Page 87 of Shifter Marked and Claimed

Vedar didn’t look up at us as he moved around the kitchen. But it wasn’t easy to not see him. His lithe moves and bronzed skin begged to be studied.

“Has he been like that the whole time?” Zoe asked, her wide eyes tracking over his bare body.

“Sometimes he turns into a dragon.”

“Do boy dragons have—”

“Zoe,” I said in warning.

“What? There was nothing in the book about that.”

Vedar’s eyes snapped up from what he was going.

“What book?” he asked.

“The book of nun-ya,” Zoe said.

“I’ve never heard of it.”

“That’s cuz it’s nun-ya business.”

Vedar’s gaze narrowed on Zoe, and I stepped in front of her.

“Why did you let us out if you’re not letting us go?”

His gaze drifted over me from crown to toes, lingering the longest on my toes. I looked down and saw my golden nails peeking out from under the sheet.

“To feed you,” he said, regaining my attention.

I made a frustrated sound.

“We don’t need food, Vedar. We need help.”

He dragged his gaze from my toes and locked eyes with me.

“I’ll help you. But in exchange, you must accept a piece of my heart.”

Zoe’s hold on my arm tightened.

“No,” she said softly. “We don’t know what that means.”

Vedar glanced at her, his eyes narrowing slightly before returning his attention to what he was doing. Making more sandwiches.

“What does that mean, exactly?” I asked.

He didn’t answer.

Shaking off Zoe’s hold, I crossed the kitchen and rounded the counter. He turned toward me and started clicking when I took his face between my hands.

“I won’t say yes to something I don’t understand.”

Rather than explaining, he reached out and started stroking my hair.

“If you ask me,” Zoe said, sitting, “it already looks like you have a piece of his heart.”

“Shut up, Zoe,” I said, dropping my hands from his face.

He hooked an arm around my waist and pulled me in to rub his cheek against mine. His clicking vibrated through his chest to me, and I heaved a sigh. It was getting harder and harder to stay frustrated with him when he did that. The way it soothed me should have felt unnatural. Instead, I just wanted to lean into him even more and soak up every click and touch and rub.

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