by Emma Nichols
“The mating is really nothing more than making love,” I quietly explained. “You’ve done that before, right?” My gut clenched. The Alpha in me hated the idea of anyone else being with her. The realist, however, knew she’d gone to college and was twenty-five years old.
Whether she knew it or not, Maggie grimaced. “I’ve had sex a couple of times, if that’s what you mean. I dated a guy in college. It was nothing special.”
I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until I exhaled. “The guy or the sex?”
“Both, I guess.” She wiggled a little and I could sense her discomfort with the discussion.
“Did you have an orgasm? Was it painful? Help me understand.” I drew my legs back and leaned forward, resting my elbows on my thighs.
“An orgasm? Ha. No. The sex lasted for all of three minutes. Do we really have to talk about this?” She glared at me.
“It’s important to me, to us. I want this to be an amazing experience for you.” I reached out and took her hands in mine.
“Who says this is happening?” Maggie stared at me blankly.
My mouth opened. I was ready to work through her objections, but before that could happen, there was a buzzing sound overhead, like a small engine. I looked up and realized a drone had flown into the yard. “Inside, Maggie,” I ordered. “Let me handle this.”
She scrambled to get out of the hot tub, but slipped in the process. I saw her wince and then she sat hard on the stone edge. My mate was hurt. Someone was spying. These incidents coupled together had anger building inside me. I growled as I hopped out of the water and rushed to her side. I scooped her up in my arms, grabbed her towel, and dashed to the doors for the kitchen. Yanking them open, I skidded into the house. “Sit here,” I urged. “I’ll be right back.” And then I left her sitting on the cold marble counters while I ran back outside.
The drone was hovering near the door, just out of reach. No matter what I tried, I couldn’t get my hands on it so I could snatch it from the sky and disable it. Soon Fredo was behind me.
“Sir,” he began carefully. “Your temper.”
When I should’ve been kind and gracious, knowing he cared about me and the family, my rage managed to get the better of me. “I know all about my temper,” I snarled.
“Try this, sir?” Fredo shoved a broom at me.
I took it and started swinging at the drone. The camera was moving. They were transmitting photos of the property, pictures of Maggie in a bikini, images of our private time together. Nothing I tried worked. The drone was always slightly out of my reach. In my mind, I pictured the owners laughing at me, at the way I was chasing after this stupid device. There was a rushing sound in my ears. Soon, my sight blurred. I knew what was happening. My body longed to shift. My dragon side needed to remove the threat. I meant to yell. I planned to shout. Instead, when I opened my mouth, flames shot out and the drone finally fell from the sky into the nearby pool.
Somehow, that wasn’t enough to soothe me, to calm my rage. The pounding in my ears grew. It was still too light out for me to shift outside. I stumbled past Fredo, through the kitchen door. Using my arm to shield Maggie from my face, I attempted to move past her and go straight to my burn room.
“Stop, Blaise,” Maggie murmured.
I didn’t listen. I kept going and I soon heard her behind me, the patter of tiny wet feet chasing after me on the hardwood floor. As I tried to turn down my hall, I skidded, miscalculated, and slammed into the wall. Maggie did the same thing, only she landed in my arms instead. I couldn’t look at her, I was so afraid of scaring her off, of further alienating her.
“Breathe, Blaise,” she whispered. “Focus on me, on my feelings for you.”
Her words were a bucket of ice water over me. I felt my body changing, the scales dissolving, the claws retracting. My snout had disappeared. I wrapped my arms around her. “What did you do?” There was no hiding the awe and admiration in my voice.
With a chuckle, Maggie responded. “I think I gave you an alternative to the burn room.”
Maggie
“Lips,” I moaned, after Blaise planted kisses everywhere but there as sunlight streamed through the curtains in his bedroom. I puckered up and eventually he complied. Slowly, I opened my eyes only to discover he was already dressed. Alarmed, I sat up immediately. “Crap. How long did I sleep?” I started to hop out of bed, but he stopped me.
“Rest. I’m going to the office. I’m trying to avoid traffic by leaving early.” Blaise smiled down at me and I could feel a growing heat in my lower abdomen, which made it increasingly difficult to pay attention as he spoke. “I have one meeting and a conference call that couldn’t be rescheduled. Then I’m back here, to spend the rest of the day with you.”
I nestled into the pillows. “So, I didn’t imagine spending the night in your arms?”
He laughed quietly. “No. That was real. Everything between us is real.” Blaise cupped my cheek and I knew what he was saying.
“Hurry back,” I whispered, unwilling to start the day with yet another discussion designed to melt me. I wasn’t giving in. I was too stubborn. There was too much at stake. Then I rolled away from him and hoped he’d go away. I didn’t want to cry in front of him.
“You see how happy I am? This is because I’ve accepted you. See how sour you are?” His voice was teasing, even as he spoke the truth. “I’m patiently waiting for you to choose happiness, principessa.”
Finally, the sound of his steps disappeared down the hall. I waited until I heard the front door open and shut. Then I snuck back to my room to peek out into the courtyard just in time to see his car disappear through the gate. I expected to feel relieved. I’d have a few hours without the constant pressure to become his mate. Unfortunately, in his absence, the flutter had become painful again. With a groan, I decided to shower and dress for the day.
I should've felt relieved, but I felt remorse instead. Fredo took notice of my displeasure immediately.
"Can I get you anything for breakfast, miss?" His head tilted as he studied me. "Or some tissues and chocolate perhaps?"
"I refuse to cry, Fredo, but I'll take the chocolate. Lots of chocolate. Please." I sighed and sat at the counter.
"Wouldn't you be more comfortable sitting on the patio with your father?" He gestured toward the table where my father sat, sucking down coffee and studying his data printouts.
"No," I responded crisply. I swear he smirked, but quickly recovered.
"Then let's discuss the chocolate, miss." He stood before me ready to serve. How would I ever grow accustomed to this?
"You're a gift and I don't want to abuse you." I sighed. "Maybe just a hot chocolate, please?"
"And..."
"Um...either chocolate croissants or crepes, maybe?" I bit my cheek, afraid to get too hopeful with such a complex request.
Fredo opened the oven to show me he already had half a dozen croissants inside. "They're about done. And while I don't have any crepes, I wonder if some chocolate covered strawberries might suffice." Then he turned and smiled at me.
"I could weep. You're amazing." I grinned.
"Thank you, miss. Now, I'll bring it out to you on the patio," he replied.
"And pushy," I grumbled as I slid off the stool and trudged toward the French doors.
"How do you think I survive Mr. Draco?" Fredo chuckled.
I rolled my eyes at him as I walked out to join my father at the table. "Morning," I chirped, determined to have a pleasant interaction with him.
"Maggie," Dad mumbled. Then he glanced at me, set down his paperwork, and pulled the glasses off his face before addressing me again. "So, what's this I hear about you and Mr. Draco?"
"Ugh." I turned away. "I was trying to have a nice day. There goes that idea." I huffed before responding. "There's nothing. He likes me. Don't worry. I'm not leaving you."
My father chewed a bite of his pancake and stared at me thoughtfully. "But you should leave me. Maggie, I'm holding you back. We both
know this."
I shook my head. "Let's not have this conversation. Not now. Not today. Hell, maybe not ever. That would be okay with me."
Fredo strolled through the doors carrying a tray of food and my hot chocolate, plus something more. There was a velvet box beside the plate. As he laid everything out, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it. Finally, Fredo passed it to me. “Mr. Draco asked me to surprise you with this at breakfast.”
I licked my lips nervously as I prepared to push back the spring-loaded top. There, on the velvet, was a beautiful silver necklace with teardrop-shaped gray and black stone pendant. “What an unusual rock,” I commented while examining it.
“It’s septarian, miss.” Fredo eyed me like I should know what that meant. “Some people call it dragon stone.”
I inhaled sharply and ran my finger over it. “This looks like it could be custom.” I flipped it over and found an inscription. “For Maggie with undying love and devotion, Blaise.” My brow furrowed in confusion. “How is that possible?”
“He ordered it from a private jeweler on Saturday. Mr. Draco planned to give it to you himself, but it arrived too late. He asked that you wear it.” Fredo motioned for the necklace. I passed it to him, then lifted my hair so he could help me fasten it. I laid my hand on it, felt the weight of it around my neck, the way my skin felt warmer, and I swear Blaise seemed closer. "Enjoy, miss." He nodded and disappeared back inside the house.
I felt absolutely speechless. Closing my eyes, I reveled in the moment.
My father cleared his throat. "This need you have to stay at home..."
My eyes flew open and fixed on him. "Whoa. My need?" I scowled. "I've been waiting on you hand and foot for years. I've been maintaining the house so you can work on your program, a program that apparently never should've been built."
"I haven't given up. I'm designing some fail-safes. I think I can make it innocuous enough for public distribution." There was a determined gleam in his eye that I'd seen many times over the years.
"Okay. See what you can do. I'm here if you need me." Then I lifted my mug and sipped the most decadent hot chocolate of my life. "I'm never going to recover from my taste of this life," I whimpered.
From behind his paperwork, my father grumbled, "If you gave Mr. Draco a chance, you wouldn't have to."
We ate in silence and when we were done, I picked up our plates despite Fredo’s protest. As I loaded them in the dishwasher, a bell rang. “What’s that?” I stiffened.
He stared out the kitchen window with a disapproving glare. “The gate. A visitor.”
I peeked over his shoulder. “So why the face?”
Whipping around, he explained. “We don’t have visitors.”
“Well, who is it?” I tried to see past him through the window and then squealed. “It’s a kid!”
“Yes, I can see that, miss.” Fredo frowned.
“Let her in!” I danced about excitedly.
“No. Mr. Draco wouldn’t approve.” He crossed his arms over his chest.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “I’ll go see what she wants. Better?”
He shook his head. “I wish you wouldn’t.”
I stood up on tiptoes and gave him a quick hug. “Look at that sweet, innocent face. See how she has a brochure in her hand? School fundraiser. I just know it.” I dried my hands on the dish towel. “Oh, I hope it’s the cookie dough one.”
“I’ll bake you cookies, miss. Please stay,” Fredo pleaded.
I ignored him and continued thinking aloud. “Or maybe the candles. You can never have too many candles.” Then I darted out the front door into the courtyard feeling light and happy. I made sure to smile the whole way to the gate so she wouldn’t be afraid. “Hello, what brings you here?” I reached through the gate so she could pass me the papers in her hand.
“I have samples too.” She smiled proudly. Then her face fell. “They won’t fit through the gate though.”
“It’s okay. Give me a second. There must be a button here somewhere.” I began looking around the column near the gate and finally found a hidden panel. When I popped it open, I discovered what I sought and pressed. “Jackpot! Just a second.”
“Thank you.” She quickly disappeared.
When I studied the papers, they were blank. Confused, I stepped through the opening in the gate to see where she’d gone. Behind me, there was a shout.
“Miss Maggie! No!” Fredo was racing across the courtyard toward me.
“What?” I frowned and turned to face him.
Then hands grabbed my arms as a zip tie quickly secured my wrists. More hands grabbed my legs and zip tied my ankles. I didn’t even have time to scream, not that I could’ve, because a piece of duct tape was stuck over my mouth. My eyes widened in fear as a pillowcase was thrown over my head, and then I was tossed inside a limo.
Sitting in the dark and silence gave me time to think and feel sorry for myself. Why didn’t I listen? Why did I always think I was strong enough to handle anything? Clearly, I wasn’t. I’d proven that again and again. Only this time, my mistake might be fatal. There was no way for Blaise to find me. I struggled to remain calm. There was no way for me to know who had kidnapped me, where I was being taken, or if I was even alone in the limo. I bounced around for a little while. The vehicle finally came to a stop. I braced as I was yanked through the door and hefted over some man’s shoulder. Finally, after going through a series of doors, I was dropped into a hardback wooden chair, and the pillowcase was yanked off my head. I squinted as I grew accustomed to the flood of light, which spilled down from above. My vision was obscured by the figure looming over me who seemed to be securing me to the chair. Once I was strapped in to his satisfaction, the duct tape was ripped from my face, which had me wincing. As my surroundings came into focus, I realized I seemed to be in some kind of warehouse. Leaned against the table a few feet from me were Ira and a man I’d only seen in campaign ads.
“Maggie Wallace,” Sterling Girard began, “it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.”
With a scowl I responded, “I wish I could say the same.”
13
Blaise
“Gentlemen, let me know when you’re ready to sign with Draco Security. I know we have the technology you need to protect your files and your clients.” I folded my hands on the table and leaned back confidently. The presentation hadn’t gone as smoothly as I’d hoped. Thanks to my phone, I’d been distracted. First Mishal sent me a text.
Mishal: See you soon, bro.
Knowing he could possibly arrive at the house before I would had me on edge. Then Fredo sent me a text.
Fredo: Call as soon as possible, sir.
Apparently, waiting until I had finished speaking to the Brown Group wasn’t soon enough for him. Already, my phone was vibrating with notice of his phone call. “Please excuse me. I have to take this.” I nodded as I grabbed my cell and exited the conference room. My office was around the corner and I ducked into it, shutting the door behind me. “What’s going on, Fredo? What the hell couldn’t wait?”
“Miss Maggie…” He inhaled deeply, but it sounded ragged and he was definitely out of breath.
For once in my life, I felt ice-cold. One hand gripped the side of the desk to help me stand. “What about Maggie?”
“She was kidnapped, sir.” Fredo coughed a few times in an effort to cover his emotions.
“Calm down, Fredo. I don’t blame you. I’m sure she did something stupid and pig-headed.” I blew out a breath as I loaded my briefcase. Then I strode through my office door and shouted orders at my personal assistant as I flew past her. “Family emergency. Reschedule the conference call. I’ll be in touch as soon as possible.” I dashed down the hall and punched the button for the executive elevator. Even though I was holding the phone to my ear, I was so distracted, I mostly forgot Fredo was on the other end until I heard him sniffle. “Pull yourself together. I’m going to lose service for a few minutes. Let me exit the parking garage, then I’ll call.”
> “Yes, sir.” Fredo sounded so distraught, I knew this had to be something terrible.
The elevator landed in the parking garage, and as soon as the doors opened, I raced to my car, fumbling with the key fob along the way. I yanked open my car door, dropped into my seat, and jammed the key fob into the dashboard. Once the engine roared to life, I squealed through the parking lot and out onto the street. When I stopped at the first light, I hit the button to call Fredo back. “What happened?” I asked before he even had a chance to greet me.
“There was a girl at the gate. Miss Maggie thought it was a school fundraiser. She went outside and opened the gate. They snatched her, threw her in a limo. I didn’t even get the plates.” I could hear his footsteps and knew he was pacing.
“Two questions. First, is Mishal there yet?” My heart raced as I tried to think reasonably. Though I was calm and confident when I was the one in charge and helping others, since Maggie was the one in trouble, I could barely think.
“Not yet, sir.”
“Okay; when he arrives, I need to speak with him.” I inhaled deeply before asking the question that was most important to me. “Did you give her the necklace?”
“I did, sir.” He whimpered. “She’s wearing it.”
“Thank God.” I rubbed the back of my neck. The tension was already making my muscles uncomfortably tight. “I’ll be home as soon as possible. Don’t leave the phone unattended for even a second.”
“You think we’ll get a ransom request?” He coughed again.
“We might. Does Malcolm know yet?” I winced, fearing I’d be dealing with some wildly emotional father while coping with my own fears.
“I couldn’t tell him, sir.” He sniffled. “I rather hoped you’d reclaim her before we had to have that discussion.”
“Good thinking. That’s what I’ll plan to do. See you in ten, Fredo.” Then I ended our call. This was normally a solid thirty-minute commute, but I was highly motivated to get home. While I sped down the highway, I worked to open the app. Unfortunately, it was having trouble hooking up to the satellite while the car was in motion. With this knowledge, I tossed the phone in the cup holder and focused on the road. The sooner I made it home, the sooner I could find Maggie.