Page 10 of Dragon Exposed

I still couldn’t underestimate the possibility that he could be working for the vampire. Or that he was something worse, something else that wanted a taste.

There were plenty of other things on the internet, plenty of other theories of supernatural creatures. Monsters, even.

Levi leaned in and brushed his lips across my scars, a tender, soft touch that had me shivering for a completely different reason. “I’m sorry the monsters of the world have stolen things from you.”

A warmth filled me, a soothing feeling that melted some of the panic that had wormed its way into my psyche over my memories. There was no real reason for it, nothing had changed, but my mood seemed to balance out, to calm.

If that was what happened whenever Levi kissed my scars, I was tempted to beg him to follow me around and kiss me often.

“I know you have lunch plans, and I’ve already interrupted your coffee time, but how would you feel about taking a walk through Central Park? I don’t want this time to end, and I feel like I’m just getting to know you.”

I licked my lips, remembering the taste of his mouth on mine. It didn’t quite feel like it was my own memory, but I was starting to wonder if I’d always feel like that with Levi. If he’d always make me feel a little off kilter, a little out of control of my own emotions, my own body.

With a smirk, I leaned in close, just barely brushing my lips against his ear before whispering, “My lunch plans fell through. A walk sounds nice.”

4

Walking Hard

LEVI

Ishouldn’t have used my abilities on Izobelle. I knew it, even as I let the power flow, easing her fear, her pain and rage toward Viktor. It wouldn’t last forever, and it wouldn’t keep her from suffering in the future, but at least for the rest of our coffees, I could ease it off and let her relax some.

I didn’t use my abilities often, and neither did any of my siblings. Most of the dragon shifters I knew only used their stone coordinated powers when it was necessary. It could be too much like thrall and control if used. There were plenty of dragons who’d used it the past to get what they wanted out of humans or even other dragons.

Tourmaline dragons could affect emotions, we can even create them if we’re powerful enough. I had no desire to create emotions out of thin air for Izobelle. I just didn’t want her so amped up on her fear and hatred.

Gods, I wanted to hunt down the vampire and rip him limb from limb for daring to bite into Izobelle’s sweet flesh, for causing her this pain.

We finished off the last of our coffee and muffins in a silence that wasn’t entirely comfortable, but it didn’t feel like either of us needed to try to fill it. It was more like it was full of anticipation, of unspoken needs or desires, and the longer I sat there, close enough to her to touch, to taste, the stronger the pull from my dragon to do something.

Fucking hells, the council would have a coronary if they knew yet another Tourmaline prince was tempted by a human. It was hard enough knowing all the flak my brothers and their mates got.

But at the same time, there weren’t enough female dragons to go around, and those who were close enough to marriageable age had been paraded through every clan’s court, offered up like some sick cattle auction, to the heartstone that glowed brightly for her.

I’d seen my sister’s frustrations at the ancient traditions, and now, knowing how the humans regarded their females, the processes they went through to find their mates, I wasn’t in nearly the same hurry my brothers had been to find their heartstones.

“Any particular part of the park you’re interested in seeing?” Izobelle linked arms with me as we stepped out onto the sidewalk, her brilliant green eyes practically glowing as she looked around. “We should probably set out on a route, or have a plan, or we might never come out again.”

I shrugged. “Why don’t you show me your favorite places?”

Izobelle laughed. “I haven’t actually spent a lot of time in the park. I’ve been so busy with work, with just settling into the city, my touristy exploration has had to wait.”

Gasping, I turned to stare at her. “You’re not from here?”

She stepped off the curb and hailed a cab as it came tearing down the street. “Only for the past few months.” After a beat, she added cautiously, “I followed a vampire’s trail here. It wasn’t exactly my plan to move here, but Viktor’s kind of hard to get a lock on.”

This insight didn’t line up with what I found about the vampire, but that didn’t mean Viktor was the only one with his depraved, dark tendencies, and my intel was probably at least as shaky as hers was. “If you’re not a New Yorker, where are you from?”

“North Carolina, mostly. I moved around a lot after the whole…incident…and so I don’t really have anywhere I call home, except for wherever I’m paying rent.” She shrugged and slipped into the taxi, rattling off a location as she left me to follow her.

As if there were any chance of me not getting into that cab. I wanted to know everything, her entire story, and the only way I was going to get that was to keep her talking. Keep her close by.

As we drove through the city toward the park, I couldn’t help but keep an eye on Izobelle. There was something about her that was intriguing my dragon, something that made me want to lean in close and claim her lips in a kiss that would probably leave me hard as stone and wanting so much more, just like her mouth had last night.

But kissing a stranger in a night club was different than making out with someone in the back of a cab in broad daylight, and while she’d been more than happy to kiss last night, I wasn’t so sure how to read her emotions on it in the light of day.

“You’re staring.” She glanced over at me, reaching across the bench seat to tangle her fingers with mine. “Want to share your thoughts with the class?”

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