“We brought you something, Trevor,” Harriston said blocking me from the man’s view.

“I told you I didn’t want anything from Dairy Queen.”

“I think you’ll like this one.” Harriston moved aside and Riley stepped forward. “Put her down, idiot.”

Riley set me on my feet but with them tied together I swayed for a moment. He grabbed me before I could fall.

The man I could only assume was Trevor approached me. “I admit she’s a looker, but I can get my own women.”

“One with that kind of ring?” Harriston challenged.

Trevor pulled my bound hands toward him. “Since when did Levi get a mate and what the hell is she doing this far from New Orleans?” My chest tightened. They definitely knew what the ring was.

“Only thing to do is ask,” Trevor said. “I’m going to take this tape off baby, I’ll make it fast.”

“Ow!” I yelled as the tape ripped from my face.

“That tape was such a waste of those lips. I may have to rectify that later.” Trevor watched me with a heated gaze. I was pretty sure he was undressing me in his head. With rugged features, tar black hair, and intense blue eyes that looked at me like I was prey, Trevor screamed intimidation. He stroked my face with his hand.

I shook my head trying to knock his hand away. “Get your hands off me!”

“No, I don’t think I want to do that, but how about I untie your feet?” Without waiting for an answer, he bent down and began untying the knot at my feet, spending way too much time on it. His hands grazed my legs as he stood up. Ugh. “I’ll untie your hands too if you promise to be good. I’m guessing that rope doesn’t feel too good on your wrists.”

“What do you care?” I was now completely surrounded by large men, I tried to calm my breathing.

“I’m only trying to be a good host.”

“Host? You mean kidnapper.”

“It’s all in the terminology,” Trevor said as he untied my wrists. “So why did he pick you? Other than the obvious, of course.” He gestured up and down my body.

“Why did who pick me?”

“Don’t play stupid.”

“Then spell it out for me.”

“You’re wearing the ring of the Pteron ruling family. Why did the prince pick you?”

Prince? Hailey had said he was the future leader, but a prince? “Listen. This is all a big misunderstanding. Levi never even told me what the ring meant. Had I known, I wouldn’t have accepted it. I’m just a girl from New York who wants to get home.” I realized after the words left my mouth, that I was probably giving too much information.

“Wait, are you trying to tell me you were duped into accepting the ring? You had no idea when you jumped into bed with the prince that you’d leave it his princess?” Trevor’s laughter was deep and primal.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. So would you please just let me go?”

“Why would that change anything?”

“What do you want from me? What can you possibly gain by holding me here?”

“You really don’t realize how much you’re worth, do you?”

Something told me I didn’t want to know.

Chapter Seventeen

“You didn’t find a tracker on her?” Trevor asked while I still processed his comment about my worth.

“No. But we never thought to check her,” Riley admitted.

“Are you idiots? You think he didn’t leave something on her?” A small smile spread on his lips. “I guess I’ll have to do it myself.”

“Hell no. Whatever you are thinking, keep your hands to yourself. Besides, he didn’t put a tracker on me. He only gave me the ring last night.”

“Wow, and you ran out on him that quickly? Oh wait, you did it when you found out the truth, huh?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” I was hanging on by a thread; discussing Levi anymore threatened to push me over the edge.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way,” he sneered.

“Do what?”

“Take off your dress,” he ordered.

“Excuse me? Do you really think I’m that stupid? No way!”

“Like I said, we can do this the easy way or hard way. Either you take it off or I do, and I really don’t mind.”

There were at least ten men in the room by this point. “You honestly expect me to take off my clothes in a room full of men?” I wondered where all these guys were coming from.

“Yes, of course, I do,” he said without hesitation.

“First, tell me, who are you?” I needed to stall him.

“I’m Trevor, I thought that was clear.”

“Not your name. Okay, I guess I mean what are you?” They knew about Levi so I assumed they were more than they seemed.

Trevor smiled. “Don’t you know?”

“If I knew why would I be asking?”

“Didn’t you notice anything outside?”

“No way… Are you guys tigers or something?”

“Did you see stripes? No, we’re not tigers, we’re cougars, or mountain lions, or panthers, or pumas. Whatever colloquial term you like.”

“Oh.”

“‘Oh’ is right.”

“So you really can change into a cougar?”

Trevor smiled. “If I didn’t know you were sleeping with a Pteron, I’d think you had never seen a shifter before.”

“I’m still new to all of this, and besides Pterons don’t actually shift into birds.” I decided not to mention that I’d seen wolves shift.

“No more stalling.”

“Stalling?”

Trevor smiled again. “Yes. You think I don’t know what you’re doing?”

Damn. “Listen, I don’t have a tracking device on me. I’ve already been tricked and kidnapped enough for one day. Can’t you let me keep my dignity?” Real and intense fear engulfed me.

“Either take off your dress or I’ll do it for you.”

“No.” There was no way I was taking off my clothes.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” He reached for my dress, ripping the fabric easily. With one more swift motion, I was left standing in only a bra and panties. All eyes were on me and I wanted to sink into the floor. I shuddered, noticing the hungry looks of the men surrounding me as I attempted to cover myself with my hands.