Page 60 of Dragon Unleashed
I shut the cover of the tome in my hands and re-shelve it. Then, I glance over to where Aries looms between the stacks, his back to me. He’s so large that he nearly blocks the entire gap, which is where he’s remained since the moment we got here.
He’d been pissed about coming to this section at all. Had wanted to go straight to where I’d be safe.
But we have a mission. A job to do.
And as badly as I wish he could stay and we could keep playing house, the king of dragons belongs on his throne.
“Would you come with me to Astronia?”His offer lingers in my mind, and even as I know it’s impossible, that doing so would put everything I’ve worked for in jeopardy, I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t admit that there’s a part of me intrigued at seeing the world that shaped such a man.
To witness him in his own natural territory. But remaining there isn’t an option for me, and I have a feeling that once I ventured into his domain, I’d never want to leave.
Never want to abandon the man who has become my very reason for getting out of bed in the morning. As pathetic as that sounds given that we’ve only known each other less than a handful of days. But something about the way he looks at me suggests he feels the same.
That’s what scares me most of all.
As if he can read my thoughts, Aries turns to me, blue gaze locking with mine and stealing my breath. The man standing before me is everything I would have wanted in a partner. In a man to spend my life with during those moments when I allowed myself to dream of such impossibilities.
And I can’t have him.
“Anything?” he whispers.
I shake my head. “We’d better get going. The gnomes will likely be polishing off that bag soon.”
He nods and reaches for my hand. I thread my fingers through his and ignore the strength his touch gives me.
“We can try to go back to my apartment—”
“No. I will go tomorrow when I know you’re safe.”
“Aries—”
“Don’t ask me to put you at risk, Paige,” he growls, eyes flashing. “It won’t end well.”
I swallow hard…but nod. Something in his tone has shifted since we left my apartment. I tell myself it’s his dragon. That he doesn’t like to be caged, but I also wonder if that’s only part of it.
Does he want to return home more than he wants to be with me? Has he grown tired of me already?
“This way.” I pull him toward the right where we can skirt the edges of the sections on our way to the basement access door. As we walk, I scan for the gnomes.
Thankfully, I still haven’t seen any sign that my distraction didn’t work. Little adorable bastards are predictable as can be with their candy addiction.
Finally, we arrive at a steel door labeledStaff Only. I press my palm to the door and listen for the soft click of the wards disengaging.
As soon as they do, I turn back to Aries. “I need you close to me. So close we might as well be the same person. So the magic only reads one source of body heat.”
With glittering eyes, Aries moves in and snakes an arm around my waist to yank me back against him. The breath leaves my lungs in a whoosh, and even though I know it’s the last thing I should be at the moment, I’m turned the hell on.
“Like this?” he asks, breath against my cheek.
Ugh, the asshole knows exactly what he’s doing right now.
“Yup. This should work.” I shove the door open and start to walk, but our progress is clumsy thanks to our closeness. A problem that is immediately remedied when Aries lifts me into his arms instead.
I gasp and look up at him then immediately wish I hadn’t. The air between us crackles with tension, and I forget why he’s holding me in the first place.
Danger.
Yes, that’s it.
