Page 22 of Conning Her Dragonkin Boss

He leans in, too close. Sunny shifts slightly away.

She so obviously does not want to be touched and yet the male does not back away. That alone ignites my protective instincts.

She’s polite, but her smile cools. He doesn’t notice and continues to linger.

Wrong move.

I let my presence expand, not overtly, but enough for instincts to stir.

The incubus shifts, uneasy, like he can sense something predatory nearby.

He turns, glancing toward the shadows where I sit.

I meet his gaze.

Cold. Unwavering.

A quiet promise of consequence.

Smoke curls from the corners of my mouth. I allow a minor shift, just enough for my wings to unfurl and my eyes to glow.

He stiffens.

A heartbeat later, he mutters something, excuses himself, and disappears into the crowd.

Sunny barely reacts, turning back to her coworkers, unaware of what just transpired.

Good.

I prefer it that way.

I stay long enough to ensure that everyone has their rides figured out. Long enough to pay their tab anonymously. And long enough to personally verify that Sunny’s ride is routed back to Vormugh’s on-site housing.

Only then do I leave.

I follow at a distance, watching from across the street as she enters the secured residential suites, the warded barriers glowing faintly as they lock behind her.

Safe.

Unharmed.

As it should be.

I turn, making my way back toward my own townhouse in the city, pulling out my phone as I walk, letting the crisp air cool my overheated blood.

A thought has been forming in my mind all evening.

I send a text to Urul.

Khanner

Consider installing an after-hours lounge on the lower floors of Vormugh Towers. Secure. Employee-exclusive.

A beat passes.

Then—

Urul

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