Page 13 of Dragon Unleashed
“Yes. Clearly. Thank you for pointing it out. Now get back inside!” Aside from killing him, I’m not entirely sure how to get him back to his world. At least, not without a keeper tattoo and magic.
“I cannot go inside a book,” the man replies, confusion marring his brow. The look in his eye suggests he’s starting to question my sanity.
“Yes. You can. You came from it, which means you can go back. Please. You have no idea how much trouble I’ll be in if you stay.”
“Trouble. Are you in distress?” He looks through the shelves to the other side as if seeking danger.
My alarm blares.Oh fucknugget.I’m out of time. The two hours Mag promised me are done—he’ll be back any minute! And if he finds out, he’llhaveto report it. It won’t matter that he left me here to cover his shift when I wasn’t ready. He’ll still tell Hoc, and then my three strikes are up, and I’m out on my ass.
Alone.
With no one.
And not even my memories to keep me company.
Interns who’ve had their minds wiped usually end up in mental institutions because they cannot remember who they are. Depending on how long they’ve been in the Anthenaeum, some are wracked with anxiety over what theyknowhas to be out there.
Given that I’ve been here my entire life, chances are good that I’ll suffer the same. Left alone, cold, and crazed in a world I can’t even begin to understand.
“Fine. Never mind. We’ll figure it out later. Come on.” I grab his arm and try to drag him down the aisle, but he doesn’t move. Instead, I’m jerked back against his hard body.
My blood heats.
Pulse races.
“You are clearly distressed,” he says as he drops his nose to my neck and inhales.
“I will be if you don’t come with me now.” Pulling away, I face him. “Please. If Mag finds you, he’s going to kill me.”
“This Mag is trying to harm you?” His biceps bulge as he balls his hands into fists. Literally, bulge. Perfect. So, not only did I release a dragon, but I’ve also set free a stereotypical alphahole. The very same possessive, aggressive, muscle-bound hottie known as a book boyfriend.
“No. Not really.”Not if we haul ass.“Will you please just come with me?”
He narrows his gaze then nods. “Very well.”
Together, we half-run toward the stairs. By the time I make it to the second floor, I decide I deserve a freaking medal for not glancing over my shoulder even a single time to see that delicious body in motion.
Sexually tense Paige, zero—logical Paige, one.
Finally, I open the door to my apartment and shove the man inside then toss him his book. “Stay. Here.”
“You said you are in danger,” he says, already surging forward to follow me out again. “You should not go out alone.”
I roll my eyes. “The only way I’m in danger is if you’re with me. Stay here, and I’ll be safe.”
“I cannot in good conscience leave you to defend yourself against a threat.”
“Fine, can you take an order from someone who’s higher up on the food chain in this particular world?”
He frowns like he’s never considered anyone being higher on the food chain. Which is fair. “Ugh. I will definitely get my ass kicked if anyone sees you right now. And that will ruin your chances of getting home. So, stay here, and I’ll be right back. I swear it. Deal?”
He nods uncertainly, and I’m out the door again before he can ask the next question forming on his delicious lips. Like maybe how a girl without any shifter abilities to speak of could possibly be higher on the food chain than him.
I rush back down the stairs and grab a roll of paper towels from the library’s kitchen before I bolt back toward my abandoned pumpkin spice. Mag is already standing in the aisle when I arrive. He stares down at the spill, his back to me.
Panic spears through me, but I shove it away and force myself to play it cool. “Hey,” I call out.
He whirls, eyes narrowing at the sight of me. “Where the hell were you?”
