Page 59 of Israel

“Oh, but I can,” Larik said. “You see, you’re only protected from a forced mating when you’re in your parents’ territory, or under their protection, such as on a state visit.”

“I’m under their protection now,” she said, touching her necklace. “The collar is proof of that.”

“Mmm, yes,” he said. “But if you were to shift despite the binding collar, then its effects would be negated. Legally, you would be seen to have voluntarily escaped your parents’ custody and forfeited their protection.”

He waved his hand expansively. “And my goodness, look. You’re outside their territory. If, after you forfeited their protection, a male Draken could capture you and mate you, why then, you’d belong to him.”

His hand shot out and encircled her neck, his fingers curling around the necklace. Ashley felt his magic crackle through it.

“I call upon the power of this binding to bend this prisoner to my will,” he murmured, his eyes glowing. Ashley felt his magic entering her mind, like tendrils of fog.

“Now, little princess,” he murmured. “Shift.”

Israel sped through the darkened streets on his motorcycle, following the GPS signal from his phone. Jesse’s special security app could track any rental car, and Trevor had found out that Ashley had taken one of the tour’s rentals, available for anyone who needed transportation.

She’d started out about half an hour ahead of him, but he’d managed to make up some time. He was just praying the stalker didn’t have her—that she’d taken the car for her secret meeting with whoever she’d been trying to reach in her family.

Her family of dragons.

It wasn’t like it was a complete surprise. He’d always known there was power in that necklace, and any creature that needed a magical binding to keep her from shifting—well, it didn’t take genius to figure out she might be magical too.

And then she’d nearly shifted in his arms. He’d felt her skin change, the tiny interlocked scales smooth and silky under his hands. He’d felt her shoulder bones rearranging, her muscles working as if she were trying to stretch her wings and fly.

But he hadn’t wanted to believe it. It was too big a thing to wrap his head around—his mate was adragon. A giant, fire-breathing, probably-going-to-live-forever fucking real-life dragon. Whose family members could turn him to a spot of greasy ash on the ground by accident, while blowing out the candles on their birthday cakes.

In fact, that was probably going to happen—without the accidental part—in about fifteen minutes.

But it didn’t matter.

Wherever she was going, whatever she was doing, she shouldn’t be doing it alone. He was her mate. It was his right and his privilege to stand at her back, to die for her if necessary.

She needed him. He could feel it, and not being there for her caused him physical pain.

His wolf was whimpering, desperate to find her.

We will. We might be beaten, but we never give up.

Ten minutes later, he pulled the bike into the parking lot and parked by the rental car. There was no sign of Ashley.

No sign of the stalker, either. No other vehicles.

Israel scented the area around the car. He caught a half a dozen familiar scents in the air—too many people had been using this car on too many occasions. There was no way to tell if one of them was the stalker, or if he’d been with her, but Israel didn’t think so.

He scented the air. He thought she’d followed the trail up the hill, but he couldn’t be sure. He shucked his clothes, piled them on his bike, and shifted.

It was easy to follow her trail in his wolf form. She was definitely alone—there was no scent of anyone else. That relieved his fears about the stalker.

Unfortunately, he was pretty sure the stalker was the least of his worries tonight.

He bounded up the path, his wolf vision making it easy to see his way. When he got near the top, he slowed, creeping silently forward to the edge of the woods.

A growl rose up in his throat.

Some seven-foot-tall fucker had his hands around Ashley’s neck, bending her back over a sheer drop.

He was going to die.