Page 10 of Love Bites Extra Hard

“How many unmated male dragons live here?” I asked.

The flat gaze he gave me told me I wasn’t getting an answer. That wasn’t entirely surprising. He wouldn’t want me telling Hale or any of my other brothers-in-law the answer to that question.

I rephrased the question, asking what I really wanted to know. “Am I at risk of finding out I’m anyone’s fated mate while I’m here? Or are dragons usually paired with other dragons?”

“Fated mates are rare. Most of us aren’t mated,” he said, slightly grudging. “They can be found among any kind of supernatural.”

So I was at risk, then.

“I’d prefer to interact with the unmated ones as little as possible, then. Just to be safe. My family seems to be on some kind of mating spree, and I’m not interested in following my sisters’ footsteps.”

“You’d have to mate with me to do that.”

That was a good point.

“Thankfully for me, you’re waiting for your fated mate.” I scooped up the last bite of my food.

“Notwaiting,” he grumbled, taking the empty plate from me and standing. “Let’s go.”

I stood up, wincing at the cold stone beneath my feet. Maybe I needed slippers or something.

He disappeared into my closet for a moment. When he came back out, he was holding the thickest sweater I had, and tossed it in my direction. I caught it easily and followed him out of the room. Not through the glass door that led onto the balcony, but into a large hallway across from it.

“It’s cold here for people who aren’t dragons,” he said.

“I’ve noticed.”

“It’s worse where we’re going.”

My stomach tensed uncomfortably, and I pulled my sweater over my head.

Where were we going?

What, exactly, could a siren do that he couldn’t do himself? Break into someone’s head? Perform some kind of emotional torture?

I shuddered at the thought, but wasn’t sure those things were even possible.

We wove through a dozen hallways, making our way deeper and deeper into the mountain. The further we went, the icier the air and stone flooring felt beneath my feet.

Some of the rooms we passed were warm, but for the most part, it was freezing cold.

We’d been walking for at least twenty minutes when Talon finally stopped outside a large, metal door and turned to me. He looked down, and I looked up, until I met his gaze.

His eyes were hard, his jaw was clenched, and he almost looked uncertain. “When we step inside, you stay close,” he said. “Listen to every word I say, immediately.”

My stomach tightened. “What’s in there?”

“Do you understand, Avery?” It was the first time he’d used my name, and it felt serious.

“Yes.”

His shoulders went back like he was preparing for a fight, and he turned back to the door. He jerked the handle upward, and after a moment, pushed the heavy door open.

When he stepped inside, I didn’t follow immediately.

My gaze moved down another wide hallway. It looked just like the one we were in, but the walls on the sides looked different. There were thick bars built into the walls at varying places.

Like… windows into cells.

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