Page 32 of Dragon Prince of New York

I smile at him. “Perfect timing.”

“Dance?” Hand held out to me, he looks beyond me, glaring at Tim.

“We were talking.” Tim takes my arm again, gripping a little too tight. I shove him away, grab the giant’s hand, and hightail it as far away from my ex as possible, ignoring the dirty looks I can feel at my back.

“What’s your name?”I ask.

“Kyro.” The giant’s hands rest on my waist, respectful, nothing too intimate, which I appreciate.

He doesn’t ask me my name or make any attempt at conversation, which is weird, but I’m kind of relieved. Seeing my ex threw me. It reminded me how much I never want to be in that kind of relationship again. The next time I’m in a relationship, I want it to be with someone who is all in, who doesn’t hesitate or push me away. Someone loyal, who only has eyes for me.

We sway a little as Kyro slowly guides us deeper into the crowd. He’s clearly not a dancer, which feeds my ego, since he still bothered to ask me to dance and help me out with my ex.

We’re pretty deep in the middle of the room, packed tight on all sides by people. The lights and noise are a nice distraction from my thoughts. Kyro continues to take the lead, shifting me this way and that as we sway. He’s awkward and stiff in his movements, but he’s trying, and it makes me stifle a laugh.

This is what I need, someone who wants to dance with me even if he looks stupid.

When I look around again, I can't see Sora or the rest of our group. We’ve worked our way out of the worst of the crowd to the back of the club. Kyro bends forward and opens his mouth to say something. I really hope he's not about to ask me to get out of here.

But before he can get out a word, he’s jerked away from me. Jethro and another man I vaguely recognize from Jess’s baby shower step between me and the harmless giant.

“Leave,” Jethro says in a voice I’ve never heard from him before.

“What the hell?” I try to push past them to apologize to Kyro, but the guy with Jethro stops me. “We were just dancing. What’s your problem?”

None of them pay any attention to me. Kyro stares at Jethro, a little too familiar for them to be strangers. He puffs his chest and his fists tighten. For a moment, I worry that they’re actually going to get into a fight.

“Leave immediately, and I might not take this as a breach of the treaty,” Jethro says.

Treaty? He’s talking like we’re in some kind of old war movie. Maybe they're mafia after all. The giant’s gaze flicks to me, narrows, then centers on Jethro again. Without a word, he storms off.

“Damian.” Jethro flicks his finger in the direction Kyro went.

The man, who must be Damian, lets go of me and follows the giant.

“What the fuck was that about?” I demand.

Jethro dips his head, takes a deep breath, then looks up with his normal smile back in place. “Just doing my job, Ra’ia.”

I look from him to the giant, then pull Jethro out of the crowd. “Wait, is Kyro one of the guys who wants to kidnap me?”

Jethro assesses me. “He is.”

The back exit of the club is only a few feet away, and I shudder to think about what might have happened if Jethro hadn’t shown up when he did. Once again, my instincts suck.

“He seemed so nice. Even saved me from my ex.”

“Your ex?”

I jerk my head and find Tim, who's turned his attention to a new girl in a red sequin dress. No longer interested in me or the girl he was dancing with before.

Typical.

“I’m gonna go,” I say to Jethro.

“Oh, I’ll…” His gaze swings around the room and lands on Sora, dancing close to a man who’s got his hands on her thighs, thumbs hidden under the hem of her short skirt. Jethro makes a noise that’s part growl. It’s kind of adorableto see the lighthearted man all feral for my bestie.

“Stay.” I pat his chest. “She should have someone looking out for her.” Sora’s definitely trying to make up for lost time, which is great, but I’m worried she might not be as discerning right now as she should be.

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