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The door swung open a crack, and Blakely peeked out.

Her eyes widened, then narrowed as she opened the door a little wider.

Not enough for me to see inside her apartment, though.

She was dressed in an oversized hoodie with my old high-school mascot on it that fell to mid-thigh on her bare legs, and her short, red hair was a mess.

She looked like she’d just crawled out of bed. “What do you want?”

“I need to talk to you. Now.”

“I don’t know if my boyfriend would like that.” Her voice was sultry, but she looked like she was holding back a grin. She was eagerly waiting for my reaction to that statement. Her delusional mind probably thought I’d be jealous.

“Forrest?” I asked. “Do you have any idea who you’re involved with?”

“Is that why you’re here in the middle of the night?” she asked. “You heard about my boyfriend and had to rush right over here, huh?”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t flatter yourself. I’ve already saved your ass once, and I’m not too keen on doing it again.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Blakely snapped.

“It means you’re getting yourself involved in something dangerous.”

She scoffed. “You think everything is dangerous. I like Forrest. He takes care of me. Prioritizes me. Unlike some guys I used to date.”

“We never dated.”

“And Forrest understands how badly you hurt me. I love that about him.”

That smug smirk was back. My dragon cringed at the lies rolling off her like a stench. She obviously didn’t give a single fuck about Forrest. She was involved with him to get to me, but in what way?

“I told you you’d pay for what you did to me,” Harley continued.

“You don’t want to play this game.”

“It’s not a game. It’s a negotiation.” Blakely glowered at me. “I can get Forrest off your back, you know. One snap of my fingers, and he’ll leave you completely alone. He’s wrapped around my little finger.”

“Right.” I wasn’t buying this for a second. “And let me guess. I’d have to do something for you, wouldn’t I?”

“Tell Harley to leave Lakeview. Your son can stay—I don’t care about him. But she needs to be gone. For good. And then this mess with Forrest will end.”

“I gave you a chance to butt out of my life,” I said in a low, gravelly growl. My dragon surged forth, flashing in my eyes, and Blakely took a small step back. “Multiple chances. And every time you come back to cause problems again. I’m running out of patience, Blakely.”

“I— I’m offering you a deal,” she stammered.

“This goes so far beyond Forrest. You think you hold any kind of negotiating power here? Just because you’re giving Forrest some pussy? You’re even dumber than I thought.”

Blakely’s eyes widened. “You pig!” She slapped me hard across the face. Her face was pink with fury, and a little bit of surprise, like she couldn’t believe she’d actually done that.

I barely felt the blow. I let my fangs drop anyway and bared them at her. “You’ve sealed your fate, Blakely,” I growled. “You’re going down with Forrest and the rest of them. I’ll make sure of it.”

Fear radiated off her, following me like fog as I stormed back to my bike.

I held no illusions that my anger would dissuade Blakely from her stupid plans.

If anything, she’d be more determined now.

She must have known her negotiations wouldn’t work.

I wouldn’t put it past her to have some other ridiculous idea up her sleeve.

So when it came time to take down Forrest, I’d be sure to take down Blakely as well.

My dragon growled with frustration. He was unsettled, anxious, bordering on enraged.

We both felt trapped. There was nothing we could do other than hurl threats, hide out, and wait.

My dragon wanted to lash out. Attack. Kill.

End these threats now, no matter the consequences to the future of my clan.

I got on my bike and gunned the engine. I needed to get home. I needed to be with my mate.

The house was quiet when I got home, as it often was.

I was sick of being out so late and so often.

My dragon’s ears listened for the soft sounds of my clan: there was Striker, snoring in the guest room, Cassidy’s white noise machine humming in her room, and Dylan snuffling in his sleep over the sounds of his video game save screen.

And there, at the far end of the hall, in my room, Harley was breathing.

If I focused hard enough, I could hear her heartbeat.

My dragon nearly whined with desire. I needed her. Needed her closeness. Needed her touch. Needed her bite—no, not tonight. I exhaled hard, but my dragon wouldn’t settle. My feet carried me to my room.

I pushed the bedroom door open slowly. The room was dark and warm, and Harley was asleep under the comforter.

From the door, I could only see the shape of her curvy body cuddled under the dark fabric.

I pulled my boots off in a hurry and climbed onto the bed.

I needed a shower—I still smelled like sweat and motor oil. I didn’t care. I needed her.

The mattress dipped under my weight, and Harley hummed out a low sound. “Steph?” she murmured, her voice rough with sleep.

She rolled onto her back, and her hair fanned across the pillow.

Her gaze was half-lidded, and her lips were parted.

Barely awake, but so desirable. So gorgeous.

I climbed on top of her, so I was on my hands and knees above her perfect body.

The comforter was pulled up to her shoulders.

Between the comforter and my clothes, there was way too much fabric between us, but I was too restless to get it all out of the way.

My brain was static with only one thought. Need you. Need you.

I dropped down and pressed my face into the crook of her neck, carefully keeping my fangs retracted. She smelled so good. She always smelled good in sleep, all warm and soft and musky. I growled, restless, and she wrapped her arms around me as she laughed lightly. “I’m here, baby.”

“Harley,” I growled into her skin. “Need you.”

She hummed, and her grip tightened on the back of my shirt.

I drew my lips up her neck to the curve of her jaw before capturing her mouth in a hard, searing kiss.

For a moment, the intensity seemed to catch her off-guard, but then she matched it.

My desire built her desire, the intensity ratcheting up and up as I devoured her.

I wrestled out of my clothes between kisses, and Harley shoved the comforter separating us to the floor.

She wore only a pair of white panties, and when she flopped back onto her back, I had to pause and admire her, even with my dragon’s need rushing through me.

I ran my hands over her perfect breasts, to the curve of her waist, over her hips, and then squeezed her perfect, strong thighs.

She moaned under my touch, pleased and smiling. Her lips were wet and red from kissing.

Fuck, I wanted her.

Harley wriggled up the bed a little, then hooked her thumbs in the waistband of her panties and tugged them down.

“Go ahead,” she said in a voice so low and sultry it was almost a purr. “Take what you need.”

Fuck, I loved her.

She kicked her panties aside. I fell over her like rain, covering her body and touching every inch of exposed skin I could.

I kissed her again, a hard, devouring kiss, and I didn’t hide my fangs.

The feeling of my sharp teeth in the kiss made Harley gasp against my lips.

“I love you,” I growled. “Love you so much.”

“I love you too,” she whispered against my mouth. “I’m yours.”

My dragon purred in pleasure. That was what we wanted.

What we needed. For her to be ours. Being with Harley was the only thing that could calm me down.

It was better than a sparring session, better even than shifting into my dragon and soaring around the lake.

Being with her like this—close, needy, desperate—sated something deep inside me.

Me and my dragon both. Even if I couldn’t claim her, having her beneath me like this helped.

It centered me and made me feel calmer. Like I had purpose.

Because Harley was my purpose.

I kissed her again and squeezed her waist. I was nearly delirious with lust. Animalistic. I wanted her in every way, all of her, so intensely that I couldn’t decide where to touch and kiss. I was so hard it was painful.

Harley smiled into our deep kiss. “Like this.” She rolled over onto her front, with her knees beneath her, her perfect round ass up. She wiggled her hips, then sent me a teasing smirk over her shoulder.

How the hell did she always know what I needed before I did?

I covered her body with mine and pressed my lips against her nape. My fangs tingled with the desire to claim her, but I tamped it down by kissing every part of her neck I could reach. It wasn’t a real claim, but it was close enough.

With her on her knees beneath me, my chest to her back, it was easy to press my hard cock into her wet, waiting heat. She moaned into the pillow, and I had to bite back a loud groan.

Pleasure rolled through me, and I got lost in it. All my rational thoughts melted away until there was nothing left but Harley, my mate, and my need to make her feel good. Her fingers tangled in the sheets. Our heartbeats synced as I thrust into her.

She trembled through her orgasm, gasping my name, and the sweet sounds of her pleasure pushed me over the edge. When I came, it was with my lips pressed to her shoulder, and my fangs digging into my tongue.

I finally felt like I could breathe. All the stress and anxiety of the day melted away. There was just me and my mate, our home, our bed.

Peace.

I didn’t know how long it would last, but I savored every moment.