Page 7 of Kidnapped Plus-Size Mate (Aurora Dragon Island #5)

Pacing the floor in my hotel room, I can’t seem to get the kiss out of my mind. Camilla’s heart-shaped, soft lips remain branded on my own, even after a whole night away from her.

The intensity of the pull I felt toward my mate was only strengthened after what happened last night. It took every ounce of self-control to stop myself from taking her into her apartment and ripping that seductive dress off her delicious curves.

Gods! I feel like I’m going insane right now, my fingers tingling with the desire to feel her flesh and make her mine.

I’m so close, yet so far from achieving my goal. If only the Council hadn’t been adamant that I follow the protocol they’d set out, I would have already made her mine.

Blowing out a frustrated breath, I try calming my inner dragon by running a hand through my hair and offering myself some words of affirmation.

Calm down.

Calm the fuck down.

All of which seems to add fuel to the uncontrollable fire that rages deep within me. I can’t calm down. Not when I’ve tasted a teaser of Camilla, and now I’m left wanting for more.

I get it now. This is the reason why Aragon, my older brother, couldn’t go ahead with the Council’s plans for him back then. He thought it was absurd to send his mate, Yazmine, an invitation to Draco and Lily’s wedding in the mortal world and meet her face to face. It’s why my twin brother, Stryder, couldn’t leave his mate, Olivia, to fend for herself when he found her in danger.

It was all nothing more than the primal urge to have their mates by their sides at all times. I thought they were crazy when they kidnapped their mates to the island. But the only thing that’s keeping me sane right now is the thought of sinking between Camilla’s thighs with the hot branding iron of my manhood, to claim her as mine and produce dragonspirit children for the clan.

This whole ordeal is what’s insane. Time and again, my brothers proved that it was only a matter of time before the human women came around and settled into the idea that they were meant to be a dragon’s mate. The only thing preventing me from doing the same is my desire to make my father proud.

Somehow, it’s more than that.

Despite my brothers’ mates eventually coming around, the anger they felt toward my brothers wasn’t something I wanted to feel. I’d hate to see resentment flashing in Camilla’s eyes. Not when it’s the desire I saw glimmering in her eyes last night. That look in those golden hues is something I’ve become addicted to.

Right now, I crave her closeness. I burn to stare into the depths of her eyes and feel her own desire for me as if it’s a tangible facet in the air around us.

I thought I could do the slow-burn romance with Camilla. But my intrinsic beast won’t allow me to stay away for much longer.

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, I think I’ve given Camilla enough time to yearn for me.

The gods know that I’ve had enough time away from her. This slow-burn romance will be the death of my inner dragon, who makes it impossible to stay away for much longer.

I have to see her. My dragon needs to see her, so these flames of longing can be extinguished and I can breathe again.

***

My heartbeat steadies as soon as I enter through the rolling doors of the museum’s entrance. I can already pick out Camilla’s scent lingering in the reception area, a whiff of lavender gardens filling my airways and soothing my inner dragon.

I head up to the reception to pay for the next tour. The regular game of cat and mouse between Camilla and I has been thrilling, and it’s a surefire way to keep the spark going until it burns bright enough to lead to something more.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned about humans, it’s that females love a grand gesture of romance. All I need is for her to fall in love with me so that I can reveal my identity and intentions and have her readily agree to accompany me to Aurora Island where she’ll be my mate.

After the kiss we shared last night, I do not doubt that she’ll accept what I am. Now that I’m here at her place of work, it’s like my doubts have been put to rest.

With pride filling my chest, I make my way up the stairs leading to the room that displays the museum’s French artworks. To my surprise, I don’t find Camilla there.

Granted I’m early for the noon tour, but I decide to use the breadcrumb trail of her scent to find her wherever she is. With a smile creeping on my face, I shove my hands into my pockets and follow the lead of her sweet, subtle scent down the hallway to the German section, which is where she ends her tours.

A part of me wants to make it known that the artist she believes painted the picture of Aurora Island is Domingo. Little did she know that it was my sister, Kairo, who painted that picture as an inside joke a few centuries ago. She let it out into the mortal world under the guise of a well-known painter at the time, and it’s since become a part of history.

Even if the history behind it is distorted. Pursing my lips with amusement, I decide to hold onto that little piece of information until she meets my sister in the flesh.

Camilla hardly believes in the existence of dragons right now. I can’t wait until I’ve executed my plan and I’ll be able to reveal my true identity to her.

I round the corner that leads to the German room when a strange knot pulls tight in the pit of my belly and stops me in my tracks just in time to catch a glimpse of Camilla as she frowns at the man she’s speaking to.

Her eyes flicker to mine, and a wave of nausea sweeps through me when I catch another scent in the air. It’s not as distinct as her sweetness, but it’s present enough for me to recognize the man even with his back toward me.

It can’t be…

Why would a Fire Force member be here, speaking to my mate? I can smell his awful scent, different from that of the members of the Aurora Dragons. It smells like eucalyptus and sunscreen.

Did the Council send someone to check up on me?

It’s highly unlikely. I would have heard from my father if that was happening.

Thrown off by the presence of another dragon shifter, my steps are calculated as I approach Camilla, drawing on the strength of my inner dragon.

Stay cool.

Stay calm.

Another round of affirmations keeps me pacified until I can figure out what’s going on. Maintaining a straight face, I keep my eyes on Camilla as I pass the dragon and slip my around her waist protectively as I lean in to kiss her on the cheek.

“Hi, Sterling,” she greets me with a relieved smile. There’s tension hanging in the air, and when I turn to see who my inspector is, I’m shocked to find that it’s Rakon.

The Beta of the Fire Force clan.

Did the Council send him to check up on me?

I nod skeptically at the man, not wanting to make it known to Camilla that I know him. He seems to be on the same page as he offers out a hand.

“Brandon Hawk,” he offers, and the breath I’d been holding in is released as I shake his hand.

So, he is here to check up on me, since he’s hiding his true identity as well. With narrowed eyes, I give up my alias, and he smiles, bemused.

“Are you the boyfriend?” he asks innocently.

Camilla tenses beside me but affirms this with a confident nod. It’s probably going to earn me some brownie points, so it works in my favor when I concede.

“Yes.” Turning to Camilla, I meet her eyes of surprise and smile proudly. “I’m Camilla’s boyfriend.”

She relaxes beside me just as a blush skitters across her cheeks. For a fleeting moment, I’m lost in the beauty of her blushed cheeks and the way her eyes sparkle at my declaration. I just earned more brownie points, and if Rakon is here to ensure that everything is going as planned, I know I’ve succeeded in putting the Council’s doubts to rest.

Losing myself in Camilla’s eyes, I’m no longer as wary as I was before. After all, it’s not like the Council cares about the animosity between Rakon and me, that’s why they sent him.

Of all people, I wish it were someone else. But he’s the Beta of Fire Force, and a member of the Dragon Council thanks to his rank.

If I knew him well enough, he’d probably volunteered to check up on me. The fight between us that happened centuries ago still lingers like bad blood between us.

That’s why his vengeful eyes narrow at me now the way they did the other night at the Dragon Ball.

I clear my throat and tilt my chin defiantly at the air of tension. Rakon smiles at me before nodding curtly at my mate.

“I was just about to leave,” he offers. “See you again, Miss Torres. Mr. Vance.”

I force a smile on my face in response to Rakon as he turns to leave the museum. With my arm remaining around Camilla’s waist, I gently pull her toward the window to watch Rakon exit the museum.

“What did he want?” I ask casually, staring out of the window as I see the dragon shifter of the Fire Force clan cross the street. He glances over his shoulder when he steps onto the pavement and throws me a wicked wink.

“Oh, he offered me a job,” Camilla replies confusedly, sticking out a business card in front of me.

“A job?” I frown, taking the card and reading Rakon’s alias off the front. “Why would he offer you a job?”

When I turn my gaze back to the window, Rakon is nowhere in sight. He’s already disappeared, leaving behind only a bitter taste of bile on my tongue.

What is he up to?

Is that a part of the plan? To test Camilla’s loyalty to me?

The thought has me clenching my fists and crushing the business card between my fingers.

“Oh, crap!” Camilla exclaims beside me. “I need to go. I have another tour to lead.”

I nod in acknowledgment, but my mind races with suspicions about Rakon.

“I—I just paid for another tour,” I inform her, to which she blushes again.

“We should, erm—” She pauses to bite her bottom lip, throwing me for a loop with how sinfully innocent the act is.

Coming back to her, I lean in and press a chaste kiss on her lips. I love seeing her flustered like this. It’s something I can get used to.

“We’ll talk about what just happened when you’re done,” I chuckle. “Go on. I won’t distract you today.”

“How did you—” Camilla purses her lips, then curls them into a shy smile and shakes her head. “Never mind. I’ll see you when I’m done.”

I give her a wink as she spins on her heels to leave the room where her tour will end. I decide to hang back only to send my brother a question through the mental link we share. Turning toward the window when Camilla is gone, my brows knit as I send Draco a mind link.

“ Draco… It’s Stryker… Can you hear me?”

“Loud and clear, little brother.”

“Are you at home?”

“Nope,” Draco replies. “ We’re in Venice. The family decided to spend the summer here. Stryder and Olivia are still at home. Do you need something?”

I shake my head with confusion. If Draco and the others aren’t home, it’s unlikely that a Council meeting was held in their absence.

“ Do you know anything about the Council sending someone to check up on me?” I ask telepathically.

“ No. Why?”

In the distance, I can hear Draco’s son Dedrik wailing for attention. The Alpha’s baby is a strong dragon shifter, as to be expected. His cries are audible through the mind link every time Draco makes contact. I don’t wish to spoil Draco’s time with his family, so I decide not to alarm him with the news that Rakon is here.

Now that I’ve confirmed that he isn’t here on official Council business, I know it’s just something personal.

I’m just not sure what he wants.

Is he trying to find proof that I’m making a wrong move to ruin my reputation with the Council?

Suddenly, my heart races, and that unfamiliar knot in the pit of my belly returns with greater strength.

“ It’s nothing, Draco. I’m just making sure.”

“Is everything okay out there?”

“Yes,” I reply, then cease the mental connection as an overwhelming sense of panic rises inside my being. My inner dragon’s ears perk up in attention; I can feel it happening inside me.

Something is wrong.

If Rakon wasn’t sent by the Council, then what does he want here? Suddenly, my ears buzz with a distant choir of ringing beats that alert me of some kind of danger on the horizon.

Danger at the hands of the Fire Force’s Beta.

The only dragon shifter who hates me for supposedly stealing his girlfriend in Dragon School. He hadn’t forgotten about the fight that broke out when I stepped between him and the she-dragon who didn’t want to go to the dance with him.

He was practically dragging her by the arm into the hall. She turned to me with tears in her eyes, and I couldn’t stand idly by while Rakon was forcing her to dance with him.

That’s when I knew we couldn’t be friends anymore. I decided on the spot to end our friendship and instead save the female dragon. I wasn’t interested in her, but I couldn’t watch him try to overpower her that way only because he’s a male.

No harm should come to any female—not human, nor dragon. So, I stepped between them, and a fight ensued. Rakon was enraged that I thwarted his plans, but the she-dragon was spared.

That’s all that mattered back then.

I should have known that he’d come back for revenge. He tried with Kairo the night of the Dragon Ball and failed when I refused to let him dance with her. I should have known he was revisiting old wounds by interrupting our dance, repeating the night of the dance at the Dragon Council’s School for Young Dragons.

Now, he’s trying to come between Camilla and me.

I won’t let it happen.

As my inner dragon stirs with intense feelings of its innate protective nature, I rush out of the room and down the corridor in search of my mate.

I find Camilla on her tour in the alley lined by marble sculptures. Marching through the group without apologizing for the interruption, she stands stunned as I approach her.

“We need to go,” I whisper firmly, taking her hand.

“Wh-what’s going on?” she stares at me perplexed, her eyes widening as I lead her out of earshot of the group.

Once we’re safely behind a wall, I turn to her, lifting both her hands into mine. My intuition is yelling at me at the moment, the buzzing in my ears almost deafening.

“We need to get out of here, Camilla,” I warn as I stare into her eyes while she frowns at me.

“Why? What’s going on?”

I shake my head when bile rises to the surface. “I can’t explain right now. But that man…”

She gasps as recognition passes through her eyes. “Am I in danger?”

“I think so,” I reply warily, taking her hand and deftly leading her down the flight of stairs beside the elevator. She has no choice but to follow me with how tightly my fingers are wound around her wrist.

“Wait!” she calls out from behind. “How do I know I can trust you?”

When we reach the landing, I spin her to face me and grip her shoulders, the panic turning lethal now as I glare into her eyes with determination.

“Have I given you any reason not to trust me, Camilla?”

She gulps hard, hesitantly shaking her head. “Apart from what’s going on right now, no. But—”

“There’s no time,” I say sternly when Rakon’s lingering scent turns menacing in my airways. I grabbed her hand again and hastily pulled her to the back exit of the museum in the opposite direction from where I saw Rakon leave.

My senses are heightened, the threat looming with every step we take until we’re outside. I find the closest alley and shield her from the prying eyes of anyone who dares to block our path.

“You’re not really in finance, are you?” she murmurs as I take my jacket off and slide it over her shoulders.

The way she stares at me with wide, worried eyes disarms me momentarily. A wave of primal, animalistic need to protect this woman who is to be my mate washes over me. She seems so vulnerable, so small and terrified, that it squeezes my heart and turns me soft instantaneously.

“No,” I shake my head earnestly. “I’m not in finance, Camilla. I—”

Gulping, I contemplate if I should just go ahead and reveal my identity to her. In the privacy of the alley, she might shriek and bring attention toward us when she hears that I’m a dragon shifter.

She might not believe me, either. From what I’ve gathered, she doesn’t believe in the existence of dragons. Then again, she believes that dinosaurs existed…

“Fuck it!” I decide on the spot, stepping closer as she cranes her neck to stare into my eyes. “I’m not what you think I am, Camilla,” I say as I plant my hands on her shoulders, hoping it will make this easier. Her lips part with a gasp, and I’m about to tell her what I am when a blurred flash slices through the air and zaps her off her feet. It happens in a split second, and I don’t have time to grab her from the dragon who just flew past and picked her up.

“Sterling!” she cries out, her hand flapping in the air as she reaches out to me with horror written all over her face.

“Rakon!” I roar as blinding red rage simmers to the surface. My mate turns invisible, and there’s only one thing left to do when the Fire Force dragon flies out of the alley after abducting Camilla.