Page 23 of Bound to the Dragon
I usher my assistant along the hallway before Estrella has to think of anything else to say to me.
But I stop short of knocking on another door when Estrella’s closes.
“Is something wrong?” Lillian cocks her head, perplexed when I stop in the narrow hallway.
The staff doesn’t know me well enough for me to waltz through here like a queen greeting her subjects. But they know Lillian and are comfortable with her. I need to build a better rapport with them before making unexpected visits like this. But I don’t explain this to Lillian. I’m still not sure how much I can trust my personal assistant.
“No. I just realized I have to make a phone call. I want you to follow up with every one of the injury victims and tell them the same thing I told Estrella. I’m going to see the Alpha about getting them a compensation package as well.”
“Oh, that’s very generous.” She hesitates. “I don’t know if he’ll go for it.”
Her response only confirms what I already suspected about the closeness in their relationship. “He’ll go for it. His employees were injured at work. It’s the least we can do for loyal staff.”
Lillian’s eyes widen at my bold statement. “All right. If that’s what you want me to tell them.”
“It is. I’ll be in my suite if you need me.”
She parts her lips, but no words come out. I stare at her expectantly. “What, Lillian?”
“It is your mating night. Shouldn’t you be in the Alpha’s suite?”
My knees buckle at the thought of being alone with Blaze tonight or any night, but it is inevitable. We will be there sooner or later. And it floods me with excitement without a hint of nervousness. I want to be with him, wholly and completely.
“Thanks, but I’ll worry about my own sleeping arrangements.” I stride back down the steps and almost collide with Blaze at the bottom of the stairs. His hands reach out to stop me, and I inhale sharply at his touch. Another jolt ofelectricity vibrates through me, and I give up. I’m powerless, and I accept that now.
A surge of raw desire slams into me with devastating force.
“What are you doing in the staff quarters?” he asks me.
I untangle myself from his grip and reluctantly slide out of it, but the feelings of his fingers remain on my bare arms.
“I’m checking on the injured staff members. You should do the same. And give them compensation for what they endured today.”
Blaze frowns at the statement. “For what? It wasn’t my fault they got hurt.”
I glare at him. “It still happened on your watch, didn’t it? You’re still their employer. The least you can do is act like you have their backs. They’re just as much a part of your pack as the enforcers or anyone else.”
He merely stares at me, the desire in his eyes making me distinctly uncomfortable, but I don’t back down.
Finally, he wretches his eyes away. “Fine.”
Really? Just like that?
Without another word, he pivots and stalks toward his wing, leaving me gawking after him. “That’s it?” I sputter after him.
He pauses halfway down the hall and glances back. “I don’t want to fight with you, Madison. Haven’t I made that clear?”
He’s turning this around on me now.
I inhale sharply. “I’m not trying to fight.” I hang my head and step toward him. “I just think that they deserve this. I want to make a good impression on them as Luna.”
“And I said fine. But I need something from you, and I don’t want an argument about it.”
I don’t like where this is going already, but I suppose I should have expected him to want something in return. “That depends on what it is.”
Blaze leans against the railing and exhales, his muscled arms rippling beneath the fabric of his shirt. How did I not notice every contour of his body so distinctly before now? I can’t help but memorize the gold flecks in his hazel stare, the lighter stubble around his five o’clock shadow near his chin. My eyes trail lower toward his belt, and I’m distracted as he continues. I imagine what he looks like without all those clothes on, what I might look like writhing beneath his rippled frame, clinging to the broad muscles of his arms…
“You’re the Luna now, which means you have added responsibilities.”
