Page 21 of The Breeding Cave

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

YEOSIN

The beast’s eyes blazed in the darkness, leaving a trail of light in every direction he looked. I stared up at the monster who I had promised myself not to fall for, realizing that I had told him my secret.

Realizing that … that he probably didn’t care.

We were only together so he could breed me. We were only together so I could give him children. We were only together because he had given me ten million dollars to have sex with him and because I was desperate for the cash.

Why would he care at all?

“Get out of the hot spring,” he growled. “Joseph will bring you home.”

“And where will you go?” I whispered, not wanting him to leave.

It was bad enough that I had just spilled everything to him, but I had also been feeling really bad since hooking up with Luciano in the elevator. And I hadn’t even fulfilled my duties to the beast in the cave tonight.

All I had done was cry.

“I’m going to find which one of them did this to you and kill them,” he snarled. “Out now.”

My eyes widened, and a warm feeling washed over my entire body. I was in no place to feel all these feelings for a man who only wanted my womb, but … but the way he had sounded so possessive … made me feel special .

It was what I had been craving in the elevator with Luciano …

“Yeosin,” he growled. “Don’t make me say it again.”

I placed my palms on the rock and pushed myself out of the water until I sat on my knees. I turned back to face him, watching the water ripple around his taut frame as he walked to the edge and hopped out of the hot spring.

While I didn’t know much about him, by the way his eyes were glowing so brightly that I could see him in the darkness … he was about to do something stupid and get himself killed, leaving everyone who still relied on him.

“You don’t have to go.”

He stormed out of the room and down the chiseled hallway. “Yes, I do.”

“They’ll kill you,” I said, hurrying after him.

“I don’t care,” he snarled, voice gruff.

I grabbed his elbow. “I do.”

The beast froze with his back turned toward me. I walked around him to face him and finally caught a glimpse of his face underneath the shimmer of moonlight. But before I could see all of it, he turned his head.

“Don’t go,” I reasoned. “I take it back. I don’t need help. I was just … just scared.”

I had asked him to help in a fit of terror and agony. It really wasn’t my logical sense talking. I had been hurting since I got that mark on my back earlier, then in the elevator with Luciano … I had ignored the pain then because I was full of adrenaline.

After wrapping my arms around myself, I shuffled my feet. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. They’re dangerous,” I said again. “They don’t care what they do, and I … I will gladly take the burns if that means you’re safe.”

“You’re fucking crazy, Yeosin.”

My eyes watered. “Why does that make me crazy?”

“You’re crazy if you think I will do nothing after you’ve come to me in tears and in pain,” he said through gritted teeth. “You’re crazy that you would rather continue to risk your life rather than tell me. You’re crazy for caring about me.”

Lips quivering, I shook my head. “No, I’m not. You have people who you must care for. You have people who look up to you. You’re important, and I …” Memories of Alvin and my parents rushed through my head. “I’m not important to anyone.”

That was what this all really came down to, didn’t it?

He took my chin in his hand. “Don’t say that.”

“It’s true,” I said, my voice cracking. “I’m not. And I’m okay with that.”

“You’re important to me.”

“Only because you need me to give you pups.”

While I wanted him to refuse that was the case, he did nothing but growl.

“I don’t like asking for help,” I said. “You don’t need to do anything. I promise.”

“How much money does the Dragon Clan need from you?”

“Several million,” I whispered.

“I need an exact number.”

“That’s impossible.” I chewed on the inside of my cheek. “Even if I pay it back, they’ll want more because they know that I can get it for them. I’m always going to be indebted to them, no matter what I do. So … don’t bother helping. I don’t need your money.”

The thought had never really sunk in until now.

It was as if they were purposefully trying to work me to the bone, to siphon as much money out of me as possible, to … to keep me distracted.

My mind wandered back to earlier in that alleyway when the Dragon Clan had said that Alvin was their leader. And if Alvin was their leader, then he hadn’t been in trouble with them. Unless … there were subclans within the Dragon Clan, or those people weren’t part of the Dragon Clan at all …

None of this made sense to me. And, God, it’d be far too hard to explain to the beast.

I was in a freaking mess—a web—that I couldn’t get myself out of.

“Joseph will take you back to the penthouse,” the beast said.

“But—”

“And you’re going to go.”

“I really?—”

Before I had time to argue, the beast walked to the exit of the cave and released a low howl. He paused there for a few moments, and then he howled again. I listened for the sound of tires against the dirt floor, but heard nothing.

“Where is he?” I whispered.

After letting out another howl, he cursed underneath his breath.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

Instead of answering me, the beast held out his hand. “Come with me.”

“Through the woods?” I whispered, staring out into the darkness around us. “It’s dark.”

“I’ll protect you, mate ,” he said, voice … different than normal. He scooped up my hand and pulled me onto a trail. “From anything.”