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The stone shook in Keeley’s hands. A short, soft movement—like a heartbeat. Thud. Thud. “What is this?” she breathed, eyes fixed on the stone. A bright, fluttery excitement burst against her mind. Not her excitement. She wasn’t excited, she was freaking the hell out. Crack! A hairline crack appeared in the stone, so thin Keeley could barely see it. She ran her fingertips over it, just to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. “Oh no. Now it’s breaking?” The stone rocked at her touch. She should never have unlocked the mysterious case. The job was clear. Grab the goods and bring them back to the boss. No meddling. Crack! Crack! The hairline crack widened and another one appeared. And another. Keeley’s pulse thudded in her ears. Was this some sort of failsafe? She opened the case, and the goods started breaking? A fragment of rock the size of her palm fractured and fell away, and Keeley gasped. It wasn’t a failsafe. Because this wasn’t a stone. It was an egg. A long, scaly nose poked out of the hole in the egg. Tiny eyes blinked, then peered up at Keeley, bright gold and shining with curiosity. “Oh, my God,” Keeley breathed. The little creature poked its head up, staring straight at her with golden, cat-slitted eyes. Another piece of shell fell away, revealing—No, that’s impossible—a pair of folded, gleaming-gold wings. As Keeley watched, the hatchling flared its wings out, its eyes narrowing with pleasure as it stretched free of the confines of the egg for the first time in its life. She knew it was pleasure the creature was feeling, because she could feel it too. In her head. A little sunburst of satisfaction. The hatchling opened its eyes again and stared at her. “Prrp?” it trilled. Keeley stared back. So this is what Sean wanted you to move. Not money, or drugs. Not a stone. A living creature. “What are you?” she whispered, tentatively lifting her hand towards the hatchling. It sniffed politely at her fingertips and nibbled experimentally on her pinky finger. The world seemed to whirl around her. No, she thought, desperately clinging to reality, that’s not the world spinning. It’s the train slowing down. Keeley licked her lips. Drop the case in the backpack in the last car and leave by the rear door. That was what she was supposed to do. And she knew what Sean would do to her if she failed. No way he would stop at getting her fired. She remembered what happened last time. The scars on her fingers ached. The tiny, winged lizard-thing blinked up at her with its huge, innocent golden eyes. Something shivered deep inside Keeley. It didn’t matter what Sean or his goons would do to her. She wasn’t going to let this helpless, magical baby dragon back into his clutches. Start reading CLAIMED BY THE PANTHER by clicking the link below or dive into this steamy series for *Free* with your Kindle Unlimited subscription! >> www.amazon.com/dp/B07DN4B8J7