Page 25 of The Breeding Cave

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

LUCIANO

“Thank the Goddess that you’re home,” Molly said, tugging open the door before I even had a chance to grab the knob later that night. She shifted from foot to foot, her head bowed and her gaze on the floor. “I … Yeosin … it’s best if you see yourself.”

“What happened?” I asked, breathing in a scent that definitely didn’t belong here.

Ella .

Molly led me to my bedroom, where I had left Yeosin. Soft cries drifted out from underneath the door, the sound of my mate— I mean, of Yeosin —making my entire body fill with even more fury.

Something had happened. Something bad.

Before Molly could open the door, I snapped it open, my palm flat on the wood, and spotted Yeosin underneath the blankets. Her shoulders jerked back and forth. A glass of healing tea sat on the nightstand next to her.

“Don’t look at me,” Yeosin whispered, hiding underneath the blanket.

I balled my hands into fists by my sides to control my anger. What had happened here? I had left her alone for a couple of hours with Molly, and I came home to find Yeosin not wanting me to look at her. Someone had said something to her, done something to her.

“What’s going on?” I asked Molly, who stood behind me.

“It’s best if you see yourself,” she said for the second time tonight.

“Remove the blankets, Yeosin,” I ordered.

“No.”

“I’m not in the mood,” I growled.

“Neither am I.”

When I couldn’t deal with it any longer, I stormed to the bed and ripped off the blankets. Yeosin shrieked and covered herself with her arms … her arms that were covered in burns. Why the fuck were they covered in burns?

Instead of looking at me, Yeosin kept her head down too. “Go away.”

“What the fuck happened?” I snarled, turning toward Molly. “And why do I smell Ella?”

“She came over while Yeosin was sleeping,” Molly said, bowing her head, her chin quivering. “I … I left them alone for two minutes to make some healing tea for Yeosin, and I came back to see her burned. I’m sorry. She has healing abilities. She said she’d heal her.”

“That fucking rat,” I said between gritted teeth. “What did she do?”

Ella had healing abilities—or at least, she used to—but as far as I knew, she didn’t have the ability to create these burns all over Yeosin’s body, nor did she have the ability to mimic the burn on her back.

It didn’t make sense.

Unless … she hadn’t come alone. Maybe someone from the Dragon Clan had come with her.

Molly bowed her head even more. “I’m sorry. This is my fault. You can punish me.”

“Never let her into my penthouse again,” I growled down at her, my claws digging into her throat and my beast completely taking over my body. “ You will not put your luna in danger like that ever again. Do you understand? ”

With wide eyes, Molly stared up at me and nodded. “Yes. Yes. I’m sorry.”

“You willingly let another beast in here with the woman I’m mating with to make sure that this pack, that me, that you, that the legacy of everyone you’ve ever cared about survives,” I snarled, struggling to regain control so Yeosin wouldn’t see me like this.

But my claws had cut through the skin on Molly’s neck.

“Don’t fucking screw up this badly again. ”

Suddenly, small hands wrapped around my forearm. “Stop it. She didn’t do anything.”

“She put you in danger,” I growled, my back turned toward her.

“It’s not her fault.” She released her harsh grip on my forearm and gently placed her hand on my back, rubbing it in soothing circles. “I promise that if she had done something, I would tell you. But she didn’t.”

Slowly, I released my grip on Molly. “Get out of here.”

Molly shuffled into the other room and shut the door behind her. As soon as she was gone, Yeosin’s fingers left my skin, leaving me cold. She walked toward the bathroom and stared into the mirror.

I stayed put next to the bedroom door.

“Are they bad?” she asked.

“Yes.”

My voice came out curt and to the point, but I was trying my best to hold my anger back in front of her. If she was stressed, then it would be harder to get her pregnant, and I vowed to put babies in her belly before the Dragon Clan could kill me.

“How bad?”

I feared that if I touched her, then I would hurt her even more.

She needed rest—a lot of it. I could try to heal her myself because that bitch wasn’t coming near her again— I don’t care if she did it or not —but I didn’t know how much I could heal. I could barely do anything with her previous burn.

After pulling down the blankets, I gestured for her to return to bed. “You need to sleep.”

“No,” she whispered, fear evident in her eyes. “I can’t.”

“You need it.”

She shook her head again, eyes filling with tears. “Last time, I had a nightmare.”

“Lie down and sleep, Yeosin,” I growled. “I don’t have time to argue with you.”

Yeosin furrowed her brows. “Then go.”

“Yeosin,” I growled. “In bed now.”

“No.”

“I will throw you in bed if I have to.”

She crossed her arms. “No.”

My fucking Goddess, why wouldn’t she listen to me tonight? It was a nightmare—that was all. As far as I knew, she had never suffered from them before. It was a onetime thing, and it wouldn’t happen for a second time.

Because I didn’t want to hurt her, I blew out a low breath and relaxed. “Please.”

Yeosin stood there for a few moments, unfolding her arms. “I’m scared.”

“There is no reason for you to be scared,” I said softly. “I’m here to protect you.”

“You just said that you’re leaving.”

“I’ll stay until morning for you.”

Her brown eyes widened, and she perked up. “You will?”

“Yes.” I slipped into the bed. “Now come here.”

Yeosin still hesitated, but then she shuffled over and climbed into bed with me, slipping underneath the blankets and curling up against my body. I sucked in a sharp breath because I wasn’t used to this and stayed until her breath evened out.

I needed to find out where these burns had really come from. Soon.

Before it happened again.