Page 6 of Dragon Exposed

The accent was different, and she was laying it on thick. It took me a second to place it as something Southern.

She pulled my hand up around her waist, pressing her hips back so that her ass was practically against my dick, which was too hard to be remotely appropriate, and she looked over with a smirk. “Didn’t I tell you this city would be just so invitin’?” She grinned as she grabbed a napkin from the table. “But bless your heart, you got something on your face. You been eatin’ barbecue or somethin’?”

The vampire took the napkins and brushed them over his chin, smearing the blood more than wiping it off. When he focused on Izobelle again, he leaned down and growled, “Go, dance. Now.”

She stood, pulling me up with her, and she leaned in close. “We need to get downstairs, now.”

I followed along with her, confused by this vixen, and intrigued by her deception of the vampire. Her expression lacked the telltale vacant acceptance and slack expression of obedience as she led me back down the stairs.

It wasn’t until she pulled him away from the dance floor, toward the exit, that I knew for sure somehow, she’d withstood the vampire’s thrall.

“You need to get the hell out of here, now.” She shoved me toward the door, as if she were worried about me being able to handle the vampire.

I held my ground, crossing my arms over my chest as I tried to come up with a compromise. “Come with me.” I could’ve let the rest of the humans end up vampire food, as long as I knew she was safe.

“Not without Nina.” She looked around frantically. “Just go. You don’t want to be around if he starts looking for either of us.” She shoved at me again, her face set not in panic, but in a stony, solid look, like she was ready to kill someone.

“You don’t know what kind of man that was, Izobelle. Let me handle him. Get your friend and go home. Try to forget all about this night.” I scowled, reaching out with my mind to try to soothe whatever she was feeling. To make her see the truth in my words.

She didn’t budge. “I’m not afraid of what that thing up there is, Levi. But I’m not going to leave this bar full of people to get drained dry either.” She looked at the dance floor again, but there was no sign of the woman she’d come in with. Even the extra almost foot of height I had on her didn’t help. “Either get your ass out of here or help me take him out.”

“Take him out? Izobelle, you can’t take on…” I sighed, trying to figure out if there was any way this woman, this gorgeous, intoxicating woman would ever believe what was really up there. “You can’t kill a vampire.”

She laughed, but it was humorless, and her expression shifted to annoyed. “Like hell, I can’t. I’ve done my research.”

Shit. This was even more complicated than I’d anticipated. I had a lot more questions. Starting with who the hell was this woman? “Look, I’ll deal with him. He won’t hurt anyone else tonight. But you need to go. I can’t be distracted by you, if I’m going to do what needs to be done.”

This woman had me all turned around in a matter of minutes. I needed to get my shit together. Vampires weren’t to be fucked with, especially not with Grey out there changing the very laws of our magical world.

If I could just keep the vampire in the VIP section or lure him out to the alley behind the club, I was sure I could do what needed to be done with limited witnesses.

As long as I could get her out of the club first.

Izobelle crossed her arms over her chest, and part of me wished I had the ability to read minds, not just influence emotions, to figure out what was going on inside her head.

She couldn’t take on a vampire. She wouldn’t survive it. Especially not one as bloodthirsty as Viktor.

The man was a legend, worse than the boogeyman. No way was I letting a mortal woman go after him. Least of all Izobelle.

I shook my head and grabbed her, scooping her up into my arms as I carried her out of the bar.

Squirming, she hissed out, “Put me down.” It wasn’t loud enough to draw a lot of attention, and it didn’t feel like she was trying very hard to actually get free. “I can’t let him do it again, Levi.”

Again? What the fuck had this vampire done to get someone like Izobelle’s attention? The fact that she knew about vampires was confusing enough. Most humans were completely oblivious or at least kept their head down and tried not to catch the attention of anyone supernatural.

Of course, with the way the world was spinning nowadays, it was only a matter of time before something went horribly wrong and humans and supernaturals would have to deal with each other.

Thank goodness, today was not that day.

“He won’t. Go home. Be safe. Please.” The last word came out in a choked sound, gritting out more emotion than I’d intended to share.

Her chin lifted in defiance. “Not without knowing Nina’s safe.” She looked up at me, her seafoam green eyes practically glowing under the streetlight. “You shouldn’t go back in there either. You don’t know what he’s capable of.”

“I really do. Please, just go home. I’ll get Nina out of here, and I’ll take care of the vampire.”

She scowled as I set her down on her feet, making sure she was steady. It wasn’t like I was really worried. She’d only had the one drink, and her shoes looked more stable than most of the sky-high heels most of the women in the club wore. Selfishly I didn’t want to stop touching her, even if it meant taking out one of the worst vampires in Grey’s network.

“Levi, you can’t go in there alone. You need backup.”

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