Page 77 of Shifter Marked and Claimed

“Come.”

That worked? Stunned, I watched him stride past me, toward the main bedroom area. He veered left, and I hesitated only a moment before hurrying after his naked backside. I rounded the corner in time to see him set his hand against the door, and it opened with a click.

My gaze swept over his openly displayed golden skin.

“Are you going to put some pants on before you go walking around naked? My sister’s only sixteen.”

He glanced at me then strode out of the room.

Okay. I guessed naked while at home was his thing.

Moving into the hall, I glanced at Vedar’s retreating back to the left then at Zoe’s door to the right.

“Come,” he said as if he had eyes in the back of his head and knew I was considering not following him.

I didn’t want to leave Zoe behind. But it would only take a minute to run back to the house and grab the phone. Megan’s number was on speed dial. One call and she’d be here to pull Zoe out and send any lingering giants to hell.

With a deep breath, I trailed behind Vedar and told myself she would be fine for a few minutes. However, instead of stopping at the front door, he continued to the kitchen and pointed to one of the chairs at the island.

“I thought you were letting me go.”

“I’m providing you with food you can eat as you requested. Or would you rather return to our room?”

Our room? I quickly sat and watched him fix two simple sandwiches. He pushed one plate to me before turning away and filling a glass of water.

Feeling like a bug in a jar, I slowly ate my sandwich as he observed me instead of eating his sandwich. I didn’t care if he didn’t join me. Each bite made my head feel just a little bit better, and I used the time to look around. The kitchen, like everything else in the place, was huge.

As soon as I drank the last of the water, he took my dishes to the sink. On his way back, he picked up the second plate and headed out of the room. Hope lit in my chest, and I hurried to follow him. He was a lot faster, though. By the time I reached the hall, he was at Zoe’s door. He put his hand on it, tossed the plate in, and closed the door before I could get there.

“I want to talk to her,” I said.

“No.” The lock slid into place, punctuating his word.

“Why not?”

He strode past me and paused at the door to his room.

“Inside now, or this is the last time I let you out.”

I pulled back my lips, baring my teeth in an angry snarl before complying. He didn’t seem to care. As soon as the door was locked, he strode through the space, heading straight for his treasure pile.

“You can’t keep us here forever,” I said, following him. “People are going to notice we’re missing.”

“No, they won’t. They have bigger issues to deal with.” As he spoke, he started changing back into his dragon form.

I crossed my arms, glaring at him. He ignored me completely and curled up on his warm treasure pile then closed his eyes.

“Why am I here?” I demanded yet again. “You don’t need me for anything.”

“You don’t know me.”

“And you don’t know me. You haven’t even asked my name.”

He opened his eyes.

“Will you tell me?”

I almost smiled in triumph, knowing I finally had him.

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