Page 59 of Dragon Exposed

I ignored the thud in the hall as I headed back to Izobelle. “Hopefully, I picked well. If not, there’s still nearly half the menu we could order up.”

She laughed. “I’m sure I can find something here.” She reached for me, sliding her hand around the small of my back. “I’m sorry I put doubt in your head about Syrena. I’m sure she’s probably completely innocent. I just don’t understand how else he’d be able to find us.” She shook her head. “It’s probably just a weird coincidence.”

I nodded, even though I rarely believed in coincidences, especially when we were dealing with forces as powerful as fate. If a witch could create a heartstone, if she could track one, what was to say that she couldn’t use one to manipulate us all?

It was too much to really deal with, too much to unpack until I could talk to Syrena herself, and we needed food, rest, and, if I had my say, lots more sex, before we faced down vampire plots.

Izobelle grabbed a plate at random and settled back on the couch. “Okay, so if it’s not Syrena, who could be helping Grey track you, or your mates? What would he gain by using us as targets?”

I grabbed another couple of plates, carrying them over to the coffee table. “Mates are something dragons cherish. More than treasure, more than knowledge. We can learn our whole lives, have more money than we could ever hope to spend, but without someone to share the many years with, someone who is your perfect match, chosen by the fates themselves, most dragons give up, give in to the craze or put themselves into more and more danger until they die.” I reached for her hand and gave it a small squeeze. “I know you’re new to the idea of having a mate fated for you, but I hope you know just how rare, how special you are to me.”

She swallowed hard, noticeably, and nodded. “What…what’s the craze?”

I frowned, not really wanting to talk about one of the worst things that could happen to a dragon. I stalled by uncovering the three plates we had in front of us, waiting for her to decide on one before I picked up another. “Dragons who lose their mates, or who lose the hope that they’ll ever find their mates, start to lose themselves. Their minds go feral, and eventually, they end up shifting without a human form to return to.” I sighed, looking down at the steak and potatoes in front of me. “If they fall to the craze, the other members of the clan put them down. It’s a kindness, really, and it’s always been considered the best thing for both the shifter and the clan. If a crazed dragon left clan lands and ended up doing the things Grey would have humans believe we do, kidnapping women, setting fire to entire cities, we really would be hunted to extinction.”

“Oh, Levi…” She frowned, tears flooding her lash line, threatening to fall. “That sounds awful.”

“If I lost you, I’d want to die. In a way, it makes complete sense to me, especially knowing you, having you here in my arms.” I cupped her cheek, using my thumb to catch an errant teardrop. “Although, now that we’re mated, our lifelines are woven together. As long as you live, so will I.”

She nuzzled into my touch for a moment before she picked up silverware and studied the pasta dish in her hands. “I don’t ever want to see you go crazy. I’m here. I’m yours.” She stabbed her noodles before looking up at me, fire in her eyes. “And you’re mine.”

As we started eating, the conversation shifted to more simple things, sharing little things about who we were, what we loved, what we hated.

I quickly learned that she could voraciously eat pasta, but large chunks of mushrooms got picked out and pushed to the side of her plate. She wasn’t afraid to eat carbs, like so many women in the human world seemed to be, and she sometimes got so passionate about what she was talking about, she forgot her manners, talking with her mouth full.

I was utterly fascinated, and I could’ve spent a hundred years learning every last thought in her head.

As soon as she shifted, I would teach her how to share her thoughts with me too, so that we wouldn’t always need to talk to know what the other was thinking, what the other was feeling.

With Izobelle, I wanted it all, and I was more than happy to be a greedy dragon and take it.

23

What’s the Craze got to do with It?

IZOBELLE

Levi’s wealth was going to take some getting used to.

When the full wardrobe of clothing showed up, I was certain they’d knocked on the wrong room’s door, or that there’d been some mistake. These were luxury brands, shoes that cost more than I made in a week at my job, lingerie that I was pretty sure cost more than my rent.

And Levi just signed for it all like it was nothing.

“When I said I needed new clothes, I didn’t mean the entire catalogue of the latest fashions from Paris and Milan, Levi.” I shook my head at him, even as I ran my fingers over the soft fabrics and lace. “How do you even know any of these are going to fit? How did you even get them all here so fast?”

He reached out and plucked a hanger off the rack. “Why don’t you try this one on and I’ll explain.”

I frowned at the white gossamer fabric and lace, wary of just how little there seemed to be on the hanger. Not to mention, why would he want to see me in white?

Of the two of us, he was the one who had been virginal. And it’s not like we had a wedding night.

Still, I couldn’t deny that the way he was staring at me, like he wanted to rip the robe right off of me and fuck me dirty, made me want to give into whatever requests he had.

With a sigh, I took the hanger and carried it to the bedroom, feeling Levi’s presence behind me as clearly as if he were my shadow.

I shrugged the robe off as soon as I’d dropped the lingerie onto the foot of the bed, stifling a moan as his hand just barely skimmed over my lower back and he let out one of those sexy little growls that always reminded me that he was as much a beast as he was a man.

A beast who knew exactly how to ravage me.

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