Page 6 of Firedrake Betrayal
Atticus Chira shot a cross-bolt at Dad. As impossible as it seemed, that tiny bolt had made Dad fall from the sky.
The brief sound of beating wings coalesces into something that feels like a dream. This is no dream. It’s vivid, and it’s sharp. Not a dream, but a memory.
Powerful midnight wings. A bright green stare. Air on my face. I’ve never seen him in this form before, but I know this is Dominik.
I shake my head, dislodging the memory to reorient myself in the present. “My dad…”
Dominik shrugs. “Will recover.”
My back bumps into a wall.
Dominik grips my wrist, flips my hand, and presses a kiss on the center of my palm.
I involuntarily shiver. “No. I have to go back.”
“You don’t have to go anywhere at all.” He smiles, cocking his head as he studies me. “Perhaps a ceremony to celebrate our union might put you in a better mood. The concierge provided a limited wardrobe for you, but we can order something in specially. Vera Wang might?—”
“I don’t want Vera Wang,” I snap, yanking my hand from his.
I slip around him, searching for a way out of here. Away fromhim.
His eyes track me as I edge toward the door. “Jade…”
“No. Youstoleme. Atticus shot my dad, and you justlefthim. Maybe to die. I’m going back.”
“I can’t let you do that, Jade.”
I eye him warily. “Yes, you can. I just want to go back to my dad. This is your home. Not mine.”
Dominik shakes his head, dismissive. “There’s nothing for you back there.Thisis your new life.”
I bolt for the door.
His arm is suddenly a steel band around me.
He turns me, pinning me to a wall as he gentles his touch. “Your place is with me, Jade.” He tucks a strand of hair behind my ear, and his fingers drift down my arm. His gaze dips, and his hand cradles my belly. “As is our child.”
“Child?”
I search for any sign he’s lying to me about this.
And I can’t find it. He’s telling the truth.
“Why did you think I would give myself up, Jade? If not to ensure the safety of my mate and child?”
“You’re lying,” I whisper.
Please let him be lying.
Atticus wanted a firedrake child.
He didn’t get one because Dominik abandoned his escape so I could get away.
“No.” Dominik’s voice is gentle. “You are mine, Jade of House Kaida, and I mean to keep you.”
3
JADE
