Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
“Auntie Cassidy!” Dylan let go of me like a hot potato and charged toward his “aunt”. Even though Harley and Cassidy weren’t related, I knew Cassidy was as close to Dylan as any family member could be. Dylan crashed into her so hard she stumbled back, nearly losing her balance as she laughed.
Cassidy was so small that Dylan was nearly as tall as she was. She hugged him hard for a long moment, then pressed a kiss to his temple. She pulled back and brushed Dylan’s hair out of his face. “Hey, kiddo. You hanging in there?”
Dylan swallowed hard, but he nodded.
“You’re so tall now. And so handsome! Way better looking than your stupid dad.”
“That’s true,” I said with a laugh.
“I had my first shift,” Dylan said with a sheepish grin. “That’s probably why.”
“I bet it is.” Cassidy shook him, like she was so delighted she couldn’t help herself. “Good job. You’re really strong, you know that, right? Just like your mom.”
That made Dylan’s grin fade a little. Tears shone in his eyes. When one fell, Cassidy reached out and rubbed it away with her thumb.
“Don’t worry,” Cassidy said. “Your mom is a lot tougher than she seems. You know that, right? It takes more than one mean old dragon to knock her down.”
Dylan nodded, and Cassidy pulled him into a hug again. “We’ll get her back soon. I promise.”
I put a hand on Striker’s shoulder. He was watching Cassidy and Dylan, riveted. Cassidy was good with him-she obviously loved him a lot. Her words did more than soothe my son. They soothed me, too.
She believed in me. She believed we’d get Harley back.
And damn it, we would
“Dylan, you want to show Cassidy your room?” I asked. “Maybe she’ll play a few rounds of Mario Kart with you, too.”
Dylan nodded, mood lifted again. “It’s really sick! Dad got me a VR setup, too!”
“I’ll skip that one, unless you want me to get motion sick and barf,” Cassidy said.
Dylan laughed as he dragged her up the stairs.
I turned to Striker. He grimaced, then blew out a breath like he’d been holding it for a long while.
“You all right?” I patted him on the back. “How you feeling? It’s a pretty wild sensation, isn’t it?”
“You could tell?” Striker gripped his chest like his heart was hurting him. “Am I that obvious?”
“Not to Cassidy,” I said. “I recognized the signs from when I first met Harley.”
“Jesus. Did it feel like your heart was about to leave your body?”
I barked a laugh. “Yeah, pretty much.” Even though it’d been a decade since I felt it, I remembered that all-consuming sensation like it was yesterday. It was like being struck by lightning. Like the rest of the world had fallen away, and all that mattered was my mate standing in front of me. From that very first moment, I knew I’d do anything for her. Anything to keep her safe and happy and by my side.
Striker was feeling the same inescapable pull toward Cassidy.
“Well, you know Cassidy isn’t going to let Dylan out of her sight for a second,” I said. “She doesn’t trust me to keep him safe.”
“No offense, Ace, but if I were her, I wouldn’t either.”
“None taken.” I’d screwed up every step of the way, and now I had to make it right. “And the threat against Dylan is still out there. I wouldn’t put it past Sean to send his goons out looking for Dylan to finish the job.”
Striker scowled. “I’d expect it, honestly.”
“But I need to make the challenge to bring Harley home,” I said. “Can I count on you to protect Dylan and Cassidy?”
Striker straightened up, his chest puffing out a little bit. “You know I want to be with you to challenge Sean. After everything he’s done to hurt this clan…” Sean trailed off, shaking his head. “But you know what I’m going to say.”
“You can’t bear to take a step away from Cassidy right now,” I said with a half-smile.
“Exactly. I’m happy to stay close and keep an eye on her.”
“Not just her, though. Sean doesn’t even know about Cassidy. Make sure you keep Dylan?-“
“Ace.” Striker put his hand on my shoulder. “My instincts are stuck on Cassidy, but that doesn’t change my dragon’s loyalty. That kid-your son-is our future alpha. You know I’ll protect him like he’s mine.”
The tightness in my chest lessened. Striker was right. Even though his dragon had found his fated mate, that didn’t change who his dragon was. If anything, Striker would be more focused on ensuring the clan and its future alpha were safe. He loved Dylan. And now, he wanted to make sure the clan was a safe place for Cassidy, too.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Focus on what’s in front of you,” Striker said. “I’ve got this. Go make the call.”
I nodded. My dragon was torn-he longed to rush upstairs and keep Dylan in our sights, and at the same time, he wanted to burst forth and scour every inch of the world until we found Harley.
I had to keep my head on straight. This would all be over soon.
I left the house and headed back to the clubhouse. About half the guys were milling about, just as I’d requested. As soon as I stepped into the clubhouse, Hawk stood up. “You ready to do this?” he asked.
“You guys ready to raise a ruckus?” I asked in return. “He’s gotta buy it if we want this to work.”
“I was born for this,” Hawk said with a grin. The other dragons lounging around on the couches laughed in agreement.
I leaned against the bar. My clan members fell silent-their attention fixed on me as I pulled out my phone. Taking a deep breath, I called my brother.
“Ace,” Sean drawled as soon as he answered. “So, you’ve come to your senses?”
My dragon bristled at his tone, but I shoved him down. If this was going to work, I had to lure Sean in. I had to do the last thing I ever wanted to do-play to his ego. “Sean.” Instead of my usual hard tone, I let my voice waver. “You’ve gone too far taking Harley from me. She’s… she’s my mate,
Sean. I’m nothing without her?-“
“You know what you have to do,” Sean said. I could envision his greasy smirk in my mind. “It’s a simple trade. Give me Dylan, and you’ll have your mate back.”
“You don’t want him,” I said, in a weak voice. “I know you don’t.”
“You know what I want,” Sean snarled. “And your son is in my way.”
“Harley’s my fated mate?-“
“Yeah, you’ve made that clear.”
“-and she and Dylan are the most important things in my life. I’d do anything for them.”
Sean growled, and I wondered what he was thinking. The anger was good. I needed him to think I was breaking down. That he’d finally pushed me over the edge.
