Page 32 of Bound to the Dragon
“This is none of my business, obviously.”
I lift my eyes and look at Vigo curiously. “What is it?”
“Things are going well with you and Madison now?”
For some reason, his question makes me tense. “Yes. Is there a reason you’re asking it like that?”
Vigo pales. “I’m not asking it any way. I just wanted to know what changed and to know if she made the first move to reconcile or if you approached her.”
The more Vigo asks, the more annoyed I become. “What the hell is this, Vigo?” He raises his hands as if to claim mercy, but I don’t buy it. “You’re asking for a reason. Spill it.”
“I’m still not convinced that Silver Glade isn’t responsible for what happened.”
“Not this again.” I sink back against my chair and rub my temples. “You just said that they seem to be a rogue group. Why don’t you just admit you have no idea what happened, instead of pointing fingers and starting discord among the pack again?”
“My only job is to protect the pack, and you, Blaze. But I still feel like we should proceed with caution when it comes to Madison and the Silver Glade pack. When they come for the ceremony, I think we should do extra checks on them.”
Another image of Madison’s face flashes before me, and I can only imagine what she would say if I suggested doing an extra search of her family and friends. “Absolutely not!”
“She can do the checking. If she really had nothing to do with it, she should want to get to the bottom of it,” my Beta insists.
Another protest springs and dies on my lips in tandem. Between Vigo and Madison, they’re turning me into someoneI don’t recognize. The need to put my foot down immediately diminishes with each day.
“Fine,” I relent. “I’ll talk to her about checking her pack. But we will have to make it fair and check our side, too.”
The idea clearly makes him uncomfortable, but Vigo nods in agreement. “All right.”
“Then I might be able to sell the idea to Madison.”
Vigo rises from his chair, his strong fingers curling around the back. “Are you sure you should go through with the ceremony again, Blaze? I can’t help but feel like this is a bad idea.”
This time, I do put my foot down. “The ceremony is happening. Madison and I are getting the reception we deserve after what happened last time. We need to start this mating off properly.”
I don’t add that I can’t shake the feeling that everything had gone downhill because of the disrupted reception in the first place. I don’t necessarily believe in bad luck, but maybe there’s something to it.
Vigo bows his head. “As you wish.”
He sees himself out, and I let him leave, pondering our conversation for a long moment before I rise and leave the room, walking toward the staircase. The only real thing I’ve been thinking about is the last thing Madison said to me. I have a surprise waiting for me in my suite, if memory serves me correctly.
CHAPTER 11
MADISON
Playfully, I hide in the closet of the main suite, trying to envision how my clothes will fit in here, along with Blaze’s things. Can we make it work this time? Or are we just going to end up fighting again and again?
The only thing we can do is try and hope for the best. I know I’ve been holed up in the suite for the past half hour, eager with anticipation. I feel every hair on my arms rise as I wait for the Alpha to return to his suite. He finally makes it back, and I slink further back in the closet to wait for him.
The bedroom door opens, and Blaze enters. I watch him pull off his shirt through the crack in the closet doors, his head turning left and right as he searches for me. “Maddi?”
He stands with his back to me, muscles rippling as he starts to throw himself onto the bed. In tandem, I bounce out of the closet. He turns, surprise etched on his handsome face.
“There you are!” Pure joy colors his eyes. “I was starting to think I’d missed my?—”
I don’t let him finish. I’m across the room in a heartbeat, pressing my body to his, capturing his lips. He grunts in surprise but responds immediately, arms banding around me, pulling meimpossibly closer. Like last time, it’s as though our flesh seeps into each other.
This kiss is different from before, somehow—hungrier, more urgent. Blaze walks me backward until my shoulders hit the wall. His solid form pins me in place as he takes possession of my mouth. I moan, arching into him, craving more. Our hearts beat in rhythm.
“I want you,” I breathe against his lips. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for hours.”
