Page 93 of Alpha Dragon's Mating Contract
Raptor’s smile was razor-sharp. “I need a good,legalreason to finish him off, remember? Self-defense is one of those.”
Walren only realizedthenthat Raptor had played Larei like a chess piece.
His alarm bells should be screeching. Raptor had done something devious. But all that ill intent was directed at someone who still gave Walren nightmares, and Walren realized that he didn’t have it in himself to care.
Shakily, he walked up to Raptor. Straight into his chest. Raptor pulled Walren and Zebbie into a hug, large hands running up and down Walren’s back.
“I’ll take you home,” Raptor said soothingly. “Where you’ll be safe.”
Relief finally soaked into Walren’s body. He sagged against Raptor and buried his face in the alpha’s chest, inhaling his smoke and ironwood scent.
Something squeaked quietly next to them.
They turned to find the shopping cart rocking back and forth on its wheels. When it realized it had their attention, it flipped its front wheels, and raised its flap to push the stolen burger forward.
Walren blinked hard. “Is that... for me?”
The cart inched closer, nudging Walren’s hand with its cargo basket.
“I think it wants you to have it. In exchange for pets,” Raptor said dryly. He reached into the cart and scooped up the burger. “Hey, this came from Anna’s.”
Walren stared at him, aghast. “Are you going toeat it?”
“Do you see another hungry person around? Aside from yourself?” Raptor shrugged. “It hasn’t been poisoned. From the way that sludge-stain acted, he was genuinely pissed about the burger. I suspect he had gotten it for himself. The cart stole it out of his hands.”
“How?” Walren asked, baffled.
The cart rolled away. It circled them slowly, then crept up behind Raptor, nudging its cargo basket under Raptor’s hand. The one holding the burger. Before either of them could speak, the cart jerked away, the edge of its basket catching against the burger. This loosened the burger from Raptor’s grip and dropped it into its cargo basket.
The cart raced off.
They stared after it in shock. Then they looked at each other, and began to laugh.
“That’s—That was a robbery.” Walren giggled. “It gotyouby surprise!”
“Damn,” Raptor said, glancing at the sky. “It’s still light out. That wasdaylight robbery.”
Walren cracked up. “Why does it even want to steal a burger? It doesn’t need food.”
The shopping cart had stopped some distance away, flipping its wheels back and forth. It rolled closer and wriggled, before darting away again.
“I think it wants to play Catch,” Raptor crowed. “That’swhy it stole the burger.”
“Really?” Walren perked up.
“Let’s see if it’s true.” Raptor released Walren with a ruffle of his hair. Then he bounded after the shopping cart, which took off with squeaking wheels.
Raptor chased it around the parking lot, before putting on a burst of speed. He grabbed the burger out of its basket. Thenhe brought the burger back to Walren, letting it dangle from his fingertips.
The cart rushed past him and stole the burger again.
“Oh, the outrage,” Raptor howled, before giving chase.
Walren laughed. Even Zebbie was watching the scene, Raptor subtly herding the cart left or right to avoid crashing it into any cars.
Raptor finally snatched the burger back, petting the cart’s handle. “That was a great game. C’mon, we should make some introductions.”
The cart looked so small next to Raptor. Abruptly, Walren realized that if Raptor had never shielded it from Larei, the cart wouldn’t still be intact and uncrumpled like it was right now.
