Filed to story: Reclaimed Book by Roxie Ray
Blakely:
This is perfect.
This should finally get rid of that bitch for good.
“Holy shit,” I said.
“I know,” he agreed.
I was stunned. Flattened. “Blakely’s a psychotic bitch.”
He really hadn’t cheated on me. My heart, in all its foolish unwillingness to pull away, had been right.
“I’m sorry, Harley.” Steph set his phone aside, then put both hands on my hips and turned me so I was facing him. “I’m truly sorry. I shouldn’t have gotten that drunk, and I shouldn’t have let Tori into the clubhouse after I banned Blakely. It was a recipe for disaster. I should’ve known.”
“Yeah, you should’ve,” I said, and my voice sounded pouty even to my own ears. I was furious at Blakely but simultaneously awash with relief. I wanted to find that girl and beat her ass. She was a never-ending problem, an ongoing thorn in my side, and this was proof that she was never going to give up. It was like having a bee buzzing around my head all day. Sean was a real problem. Blakely was an annoyance, but she might start escalating. Hell, she’d already run me off the road once. If I wanted her to stop, I had to do something about it. Sean was Steph’s fight. Blakely was mine.
Steph’s grip tightened on my hips. “I need you to know that I would never betray you like that, Harley. Not ever. You’re my mate, and I’d never hurt you like that. No matter what.”
His eyes flashed gold as if his dragon wanted me to know it was the truth. I wound my arms around his neck, and he pulled me closer so our bodies were nearly flush together.
“That’s why it hurt me so much to think you had betrayed me,” I admitted. “My heart only belongs to you.”
“Harley…” His gaze flicked down to my neck, then back up to my eyes.
I was human, but I knew about claiming bites. Was Steph thinking about that now? Marking my skin and tying us together forever?
The thought made me warm all over. It was scary-intense, really-but the idea still fascinated me.
“I didn’t really want to leave Lakeview,” I said. “I didn’t want to leave you. I don’t. But if that’s what it takes to keep Dylan safe, I will. Even if it hurts.”
Again, that flash of gold. “I know that,” he said. “I’m going to make Lakeview a safe place for the both of you, Harley. No matter what it takes.”
“I missed you, Steph,” I whispered. “Don’t let this happen again.”
“I won’t.” He cupped my cheek with one hand, and his other arm wrapped snugly around my waist. “I love you, Harley. I have since the moment I first saw you. I’ll do anything for you.”
He leaned down to close the distance between us. This time, I didn’t pull away. His lips were soft against mine, his hold secure. I sighed into the kiss, losing myself in the warmth of his body and the strength of his arms. After everything we’d been through, I knew this was where I belonged.
His kiss felt like coming home.
ACE
Finally, I had my mate back in my arms, exactly where she belonged.
I’d seen the war in her mind-in her heart-when I told her what happened. Her heart knew I was telling the truth, but she’d been hurt and wronged so many times she had trouble believing it. It was a completely ridiculous story, so I had to get the screenshots from Tori to prove it.
I’d come too close to losing her again. First because of Blakely’s scheme, then Sean had kidnapped her. Maybe that was why my dragon had reared his head and drawn our attention to the perfect pale skin of her neck, where a claiming bite would go. If I claimed her, our bond would be so much stronger than it already was. I’d be able to feel her like a beacon, know where she was, keep her safe. A claiming bond did that between any mates, but it was much stronger between fated mates. My dragon yearned for it. He was tired of seeing her hurt, scared, and lost. He was ready to do whatever it took to keep her safe.
If I proposed that now, however, Harley would balk. She was fiercely independent, and I had a feeling she wouldn’t want to be marked until she was sure she was going to spend her life in Lakeview.
With me.
If I wanted that to happen, I needed to deal with Sean.
“I want to talk to Blakely,” Harley said.
“What?” I blinked at her. God, she looked gorgeous with her lips all kiss-swollen.
“I want to talk to her. Woman to woman.”
I tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The steely look in her eyes didn’t budge an inch. When she got that look, there was no arguing with her. Her mind was made up, but I had to say my piece. “She’s psychotic, like you said. She might try something even crazier if you ask to meet up.”
“I know,” Harley said. “She probably thinks I’m afraid of her.”
That made me pause.
“I haven’t done anything to defend myself or my relationship. If I were her, I’d think I was a scared little girl calling in my dragon boyfriend to defend me.”
“That’s not?-“
She squeezed my arm. “I know it’s not what’s actually happening, but Blakely’s crazy. She thinks she can walk all over me, so I need to show her that’s not the case. She needs to understand that I’m not going to let her get away with threatening my family.” She smiled and kissed the corner of my mouth. “I know you want to keep me safe. And you do. But I have to be the one to handle Blakely.”
It was a bad idea, but I couldn’t get rid of the fond smile on my face. “There’s nothing I can say that’s going to stop you, is there?”
“Nope.”
“If you’re determined to do this, I’m sending one of our enforcers with you,” I said.
She didn’t fight me on that-not that I’d thought she would. With what Sean had pulled, I wasn’t going to let her go anywhere without an enforcer anytime soon.
I pulled her into my arms again, and she laughed. I loved that sound. I’d missed that sound. It was even better when tinged with relief like this. We exchanged a few more lazy kisses in the kitchen to the distant sound of Dylan’s laughter and Cassidy’s playful shouts.
I wanted to live in this moment forever.
Eventually, I had to pull away. “All right. You win. I’ll set something up with Blakely.”
“Thank you.”
I sighed. “I’ve got some of my own stuff to set up, too.”
“Then who’s finishing dinner?” Harley asked with a half-smile. “Not me, certainly.”
“Definitely not. Cassidy agreed to keep an eye on the stove. I’ve got to head to the clubhouse and make a few calls.”
“What kinds of calls?” Harley asked with a suspicious tilt to her head.
“Nothing too sketchy. Don’t worry, I’m not getting back into the criminal world. But I do have some people who owe me favors. It should help me deal with Sean.”
Her gaze softened. “Right. Listen… I know you could’ve killed him at the compound. I know you almost did.”
I said nothing.
“I’m glad you didn’t,” Harley continued. “I know it would’ve eaten you up inside. I don’t know much about dragons, but I know you guys need your rules. Your rituals. We’ve got to take care of him the right way.”
