The Dragon's Rogue

Chapter 5

"What is it?" Cillumn demanded when I stumbled backward. He grabbed my elbow, steadying me. I tried to pull from him but his grip held true, and he pulled me closer until his large arms wrapped around my torso, binding me. "Lis, tell me what it is."

Sensations flooded me. The gut twisting worry and anger mixed with the burning heat from his embrace. I didn't want such things, I needed space and focus and this Lord had done nothing but ruin my plans since I woke him up.

"Let go," I demanded.

"Not in this state, no," he looked down at me.

I hated the wave of tingles that rose in my stomach, and the way my gaze kept drifting to his, despite my efforts otherwise. I hated the urge to spring up and mash my lips to his. Never before had I dealt with desire on this level. I hated it. How did women manage to keep their wits about them when their bodies flung wild emotions and impulses everywhere? And dammit I still wanted to kiss him, his amber eyes flashing with concern, and maybe a little something more.

So I did what any sensible girl would do. I headbutted him.

"Ahhh!"

His grip loosened and I twisted. If I could just make it to the door I would be free. It would only take a few hours to run back to the Shifter encampment. Hopefully I wouldn't be too late.

It wasn't to be. Cillumn's grip had loosened but he did not release me. And he recovered quickly, grabbing a fistful of my hair and wrenching my head backward to prevent such a calamity from reoccurring.

"Difficult, violent woman. You have spent enough of the night insulting and abusing me," he growled. "Tell me what has caused this uproar now, or I will give your lips something better to do."

Holy crap.

I should have been insulted, the insinuation was clear. Sadly, my body was an idiot. And knowing that he was imagining my lips left it weak as a newborn pup. My gaze kept drifting toward his face, which frustrated me farther. I did not want to mate. Not in this situation, and definitely not with a dragon...maybe not ever. The idea had occurred to me, in the past, that living a life on my own, unmated was probably the easiest option. And now was not the time for reconsidering that.

"My mother," I breathed at last. "She has another," I jerked my chin to the side, indicating Scet and his glyph. "It belonged to my sister before she disappeared. He gave it to her, to mark their future joining. I knew he was a dung eating sack of waste when he wouldn't help me search for her."

Bakus, and he had insisted that the search party had done all they could. But a man in love would not give up so easily. I tried to tell the others, but only ended up insulting everyone. For hadn't they given up so easily as well? The result being I was the only one determined to do more than a cursory search and sitting and waiting.

The Alpha might not want to risk the pack's security by scouring the forest for a few missing wolves, especially since each missing member had wandered far out of bounds before they were taken. But this was my sister. And I would never give up.

"Someone gave this symbol to your sister?" Scet asked. Cillumn's grip on my hair slacked and I turned to the Shifter.

"A Shifter from another pack, come seeking a mate. He gave it to her as a promise that he had chosen her, so soon as he had the Alpha's permission. He took a long time getting it too...I don't think he ever meant to."

"And this man..." Scet began.

"Bakus, and lets not call him something so kind as a man."

"This...Bakus. He is still with the pack?"