Page 46 of Ember's Claim

“I don’t even know what this looks like,” I say, jabbing a finger at my dragon. “But it’s not that, and you’re massive when you shift. Don’t do that inside.”

Veryn laughs, swiping his black hair back from his face.

My brow wrinkles as my head tilts.

“Holy fuck, woman. You had me worried half to death.” He stomps over, and his fangs and claws disappear as he gets closer.He lifts me, shoving my back against the nearby wall as he bends to kiss the hell out of me.

My feet dig into his jeans as the lion shakes out his fur and jumps down from the bed.

There’s no way for me to see exactly what he does after that, but I can hear it clearly as his claws clap against the wooden flooring. It sounds like he walks out of the bedroom, down the hallway, and possibly takes a set of stairs.

“I just puked.”

“I legitimately could not care less.” Veryn nips at my lower lip, swirling his tongue around the stinging ache. “For the record,” he growls, bumping his cheek against mine. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again. So, you just better get used to having a dragon-sized stalker stuck up your ass from here on out.” He chuckles. “That sounded dirtier than I meant it to, but we can go with that too.” His teeth rake over my lower lip again as he growls. He moves closer to my ear and tugs on it. He seems riled, but like he’s doing his best to cover it up. “You’re so fucking lucky I didn’t burn this place to the ground searching for you.”

A shiver runs down my spine.

He does sound very serious.

Dragons can be unpredictable.

“I’m safe,” I say, swallowing around the lump in my throat. “But I have something to tell you, and it’s kinda big.”

“Congratulations, Alpha. I hear you claimed your birthright,” he says, pulling back to study my face.

Oh, shit.

Word travels fast.

Way too freaking fast.

“Yeah, but what do I do now, Veryn? I don’t want to lead a pack.”

His forehead comes to rest against mine. “Then, you don’t have to, but you should be proud of yourself for taking outAimes. It sounds like he was on a path to becoming Carson 2.0.” He references my bio dad.

“I didn’t even make the choice to kill him,” I admit. “My wolf took over and forced me out completely.”

“She was protecting you from having to make that call,” Veryn says in a tender tone.

“He was awful. I’m not sorry he’s dead. If I had known how terrible he was, I would have supported her decision.”

“In a kill-or-be-killed situation, it’s not the same as murdering someone in cold blood,” he says firmly. “I’ve heard a little, and it sounds like he was a tyrant. Even the fact you’re female might not have saved you.”

I nod. “I need to call Rogue and my family, but I don’t want to. The second they hear the news, my dads and brothers will try to storm pack lands,” I say as my stomach rolls. “I made a big freaking mess.”

“It’s okay,” he murmurs. “We’ll figure it out together. We’ve just gotta handle one thing real quick.” His hand slides into my hair at the base of my skull and with how huge his palm is, he’s able to use his fingers to tilt my chin to the side. “You’re mine. We both know it, but I can’t do shit for you without a claiming bite. Fucking bullshit shifter culture.” He kisses my cheek as my heart slams against my ribs. “I mean, not that I wasn’t looking for a reason, anyway, but yeah…” He bumps my head to the side, licking down my neck, and my hands dig into his shoulders.

My wolf vibrates with excitement, but it takes me until his teeth puncture my skin to realize what’s happening.

Damn wolfsbane.

I should have seen that coming, especially after sensing how on edge Veryn’s dragon seemed when I first came out of the bathroom. A ridiculous moan slips from my lips as his tongue flicks over my skin. He really shoved his teeth in there deep.

Bonds can be rejected. I’ve been told my entire life that they’re consensual, so I guess if there was a point in time when I could deny it… I missed it. Not that I would have. It’s a onetime-only deal, from what I understand.

Veryn’s citrusy scent floods my mind, and his contentment follows only a second later. Right after that is pure, smug-as-fuck alpha pride.

He growls, slamming me against the wall with force. His teeth finally retract, and he licks over the bite to clean and seal it.

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