Page 28

I don’t like this.

I haven’t liked it since she kissed my cheek this morning, promised she’d be careful, and walked into that damn school like it was just another Wednesday.

Like her psychotic ex isn’t out there somewhere plotting gods-know-what.

Like she isn’t carrying my fucking soul in that beautiful, fragile human body.

But Casey insisted she needed to work today.

Tie up loose ends.

Finish charts for the kids who rely on her for meds.

Leave things better than she found them, because that’s the kind of woman she is.

And I admire the hell out of that— her grace, her strength.

Just like I admire the fact that my woman is practically a damn doctor.

We haven’t talked in detail yet about what she wants next, career-wise, but it doesn’t matter. Whatever Casey decides, I’m one hundred percent behind her.

If she wants to pick back up where she left off before that bastard hijacked her life, then that’s what she’ll do. No question.

Hell, I already have some of Max’s contacts quietly checking with Barren County Memorial Hospital to see if there are open spots for her to finish up her internship.

It’s only twenty minutes from the ranch. Just off Route 80. And you better believe I’ll be there to drive her back and forth every damn day, if that’s what it takes.

Because yeah, I want my mate safe and protected at all times.

This might be the twenty-first century, but I’m an old-fashioned Dragon like that. Sue me.

Still, admiration doesn’t quiet the storm inside me.

Not when my Dragon’s pacing in the shadows of my mind, low growls vibrating through our shared core.

Not when every inch of my instincts—sharpened over decades of battle, survival, and blood—are screaming that something is off.

I’m in the horse pen, brushing down Peanut, our steadiest, gentlest gelding. The same one I saddled for Casey during our first ride together.

That memory alone should calm me. Her laughter in the wind. Her thighs snug against the saddle. Her nervous smile turning radiant when she realized she could trust me, and the horse.

But my focus is shot to hell.

Every time I blink, I see her.

Casey.

My Petals.

That wide, genuine smile. Her soft brown eyes that hold galaxies.

The Dragon’s Rose now etched into her skin, glowing faintly against the swell of her breast whenever we touch.

Just like mine.

It pulses with her heartbeat. With mine. They’re more than just symbols. They’re the marks of our matebond.

Living proof of our connection.

And gods, the way mine tingles when I kiss her? When I touch her?

I’ll have to ask her if she feels it, too.

That surge of heat. The thread that pulls taut between us anytime we’re apart.

This morning, when I dropped her off at school, I kissed her goodbye and something inside me howled.

My Dragon didn’t like it. Not one damn bit.

I had the strongest urge to slam the truck door shut, throw the gear in reverse, and drive off with her tucked beside me where she belongs.

I didn’t, of course. Because she’s got pride, a good heart, and she wanted to finish what she started.

But now?

Now, I’m regretting the hell out of letting her out of my sight.

A strange ripple travels up my spine. My breath stills. The brush in my hand falters. Peanut shifts beneath me, sensing my tension, and whinnies softly.

My Rose—it burns.

Not in pain. Not like before. But like a flare going up in the middle of the night sky.

And just like that, my blood goes cold.

Something’s wrong.

Jed's chuckling as one of the goats tries to eat his shoelaces. “You’re gonna yank the whole damn boot off, Dolly Lou, and then what? You gonna learn how to drive the truck next?”

I grunt, distracted.

Kian is moving the herd of dairy cows to the south pasture, and Dante is working on the tractor with Emmet in the old barn.

I don’t know where Max is. Probably at his house with his babies, and I can’t say I blame him.

He’s been putting in a lot of time in the wee hours of the morning while they sleep just so he can be a hands-on kind of dad.

Must be nice.

I didn’t have a father to teach me shit growing up, so I genuinely appreciate his efforts.

Knowing his grandmother’s terms on the property, how he has to do sixty percent of the work himself, or he has to pay huge fines to the Leeds’ estate through his lawyer, only makes me respect him more.

I’ve always had to work hard.

Sure, I have a treasure horde like most Dragons. But I hardly ever touch it.

I wonder now if I should mention that to Casey.

Does she care about material things? Does money even matter to her?

All things I plan to find out.

It’s while my mind is wandering, thinking about everything and nothing, that it hits me again.

Harder this time.

A pulse of heat, sharp and jarring, runs down my spine like a bolt of lightning.

My Dragon stills, then growls.

Not playful.

Not teasing.

But lethal.

Something’s wrong.

My head snaps up. I can’t explain it, but I know. My mate. My Casey. She's in danger.

“Fuck,” I growl, tossing the brush aside. I don’t say a word to Jed.

I scale the fence like it’s nothing and bolt for my truck, already thumbing my phone.

Max answers on the first ring. “Zeke?”

“She’s in trouble,” I bite out. “Casey. I don’t know how, but something’s wrong. I feel it.”

There’s no hesitation.

“I’m on my way. Sending Kian, Dante, and Emmet, too. Get her out, Zeke. Now.”

I don’t bother answering.

My truck’s tires screech as I tear down the gravel road, gravel flying in my wake.

My hands are locked on the wheel.

My Dragon’s roaring in my mind.

And my heart?

It’s already with her.

Hold on, Petals. I’m coming.