Page 1 of Caged By the Ruthless Thief

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ANNABELLE

The air in my lungs burns like I’m drowning on dry land. Like I’m going to be flopping on the terrazzo floor. I’m weaving around a group of tourists pulling oversized bags from the curb.

“Excuse me.” I jump out of the way of a bag the size of a small child. It’s red and dented, and I stare at it like I’ve never seen a bag before in my life. A horn blasts, and I gaze into the sea of cars around the drop-off point. I don’t know what I thought I would find. Them still here? That’s ridiculous.

My brain whirls. I’ve got to get a cab, but first I have to get more cash. The thirty euros Castor gave me from his spare change jar this morning isn’t going to get me back to his apartment. Not when I’m going to have to hire a cab to drive the coastline in the hope that I recognize Castor’s place. It could take me all day. Ugh––my stomach drops. It could take me a couple of days. This is not going to be okay.

I squeeze my eyes shut. This isn’t the grit I’ve pushed into myself through the years. No. I shake it off.

There’s a curb service agent by the door. I head over to him, hoping he can tell me where the nearest bank is.

A hand grabs my arm. “You weren’t at your gate. I’m glad I found you.” Panic races through me as he spins me around.

I’m still pulling away from him when I realize who it is. “Eros.” My breath rushes out of me.

“Hi there, Bluebell.”

Seeing him gives me hope and fear. Nico’s growl echoes in my ear—my mates don’t trust Eros. “What are you doing here?”

“A better question is, what are you doing here? You weren’t at your gate. Where are you going?”

I almost say if he knew I wasn’t at my gate, then he knew I was going to Boston, but my gut says don’t tell him I’m going back. Yes, we had sex. But there’s something dangerous about Eros; he has bad boy vibes. Don’t get me wrong. I’m totally attracted to him. Overly so. It’s just I don’t know much about him. “I’m not going anywhere at the moment.” Letting me go was against the laws of the Veiled City, but there’s not much I can do to hide the fact that I’m here from him.

“This isn’t your gate.” He smirks at me, his hazel eyes flashing.

I clamp my jaw down. My first impulse is to protect Holter—Eros can’t know I mated him. But I’m standing outside the airport. All I can do is stall while I try to come up with a better idea. “My flight is delayed.” My toes are on concrete, not terrazzo anymore. I’m going back to the Veiled City, but I can’t tell Eros that.

“No, it’s not.” His eyebrows rise as a charming smirk settles on his face.

Fudge pop, he’s not buying anything I’m selling. Then it hits me: he could help me get back to the city. “No, it’s not. Eros, what do you want?”

“I have an offer for you, but you have to decide now.” His voice is deep and rich. I know it shouldn’t turn me on, but crap, my insides are thumbing for him. “I can save Nico.”

“Good! Do it.” Excitement rises through me, but I tamp it down.

“Perhaps. I want something in return.”

“What is it?” My insides turn to rock. Because I already know what he wants. And I might want it too.

“You.”

I wince, even though I knew what was coming. “What?” I take a step back. Passengers flow around us like a river around rocks. I felt it the first time he touched me at the ball. It was the same way with Holter and even Castor. But that can’t be. Castor has important things to do. And I will just get in the way of them.

“I want you. I want to be in your pod.”

I think back to Nico. “I can’t take you into my pod without talking to the other members.

He shrugs. “If Nico’s dead, who will there be to ask? We could mate either way. But I’d hate to have a sad mate, so I’ll save the asshole—for you.”

“How very kind of you. But he doesn’t like you.”

“Yes, and he irritates the heck out of me. But then the same could be said for a lot of people.”

“That they don’t like you?”

Eros laughs. “Well done. Nico drives me insane, but I don’t hate him.”

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