Page 29 of Kidnapped Plus-Size Mate

He surprises me when he chuckles lowly, compelling me to open my eyes again, only to see him frowning.

“Do what?” he asks.

“Kill me,” I blurt. “If you won’t let me go, then just do it now. There’s no need for you to drag this out.”

“I’m not going to kill you, Camilla.”

“Then…” I glance over my shoulder, my chest heaving rapidly with panicked breaths. “ If you don’t let me go, I’ll jump!”

“Don’t be foolish!” he grouches, grabs my arm, and pulls me forward.

Squirming and wrestling against his touch, he drags me back into the room and slides the door shut with a loud thud. I stare at him with grievingly perplexed eyes, unable to ignore the unfathomable pull I feel toward him despite my better judgment.

It must be another trick he’s using on me. He’s full of tricks when a twirl of his wrist in the air veils the glass door in a cloud of black smoke that darkens the bright light of the island. Startled, I muster enough force to pull myself free from his arms, only to find him glaring at me through the darkened eyes of menacing jets.

“You need time to get over your shock,” he bellows reproachfully. “I can’t trust you until then.”

My jaw drops at his unwarranted claim.

He can’t trustme?

The audacity!

I’m about to snap back with spiteful words that hang bitterly on my tongue when Sterling turns and marches toward the main bedroom door. Without another word, he throws it open, grunts as he steps out, and pulls the door shut with a bang.

I rush forward, trying the door, only to find it locked.

Sinking to the floor, my face falls into my hands as defeated tears spring free from my eyes. My body shakes from the force of my sob, as I wish I’d heededAbuela’s instructions to be safe.

I shouldn’t have trusted the man, with his good looks a tool to trick me into being his next meal.

Chapter 9 - Stryker

I let out the breath I’d been holding in only when I was in the hallway.

Behind me, Camilla’s sob is audible, paining me with the urge to go back in there and comfort her.

She won’t let me give her what she needs. I know that. I saw the look of terror in her eyes when she demanded I don’t go any closer to her. But her panic became alarming when she threatened to jump from the balcony.

She’s too frantic right now, out of her mind, with the expected shock of seeing me in dragon form.

It’s not like I’d been planning for this to happen. I didn’t expect Rakon to come in and disrupt my initial plan of wooing Camilla before I revealed my identity to her.

I just saved her, but she doesn’t seem to understand that I’m protecting her by keeping her on the island. Protecting her from Rakon, who seems adamant about getting back at me for what happened in the past.

Closing my eyes and sighing discontentedly, I touch the gravelly scar on my cheek that serves as a reminder that I’d been hurt in the fight. I fought for her, to protect her, but right now, all I can do is listen to the sounds of her crying in the background, my fists curling at my sides out of frustration.

If only she wasn’t so sensitive right now, I’d burst into the guest bedroom on the eleventh floor of the Aurora Island castle, grab her into my arms, and soothe her shock away.

Ironically, I’m the one to be blamed for the magnitude of her current state. I also look like the bad guy now that I’ve locked her away so she doesn’t make another attempt on her own life.

There's no denying it.

The Vulkan brothers have rotten luck when it comes to meeting their human mates.

I thought I was the family’s only hope to follow protocol and do the right thing. But I couldn’t just leave her in the mortal world once she learned about my true identity.

I couldn’t leave her out in the world, exposed to the likes of Rakon Hawke.

---