Page 62 of Dragon Exposed

IZOBELLE

Levi and I spent the night wrapped up in each other. Kissing, touching, fucking, sleeping, just to repeat the cycle over and over again.

I wasn’t complaining, by any means, but getting to real sleep just when the sun started to rise didn’t bode well for any sort of productivity today.

He was still asleep when I slipped out of the bed, sneaking to the bathroom to clean up, to try to tame what could only be considered an epic tangle of sex hair.

The claiming mark over my breast was far from the only proof of his claim he’d left on me, as I realized small bruises and hickeys covered my skin, all over my neck and torso. I had no doubt I had them on my thighs and my ass too, but I wasn’t about to try to check them out in the mirror.

Somehow, I’d expected some sign of the claiming to show up by now. The other women had shifted into dragons. Levi’s body was completely devoid of scars, of bruises, even scratches and bite marks I’d left on him faded quickly, indicating he had rapid healing. But if these marks still covered my body, it had to mean that I didn’t.

Did it mean I was failing somehow as his mate? Or did it all just take time?

With a frown, I showered quickly, wrapping in a hotel robe, ignoring all the designer clothes now hanging in the closet. It was too early, or too late, maybe, to really get dressed for the day.

A knock on the door startled me, and I glanced at Levi’s still sleeping form as I crossed the suite.

Looking through the peephole didn’t reveal whoever had knocked, so I cautiously cracked the door open, leaving the chain in place like a security blanket. I doubted it would actually do much in terms of keeping a supernatural intruder out, but it made me feel better having it there, just in case.

The hallway was empty, save a small package sitting just in front of the door.

With a sigh, I quickly undid the chain and collected the box, gasping and jumping when I felt Levi’s hands slide over my ass.

“What is it?”

I looked over my shoulder at him, wondering if it would even hurt him if I punched him in the arm. Where did he get off, scaring me like that?

“I don’t know. Why don’t you let me stand up so that we can find out?” I bumped my hips back into his, trying to prod him to move.

And making his hard cock all too noticeable.

I wasn’t sure I could handle another marathon, honeymoon quality sex day. At least not until we’d had food and water. Oh, and so much coffee. We needed to order room service.

Levi stepped back, taking the box from me before I could really get a good look at it.

Scowling, I snatched it back. “I picked it up, I’m going to find out what’s in it.”

One of these days, even if it killed us both, I was going to make sure he knew that there was no way in hell I would let him constantly treat me like I was a maiden in need of saving, of protecting. I was his mate, his partner, and I wasn’t going to let him treat me like anything less than a partner.

He stayed close but didn’t take the package from me as I carried it over to the kitchen area. It was small, barely bigger than the box a cell phone would come in, and there was nothing about it that made me concerned that there could be something disgusting inside. No dripping, no smells.

Slowly, I unwrapped the brown paper around it, ready to jump back at any sign that it was more dangerous than it looked.

Lifting the lid triggered some sort of recorded message, even though there didn’t seem to be any electronic device attached.

“Levi and Izobelle, back in the city. You’re braver than I would’ve given you credit for. But don’t think that just because you dared to come back here, that you’re going to be safe for long, or that you can stay locked away in this tower forever. The world wants to know just how dangerous dragons can be. I’ve shown them a glimpse, but it won’t be enough for my plans long term. Good luck.”

As the voice faded out, I looked through the shredded paper filling the box, until my fingers closed around a key that looked like it belonged to a locker, like the kind you’d find in a train station if you needed a safe place to keep your luggage while you wandered the city, or in a public pool to stash your clothing and valuables while you swam. Three digits were stamped in white across the plastic base: three-zero-nine.

“What is this? And whose voice was that?” I looked up at Levi, hoping that he would have more answers than I did.

“Grey.” He scowled, dumping the contents of the box out onto the counter. “He’s toying with us, trying to get me to make a move. Whatever that key goes to, I’m guessing he doesn’t want us to find it until it’s too late.” He cursed under his breath and went to the living area to grab his cell phone. “I need to talk to Syrena. We need to know what sort of sick scavenger hunt this asshole would send us on.”

“Levi, what if…” I let the thought trail off, unsure if I could finish it out loud. She was probably the only witch he knew, the only one he had access to. If she was at all responsible for Grey’s plans, of him being able to find the tourmaline dragons’ mates, it would make all of this so much harder.

The small group of dragons I’d met already looked frayed, stressed to the very edges of what a person could take. What would they do if they lost someone they trusted so deeply?

He shook his head. “I know it’s a risk. Talking to anyone, being anywhere is a risk with Grey’s network of vampires in the world. He would’ve found us, wherever we went. He could’ve had a witch spell the box to find us, even if he didn’t know where we were, just like they’d spelled the message inside it.” Levi came back to me, kissing my forehead before he unlocked his phone. “Are you sure I can’t convince you to go to my sister, stay safe until we’ve found Grey and thwarted his plans?”

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