Page 33 of Ditching the Dragon (Fated Dates)

There it is again.

Come home.

She’s started saying it more and more. It may be a carefully constructed fabrication to make me more amenable, but if so, it’s working.

“Fine. I will let you talk to Violet.”

“Really?” she squeaks on the other end. While she does, I shoot a text off to my security chief to increase the tracking on Violet.

“Yes, Annie.”

Her giddy, sweet laughs fill my ear, and I start to think I should have let her have Vi back sooner.

“Text me the number,” she says.

“Don’t need to; you already have it. I transferred our text chain to my personal number days ago and let her have her number back. You keep hittingcallfrom the text string, so it comes to my phone.”

I also cloned her new phone so I can track every message, but Annie doesn’t need to know that.

A plan forms as to how I can convince my fierce, independent mate to surrender for good. Even when I finally find her, it needs to feel to her like she’s won or she’ll only run again.

I’m a patient man, and I’m good at the hunt. I’ve waited for her for centuries; I can bide my time and do this right.

Annie curses but then returns to the phone. “Thank you, Wick. You won’t regret it.”

“Come home and show your appreciation.”

“Very funny.”

Annie

The moment I hang up on Wick, I call my best friend.

“Annie?” Violet shrieks.

“Violet!”

“Sweet mother moon, why didn’t you call me?” she yells at the phone.

“You gave Wick your phone,” I accuse back.

“Well, he bought me a new one. How was I supposed to know he’d steal my number for several days? Doesn’t explain why you never called me so I could give you the run down. I considered whether he’d chained you in his basement for real and his updates were bullshit.”

“Updates?”

“Every day, he lets me know where you’ve been so I don’t worry. He has a text chain with your parents and brother too.”

Deep, meaningful breaths. DEEP, meaningful breaths.

She doesn’t hear any of my forced mindfulness, though, because she’s launched into a babbling explanation of the features of her new car. Once she catches a breath for air, she switches topics to ask, “Have you been hotel hopping like he says, or do I need to twist his balls off with a hacksaw?”

“Donottalk about Wickham’s balls,” I growl.

Oop, not so touchy.

“Feeling a little jealous, Annie? It wouldn’t be the first time. He insists you’re mates. I thought he was only trying to convince me to give you up, but maybe there’s something to it?”

“There’s nothing to it. Just don’t talk about things you willnever see, let alone touch.”

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