Page 63 of Dragon Exposed

I scowled at him, not bothering with a verbal answer.

It wasn’t like he needed one, anyway.

As soon as he hit “call” on his phone, he put it on speaker and set it next to the shredded paper on the counter.

“Hello, Levi. I hear congratulations are in order.” The woman’s voice didn’t sound evil, but I’d wager most people who truly were evil didn’t give it up that easily. “What can I do for ya?”

“Hey, Syrena.” He sighed. “My mate is here with me, and she can hear everything.”

I swallowed before saying, “Nice to meet you.”

God, I hoped she couldn’t hear the shake in my tone.

“I was hoping I’d get to meet you in person soon. But over the phone will do for now.” She chuckled, and then said, “Now, if I had to hazard a guess, something’s happened to interrupt you both getting to know each other more intimately? What’s Grey done now?”

Straight to the point. Interesting. Was she using directness to try to hide the fact that she was involved?

Levi’s hand tightened on my hip as he said, “We received a package and a message. He wants to show the city just how dangerous a dragon can be. I have no intention of following his sick games, but I need to know what I could be losing if I don’t.”

“You’re trying to get me to transport myself up to New York, aren’t you?” Syrena’s sigh sounded breathy and irritated through the phone, like this was a huge burden.

I didn’t know enough about magic to know if it was or not.

“He sent us a key. I need to know what it goes to, and if someone’s going to die if we don’t get there in time.” He didn’t answer her question, but something told me she didn’t actually need it answered.

“Tell me about the box. The key may not be anything trackable, but maybe the box is.”

I furrow my brow, thinking that it looked like a typical box. Nothing particularly descriptive or decorative about it.

Levi, though, picked it up, and looked it over. “It’s made of wood, varnished with something. The lid is attached with tiny silver hinges, and—” he sniffed it “—it smells of magic.”

“It sounds like Tabitha’s work. I would imagine there’s more to the box than what it seems, but, Levi, be careful. If she’s hidden a message only a dragon can find, she could’ve also woven other spells into the wood. Unlocking any clues about where the key leads or what they might be up to, could also cause damage to you or your mate.”

Syrena hung up without another word, leaving Levi examining the box with a frown.

“What are we going to do? If we do nothing, what’s the worst he could have done?”

“He’s a vampire. You, of all people, know just how much destruction they’re capable of. Grey is vindictive, manipulative, and not afraid of violence. If he’s set a plan into motion, I’m betting he has something he intends to do, regardless of whether we play along or not.” Levi sighed and stepped back from the counter, tugging on the front of my robe until I was in his arms again. “What do you think, mate? Should we unlock the secrets of the box?”

“If he’s set a plan in motion to hurt people, to potentially set New York on fire like he did Philly, I don’t think we have much of a choice.” I frowned and leaned into his chest. “I don’t want you getting hurt, though.”

Levi’s chest rumbled against my cheek as he chuckled. “Nothing could keep me from you for long. Even if there is some trickery built into the box, even if it is meant to hurt me, I would take the danger a thousand times over, rather than seeing any pain befall you.” He ran his palm over my hair in a gentle, loving touch. “We should get dressed and arrange a car. I don’t want to enact any unnecessary spells until we’re ready to move.”

“What if…” I pursed my lips, looking up at him nervously. “What if the spell forces you to shift? Or makes you look like you’re under the craze?”

“If I’m under the craze, even induced by magic, my mate will be able to return me to myself.” He kissed me softly, putting all his faith in the world into me as he poured his love into that kiss. “Join me in the shower, and then we’ll go.”

“If I get in there with you, we both know you’re not going to be able to keep your hands to yourself.” I pulled away and shook my head. “Shower fast, and then you can braid my hair.”

It wouldn’t be nearly enough touches to satisfy either of us, but if we were going into battle against vampires, I wanted to make sure my hair was out of my face, secure, and I couldn’t imagine a better way to do that than letting Levi create a crown of braids for me.

As he showered, I put on a pair of designer jeans that hugged my ass like they were painted on and a shirt that didn’t look quite as expensive as the rest of the wardrobe. At least it was cotton and would allow me some range of movement if I needed it.

Once I was ready to go other than my hair, I settled on the couch and tried to focus, tried to find a connection with some inner dragon that I didn’t seem to have. I was feeling entirely under-armed and under-prepared to take on a vampire or anything else supernatural that could be waiting for us. Not to mention, anything magical or technological that could do damage.

Maybe, just a little bit, I was considering going and hiding with Krystana.

But then Levi came out of the bedroom, looking like a dark god, dressed in all black, his hair secured at the base of his neck with a strip of black leather, and my fear melted away. Even if I wasn’t armed, Levi wouldn’t let me get hurt.

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