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“We need to meet with her,” Sebastian said.
The room fell silent as the weight of the situation settled over us. My resolve to bring down this corrupt empire had never been stronger. This wasn’t just about saving Sofia from his clutches. It went beyond that now. We’d also be dismantling his web of exploitation and abuse.
“We’ll need to go back to New York,” Evan said, pacing the length of the kitchen as he went into planning mode. “I can set up the appointment, but I’ve only ever interacted with Caterina over the phone. Now we know why.”
Sebastian watched Evan turn and pace back. “Do you think you could convince her to meet face to face?”
“I have an idea,” I blurted out. Evan and Sebastian both turned to me. “What if I’m the one who meets with Caterina? What if we set it up like an interview?”
"Absolutely not," Evan growled, balking at my suggestion the moment the words left my mouth. His protective instincts seemed even stronger than normal, his fangs jutting out of his mouth as his eyes turned gold, muffling his words. “Are you out of your mind? You will not audition to be a fucking escort, Mariah.”
I gaped, shocked by the display. Evan was overprotective, but it was rare that he lost control of his dragon. I wouldn’t let him call all the shots, though—not when this might be a great idea.
“Evan, listen to me. It's not like I'm going to go through with it. I’m not really auditioning. It's just a setup. A way to get close to her and gather the information we need.”
“No,” he said, his fangs still protruding. “I can meet with her on my own. I don’t want you anywhere near her.”
I glanced at Sebastian, who was watching the interaction with interest.
“You aren’t being rational right now, Evan,” I said. “You said it yourself, she’s never met with you, and now you know why. The only way to get close is to trick her into meeting with us. What better way than telling her you have an eager new applicant?”
Smoke billowed from his nostrils, and I bit down on my lip. That was excessive, even for him.
“Evan.”
His eyes locked on mine, and he took several deep breaths. His fangs slowly retracted, and he rolled his shoulders, cracked his neck, then sighed heavily as he rubbed his forehead.
“I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I didn’t mean to…lose control like that. I didn’t mean to react like that. It's just my dragon…”
He dragged his hands through his hair and shrugged, glancing away. “He—no, we—have been experiencing bouts of jealousy lately, even when they aren't warranted. It's irrational, I know. I can’t seem to help it.”
Sebastian laughed, to my utter surprise, and Evan and I turned. He thought it was funny?
The clan leader grinned. “It's because his dragon is tired of waiting to claim you, and the longer you put it off, the more irritable he's going to be. He wants to make it official, to mark you as his mate."
My entire body flushed, and I looked back at Evan for confirmation. He hadn’t spoken about this at all. How long had he been struggling?
I rested a hand on Evan’s arm. “It’s okay. I will be okay. But I think you should at least consider my idea. We need to get the evidence from Caterina. That’s our goal. If my involvement can help, then let's use it to our advantage. We aren’t in a position to wait around and hope another solution presents itself.”
Evan nodded, though he still ground his teeth together. “I don’t like it.”
“I know. But we’re in this thing together. I want to do my part, whatever that might be.”
Sebastian's gaze moved between the two of us. “I have to admit, it’s a great way to get in, Evan. You just have to make sure you can keep it together.” A knowing smile played on his lips.
This mate thing was so much more complicated than I’d originally thought.
“I guess we have a plan, then,” Evan muttered. “I’ll see what I can do about setting up a meeting with Caterina.” He sounded anything but thrilled.
I reached for him, cupping his cheek. “This is also a way to help those girls, and to stop Caterina and Tomas from hurting anyone else.”
He settled his hand on top of mine, then took my fingers and brought them to his lips. “Have I told you lately how incredible you are?”
I smiled. “Once or twice, but I don’t mind hearing it again.”
Evan shook his head. “If we’re going to do this, I want to be there with you. I won’t put you in danger.”
I bit my lip. My safety hadn’t crossed my mind, though it should have. I was just getting used to Evan always being the overprotective boyfriend. “Do you think it’s safe? If Caterina is involved in something like this, don’t you think she’ll have her own security surrounding her? What if we confront her and she flips the switch on us?” She could have any number of people standing by waiting to blow our heads off if we got this wrong.
