Page 89 of Tempting Her Dragons

“Hold on,” Quinn says, pressing more buttons until we see her progress to the bathroom. My heart aches, waiting for her to appear again.

“What the fuck?” Her friend enters the bathroom. “Who is that?” I demand, turning my furious gaze toward the employee.

“Rach,” he says. “She left suddenly. Her shift isn’t over.”

“Fucker,” Sally gasps, and I look back at the screen. Rach is holding Saphira close, guiding her to the back door.

“She’s stumbling,” Mav whispers.

“Who the fuck is this woman?” Bishop growls.

“Saphira comes here all the time. Rach was here when I got drinks for us. She’s a coyote and has been nice and knows her coffee. I thought they were friends,” Sally says.

“Obviously not,” I snarl.

“What is the Rach’s full name?” Quinn asks.

“Tell him,” Micah demands, pushing the human against the wall.

“I don’t know,” he answers.

“It doesn’t fucking matter.” I turn to Mav. “We’re going after them.” Mav looks at me gravely and nods. “We can track our mom. We’ve been on plenty of jobs with her. She will leave clues for us. I don’t give a shit who comes. Whoever doesn’t, find out the bitch’s name who took our mate.”

“I’m coming,” Sally says.

“Our sister is in danger,” Laken rumbles. “There’s no way we are staying behind.”

“I’ll stay here,” Quinn offers. “I’ll find any information I can and send it to Micah.”

“Thank you.” Sally keeps pace as we move to the back door. Saphira’s scent lingers in the air, showing us the way. If the woman puts her in the car, it will be harder to track, but we know our mom’s methods. My dragon wants out. My senses would be stronger in my animal form, but it’s still light out. I can shield my form while flying, and it takes a lot more energy to do so.

“I want to shift,” Mav says, clacking his lighter. He hasn’t had to fiddle with it for days. His need shows his anxiety.

“I know,” I say. “We have to wait.” I crouch down at the end of the block, picking up a piece of rope.

“What is that?” Bishop asks, and I look up.

“Mom, guiding us,” I say, and straighten. She kept the other half of the rope. She knew I would know it was her. She always said the rope didn’t have to be thought of as confining us but the thing that held us together. A family. Saphira is our family.

It enrages me that she has been kidnapped again. I swore I would protect her. I don’t care about the reasons the woman took her. She will die for daring to take our Firefly.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Saphira

Icall on my dragon to clear the fog in my head. When my senses come alive, I feel the grass underneath my palms. My heart skips. My eyes remained closed; I didn’t want to admit where I was. The wind is blowing gently, and I hear the sounds of the forest. The last time I woke up from being kidnapped, I felt the collar around my neck.

“No,” I whisper. My hands shake as I sit on my heels and feel the metal pressed tight. I dig my fingers around it and open my eyes. I want to cry, and anxiety is creeping into my chest. The light is fading. My nightmares are coming back to haunt me. The bars around me are the same, except my cage is the only one. I hear footsteps closing in and force myself to shut down my emotions. I go back in time and shove everything deep inside. No fear. They will use it.

“Oh, good. You’re awake,” a voice says. I swallow my surprise and hurt. “How do you like my game?”

“I’m not fond of games,” I say, turning to see Rach sit in front of the cage. “Were you that mad that I couldn’t get a drink with you? If you wanted to have alone time with me, all you had to do was ask.” I mimic her posture, crossing my legs and facing her.

“I admire you,” she says, smiling slightly. “You’ve always been so composed.”

“Who are you?” I ask, doing everything I can to keep my composure.

“I really did like you,” she says, bending her knees and propping her chin on them. “When I found you, I wasn’t sure if I could do this.”

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