Page 10 of Kidnapped Plus-Size Mate

I protected the she-dragon back then, just as I’ll protect my sister now.

The growl that builds in my chest is a warning and challenge against Rakon. It’s low enough so that no one else can hear, only threatening him with primal intent as I slowly say, “Like I said before, my sister and I were enjoying our dance. She’ll decide if she wants to dance with you when we’re done.”

I nod briskly at Kairo, who stands beside me with a grateful glint in her eyes. She doesn’t remove her gaze from mine, keeping it fixed even as Rakon glances at her as if for confirmation.

I feel her tensing when Rakon growls.

“Watch yourself, mate,” he warns before turning on his heel and marching off with his annoyance lingering in the air he just left.

“What was that all about?” I ask Kairo when he’s gone.

“It’s… Nothing,” she admits, her lips pressed into a firm line as she stares with a deep frown after Rakon as he leaves the dancefloor. She shakes her head as if shaking off the tensing in her shoulders, a sigh of relief escaping her just as she pats my shoulder. “Thanks.”

A frown flits past my face, but I’m able to continue our dance when Kairo does not explain. When the smile on her face returns, I decide not to press for an explanation until the song changes, and she asks to go back to the bar.

“Care to explain what all that animosity was about?” she asks when we order a new set of drinks.

I shrug diffidently, not seeing the need to give Rakon any more of my time. He doesn’t deserve that much.

“It’s nothing,” I offer. “We’re just not friends anymore.” I perk up a questioning brow. “Is that why you refused his dance?”

Kairo purses her lips, her unrest evident in the way she nervously stirs the straw in her drink. She opens her mouth as if she’s about to say something when our father joins us at the bar. Relief washes over her eyes upon his arrival, and I can tell she doesn’t care to give Rakon her time, either.

“Stryker…” Father pats my shoulder gently. “It’s time.”

“Time?” I ask with a hint of confusion, to which my father nods.

“I know we've kept you waiting for far too long,” he chuckles lightly. “It's time for you to go out there and do what none of your brothers have done.” He glances down at the bar, where my brothers and their mates await their drinks.

Kairo giggles. “I think they've done just fine, Father,” she observes fondly.

“Nonetheless, we have some catching up to do,” he says as he nods toward Alpha Falkor and his mate, Sandra. “Those two didn't go through as much trouble as the Vulkan boys have…” His voice falters off as if he's crushed by the disappointments brought on by his children.

Alpha Falkor and his Lady Dragon fell in love on his vacation in the Bahamas. He didn't snatch her off to Lizard Island or keep her locked in a tower until she fell in love with him.

He's been the only dragon shifter to follow through with the Council's adjusted methods after Draco's ordeal with Lily.

But he won't be the only one to make the Council proud and pave the way for a coexisting future with the humans…

“Don't worry, Father,” I assure him, resting a hand on his shoulder as determination fills my chest. Perhaps it comes with the knowing that soon, I'll be able to see Camilla again. Those dreadful claws of withdrawals subside, releasing me from the chokehold that had me feeling as if I was losing my mind.

“... I’ll do as the Council has requested,” I continue. “I have a good feeling about this.”

Little did my father know I had an advantage that none of my brothers had.

I’d been keeping a close eye on Camilla for months and paying keen attention to what makes her tick and sparks her interest.

She’ll fall in love with me in the blink of an eye, and follow me to Aurora Island willingly.

There’s no doubt in my mind.

Chapter 4 - Camilla

“Respirador de fuego…” Abuela’s voice echoes in my eardrums like a warning just as I’m jolted from another nightmarish dream of the fire breathing dragon.

It’s another night of craziness added to the tally of madness that I’ve been experiencing for the last five nights. With a trembling hand reaching for my water supply from the nightstand, I wipe the sweat beaded across my brows while trying to remain grateful for another day alive.

I didn’t think I’d be spooked so easily, but the dreams about the fire breathing creature have only grown more vivid and scarier. The eerie presence of the reptilian beast overshadows the beauty of the meadow in my imagination, stripping it of its sanctitude and turning it into a place of dread that I never want to visit again.

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