Page 37 of Love Bites Extra Hard

I’d surprised myself with it too, but I didn’t want to go back.

It felt too right.

“It was my ex,” I said quietly. “Wendell. He was a wolf shifter. And he’s dead, so you don’t need to do the possessive king thing and threaten to kill him.”

Talon’s body tensed, but we kept walking. “I guess you’re used to the possessive king thing.”

“My sisters are always talking about it,” I agreed. “And Hale acts like he’s my brother at this point, so there’s no avoiding it.”

We reached the door that led to the prison, and he pulled it open.

“We’ve been working on getting phone service out here,” he said. “In another month, it’ll be ready.”

“I can’t wait a month to text my sisters. They’re going to think I’m dead.”

“I’ll fly you out to text them. How long can we wait?”

“Two weeks at the most. They’re going to be freaking out.”

He nodded. “There’s a place in the sky not too far from here. I can fly you there when we hit two weeks.”

I didn’t get the chance to ask why he wanted to wait before we reached the end of the hallway. Stella was already there, and sitting with another guard, as expected. She grinned at me, and I smiled back.

“I’ll come back with lunch,” Talon said, glancing at Stella before looking back at me.

I nodded, and took the guard’s seat as I sat next to Stella. Him and Talon headed away, leaving us alone.

“Ready to knock this fucker’s socks off?” she asked, her voice upbeat.

I laughed, and could’ve sworn I heard Talon growl from the far side of the hall.

“Definitely.”

Talon walkedme back to my room that night, like he had the past two.

“This is going to take a long time,” I warned, biting back a suggestion that I needed to go into his cage if we actually wanted to make Sylvester shift.

“I’m not in a hurry.”

Was I?

I supposed I hadn’t thought about it. I did want to get back to my sisters, but I wasn’t truly missing them. Not the way I had back in Vamp Manor, when I was alone all the time.

I would never admit it to them, but it had been lonely when they all paired off and left me behind. I was glad they were happy, but it was hard to be the one person who was left out.

Especially when being left out meant I was the only one who was trapped in Vamp Manor for my safety.

But the dragons needed me.

I was safe in their castle. I was free, there. Even without a mate.

The time wasn’t passing painfully slow anymore.

I was having fun. And when I wasn’t having fun, I was making a difference. Or trying to, at least.

Talon led me down a new hallway, and I frowned at him. “Where are we going?”

“It’s been a while since you went swimming. Thought I’d show you where you can swim here.”

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