Page 21 of Dragon's Code

I roll my eyes. “I know I’m being a dick. I’m trying to wrap my head around all of this.”

“Tristian is heading up a group of dragons to hunt down the mates we can identify. They’re taking all who are willing, all who believe, to a safe house.”

“Fuck if they’re willing. Seven mates have already been killed. They need to be protected. Grey has won too many battles already. He can’t win more.”

“We can’t just kidnap them,” she says.

I frown and think about it. “Why not?”

“That’s a crime,” Syrena says with an accusatory “duh” tone in her voice.

I roll my eyes at her, wondering when exactly dragons obeyed human laws, especially when it came to mates. But I have to admit, too many missing women would draw the wrong sort of attention. “You have a point. What is Tristian’s plan?”

“Not really sure, but he’s on it. He’s determined to find out what happened to his mate. He can sense that she’s still alive. Grey’s hiding her well though,” Syrena says.

I think about Athena being in his mate’s position and it makes me crazy. Whether she’s my mate or someone else’s, I have to protect her. I have to protect her from this world, this war, this danger surrounding us all.

Everything inside of me wants to grab Athena, go to the roof and charge into the clouds and take her far far away from this dumpster fire. So much for bringing her here to keep her safe.

ChapterFive

ATHENA

Fingers wrap around my throat. His palm is presses against the front of my neck. With ice blue eyes staring down at me with a cold indifference, he leans into his hand, putting pressure on my windpipe. I can’t breathe. I can’t move my arms. I’m paralyzed.

My condo disappears as I flail around the bed, gasping for breath.

It’s not my bed.

Not my sheets.

Not my life.

It’s my fear though. That I recognize. It’s always there sitting in the back of my mind, checking for exits, checking the people around me, checking to make sure that I can defend myself or escape.

It’s dark, but not blackout dark. The halo of light around the curtains tells me the sun is up. It feels early though.

Then I remember I’m not on the east coast anymore. I’m in Vegas. I went in search of safety and Kashton was my first thought. He’s always my first thought. I fell asleep in his arms. I sit up and turn on the light next to the bed. I know the room is empty before I even turn it on. I glance around realizing that I’m not surrounded by all my equipment that helps me feel safe.

I hurry into the living room portion of my suite and check the space. Everything seems to be in place. Just Kashton missing. He must’ve had to do something with his job. I check my cameras and make sure they’re still working and double check the door stopper alarm. Everything’s in place, but the door to the adjoining suite is open. The door to Kashton’s room. I wonder if I could get a second door stopper alarm for his room, but the thought immediately makes me feel more paranoid. He should be able to come and go from his space whenever he needs.

I hop into the shower, needing to clear my head and feel freshened up. Yesterday felt endless. Now that there is space between me and Raphael I don’t feel so on edge, but something still feels off.

The hot shower does its magical job and I feel even more human. Now all I need is coffee and maybe a pastry of some sort. I bet Jonathan knows where the best ones are.

I dress in my same clothes from yesterday which doesn’t feel as good. I skip the underwear and decide to go commando. I need to go shopping. I do not want to be wearing dirty clothes for the next few days.

I don’t even know how long I’ll be here, or be welcomed here. The last thing I want to do is intrude in Kashton’s life when he’s in the middle of something.

I head down to the first floor of the hotel. There’s an escalator leading down into the casino area. I’m not looking to gamble right now. Instead, I head for the restaurant in desperate need of coffee and food.

“Good morning, Miss Athena.”

I look up from my phone and find Jonathan smiling politely at me. “Good morning, Jonathan.”

“I have a table ready for you.”

I cock an eyebrow. “How did you know I was going to need a table?”

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