Chapter 22 - Olivia

It’s only when Stryder leaves that I realize my mistake.

I should have asked him to get the message to Hawks, now that Luca is awake and coming down the stairs.

I quickly straighten myself out, pulling my hair over my shoulders to hide the marks Stryder left behind on my skin. I gathered that he didn’t realize what was happening, and believes Luca is my boyfriend.

Not that I’m complaining about the consequences of his beliefs. The passion we just shared against the kitchen wall was beyond my wildest dreams. For now, I can only send a quick text to Hawks using Luca’s cell phone – a text I quickly erase from his history.

“You’re awake, signorina …” Luca observes groggily when he finds me in the kitchen sipping a glass of water at the window.

“My throat was a bit dry,” I say as I turn to him and show him the glass.

“Not from our kiss, I hope,” he muses as he steps forward and places his hands on my waist. A cold shiver courses through me, repulsing me as I gulp. I’d just been reunited with Stryder, and this man’s touch is preposterous right now. I quickly drink the rest of my water to distract myself. I have to play my role smoothly, and now I have to hide the evidence of Stryder as best as I can.

I could have returned to Aurora Island with Stryder, but I have to take care of my work here in the mortal world. No matter how badly I crave Stryder’s touch, I can’t forget that he’d deceived me the first time around. I have to safeguard my life here. After all, it’s not like Stryder has truly apologized for what he’s done.

Even with the tingling between my thighs and his kisses lingering on my lips, I’m not sure if it’s enough to make up for what he did.

Maybe it’s something I’ll consider if he comes back for me. But first, I have to take care of things here. I’ve come too far to let it all surmount to nothing in the end.

***

Two Days Later

Gnawing on my nails, I stare out of the bedroom window, anticipation setting into the pit of my belly.

Today’s the day Luca Mancini will finally be put behind bars. The arms deal that’s about to go down later today will be intercepted by my team of FBI agents, and I’ll finally have the pleasure of placing cuffs around the Italian’s wrists.

It will be a much-needed relief when he can’t ever touch me again. I realize now that I’ll never be able to move on from Stryder Vulkan. Luca’s touch repulses me so much that I found myself throwing up just this morning. It’s not just because he’s the enemy but because he’s not Stryder.

Though I’m glad Stryder hasn’t shown up since our tryst in Luca’s kitchen, a flicker of disappointment still remains, buried deep down where I refuse to deal with it right now. I have to see this through, and this time, Stryder isn’t thwarting our plans.

Time ticks by as I wait for the much-anticipated hour. For a while on Aurora Island, I’d forgotten just how much I enjoyed my work as an FBI agent, losing myself to the broken promises of what being on the island meant for me. My fingers might tingle with the desire to paint again, but my need to execute justice out here is far greater.

Returning to the mortal world only reminded me of the terrors that lurk in the light of day. Ever since I came back, I often wondered why the dragon shifters haven’t done more to prevent some of the horrors unfolding out here. Stryder spoke about the reason for their existence, along with their immortality. So it bugs me that they aren’t stepping in now when the world is going downhill.

I shrug off the imminent need to keep my mind on Stryder and the dragon shifter race, instead focusing on the little I can contribute to a better world. Doing my bit is all that matters now, and I need to keep my head in the game.

I check the time on the clock, plastering a smile on my face when Luca enters the bedroom. He insists that Clara, his in-house cook, will show me around the kitchen. I know he’s trying to distract me from what’s about to happen outside.

By now, my team must be headed for the villa after stopping the Russian mob that was meant to purchase the weapons in Luca’s possession. Our FBI agents will come in, pretending to be Luca’s buyers, and finally put an end to his dealings.

I’ll stroll in once they’ve overpowered his men, and place the cuffs on Luca’s wrists myself. The anticipation of this has me smiling genuinely as I heed Luca’s insistence and make my way down to the kitchen to meet with Clara.

As soon as I meet the cook, she begins showing me around. She probably has instructions from her boss to keep me occupied while he goes out to meet his buyers. I feign interest in the pantry, making Clara believe I’m paying attention to the different pasta shapes while I watch Luca leave. Through the windows, I watch him enter the toolshed in the backyard and wait for my team to arrive.

Anticipation builds in my chest when suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spot someone in the backyard who shouldn’t be there. In human form, Stryder is out in the open just as a blacked-out SUV pulls into the driveway.

“Oh, no…” I murmur, feeling the first traces of panic rise like bile in my throat. I was so sure everything was going as planned. I didn’t think Stryder would show up at the wrong time.

I have no idea what he’s doing here – not when I haven’t seen him in two days. I thought I made it clear enough that he shouldn’t interfere like he did before.

But then again, he seems to have forgotten all about that, firmly believing that Luca is my boyfriend and that I’m once again just a vulnerable pawn in a game of men.

“Excuse me, Clara,” I tell the cook, heading to the back door.

“Miss!” she calls out after me. “We’re not done!”

“We are for now!” I shout back before shutting the door behind me. I have no idea what I’m doing; I just need to stop Stryder before he ruins our bust.

I steal toward the side of the shed, inwardly praying that the cook doesn’t inform Luca that ran out before the team can make their bust. Nimbly tiptoeing around, I watch as Hawks and the other agents enter the shed, then spot Stryder just behind the door.

“Psst! Stryder!” I call out, low enough so my voice isn’t caught by Luca and his men inside the shed. He hears me, turns, and sets glowing, fiery green eyes on me. Those glowing eyes appear blank for a few seconds, as if he’s a million miles away, lost in a mind link of sorts. What startles me is how different the look in his eyes is right now. It’s not like anything I’ve seen before.

“Stryder…?” I call out in surprise when his eyes turn jetted, and he marches toward me. I can hear Hawks speaking in his forged Russian accent inside the toolshed, pretending to be the buyer.

“You’re in danger,” Stryder says matter-of-factly as he swiftly scoops me into his arms and bursts into dragon form. The wind is knocked out of me with how quick he is to lift us into the air. With no prior warning, just as he did before.

“Stryder! Let me go!” I demand as he flies us up to the clouds. I fight against the strength of his scaled arm to get his attention.

It’s enough to get him to slow down above a mountain near the villa. Once he sets me down, my anger and frustration boil to the surface, and I yell at him while he shifts into human form.

“Why the hell did you do that?! I needed to be there!”

“What for, Olivia?” he bites back with equal might as he grabs me by the shoulders, glaring into my eyes. “Do you wish to protect that man?”

“No, Stryder, goddamnit!” I huff in frustration. “I was gonna arrest him!”

“Arrest him?” Stryder frowns, releasing my shoulders and stepping back in confusion.

“Yes,” I sigh, going on to explain what I was doing there all along – from the moment Stryder first suspected I was in danger and whisked me out of a fake kidnapping situation.

“Wait…” he frowns when I’m done explaining things to him. “So you’re telling me that he’s not your boyfriend?”

I roll my eyes and rush to the edge of the cliff. From up here, I’m able to squint and see the villa, trying to get a better view of the toolshed in the backyard. I step closer in my attempt to figure out what’s going on when my foot slips, and I squeal.

“Olivia!” Stryder yelps as his strong arms catch me, and he spins me over into his firm embrace. “You’re gonna get yourself killed!”

The way he glares at me with distinct reproval glinting in his eyes has me calming down. It’s the very same look I saw in his eyes when he caught me from the mountaintop on Aurora Island. The look of a man determined to protect me at all costs.

“I–I don’t want to die,” I admit tersely with a gulp.

“Then why do you insist on getting yourself into situations where your life is in danger?” he angrily grouches, steadying me on my feet. He doesn’t let go of my arms, staring at my face intently.

“Because…” I pause, realizing at that moment that this is precisely what I wanted. I needed to know that he truly cares for me, and perhaps that’s why I chose to put myself back in a position of danger. “... Because I know you’ll be there to protect me,” I admit at last.

A moment of silence passes as we stare into each other’s eyes deeply. The tension between us is ripe, and Stryder is the one who breaks the silence first.

“Is whatever that’s happening down there really important to you?” he asks.

I nod nervously. In truth, it’s not as important as what’s happening between us right now. Still, I can’t imagine what would happen if those weapons fell into the wrong hands or if Luca Mancini continued his dealings and contributed to the world’s unrest.

Stryder nods his concession with a sigh. “Then you must know that what is standing in front of me is the most important thing in my life.”

His admission warms my heart, leaving me speechless as I can only stare into his eyes.

“But, Stryder–”

“No,” he shakes his head, pressing a finger to my lips. “I told you about my inner dragon before, and now I understand why I’ve been intent on keeping you safe. It’s not just my intuition that tells me when something is gonna go wrong, but it’s the innate dragon that tells me that you, Olivia Jackson, are my fated mate.”

“F-fated mate?”

Stryder nods. “You are destined to be my mate by the divine gods. It crept up on me too late, but I realized I love you. All those times when I thought I was simply protecting you, it was because you were fated to be my mate. But when you left, I knew I loved you.” He takes my hand and sets it on his heart. “I love you, Olivia, and I will protect you at all costs,”

He turns, leaving me star-struck with his admission hanging over me.

“If what happens down there is important to you, I will take care of it,” he says, then suddenly shifts into dragon form and leaps off the mountain.

“Stryder!” I rush forward, watching him fly back toward the villa. I know exactly what he’s about to do, and there’s no way of stopping him.

Standing on the cliff with my heart in my throat, tears flow from my eyes as I feel the strength of his declaration of love. He’ll do anything to protect me, even going as far as entering the villa in his dragon form, fully exposed.

That’s when I realized that I love him, too.