Page 60 of Dragon's Code

“Kash, I have to. There’s something bigger going on right now. You have to let me go.”

“Do you not think I wouldn’t burn them all to ashes right now?”

I smile, my eyes filling with tears. “I know you would. But don’t you know that I would do the same? I may not be able to shift into a dragon and breathe a fire storm down on them, but I have other skills.”

“I can’t let you, Athena. Not when we just–”

I put my hand over his mouth gently. “Kash, you’ve got to let me save you too. Please. I don’t need your permission, but I don’t want to go against your wishes either. This is a relationship–friendship or otherwise–and that means give and take.”

His fingers flex against my throat. “You know what has never been balanced?”

“What’s that?”

“The number of times you’re right over me.”

I grin at him triumphantly, but only in a teasing manner.

“Don’t get too cocky, you’re going to make it up to me later.” He tightens his grip around my throat and then kisses the air right out of my lungs at the same time he gives me life.

ChapterSixteen

KASHTON

Jerrick and I take an elevator down, down, down into the ground. When the doors part, it’s clear to me this isn’t part of the casino. This is something for the dragon in him. We step off the lift into a small room with one door.

Jerrick steps up and punches a code into the keypad, the computer reads his retina and then he says a password. The door pops open.

“Does anyone but you have access?”

“Only Anya. And when our child is born, they will have access,” he replies.

“Since we lost our home, most of us haven’t set up our own lairs again. Ash, Levi, and Henrik have, but that’s to be expected with a family to care for.”

Jerrick nods slowly as we walk down a long hallway. There are doors we pass until we’re at the end. He goes through another round of security and the door pops open. This time he gestures for me to go first.

Inside there’s a couch, a small kitchenette area, and a holding cell. There’s a privacy screen in the corner which I imagine is for a bathroom. On the twin sized bed, Jasmine is sitting cross-legged. She’s not in the fancy dress she was in before, she’s wearing a pair of sweatpants and an oversized tank top that it looks like she’s tied in the back. Her hair is up in a high ponytail. A far fall from the made up doll that was sauntering around like she owned the place.

“What’s going on, Jasmine?” I ask.

I’ve known her my whole life. We grew up together. Most of the dragons who are around the same age usually end up bonding, even from different clans. She’s not a bad person, of that I’m sure. She’s doing this for a reason.

Jasmine meets my gaze and then turns away. “Nothing’s going on.”

“Jasmine, please stop. You and I are not mates. I’ve known who my mate was since I was ten years old.”

Her gaze jerks up toward me. “What?”

“She’s had my heartstone since she was fifteen.”

Jasmine pushes off the bed in one fluid motion and approaches the cage. She wraps her delicate fingers around the bars. The tears in her eyes catch my attention.

“I had to.” She whispers so quietly I almost second guess if I actually heard her say anything.

“Had to what?”

“King Marcus told me to come here and seduce you, make you believe we’re mates. He wanted me to get to the bottom of whatever was going on here. He’s been having Darius and Khalid followed. He knows they’re sharing a woman, but he doesn’t understand why. If I don’t do what he commanded, he’s going to kill my brother and banish me.”

“Why didn’t you just come to us?”

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