Nikki narrowed her eyes, “Then I don’t kick your arse out of my home.”
He grinned. “Fair enough.”
Rafe kicked him under the table. “Stop grinning at the mother of my child and get to work.”
Aaron debated pushing Rafe’s buttons but his dragon sighed. Nikki is pale. If you tease him, it will irritate her. Be nice to the pregnant female. Would you want someone doing the same if it were your female?
Probably not.
Good. Then behave. Because when we have a pregnant mate, you’ll understand Rafe’s point of view.
Aaron paused in skimming the interrogation transcripts. We don’t even have a girlfriend. You’re getting ahead of yourself, dragon.
In response, his dragon sat smugly in the back of his mind.
Shit. His dragon had an idea for a female to impregnate, and Aaron had a feeling he knew who his dragon wanted.
He’d just have to focus on his work. Because if it was a certain green-eyed female, Aaron didn’t need that headache. No matter how pretty or feisty she might be.
~~~
Nikki was doing her best to keep her lunch down. The scent of vanilla that ran through the house was making her want to throw up. Which was odd, considering it used to be her favorite scent.
Her beast spoke up. Then sit next to Rafe. His scent will calm our stomach.
But in front of Aaron? I think he’s finally taking me seriously. I don’t want to appear weak.
Her dragon huffed. You can be stubborn or practical. One will help you accomplish your goal faster than the other.
Rafe laid a hand on her back and gently pushed her toward the table. He never took his eyes off the papers in front of him.
Her human was urging her to take it easy while not embarrassing her in front of Aaron.
Sometimes, it was hard to believe Rafe Hartley had ever broken her heart.
Her dragon spoke up again. He’s changed. For us.
Rafe then moved his hand to her arse and squeezed. It took everything she had not to smile at him secretly feeling her up in front of company. Two could play at that game.
Sitting next to him, she placed a hand on his leg and ran it close to his groin. His muscles tensed under her hand. With a light squeeze, she removed her hand and focused on the work in front of her. As she still felt as if she were going to lose the contents of her stomach, Nikki inched closer to Rafe. As her male’s scent replaced the vanilla, her stomach settled.
Just as she picked up the stack of papers in front of her, Rafe tapped the ones in front of him. “I think I found something.”
“What?” Nikki asked as she leaned closer.
Rafe met her eyes and then Aaron’s as he answered, “Most of those we captured are from Seacroft.”
Aaron frowned. “Does that mean something?”
“Probably not to dragon-shifters. But to humans in the UK, it’s rather well known as a dodgy part of Leeds.” Nikki raised her brows and Rafe continued. “It’s full of high unemployment, crime, and more than a few boarded-up dwellings. The hunters tend to recruit young people from the economically disadvantaged areas of Britain. Seacroft definitely fits the bill.”
“But do you really think this Toby escapee would return to Seacroft? Was he even from there?” Nikki asked.
Rafe shook his head. “None of the prisoners Zain interviewed knew where he was from in Yorkshire, although some thought Leeds. But if I were him and wanted a place to blend in and hide, there are plenty of places to do it in Seacroft. The Yorkshire accent is distinct, but wouldn’t stick out there. It would also be easy to move places if he thought someone was on his trail, especially compared to a rural farm or cottage.”
Nikki asked another question. “And how big is the area, exactly? Are there a lot of people?”
“Actually, it’s a highly populated area with over 10,000 people,” Rafe stated.