Page 39 of Billionaire Dragon King’s Rejected Mate

Randi blinked. “That’s not reassuring.”

“It’s not meant to be.”

A chill slipped down her spine, subtle but unmistakable. She forced a laugh and tried to shake it off. “Wow. Okay. So cryptic warnings over lunch now? Should I be checking under my car before I drive home too?”

Sven didn’t laugh as she expected. He didn’t even crack a smile.

Her amusement faltered. “You could at least pretend that was a joke.”

“I think you should pay attention,” he said, his voice firmer now. “To what’s around you. To what doesn’t quite add up.”

Randi stared at him. “You’re starting to sound a little paranoid.”

“Am I?”

“Yes,” she said immediately, though the word didn’t land as confidently as she wanted it to.

He leaned back slightly and studied her in a way that made her feel like she was the one being questioned now. “Has anything unusual happened recently?”

She hesitated before she waved a hand. “I mean, nothing major. I scared myself silly last night.”

His attention sharpened. “What did you do?”

Randi shrugged and aimed for casual. “Storm raged and decided to come on in through my bedroom window. Scared me half to death. Papers everywhere, curtains doing their best horror movie impression.” She smiled a little. “I probably didn’t latch it right. You know how it is.”

Sven didn’t respond. He didn’t do anything except watch her.

The smile slowly slipped from her face. “What?”

“That’s what you think happened?” he asked.

She frowned. “I mean… yeah? It was windy. Storms do that.”

His jaw tightened just slightly. “Maybe.”

The way he said it made her pulse kick up. “Okay, you’re doing that thing again. The vague, ominous thing. I don’t like it.”

“Randi.” His voice softened, but somehow that made it worse. “You need to be careful.”

Her stomach dropped. “Careful of what?”

“I don’t know yet,” he admitted. “It may be nothing. But I know enough to tell you not to brush things off. Lock your doors. Check your windows. Pay attention to anything that feels off, even if it seems small. You still have your pistol?”

“I had it with me last night when I searched my apartment.” A nervous laugh bubbled up before she could stop it. “You’re seriously telling me my window didn’t just blow open because of a storm?”

“I’m telling you not to assume it did.”

The diner suddenly felt too open. Randi glanced toward the front windows, half-expecting to see something. What that was, she wasn’t sure.

There was nothing. Just people walking by, cars passing, the normal rhythm of a Florida afternoon, but the unease stuck.

She turned back to him, her voice lower now. “You’re scaring me.”

“I’d rather you be a little scared than completely unaware.”

“Unaware of what?” she demanded.

Sven didn’t answer right away. Then, with frustrating calm, he said, “Like I said. Not everything is what it seems.”