“Wow, you look…furious,” Peri commented absently as she paused at the end of the bed before continuing into the bathroom. I heard the faucet running and when she returned, she was carrying a glass of water. “You know the drill, crankasaurus rex. Drink this. You’ll feel better.” She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

I took a few sips from the glass. More than anything, I needed her touch. I’d laid in bed thinking about her talking on the phone to another man. The way she could walk out infuriated me. Still, Peri was here now. I had every reason to calm down. “I’m not a dinosaur,” I complained.

“Yes, I know, but crankasaurus rex has a ring to it that crankagon and grumpagon simply can’t pull off.” She batted her eyelashes at me. “We’ll talk after I shower. I need to wash that phone call off.” Peri sighed and shook her head. “Be back soon.” Grabbing her bag from the floor, she disappeared behind a closed door.

I set the empty glass on the nightstand, folded my arms behind my head, and listened to her humming in the shower. While this soothed me some, I wouldn’t be completely calm until I held her in my arms again. I glanced at my cell. Already it was two in the afternoon. We managed to get in a solid eight hours and yet I was still worn out. Emotions were stupid. Leave it to me to stumble upon my mate at the worst possible time. Why now? I’d met Peri before. Of course, all those times were when she was a child, long before she’d hit puberty.

She used to follow me around. Everyone chalked it up to a typical childhood crush. Especially me. Only I remember now how Fredo had a contemplative look on his face. I hit the button on my phone to place the call.

“Everything okay, Mr. Draco?” Fredo questioned.

I sat up and stared at the closed bathroom door. I could hear the water running and she was still singing to herself. “You knew,” I grumbled.

“Knew what, sir? I have no idea what you’re talking about.” His breathing had changed. Was Fredo actually nervous?

“J’accuse!” I shouted. Then I grew quieter. “Why didn’t you tell me, warn me, something?”

“Is this about Peri, sir?” Fredo sounded positively weak.

“Of course it’s about Peri,” I growled.

“Calm down, sir. Your temper,” he warned.

“I’m about to have to start ordering water by the pitcher instead of the glass. Do you think I’m unaware of my temper?” I groaned. “Dammit. Why now?”

“Well, she’s all grown up. So are you…” His voice trailed off and when I remained silent he continued. “Who knows how these things are decided? Be glad you’ve finally found your mate.”

“We’ll be related.” I rubbed my forehead as I considered the family tree. “This would be a joining of the sorceress and dragon lines. What would come of our union?”

“Something truly spectacular to be sure,” Fredo murmured.

“You don’t think it would be too much magic for any one leg of our line?” I raked my fingers through my hair.

“There’s no such thing as too much magic as long as it’s used wisely,” he announced.

I sighed. He was probably right. “I’m still mad at you. Just so you know.”

Fredo coughed and I knew he was covering up a chuckle. “Of course, sir.”

In the bathroom, the water stopped. I felt like a kid being caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Gotta go,” I whispered, and then I ended the call without waiting for a response. Seconds later, Peri peeked out the door wearing nothing but a towel and I sucked in a breath. “You should get dressed.”

“I thought I heard you talking to someone.” She smiled.

“You thought you heard me talking to someone and decided to check while wearing a towel.” I shook my head. “God, I hope you know better than to ever do that again. Lives are at stake, woman.”

Peri flung open the door. “Lives, huh?” Then she strode across the floor with her gorgeous long, black, towel-dried hair in a wavy mass down her back, her skin fresh and pink, her amazing violet eyes shining. Then she leaned forward onto the bed. “Big words from a dragon who hasn’t even claimed me yet,” she challenged.

My heart raced as she neared me. “You offering, cupcake? I certainly wouldn’t turn you down.”

Straightening, Peri’s cheeks turned crimson. “Not yet.” Then she raced back to the bathroom, leaving me panting and feeling utterly pathetic while I waited in bed. Minutes later, she returned looking remorseful and completely clothed. “Any word from your office?”

I quickly checked my emails and realized no response had been sent since the original brief email this morning when Adam messaged to tell me they were on it. Sadly, I shook my head. “Not yet. Maybe in a few hours. These guys are thorough.”

Peri sat hard on the edge of the bed. “So…you didn’t ask about my phone call with Spencer earlier.”

Suddenly, I was on alert. “Well, I figured you’d tell me if there was anything I needed to know.” Reaching out, I held her hand, rubbing her soft skin with my thumb. “I don’t want to be that guy. I can’t help being a tad possessive and super protective. That’s who I am, thanks to my job and my dragon.”

“A tad?” Her brows rose.

“More like a smidge, really.” I winked.

Shaking her head, Peri sighed deeply, then blurted out. “Spencer wants me to talk to the police.”

My eyes widened. “That’s a terrible idea. We need to hear back from my guys before you do anything of the sort.”

“According to him, I look guilty.” Her head hung.

I threw back the covers and knelt in front of her. “You look innocent.” I laid my hands on her thighs and realized she was tinier than I realized. More than that, I realized that despite my words, she was unmoved. “No need to play hero, Peri. We have time to do this right. Be patient.” She looked away, refusing to meet my eyes. I stood and kissed her forehead. “I need a shower. We’ll talk more after, okay?” I cupped her cheek and waited for a response. After the slightest of nods, my shoulders drooped and I shut myself in the bathroom to recover from our closeness when I wanted nothing more than to make her mine.

* * *

As soon as I heard the water running, I exhaled. I’d listened to everything Mishal had to say and while I respected his opinion, I needed him to respect mine too. I’d do anything to protect him from the repercussions of being around me right now. After speaking to Spencer, I had begun feeling like I was a danger to everyone I cared about. Luckily, that circle was small.

While he showered, I crept downstairs and tiptoed to the front door. Before I could open the door, I heard the floor creak behind me and jumped. “Stephen, my word, you scared me.” I laid a hand across my chest and focused on controlling my breathing.

He eyed me warily. “Know who should scare you?”

I pursed my lips. “I’ll never fear Mishal.”

“Well, maybe you should. That guy scares the crap out of me.” He shivered. Staring at my hand closed around the knob, he asked, “And where do you think you’re going?”

“Just out to grab some food.” I shrugged.

“We have cold pizza. We can reheat it in the oven or microwave.” Stephen jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

“I’m more in the mood for breakfast.” I turned to exit the cottage.

“I can go run and get you anything you want, Miss Peri.” He moved closer and I knew he planned to prevent my escape.

I took a deep breath and smiled up at Stephen. “I really need to leave for a little while. Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it.” I started to turn the handle, but he pressed his hand against the door, forcing it to stay closed. His eyes were wide with fear and I knew it wasn’t because of me. I glanced up the stairs and listened carefully. The water was still running, but I felt confident I was almost out of time. Shaking my head, I pressed my hand against his temple. “Let me leave. Tell Mishal I took a walk. I’ll soon return. Then we’ll talk.”

The rhyme was terrible, but I wasn’t exactly known for my stellar spells when I was under pressure. Of course, I’d learned long ago, the words didn’t have to be pretty, they just had to work. I watched him hesitate, then slowly step aside. With a nod at Stephen, I quickly slipped out of the cottage and into the woods. Once I was out of sight, I realized how poorly I’d planned my escape. I had no purse, no identification. If it weren’t for the pocket in my jeans, I wouldn’t have even brought my cell. I sighed, knowing I couldn’t go back. Determined to get this over with and to save Mishal at the same time, I made my way toward the main house. There should be other cars there for the Draco guests. I shouldn’t have any trouble getting someone to drop me off near the police station. I’d checked Google maps earlier and discovered there was a little café around the corner, which would make the perfect destination.

Winded as I was when I reached the drop-off by the front door, I vowed to lay off the chocolate and exercise more. Then I laughed because my life had never allowed for much exercise and chocolate had always been my secret guilty pleasure. I glanced around, saw no sign of Mishal or any other danger, and fluffed my still damp hair before crossing the driveway.

A giant tour bus pulled away and I immediately realized my mistake. There had to be half a dozen patrol cars there, with officers milling around, talking to everyone as they left, no doubt looking for me. My shoulders drooped. I planned to talk to them, but I had really wanted this to happen on my terms.

One of our clients happened to be looking around and spotted me. I smiled and waved out of habit. A cop caught my eye and I froze. Running makes you look guilty, I reminded myself. Did I want to look innocent or be free? The question pained me. Next thing I knew, four uniformed men surrounded me with guns drawn. The confused look on my face was genuine. I gasped and held up my hands. There was no getting out of this. There were too many of them and no one was close enough for me to use my one wimpy power. Everything happened in a blur. My arms were yanked behind my back and cuffs soon cut into my wrists. I could feel hot tears burning my eyes even though I told myself I wasn’t going to cry, I had no reason to cry, I hadn’t done anything wrong.

Soon, I was stuffed into the back of the car. “Miss Winkler?” A man in a suit studied me while I leaned forward in the back seat.

I frowned up at him. “And you are?”

“Detective Jeffries with the Asheville Police Department.” He whipped out a badge, flipped it for my examination and quickly pocketed it again.

Already my mind wandered. Did they teach them that in police academy? I stared straight ahead, hoping we’d get out of here before Mishal or Stephen found me. Then my humiliation would be complete, but my troubles would only have begun. No way would my dragon take kindly to finding me handcuffed in the back of a cruiser. I closed my eyes, fearing he’d find me and completely lose his shit.

“You’re Peri Winkler, right?” The detective frowned at me.

I remained silent, staring out the side window in the direction of the cottage. In my mind, I could picture Mishal coming downstairs all fresh and clean, looking around for me, and then losing his mind when he realized I’d disappeared. I worried about Stephen, alone with him in this state.

In my pocket, my phone began to ring and I regretted not silencing it before I left the cottage. The detective honed in on the sound. He opened the back door. “I need to frisk you,” he warned as he slid his hand under my shirt and over my hip as he searched for my pocket. “There,” he murmured as he pulled my cell out. “Mishal. I bet he knows who you are?” I watched as he slid his finger across my screen.

“Peri, where are you?” Mishal sounded both pained and scared. I winced as a pain shot through my abdomen. I’d done this to him.

The detective waited for me to speak, but when I merely turned away, he responded for me. “She’s indisposed at the moment.”

“Who are you?” Mishal fumed.

“Detective Jeffries. We’re bringing her in for questioning.” He rocked on his heels while he motioned for the officers to help me get in the car. They complied immediately and soon the car roared to life.

“She’s innocent,” my dragon announced while barely hiding his fury.

“Eh,” Jeffries began. “She may be, but we’ll still be speaking to her.” Then he ended the call.

In the distance, I swear I heard a dragon’s roar. Lifting my head, I discovered the driver was staring at me in the rearview mirror. “Let’s go,” I suggested.

He looked to the detective who nodded, then pocketed my phone. I knew better than to protest or argue. Instead, I settled in against the back seat and prepared for a rough ride.