Page 7 of Dragon Exposed

I cocked an eyebrow at her. “Like you have?” I laughed, a dry sound that cut through the night air. “You’re a young human woman armed with nothing but a purse so small I bet all you have in there is your phone, an ID, and maybe a lipstick. There aren’t enough makeshift weapons in the world, let alone in that club, which could take out a guy like Viktor.” I knew my tone sounded cruel, and my sister would probably kill me if she ever found out I’d talked to a woman this way, but I needed her to get out of here.

Viktor wasn’t someone to fuck around with and more than that, if he was running around with Grey and his empire of fire-breathing Stepford women, then he was even more dangerous.

“I’m not unarmed, asshole.” Izobelle snarled as she pulled out what looked like a wooden knitting needle from the top of her boot. “I’ll stab him, and he’ll be done for.”

“What do you think this is,Buffy the Vampire Slayer?” I reached out and snapped the tiny stake like it was nothing more than a toothpick. “Go home, Izobelle.”

Who the fuck was this woman? Did she think she could really take down a vampire? And more importantly why did she want to stake a vampire? How did she even know they existed? Something had happened to her. I wanted to know more, but I had too many questions and zero time.

Without another word, I turned and headed back into the club, leaving her behind, hoping she would just go home.

I could stomach her hating me, thinking I was the worst person she’d ever met, but I couldn’t stand the idea of her getting hurt. Though, if I was being honest, I just wanted to grab her and take her back to my place and never leave my bed. Then neither one of us would have to deal with the vampire or hate the other.

It wasn’t until I made it back to the VIP section that I realized two very important things.

The first: I couldn’t get up those stairs without her.

The second: it didn’t matter. The vampire had already left a trail of warm, sticky blood seeping down the steps.

Viktor was probably already making his way through dancers on the floor, binging on every last drop he could get.

Changing course, I searched for the woman Izobelle had been dancing with. I had to find her before Viktor did. If I did nothing else tonight, I had to make sure that Izobelle’s friend would be safe.

And somehow, I had to make sure they both got out of here before the damn vampire really started to do damage.

3

Getting the Buzz

IZOBELLE

The news reports in the morning were all fucking bullshit.

Over a hundred people dead, and they were calling it the work of a madman. Claiming he used a knife to cut through the crowd at Epsilon.

Not at all the press they were hoping for when they let a lower-level producer of a morning show onto their list, but it wasn’t like I was to blame.

The worst part, though, was not knowing what happened to Nina or Levi. After Levi had left me in the alley at the back and the door locked behind him, I had to circle back around the front of the club, only this time they wouldn’t let me back in. They were at capacity, probably more than. I’d been texting and calling Nina all night and hadn’t heard a word. Dread filled me as I worried that my friend was a victim of the fucking vampire I’d been deterred from hunting last night. Would they be yet more people I couldn’t save, couldn’t keep from the fangs of a monster?

I kept telling myself I didn’t care what happened to the strange man with the long, sandy colored hair. That it didn’t matter, that he’d known what he was getting into, going back in there, and that I couldn’t be blamed if he’d died.

But if I were being truly honest, I was worried about him, really fucking worried about him.

When my cell phone buzzed, revealing a text from my best friend, I let out a sigh of relief. Or maybe it was more about not feeling as guilty anymore.

Nina: Holy fuck. Are you seeing the news? Good thing we both found hotties to leave with before the massacre started, am I right?

Normally, I might’ve been pissed off that Nina had abandoned me and just assumed I’d left with Levi, but this meant she was safe.

I responded quickly.

Izobelle: I’m glad you’re okay. I’ve been trying to get a hold of you. Want to grab coffee, tell me all about this guy you left with?

Waiting for a response wasn’t my style, so I headed to the bathroom to wash out all the product Nina had globbed into my hair. I didn’t need to look like I had sex hair, especially since I definitely did not go home with Levi last night.

No matter how excited he made my girly bits.

If it hadn’t been for that vampire, I might’ve taken more advantage of the semi-private area of the VIP section to let him touch more than just my inner thigh.

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