Page 44 of The Breeding Cave
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.
