Page 103 of Shifter Marked and Claimed

“Not when I can feel how much you like when I touch you.”

He had me there. “I do like the touching, but maybe some of it should be saved for private or when we’re back in Uttira. That cheek thing we do is weird. I think half the people on the bus were staring at us.”

I could almost feel his indifference.

“If I’m your treasure, that means you value all of me, right? Even my thoughts and feelings?”

He huffed out a breath and glanced at me.

“I do. Even the ones that are weird.”

I snorted.

“I’m not the weird one.”

“Aren’t you?”

I frowned at him and tried to look at things from his point of view, which I couldn’t objectively do since I knew nothing about dragons.

“Is cheek rubbing a dragon thing or a Vedar thing?”

“It’s common among dragons.”

“Okay, then. I get your point. We’re from two different cultures. While we’re in the human world, though, can we please try to stick with human cultural norms like wearing clothes? And when we’re in the Mantirum world, we’ll stick with dragon norms.”

He stopped walking and spun around so fast I flinched. The burst of clicking from him had me glancing around us.

“No clothes in Uttira?” he demanded.

“For you. I still have the freedom to choose, right?”

He gave me a long, considering look.

“Perhaps.”

“I hate when you’re vague.”

He chuckled and twisted his fingers through mine, tugging me along.

When we finally reached my old house, Vedar paused on the sidewalk and inhaled deeply.

“Is she in there?” I asked.

“There is a female and two males.”

“If you eat two more people, I’m going to veto cheek rubs until tomorrow. People eating makes me queasy.”

He continued inhaling then stopped to look at me.

“There is also another dragon.”

CHAPTERFIFTEEN

“Another dragon? Why?”

“There are two possibilities. He scented Chloe and is here for her. Or this is a trap for you. You were already injured once. I won’t risk you further. We should leave.”

“We’re not leaving,” I said firmly. “You promised.”

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