of Kidnapped Forced Mate

Muttering a string of curses under my breath, I stroll forward slowly to inspect the offerings he’s left behind. It’s been hours since my arrival, almost twenty-four, and it’s the first time he’s given me something to eat. My belly rumbles with recognition since the snack bar from my handbag this morning barely tickled my appetite.

At least he’s proven that he’s not completely inhumane, I decide as I pick up the plate filled with desserts. Is this his way of sweetening my disposition? I scoff, lifting the fork when an idea lights up in my head like a lightbulb.

A smirk grows on my lips as I crouch by the door and fold three metal teeth of the fork inwards. I don’t know why I hadn’t thought about it before, but now that I have a tool, I can pick the lock and escape.

Biting my bottom lip as I concentrate, I twist and turn the single tooth of the fork, gasping when the lock clicks and releases the handle. Adrenaline pulses through me as I try the handle, and it opens the door this time.

A few inhales and exhales calm me enough to run over to the nightstand, grab my handbag, and rush back to the opened door. My heart pounds in my chest, but I keep my footsteps steady to tiptoe out of the bedroom and into a corridor lit by grand overhead chandeliers.

Padding down the corridor is like walking through a Middle Eastern passage, traveling through a moment in history thanks to the vivid colors and patterns all around. There isn’t much time to soak it all in – not when I’m on a mission to get out of this strange place.

The crackling of fireworks outside stops me in my tracks as my heart skips a tense beat. The pause allows me to catch the flickering light escaping a door up ahead, so I tiptoe to the end of the hall until I find the parted door.

It opens up to another fragment of time, back when television screens were black and white. The only colors are the ones lighting up the sky, so I steal closer to the balcony of the black and white bedroom, finding the door unlocked. I’m able to slide the glass door open, step onto a varnished wood platform, and see my surroundings for the first time.

A gasp escapes me when I’m able to see the sight ahead. The view from up here opens to what appears to be a tropical island, with palm trees spread out in front of the clearest beach sand with a backdrop of crystal clear waters.

Whatever this place is, it’s nowhere near Las Vegas, that’s for sure. There isn’t an island as gorgeous as this near Nevada.

Frowning as a million questions race through my mind, the soft glow of the sun’s light is snatched when a dark figure appears in the sky. Another gasp escapes me, but this time, it’s tinged with a hint of fear and looming dread.

With giant wings spread out on either side, a sharp, pointed face stares at me with slitted green eyes. Its large, scaled body tapers into a tail that floats behind it as it flies closer.

It can’t be…

The shape of the figure can only be described as a dragon. A mythical feature portrayed in many fantasy tales depicted almost exactly like the creature flying toward me. I’ve seen enough pictures on fantastical book covers and watched enough fantasy movies to tell what this is. The creature bares its teeth as it nears me, sending out a puff of fire that doesn’t scorch its face. It emerges through the flame, soaring forward and stretching out webbed feet toward the balcony.

I’m too stunned to move, frozen on the spot as it lands on the balcony rails. The creature is huge, looming over me as it wheezes through its muzzle.

What happens next happens so quickly that I almost miss it. I barely blink when the creature morphs into the shape of a man. Not just any man, but the one who captured me. He hops from the rails and lands effortlessly on his feet, eyes narrowed at me.

“What are you doing here?!” he demands, stepping forward. Internally, I want to run, having witnessed the most unbelievable thing happen right before my eyes.

The only trouble is that I can’t move. Not even when the man takes another menacing step forward and grabs my arms.

I squeak with surprise at how brandishing his hot hands are. “What are you–”

“Uh-uh,” he shakes his head firmly, lifting me off my feet as if I’m as light as a feather and carrying me into the room. “You don’t get to answer my question with another question.”

His commanding voice has me pursing my lips as if I’m a child who just did something bad. Too shocked from learning that he’s a dragon who also morphs into the most beautiful human man I’ve ever laid eyes on, I become limp in his firm grip. He just moves me around like a rag doll, throwing me onto the black satin bed and grabbing a fistful of the white organza around the bedpost.

I should be fighting back, but I can’t. I’m too mesmerized by the shocking truth, inebriated by the heady scent of musk that permeates around the air as if it’s his aura. Still reeling from the shock, the man deftly binds my hands to the bedpost using the organza.

“What am I gonna do with you?” he sighs heavily as he takes a step back and crosses bulging arms across his chest.

“L-let me go…” It’s hardly a command, more like a plea when the words leave my lips. I shake my head to snap out of my daze, taking a deep breath when reality finally hits me.

The man is a shape-shifter, one that can turn into a dragon. It’s impossible to believe, but I saw it with my own eyes. I know I’m not crazy. If I were, I wouldn’t be fit to work as an FBI agent.

One thing is for sure. It wasn’t a jet-pack, after all…

“I can’t do that,” the man says, running a hand through his silky blonde hair and blowing out a breath. “Now that you know what I am—”

“What are you?”

The man lifts his eyes to mine, staring at me through the veil of his light lashes. “I am a dragon shifter.”

“Dragon shifter…” I repeat, confirming that he at least doesn’t shape-shift into other strange creatures. “We’re not in America, are we?”

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