“Get up.”

The voice was muffled, like he was hearing it from under water.

“I said, get up.”

The kick to his side wasn’t particularly painful, but it was annoying. “Fuck off,” Jason groused.

“It’s almost noon, asshole.” Luke’s voice was much clearer now.

Light blinded his vision when he tried to open his eyes. He turned to his side. “Owww…” The pounding in his head was relentless. Jesus, he hadn’t had a hangover since he was a teenager. It took a lot of alcohol to get a shifter wasted. “How much did I have to drink?” He sat up. Looking around, he saw that he was on Luke’s couch in his cabin.

“Way too much.” Luke sat down beside him and handed him a bottle of water.

Jason grabbed the bottle and chugged it in one go, letting the cool liquid quench his parched throat. He slammed the bottle down. “What happ—” The events of last night came flooding back in his mind. The wedding. The bomb. Christina.

Bitter jealousy had been boiling in him all day since he saw her approach Cole. He had been professional enough, but she had been flirting with him, giving him touches here and there. He tried to forget about it, even going as far as using Jessica as a distraction. Then he overheard Kate and Sybil talking about how Christina and Cole were going to get to know each other and the jealous rage took over. He saw her sneak out of the reception, and his imagination had gotten the best of him. Then he lost control and took what he wanted.

It was the most intense sexual experience of his life. Everything and everyone else faded away. And then his dragon spoke up.

Mine. Mate.

No.

His words came back to him. He didn’t want a mate. He didn’t deserve a mate. And he certainly didn’t deserve Christina, not after what he did to her. Practically forced himself on her because of his jealousy. Lost control.

He told her he was sorry and walked out. He ran into Jessica, who had offered to go home with him, but he couldn’t. Christina’s sweet scent was still all over him, and he didn’t want Jessica’s stink anywhere near him. So he walked out, drove like mad to The Den and drank until he blacked out.

“Fuck.” He slammed a fist on Luke’s coffee table. “Did I do anything? Hurt anyone?”

Luke shook his head. “You didn’t want to leave after closing. Tim called me.”

He made a mental note to apologize to Tim. “You brought me here?” He looked around Luke’s cabin. It was sparse, but clean. It was also in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere, deep in the mountains.

“You tore out of the reception without your wallet or house keys. Where the fuck else was I supposed to bring you?” Luke towered over him, staring him down with those golden eyes. “Now, are you going to tell me what’s the matter?”

“What the hell do you care,” he countered. “You’re the one who pushed us away. You know. Your family.”

“Don’t make this about me,” Luke growled. “I’m not the one trying to drink himself to death and acting like a damn fool.”

“What do you know?”

“I know you haven’t been the same since you met Christina. She’s the one, isn’t she? Your mate.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. “Who told you?”

“You did.”

Fucking asshole.

“What the hell happened between the two of you?” Luke asked.

“I don’t need a damn mate.” He was too ashamed to tell him what happened. That he took what he wanted and acted like a bastard afterwards. Because that was what he was. A pussy-chasing bastard who would just break her heart.

“You know, Jason, some of us aren’t meant for mates. But you are.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

Luke sat down next to him. “For someone who’s always in tune with what others feel and want, you never once show your true feelings. You put on this playboy facade and pretend that you don’t need anyone. Tell me, why do you screw all those women? What hole are you trying to fill inside you? What’s been missing in your life?”

His brother’s words rang over and over again in his ears. And then, it was like something in him answered.

Christina. That’s what had been missing.

“Fuck.” He turned to Luke. “When the hell did you start talking this much?”

He shrugged.

Jason shot to his feet. “I need to get back to the castle.” He ran for the door then realized he probably didn’t drive his truck here. “Shit.”

Luke huffed. “I’ll take you.”

“Thanks, bro.”

Luke grabbed his keys, and soon they were driving out of his property and making their way to Blackstone Castle. The engine had barely shut off before Jason raced to the front door. He threw it open, and nearly collided into Meg.

“Jason!” she exclaimed. “Where’s the fire, young man?”

“Christina. Where is she?”

“She left,” Meg said. “They all left for the airport about an hour ago. Matthew and Catherine for their honeymoon, Ari and his family back to Lykos.”

Despair crept into him. Lykos was the Ari Stavros’ secret island retreat. No one knew where it was. Once the plane took off, he wouldn’t have any way to contact Christina. He supposed he could wait for two weeks when Catherine came back, so he could ask her how to contact Christina. That was, assuming his new sister-in-law would even talk to him when she found out what happened.

“Shit!” Meg raised a brow at him. “Er, sorry Meg,” he apologized. “You can wash my mouth out with soap another time, okay?” He gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

Jason sprinted back to the truck. He had to catch up to her now. “Airport,” he said to Luke.

The regional airport where the Stavros private jet was parked was an hour away, but Luke made it in forty-five minutes. Luke drove right onto the runway, ignoring the guard screaming obscenities at them when his truck pummeled through the barrier. But the runway was empty and so was the hangar. They were too late.

“Dammit!” Jason slammed his palms on the dash. “Fuck!” He buried his face in his hands. The spark of hope he had that he’d get there in time had been extinguished. He’d lost her. She was perfect and his, and he drove her away.

A heavy hand landed on his shoulders. “Let’s get you back home,” Luke said. “Get you cleaned up.”

* * *

The shower had felt refreshing, though it did nothing to get rid of the numbness that was creeping in. He had lost her. Over and over again, the words rang in his head.

His dragon was surprisingly quiet. Nothing—not a peep. Had it given up, too? Maybe they had truly lost Christina and now, only the hollow pain in his heart remained.

He didn’t want to feel this way anymore. He drew the blackout curtains in his bedroom together then crept into bed. Fatigue seeped into his bones, and thankfully, the darkness of sleep took over.

Jason awoke with a jolt. Looking at the clock, he realized he had slept most of the day and night. It was already the next morning.

He padded out to his living room and much to his surprise, Luke was still there. “I thought you’d left,” he said.

“Can’t leave you when you’re like this.”

“Like what?” he asked.

Luke didn’t answer, but instead, handed him his phone.

“What’s this?”

“Only I know how to get in touch with Matthew,” he said. Thanks to yesterday’s events, Matthew and Catherine had cancelled their honeymoon in Paris, and instead, decided to go on a secret trip. No one knew where they were going for safety reasons.

“Matthew’s going to kill me,” he said.

“He’ll understand.” Luke shoved the phone at him. “Go.”

He took a deep breath and accepted the phone with a grateful nod. He pressed the green button and put the receiver to his ear.

“This better be good,” Matthew answered in an annoyed voice.

“It’s me.”

“Jason? What the—You left the reception without saying goodbye and no one could find you! If Luke hadn’t called Dad … Where the hell have you been?”

“Getting my head outta my ass,” he said wryly.

“Explain.”

Jason let out a sigh. “Christina. You were right. She’s the one. My mate. And now she’s gone.” He briefly explained what happened to Matthew. “It’s my fault for driving her away. And I want her back.”

Matthew sighed. “What can I do?”

“Let me talk to Catherine, please. I need some way to contact Christina. Before it’s too late.” Before she hates me even more than she does now.

“Of course.”

There was a pause then he heard soft voices before Catherine came on the line. “Jason?”

“Catherine, please,” he said. “You have to tell me how to get to Lykos. I need to see Christina.”

“I’m sorry, Jason,” Catherine said. “I can’t tell you where Lykos is. I’ve been sworn to secrecy and I’ll be putting hundreds of people in danger if I tell you.”

“I’m not going to hurt anyone.”

“Even if I did tell you, you’ll never get there. There are no flights or public ferries to the island.”

“I’m a dragon, remember?” He would fly for thousands of miles, if it meant seeing her again.

“Jason, Lykos has defenses you’ve never even heard of. They’ll shoot you down before you even get a glimpse of the island.”

Jason let out a frustrated sigh. “Then how can I contact her? Where is she based? Where’s her office?”

“Er … it’s not like that. She’s not strictly based in one place…”

“Please, Catherine. I’m begging you.”

There was a pause. “Jason, I swear to God, if you hurt her again—”

“I won’t. I love her.” The words just came out with no warning. And he realized it was true.

Mine. Mate.

Catherine’s breath hitched. “Really?”

“Yes, I really do. She’s mine.”

“Good,” she said. “Look, Christina’s … job with Stavros involves a lot of travel. I spoke to her before they left, and she still wasn’t sure where they were sending her next. All I know is that when she’s done, she’ll probably stop by our London townhouse. I can’t tell you which day she’ll arrive. It could be days or even weeks.”

“Not a problem,” Jason said. “Tell me where it is.”

She rattled off the address, which he committed to memory. “Thanks Catherine, I owe you.”

“You just go get your mate,” she said wryly. “You know she’s not going to come to you without a fight.”

He smiled to himself. “That’s why I love her.” He thanked Catherine one last time before hanging up.

“Well?” Luke asked.

“I need to be on the first flight out to London.”