Page 3 of Ember's Claim

The door shuts behind me with a scratchy sound that makes me shiver. It’s obnoxiously loud, and I’m so distracted that I barely pick up the flutter of wings until Veryn is on me. His huge, tattooed hand wraps around my throat as he shoves my back against the brick wall.

“Mmm, you smell extra sweet tonight.” He smirks, and those damn dimples in his cheeks pop. “I had no idea you were going to stop by to surprise me.”

“I came to check on my brothers.”

He chuckles, like he knows it’s a lie, but he doesn’t call me on it. Fine, maybe my purpose for stopping by tonight was twofold.

Damn sexy dragon. He’s not supposed to make my brain all melty.

It’s baffling to think about how different his life could have been if he had chosen to stay in Faere with his father.

Veryn’s mom had no idea she was hooking up with the heir to the dragon throne back in the day. He left her knocked up with his egg and returned to his people.

A few years later, some stuff went down. Veryn’s biological father sent his men to retrieve his heir. They kidnapped Veryn and brought him to the dragon court in Faere. If it wasn’t for his mom’s new mates and a few of the OG Haven Hit Squad, they might not have been able to retrieve him. But, luckily, they brought him back in one piece.

Veryn’s head dips, and he brushes his lips over mine. My fingers dig into the front of his plain white T-shirt as I tug him closer. He’s an alpha shifter through and through.

My wolf aches to fight—to make him chase us if he wants us.

The human part of me just wants to feel his stubble scratch my cheek as he shoves his tongue into my mouth.

He growls.

The sound rattles out of his chest and vibrates around the small alleyway that leads to the employee parking lot.

I shiver in response, and even my wolf seems to roll belly up in my mind.

The traitor.

Not thirty seconds ago, she was playing images of running through the forest and flooding me with the desire to be chased.

Veryn uses his hand on my throat and the other on my hip to lift me before shoving his knee between mine. His scent hits my nose, and it has a wild effect on my system. That could also be related to the feeling of his multitude of muscles pressing against my front.

His facial hair does, in fact, scratch my cheek as he devours me to the point I start to grind over his knee.

This is not the place to be getting handsy.

He’s friends with my brothers and, to my knowledge, they don’t know we’ve been fucking like rabbits for the last fewmonths. Ever since they turned eighteen, they’ve been in and out of The Den. They’re constantly trying to prove they can handle the day-to-day operations of the place.

The thought reminds me how Veryn recruited them to make sure no guys would touch me while he was giving me the cold shoulderfor years.

A low growl rattles out of my chest this time. Even as enamored as my wolf is with him, she doesn’t like that he so easily ignored us.

Veryn rests his forehead against mine, brushing his fingers over my cheek. “I wish I knew where your head goes every time you manage to get pissed at me all over again.”

I’m basically dangling in the air with his thigh as my seat. It’s kind of a vulnerable position.

I sigh, clenching my eyes closed.

“Ember, you can’t punish me forever.” He slides his hands down, cupping my ass. “We’ve already wasted three years. Every time I think we’re moving in the right direction, you pull back. It’s starting to drive me fucking insane.”

I hate that it still bothers me, but he was my best friend, and losing him was devastating.

He was just gone, but not really.

I still had to see him around town, hanging out with Fox and Talon, and even worse, withmy little brothers.

On one hand, I want to trust that he won’t disappear on me again, and on the other, there’s that old sayingonce bitten, twice shy.

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