Page 74 of Dragon Exposed

And I wasn’t nearly done. I wouldn’t stop until Levi was back in my arms, until we were back in our suite, wrapped in each other, knowing that we would be safe.

Izobelle, you can’t kill her until she breaks the spell.

I snarled at my mate’s words, fire roiling in my belly, close to spilling out of my mouth. I wondered how long it would take to burn a woman alive. If I could use the fire to kill vampires too, or if beheading was my best bet for Viktor.

Now that I’d found my dragon form, I wasn’t sure I would be able to shift back. At least not until my enemies were dead.

“I can’t let down the barrier if you don’t let me go.” Tabitha’s voice was small, meek, like something had broken in her too, but gone the other way.

One wrong move, and I’ll roast you alive.

I pulled my arm back, letting the witch fall into the sewage under my feet like the pile of shit she was.

Tabitha scrambled toward the doorway where Levi waited, careful to keep clear of my hulking shape.Fix whatever you did to his heartstone too, witch, or I won’t stop at roasting you alive. Maybe I’ll rip off each limb, one by one. How many do you think you could lose before you die?

Levi’s eyes met mine, his gaze full of awe, like he hadn’t ever seen anything quite as beautiful as I was. It was a look I was used to seeing from my mate, but somehow in this form, it seemed amplified.

My little warrior mate.

Levi’s thought slipped into my head as easily as a knife through butter, and it filled me with a warmth, a feeling of adoration that I only ever felt from him. Clearly, he didn’t believe the heartstone any more than I did, but if it was true, if for some reason it wasn’t meant to light up for me, then what did we do? What would it mean for his claim, for the mark on my skin?

As a dragon, I could see the shimmer of magic around the door, and I could tell the moment it fell. Tabitha whimpered again, as if she were being physically hurt, even though neither of us were touching her, nothing was there to cause her pain.

“Keep the vampires off our trail, or we’ll come back here and finish what my mate started.” Levi snarled at the witch, making her cower against the door, and then he hopped down into the muck next to me.

The witch clutched at her head, looking small and frail, like taking down the spell had weakened her.

It was almost enough to make me feel sorry for her.

But she hurt my mate, and all I wanted to do was rip her to pieces.

Leave her, Izobelle. There’s time enough to deal with the witch, but right now we need to get out of here.

How do I shift back? There’s no way I’m getting out of a sewer grate like this.

Levi’s hand skimmed over my scales, a gentle touch, before he saidJust let it happen. You didn’t fight against changing into a dragon. If you’re ready to change back into a woman, all you have to do is let go of your dragon form.

Sure, like it was that easy.

I hardly felt like I could just stop being a dragon. What if I couldn’t access it again? What if we ran into vampires or dragon slayers on our way out? How would we have a fighting chance in human bodies?

Izobelle, I can hear you overthinking this. We’ll work on shifting at will soon, but for now, we need to get out of these tunnels and back to the hotel. Fast. Unless you want me to smash a hole open to the sky big enough for us to leave through, and draw more attention to dragons in the process, we have to get out of here in human form.

How are we going to get back to the hotel with you completely naked?

Levi chuckled.I’m not the only one. Or have you forgotten that shifters don’t keep whatever clothes they might be wearing when they change shapes?

Fuck, I had forgotten about that. Too late now.

As I tried to focus on Levi, on getting back into a smaller shape, so that we could get out of these sewers, I had no doubt we’d figure something out after that.

Or maybe we’d just shift again, and he could teach me to fly.

Just relax, my mate. We’ll fight anyone who dares try to hurt us together. We’ll take the heartstone to Syrena, ask her to remove any spells Tabitha might have placed on it. Or we’ll make our own fate. I’ve found my mate, the only woman I’ve ever known to be worthy of my mark. Whatever else happens, you’re mine, and I am yours.

With a sigh—a funny sound from a dragon’s mouth—I felt everything start to shift again, as if the scales covering my body were melting back into my skin. It was such a strange sensation, like my body was mine and not mine all at the same time. But as soon as I was back to the size and shape I’d grown to know well, I practically jumped on Levi, kissing him hard before we started down the tunnels, searching for an exit, listening for any other footfalls, any other proof that someone was following us or coming up on us in the dark.

Levi didn’t let go of my hand until we were safely back on the grass of Central Park.

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