Page 64 of The Breeding Cave
He held up his arms. “I won’t. I won’t! Who do you think I am?”
“A wild animal.”
A smirk crossed his face, but when I tightened my grip on his collar, he immediately dropped it.
“I swear I won’t. You can trust me to keep her safe. I know she’s important to you. I got an entire show of it this afternoon.”
After giving him a once-over, I released him and grabbed some clothes for Yeosin, stuffing them into my backpack and handing it to Brent. Then I held the door open for them. Yeosin stood and glanced down at Joseph’s head, tears streaming down her face.
“Wh-why did they do that to him?” she sobbed. “Is it because of me?”
“No,” I said.
“I-it is!” She sniffled. “Can’t you revive him?”
“No.”
“Jeez, you could be nicer,” Brent said, ushering her out into the hallway and lowering his voice. “This is the first dead body she’s seen.”
“There’s not a body,” I said.
Brent rolled his eyes. “I know you don’t have any, but you could fake some compassion.”
I glared. “You can’t have compassion in war. The Dragon Clan has now tried to kill her twice—that I know of. I don’t fucking know why they waited until now if her ex is their leader. But find something to occupy her with.”
Once he offered a nod, I placed my hands on Yeosin’s shoulders and steered her to the elevator. Brent followed after, and we rode it down to the garage. Brent slipped into the driver’s side of an SUV, and I placed Yeosin in the passenger seat.
“Wh-why do you have to go?” she stuttered, curling her fingers around my jacket. “Please, don’t go.”
“I have a meeting.”
Tears shone in her eyes. “Luciano, please.”
I cupped her face in my hands. “This is to keep you safe.”
After she wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands, I shut the door and watched them drive off. Brent would be smart enough to leave the SUV at the base of the mountain, cover her scent among the woods, and walk up to the cave. I had to put my trust in him.
But my beast … my beast didn’t trust anyone after what the dragons had done to us.
Once they were out of my sight, I pressed my lips together, shoved my hands into my pockets, and walked down the chilly streets toward my meeting with Alpha Theo and the Colossals several blocks away. I needed to clear my head, and sitting in a car wouldn’t do that.
The sun had set an hour ago, and the streets were dark with shadows.
What is going on with Yeosin? Legs burning from dragon blood? Burns in her sleep?
I had never seen this in my entire life, not even during the last war with the Dragon Clan, and I hadn’t heard it in any stories passed down through my family. I’d have to stop by the packhouse tonight and find any history books we had left.
At the crosswalk, I stopped and glanced to my right into an alleyway, immediately feeling like someone was watching me. Someone leaned against the brick building, but I couldn’t see their face with the shadow. Hell, it almost didn’t even look like they were there.
“You’re not strong enough to protect Yeosin,” he said. “You’ll never be.”
“Who are you?” I asked, nails lengthening into claws.
“Yeosin knows who I am.”
“Well, I don’t,” I snarled. “Tell me before I kill you too.”
“Killing me would be a mistake.”
