Just like Dragon.
There is fire in her eyes.
Determination.
A little bit of crazy.
“Yes,” I admit, my voice coming out as more of a tremble than anything.
Nees stands and comes to my side. “We just—”
His words are cut off by the sound of voices. Two men. At first, I think it’s Dragon, but soon, two handsome men enter the sitting room. The older one must be Dragon’s father. Though the man isn’t as built as Dragon, he’s broad and muscular despite his age. A flash of panic gleams in his eyes. I’m sure it’s worrying to find his wife alone with two strangers.
“Who’s this?” a younger version of the man demands. “Mom?”
Lindsay straightens her spine and walks over to her husband. He places a hand on her hip, drawing her close to him. The younger guy steps forward as if to shield his parents from us.
Of all the Royal Bastards, me and Nees are literally the least intimidating.
“These boys, Benjamin,” Lindsay clips out, “know your brother.”
“They know where Mitch is?” Benjamin asks, the hard edge of his expression softening as he glances at her. “Is he okay?”
“Not Mitch.” Her lips press together as she studies me for a beat. “They claim to know him, but they don’t. However, they knew Chase.”
Silence falls over the room.
Dragon’s dad clears his throat. “Is that so? How? I don’t believe I’ve seen either one of you before.”
“I didn’t know him,” I say, my voice coming out as a whisper. “I know him. Well. He’s my—”
“Boyfriend,” Lindsay finishes for me. “Hear that, Owen? Boyfriend. As in present.”
Benjamin’s jaw drops as he gapes at me. Dragon is going to flip his shit for letting this information slip out, but there’s no other way. His family isn’t stupid. They’re not falling for our lame attempt to dupe them into giving us information about Mitch.
“Fuck,” Nees mutters. “He’s going to murder you.”
Dragon is a lot of things—psychotic, vengeful, angry—but he’s not going to hurt me. At least not in any way I don’t like. It’s funny how my certainty in that statement has changed so much since that moment when we were in that cage together. When Night Giant ordered him to take me out. Back then he was a puppet on a string. Now, in the present, he’s a fierce dragon—fiery and powerful and protective over what’s his.
Like me.
I’m his whether I like it or not.
But I do like it.
“I’m Cove Gale, Chase’s…” Boyfriend? Lover? Piece of ass?
Owen, who seems to be stunned into silence, stares at me as though I’ve lost my mind. Lindsay takes the moment to study me like I’m a specimen under a microscope. I would squirm under her stare, but Benjamin has recovered before his father and is shooting me some seriously pissed-off death glares.
And here I thought one Dragon was enough for one lifetime…
Apparently I’ve stepped into a whole den of them.
“I don’t know whatever kind of sick bullshit you’re playing with my family,” Benjamin growls, “but we’re calling the cops. This ends now.” His attention darts to his father. “Dad, go find Kai. Mom, go with him.”
A door flings open and a voice booms along with it.
“Mom! Dad! You’re never going to believe what I found outside.”
I whip my head toward the sound of the voice, shocked to find a clean-cut version of Dragon striding into the room. The resemblance is almost disturbing. Minus the tattoos and biker gear, this guy is a spitting image of him. They even have the same fuckboy hair.
Heat prickles over my flesh and it has nothing to do with the Dragon lookalike.
No, the fire crawling down my torso on a straight path to my dick is caused by the real Dragon. My Dragon. A man who burns hotter than a thousand suns. The heavy thud of his boots across the marble demands every eye in the room as he walks into it. His emerald eyes bore into me, sweeping over me briefly to assess me for God only knows what, before landing on his family. His mother specifically.
“Hey, Mom.” He lifts a tattooed hand in greeting, flashing a half-smile that’s boyish and one I’ve never seen before.
She gasps, her hand flying to her chest. I expect her to shake or faint or something. Instead, she stalks over to Dragon until she’s inches from him.
“Do not ‘hey, Mom’ me. Not now. Not after all this time.” Her voice cracks only slightly. “I thought you were dead. I thought my son was dead.”
“Told you,” the Dragon lookalike mutters.
“Kai,” Owen admonishes.
Dragon tears his eyes from hers, his dark brows furling as he drops his chin to stare down at his feet. It’s such a docile move for someone so…wild.
“Chase, baby, look at me,” Lindsay whispers, her manicured fingers brushing beneath his chin and lifting so he’s forced to look at her. “You came back to me.”