Page 37 of Dragon Exposed

I could feel my eyes growing wide, but I did as he instructed. With a deep breath, I used all my strength to break skin, shoving it in deep.

Ted gasped, a gurgling, wet sound, and Levi asked again, “Tell me about the plans to expose dragons.”

“Tell me about Viktor.” The words were out of my mouth faster than I could really think about saying them, but Levi didn’t seem to mind.

When Ted didn’t start talking right away, I took a chance and twisted the stake in my hand, ignoring as blood dripped down from the wound onto my fingers.

“Fuck.” Ted grunted. “Viktor was my sire. He’ll do worse than either of you could.”

Levi nodded, his eyes flashing almost violet in the heat of the lights overhead.

They didn’t feel like regular florescent bulbs at all.

If you need to go upstairs, don’t feel like you need to push past that urge. Things are going to get worse before they get better. I’m going to have to let my dragon closer to the surface to really cause damage.

Hearing Levi’s voice in my head was a surprise, but I kept my face even, not daring to let the vampire know that there were still so many things I didn’t know. So many things I needed to learn.

I gave Levi an almost imperceptible shake of my head and moved back toward the wall of torture devices.

“Use more words.” Levi’s bored tone was chilling, like he did this kind of thing every day, like his stomach wasn’t roiling like mine was with the mingled scents of blood, burning flesh, and charred wood.

“Humans are our rightful food source. You fucking shifters stand in the way of us taking our place in the world.” Ted sounded indignant, like humanity was beneath him.

Levi just laughed. “And what were you before you turned? You’re still wet behind the ears, Teddy.” He leaned in close, and I watched in a mixed state of fear and awe as he bared teeth that were definitely not human. “I’m guessing tax accountant. Maybe a financial auditor. Someone who always believed he should’ve had more power than you did?”

Levi’s hand came back up around Ted’s neck, his talons digging into the soft flesh.

Ted swallowed hard, trying to maintain his sense of bravado, but it was obvious he was terrified. The dark, wet stain blooming on the front of his bloodstained khakis betrayed him. “I am the top of the food chain. I am a fucking apex predator.” He gasped out the last word.

I reached out and put my hand on Levi’s shoulder, trying to get him to back off. I wasn’t worried about trying to stop him from killing Ted—he clearly deserved it—but I needed to know more about Viktor. I needed to know where to find him.

Levi gave a short nod and backed off, ripping his claws out of the deep puncture wounds seeping from his throat.

“Tell me more about Viktor. Where can we find him?”

“You can’t. Viktor finds you. Or he feasts on you.”

I doubted we’d get much more out of this vampire. He was a self-indulgent, self-serving, self-important douchebag who idolized Viktor and his way of life, thinking that somehow becoming a vampire made him more than he was.

As if Levi could tell what I was feeling, he stepped over to the wall and grabbed something that looked like a crossbow designed to launch stakes rather than arrows. “Do you want to do the honors?”

I looked over at him, looking at the weapon in his hands, at the thick stake he was loading into place.

Did I want to kill a vampire who was once a tax accountant? Did I want to drive a stake into the chest of a man who hadn’t done anything to me personally, but who represented everything that tormented my dreams at night, who would undoubtedly do the exact same thing that Viktor had done to my family, to someone else’s?

Levi must’ve taken my hesitation as not wanting to, because the next second I heard his voice in my head again.You don’t have to do this.

I could’ve really used that handy little trick to respond.

Instead, I reached for the crossbow and lifted it, getting used to the weight, to the feel of such a weapon in my hands. If this was what I needed in order to take out a vampire, I needed to get used to it.

Levi moved in behind me, careful not to get too close, as his hands slid over mine, repositioning my grip, adjusting my stance and my aim.One quick bolt to the heart, and it’ll incapacitate him. Then I’ll finish him off.

With a deep breath, I pulled the trigger, aiming for Ted’s chest.

The vampire let out another one of those gurgling, gross gasps, as his head drooped forward, and a bloom of fresh blood covered the front of his button-up.

I wasn’t sure what I’d expected, but the amount of blood he’d lost was surprising. Maybe I was expecting him to just turn to dust, to be easy clean up?

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