Page 8 of Draco

Zo grabbed my shoulder, breaking me from my trance. “Draco, back up! I don’t like other vampires breathing over my food.”

“She doesn’t belong to you, Zo. I have to get her to the house.”

“What are you talking about? We may not need to feed like other onyx vampires, but you know the deal.”

A gust of air shot through my nose as I slipped her asthma pump in my pocket.

“This isn’t up for debate. Find someone else. I’m sure there isn’t a shortage of niggas who deserve to die at the prison you work in.”

Zo kept complaining while Quadir shifted his eyes between me and the lady I scooped from the ground. Afraid I would break her if I flinched wrong, I made sure I was careful.

“Y’all can drive my truck back to the property. I’ll take the bike I keep at the shop.” I tossed Quadir my keys and left them where they stood.

In less than five minutes, I arrived at the carport connected to my barbershop and pulled my bike out. I was used to riding solo, but I handled the wounded beauty with care. She didn’t wake up when I started the ignition, so I placed her in front of me and held her head up against my shoulder as I sped off. I did not know how I would explain our fated love without it sounding like some creepshit,but seeing her up close made me want to convince her it was real. She smelled like peppermint,and though her face held traces of dirt and grass, she was the prettiest woman I’d ever seen.

Despite my crowded mind, I raced down the empty highway in a rush to get her home. I was so lost in my thoughts I didn’t recognize she was awake until her small hand collided with my cheek.

“What the hell?” I groaned. “Calm down before I drop you.”

“Drop me? What?” She looked around, and in a second, she went from fighting me to holding me tightly. Her nails sank into the back of my neck. “Please, don’t let me fall. What the hell is going on? Lord...”

For a second time, she lost consciousness. I knew I couldn’t avoid the hard conversation, but right now, I preferred it that way. She had questions, and I needed time to curate the right answers.

I arrived at my house at the same time as my brothers. Without saying a word, I went to place the petite princess in a bed on the second floor. Though I wanted to sit in a corner and watch her until she opened her eyes, I knew my brothers wouldn’t leave without me explaining my actions.

“What the fuck, Draco!” Zo yelled as soon as I walked into the kitchen. “If you wanted to fuck her before I sank my fangs into her, that’s all you had to say.”

“She’s mine!” I roared, causing my throat to burn. “The woman upstairs is not to be touched. You lay a hand on her, you got to deal with me.”

Quadir stepped between us with his palms raised. “Where is all this coming from, Draco? You’re talking in circles.”

“She’s my mate,” I said, speaking words I never believed would leave my lips. “You already know I lost my wallet. I didn’t tell you when I went to her house, I saw she was wearing my lifeline.”

Zo lifted a brow. “And she still had breath in her body? You know what that means.”

“Yeah, and now you understand where I’m coming from. If she wasn’t my mate, she wouldn’t have been able to put on that ring without turning into stone.”

“Damn, Draco. I want to say congratulations, but I know how you feel about the arranged mate situation,” Quadir stated. “At least she’s pretty. Zo’s bitch was mid.”

I shook my head while heading out of the room. “I’m going to check on her. Keep the noise down or go home.”

“Damn. She just got here, and he’s already switching up the program.”

As I walked up the staircase, I thought about how Zo’s complaints held some truth. Now that I found the woman in my dreams, my everyday routine would change. A heaviness jabbed my spine as I realized I had no control or idea of what was next for me.

The second floor of my house was dead silent, leading me to enter the guest room without knocking. An empty bed brightened by a small lamp fell into my line of vision. I heard shuffling footsteps behind me once I stepped over the threshold, but I didn’t check over my shoulder until a slab of metal collided with my back. Though the hit didn’t faze me, my reflexes triggered my hand to reach back and grip the first thing I could grab.

“Let me go,” she murmured in a raspy voice.

I pressed her back against the wall with my hands snugly around her neck.

“Are you going to keep your hands to yourself?”

She swept her tongue over her teeth and snarled.

“Your feisty ass isn’t going to agree?”

She kicked me inches from my balls, forcing me to let her go. I tried to grab her before she could get out of reach, but she slipped away and ran to the other side of the room.

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