Page 4 of Laid Bare

Somehow.

Out of nowhere, a large brown wolf jumps in front of me, breaking our eye contact and tearing a cry from my throat. I start to back away, but I don’t get far before giant arms wrap around me from behind, holding me immobile. A scream bursts free this time, and I flail in their arms, my magic roiling under my skin at the unknown attacker. But before I can think to light the fucker on fire, a growl hits my ears.

“Relax, Bailey. It’s me—Hudson.” Yeah, like that quashes the fear. I struggle more, needing to get away before he feeds me to the dragon. “Dammit, Bailey. Stop. We need to get you out of here. Marion is going to try and hold them off.”

Marion?

His words immediately cause the fight to flee, leaving me drained and sagging in his arms. He’s the last person I should find any type of solace in, but he’s… helping me. And while it won’t change what he did, I at least have a better chance of getting out of here before the mob gets what they want.

My head on a silver platter.

My eyes find the wolf again; this time, I look at her in a new light. Marion isn’t even looking at me like before. Now I see her arched back as she hunkers low, growling menacingly at the surrounding supernaturals. Four more wolves jump into the circle, two standing on each side of her, helping her keep the enraged crowd from getting any closer. They must be the guys I always see watching her every move.

“How are we going to get out of here?” I ask, unable to stop the tremble in my words as the surrounding voices reach a new crescendo.

Logically, I know I can create a portal and escape, but I need to relax and concentrate to do that. And this environment doesn’t exactly scream relaxation. Quite the opposite in fact. Plus, there’s no telling how many people will be able to follow me before I can get it closed.

“We have to fight.” The words rumble in my ear, but they’re not making any sense. Fight? There’s too many of them and not enough of us. They’ll kill Marion, her guys, Hudson, and me before we even make it to the main doors.

Little wisps of hair fly around as I adamantly shake my head, rebuffing his idea. His plan is a death sentence of its own. If I’m going to die, then it’ll be just me. I can’t let them all go down with me.

“Are you fucking nuts? I can’t fight.” My words come out in an embarrassing high-pitched squeak, showcasing my fear for all those who can hear.

Which is all of them.

“Yes, you can.” The rumble of his voice sends a shiver down my spine, but it’s hard to tell if it’s a good shiver or a bad one.

Bad. Definitely bad after what he did to me.

A dangerous growl starts to build low in his chest, slowly getting louder until the sound reverberates around the large space. The scent of fear is sharp in the air as the surrounding supernaturals figure out where the noise is emanating from. My eyes snap up, colliding with a green so vivid, I could swear they’re glowing. Wait. They are freaking glowing.

It’s him. The dragon that came into the gala and announced the council’s arrival. No longer does his gaze hold the aloofness as it did when he first arrived. Now disgust rests heavily in those brightly lit emerald orbs, all of it directed at me.

The feeling is mutual, lizard boy.

Cause let’s get real. Why wouldn’t I be disgusted that he’s actually okay with dragging me up there to be what… Beheaded? Stabbed through the heart? Lit on fire? So many different ideas flit through my mind of how I can be ended.

“Bailey.”

Shit. Focus.

Now is the absolute worst time to get stuck in my head pondering this.

The circle closes once again with every step Titus takes in my direction, each footfall matching the thudding of my heart. Marion and her guys back up further toward Hudson and me, their growls growing sharper as the distance decreases.

As much as I want to check on Luka and find Axel, the biggest threat in the room looms closer, undeterred by the snarling pack of wolves in front of him.

Marion’s hackles rise, and it’s not hard to know what she’s planning to do.

“Marion! Don’t!” But my scream goes unheard as she pounces on the dragon. Or at least tries to. Titus swats her away like a pesky bug, her yelp loud in the silence of the room. A whine slips through her muzzle, but not one supernatural moves to help her off the floor. The four other wolves abandon their protective stance in front of me, darting over to my fallen friend.

My eyes track their movements, watching on as two of the guys shift back to their human forms, no one batting an eye at the naked flesh on display. I avert my gaze out of respect and startle, jumping in Hudson’s arms. But I don’t go far; I barely move an inch. That’s how tight Hudson’s holding me.

This close to the dragon—Titus—I can see just how truly terrifying he is. His eyes still emit an otherworldly green glow, but all it does is highlight his other monstrous attributes. His size is comparable to Hudson’s when he’s in Lycan form, like right now, but he’s jacked with muscles. Even his neck is bulging, the dark veins standing out prominently against scaly skin. Two large wings protrude from his back, rising into the air like a death omen. Those alone make me feel so much smaller than I already am.

Sharp cheekbones and a pointed chin are dusted in scales, while long black hair flows over his hulking shoulders. But none of that distracts from the two sharp horns jutting out from his head. If I didn’t already know he was a dragon, my first thought would be demon.

He’s sizing me up from where I tremble against Hudson’s chest, his head tilting to the side as he probably decides if he should just snatch me up and eat me—and not in the good way—in front of every patron here.

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