Page 65 of Dragon Exposed

“Levi? Is everything okay?” She was looking at me, not watching our backs.

I wanted to yell at her, but I also couldn’t blame her. We were in this together, no matter the spells, no matter the threats. “There’s magic covering it. I don’t know what we’re in for yet, but it can’t be good.” I took a deep breath before slipping the key into the slot.

The tingle of the magic crawling over my skin made me want to drop the tiny metal thing, to grab Izobelle’s hand and run as far from here as we could, leaving whoever was meant to die to her fate.

But what was to say it wouldn’t be Izobelle with the proverbial noose around her neck?

The spell forced my claws out, even though I was doing everything I could to keep my dragon in check.

With a snarl, I twisted the key and yanked the metal door open, nearly ripping it clean from its hinges.

The magic faded as quickly as it started, and I stared at the empty space of the locker.

Nothing was there.

I reached inside, rummaging around the empty space, half expecting there to be something hidden from the naked eye.

But there was nothing. Just air.

“What the fuck is this?” I scowled into the depths of the small space, as if I could scare something out with enough anger.

“What is it, Levi?” Izobelle’s voice sounded more distant now, and a glance over my shoulder confirmed what I had already guessed—she was facing away from me, away from the locker.

“It’s nothing. There’s nothing here.” I stepped back from the space, hiding my hand in my coat, since my claws weren’t retracting. “Unless I’m supposed to breathe fire on it like the damned box, I don’t know what this is supposed to mean.”

“Levi…” She whispered it so softly, I was almost certain I’d imagined it. “It’s Nina. They have my friend.”

I followed where she was looking, to the clock in the middle of the space. To the woman standing under it, her hand at her throat like something or someone was squeezing it.

A glance at the clock face right above her head revealed a shimmer of magic, wrapped around the minute hand. A hand that was getting closer and closer to twelve.

“We need to get her out of here.” I took another quick survey of the cavernous space around us, looking for enemies, looking for anyone who would try to stop us.

Unfortunately, without an obvious weapon, there was nothing to give vampires away. If it were people under thrall, convinced to stop us, no matter the cost, they probably wouldn’t be triggered until we moved.

Somehow, I was starting to think the locker was just a diversion, a way to make sure my claws were out, and my dragon was riled up. Nothing more.

“Let’s move, but slowly. We don’t want to draw attention until we have to.” I pulled Izobelle in front of me, intent on being a shield against any attacks from behind.

Any that came from in front of us, at least we’d see coming.

“Iz?” Nina’s voice sounded choked as she caught sight of us. “I can’t move, Iz. Something’s wrong.” Every word came out more and more panicked, and I could hear the pounding in her chest as clearly as if it were my own pulse in my ears.

“Just stay calm, okay? We’ll get you out of this.” Izobelle held her hands out, but I could tell she was still searching the room, looking for proof of whoever had bound Nina here.

I couldn’t blame her. Whichever witch was helping Grey, creating spells and doing damage, deserved to have her throat ripped out by my claws and teeth.

“What are you doing here?” I looked at the woman in front of the clock, still groping at her neck like an invisible rope was tightening around it. “Move your hand. Show me your teeth.”

“Levi, she’s not.”

“You don’t know that, Izobelle.” I hated the disbelief in her voice, but this was what vampires did. They used the people you loved the most against you. “I have to be sure, before we do anything to try to help her.”

Nina pulled her hands away, holding them out as she bared her teeth to me. “What are you looking for? I just came here because I got a text from you, Iz. You told me to meet you under the clock.” She gasped, swallowing around a clear indent in her flesh, more wire-thin than rope. “What’s going on?”

I cursed. “If we don’t figure out a way to get her loose before the clock hand hits twelve, I’m afraid the magic will slit her throat. Or worse.” I didn’t want to describe the fact that we might have to watch her best friend get decapitated. “Is anyone paying attention to us?”

“Not that I can tell, but there are so many people in here, Levi. Any one of them could be filming us, could be trying to catch you doing something dangerous.” She flicked her glance at me. “I don’t want you to do anything that could get you killed.”

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