Page 67 of Marked Dragon

She’d grown up a lot during the past week, and the fact was bittersweet. She’d needed a little bit of grounding. Eva and Elliott usually retreated into video games and each other, instead of dealing with their problems, but Ihatedthat her wake-up call had come through Drake. The man could have stripped her innocence away at a time of his choosing, a thought that had my blood run cold. I had to hold on to the fact that she hadn’t actually experienced that.

The address Alina had given us was over an hour and a half away, near the small town of Abingdon, Virginia. Elliott grumbled and groaned in the backseat, while Peter breathed loudly as he sat behind me on the passenger side.

Thorn had fetched Elliott and Peter, and when my stepdad had come downstairs to join us, he’d been pale and visibly shaking. Obviously, Thorn had said something to get him to cooperate, but I hadn’t asked Thorn what. As long as Peter behaved, I didn’t give a damn. Peter deserved whatever he got, and I knew Thorn wouldn’t actually kill him because of me and my love for my siblings.

When the GPS alerted us that we were twenty minutes away, Eva fidgeted in her seat. “What are the people helping us like?”

Cassidy stared straight ahead as we drove through a charming downtown. Brick buildings stood to our right, and to our left was a small community park with a water fountain in the middle. She answered, “I have no idea, and neither does Vlad.”

A hateful snort came from Peter. “Figures. You kidnap me and Elliott and take us to people you don’t even know. How do we know we aren’t walking into a trap?”

My dragon snarled as my breathing quickened. He always had to be negative and patronizing, and I couldn’t let it roll off me like I had so many times before.

“Technically, I’m here willingly.” Elliott lowered his Switch. “Which means it’s not kidnapping.”

Turning around in my seat, I narrowed my eyes. “You’d rather have stayed home so Drake could use you to force Eva to return to be his human breeder? Is that what you’re saying?”

“If you—” he started.

Thorn’s growl was so loud that my ears rang. He rasped, “If the next words out of your mouth insult my wife in any way, I willendyou. I’m sick and tired of the way you treat her.”

My dragon purred. The Everly from a month ago would’ve been appalled and considered his threat a red flag, but not this version. I wanted to rub my body all over him to show my appreciation for how much he loved me.

Peter huffed and leaned back in his seat, and I faced forward. Thorn’s pupils turned to slits as he scanned me. My body warmed, needing him in a way that was very inappropriate while in a car, surrounded by other people and headed into unknown territory.

The bond between us sizzled.

I bit my bottom lip, trying to force some sanity back into myself.I love you,I connected with him. Those were the three best words I could come up with to start expressing the extent of my feelings for him.

You own me,he replied, the spicy scent of his arousal surging between us.

Those words had a desperate need building within, stronger than before. Every cell burned, and I had the overwhelming urge to unbuckle and straddle him.

“We’re fifteen minutes out,” Cassidy said a little too loudly, and my face burned.

She must have smelled my desire, which would have been awkward enough without her being my mother-in-law.

My heart pattered. Thorn was my mate and husband. I couldn’t get over that. Though the wedding had been forced and I would’ve preferred something Thorn and I had planned together, I’d already known he’d be my husband someday. I wished it had been about the two of us and not Drake and me.

We turned onto a road that took us deeper into a thickly wooded area, away from downtown, which I would’ve loved to visit if Drake hadn’t been hunting us.

Thorn chuckled, the sound warm and sexy.Don’t be embarrassed. We’re fated mates. New ones at that. Our reaction to each other is expected and normal.

Maybe.I suspected my emotions for him would never change, and that was both terrifying and thrilling.But she’s your mom.

Remember, you’ll smell her and Vlad for the same reason.He winked.

My body felt light and carefree. He made me so damn happy, and I couldn’t figure out how I’d lasted twenty-two years without him.

The remainder of the ride passed quickly as the two of us enjoyed each other’s company. When we hadn’t passed anyone for several miles, Cassidy turned onto a dirt road that we would’ve likely missed if the GPS hadn’t given us a hundred-foot warning.

The road curved as the white and chestnut oaks and loblolly pines thickened. The area seemed more remote than Thorn’s cabin and Vlad’s parents’ thunder. We continued along the curving dirt road with nothing but woods thickening around us.

“Y’all, I hate to agree with Dad, but am I the only one who has ever watched a horror movie?” Elliott grumbled. “I mean, come on. I say we turn the fuck around.”

“El, chill.” Eva turned toward us and rolled her eyes. “You know I’ve watched them. I was sitting right next to you every damn time, holding your hand so you wouldn’t cry.”

“Gah, don’tlie,” he scoffed. “I told you, I had something in my eye.”

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