Blurb:A mate bond is stronger than any other force in the world.At least, that's what they say.But what Titus and I have is... unique. Especially as, even though we'd been reborn so many times, the dragon has never had a mate. No one knows what to expect.Outside of that, everything with Damen, Julian, and Miles is not all fun and games. Things are different now, and while that's natural, I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to make that next level of commitment.However, we might not have a choice.When Titus's investigation ramps up, becoming entangled with my debut case, I've run out of all other options. The reality is, my usual methods of coping won't work anymore. But to live is to grow, and to change.
Even though I struggled, Damen had a firm grip on my backpack and wasn’t letting go. I was trying to ignore him, but I’d lost momentum and I slipped backward on the laminate floor. He continued to pull me toward him until my back rested against the hardness of his chest.
I could no longer ignore my predicament. “Damen, what are you doing? Let me go!”
Perhaps he was more like Titus than I’d thought, and he needed a
dosage of the same deterrent.
He chuckled. “I’m holding you this way so you can’t escape. And,
also, so you can’t attempt any underhanded tricks.”
“If you mean what I did to Titus, there was nothing underhanded
about that,” I retorted. “It was self-defense.”
This was the worst. He knew—Titus had tattled on me. And he was
angry.
“It was hilarious,” Damen said. His voice was a purr next to my
ear—making it hard for me to focus. “And well deserved, I will admit. Titus can
be overbearing. However, with you, I’d rather play it safe.”
Who was overbearing now?
“But there’s something else to discuss first.” His breath was warm
against my ear.
I tried to ignore the shivers that shot down my spine as I focused
on his words. “What?”
“How do you know Ms. Protean?” he asked. “Why would she need to
talk to you?”
His questions caught me off guard, and I turned back to him in
confusion. His face was both intense and worried.
“What does that have to do with anything?” I asked.
Damen sighed, releasing my backpack before turning me to face him.
I hadn’t realized before now I had backed up to the end of the narrow aisle and
was trapped between the edge of the bookshelf and his larger frame.
It should have been intimidating. Instead of being scared, I was
only flustered. I couldn’t imagine why, because the only other person whoever
made me feel this way was Finn…
Damen didn’t seem to notice my discomfort. “Ms. Protean,” he
repeated. “What does she want with you?”
What was it to him, anyway? Did he loathe grandmotherly figures or
something? But he seemed so concerned that I couldn’t get offended at the
question. “She said she was going to help me. I was looking for some
information.”
Damen gave me an appraising look. “Without me?”
Why did he have to seem so smug about this? It was as if he knew
the effect he had on me. I opened my mouth to respond with something witty—which
would probably have been embarrassing anyway—when the sounds of laughter
drifted over from the next row.
The noise shattered the enchantment that had been cast over us, and
my face burst with heat. There was no question as to how ridiculous we’d look
to any passerby. The library was no place for games!
Damen’s gray eyes glinted mischievously—he must have had the same
realization.
“Damen, let me go,” I hissed at him. But this only encouraged him,
and he smiled, causing my heart to beat faster. “Someone is going to come down
here and see us!”
“Really?” His grin grew wider. “So it’s all right if we don’t get
caught, baby girl? Consider it noted.”
“No!” My mind screamed even though my words were a hiss. “You can’t
play games with students. This is inappropriate. You are basically a
professor.”
“Ah.” He ran his finger down my cheek. “But you aren’t my student.”
His mouth dipped slightly. He tilted his head as his gaze continued to hold
mine. “There’s just something about you.”
“Why are you so annoying?” I gritted out, trying to save face.
Plus, was he kidding me with this? That sounded like a line from a cheesy
romance novel. How many times had that worked for him in the past?
Finn’s stupid, horny brother. He could go flirt with someone else.
No matter how much I wanted to lean into his touch, or melt under his scorching
gaze—I wanted to poke him in the eyes that much more. What a quandary.
The sound of my name being called by a familiar voice saved Damen
from getting hit where it hurt.
I tore my attention from Damen as I glanced in panic at the end of
the aisle. This was the worst possible thing to happen. Finn could not know I was talking to his brother.
Finn called my name again, closer now. He was going to find us…
Damen, in the meantime, glanced over his shoulder—toward the
direction of Finn’s voice. He frowned, muttering, “God, he still sounds like a
douchebag. And not an ounce of courtesy, like he owns the place.” He didn’t
seem all that concerned.
“Will you stop saying mean things?” I couldn’t stop the hysteria.
“This is a disaster. Finn can’t find out I know
you!”
“Why?” Damen’s eyes returned to me, flashing with something new.
“Because you think he’d get angry?”
I didn’t think—I knew.
And my heart raced at the thought.
There was a note of challenge in Damen’s voice, but there was
something else too. It was almost as if he was hurt. It made me feel guilty on
top of my fear. I had never wanted to hurt his feelings.
What was wrong with me?
I was just about to apologize, when he continued speaking—studying
my face. “I’ll have you know my little
brother doesn’t scare me.”
What did this mean? I was still trapped at the end of the aisle
between him and the bookshelves. Finn could find us there at any second, and
Damen didn’t seem to care. When that happened, Finn would not only know I had
disregarded his wishes, but that I hadn’t listened to him about the other topic as well.
Every worst-case scenario flashed through my mind, and my breathing
sped up.
“But he does scare you,” Damen said suddenly.
I blinked, his words crashing through my agonized thoughts. I was
so fixated on Finn I had completely forgotten Damen was even there. Watching
me.
He didn’t look very happy either—his face a mask of concern and
fury. “Something stupid like this, and you’re afraid that you might anger him.
What did he do to you?”
Oh no. No, no, no.
My eyes widened as I looked up at him. “I’m not scared,” I
explained. “I’m just trying to prevent a confrontation. Can we leave, please? Before he finds us?”
Finn called out to me again. He had to be only seconds away from
finding us.
I flinched. We had to move now.
“Liar.” Damen tore his gaze from mine and grabbed my hand. He
seemed to have made up his mind. Stunned at his sudden action, I ended up just
following along.
He pulled me after him, quickly approaching an opening between the
bookcases to an adjacent doorway reserved for the library staff.
“I’ll help you,” he said, pulling me behind him. “But rest assured,
we will be discussing this later. You deserve better than this.”
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