The dragon shifter dragged a clawed finger along her cheek, the tip pressing against her smooth skin. Her chest rose and fell as her breathing quickened, her pulse at her neck shuddering deliciously.
“That gemstone,” he whispered lowly, his other hand cradling the ruby cupped in her small palms, “has been in my collection for seven centuries.”
She trembled, her wide brown eyes meeting his. “I-I didn’t know.”
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. “And why would you, just a thief obeying the words of her leader?” His hand slid down around the soft flesh of her throat. Her cheeks darkened, and she felt so warm under him. “But it matters little, now that you no longer work for them.”
“I don’t?” she whispered.
He leaned over her, his mouth mere inches from her ear. Pride flared in him as she didn’t cower or buckle. “No, you have a new . . . master.”
Something flashed in her eyes, and she sucked in her breath hard. His thumb caressed her neck, and his other hand closed her fingers around the ruby and pushed it into her chest.
“People have died hunting for this.” He pressed on her throat harder, feeling her pulse as he restricted her airway. “And I don’t change my ways. I’ll still collect a life for your . . . impertinence.”
He inhaled, savoring the scent of her hair and panic before relaxing his grip on her throat. She gasped as she greedily breathed in.
“Your life will be mine.”
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