Page 48 of Marked Dragon

“I’ll take him into the Wolfram Dwinn room and lock him up.” Thorn nodded back toward the hallway. “Then I need a minute alone with Everly so we can talk and clean up.”

That was the room he’d put Saphira in when he’d first brought us here. The tungsten had been forged with Thorn’s own royal dragon fire, and not even dragon shifters could break through the metal or shift when surrounded by it. Peter would be very securely locked in.

I inhaled swiftly. There was no telling what Thorn wanted to say, but I deserved to hear whatever he needed to get off his chest.

“Sounds like a plan.” Cassidy went into the kitchen as she continued, “Vlad needs to clean up too, and I’ll cook us something to eat. Everly has to be starving.”

Food sounded amazing, butafterI cleaned up. I wanted the blood off me.

I turned to the twins. “Will you two be okay for a bit?”

Eva pointed at the gaming system. “Hell yeah. I’ve been jonesing to play.”

The two of them hurried to the television and started setting everything up.

As Thorn and I turned down the hallway toward the bedrooms, Saphira muttered, “Just keep it down. We all have good ears.”

We reached the first door on the right, and Thorn nodded at it. “Go ahead and get in the shower. I’ll be right there.”

He probably wanted me to get clean before we talked, and I couldn’t blame him.

I entered the bedroom and breathed in his minty-amber scent. The stark off-white walls and the queen bed with the same purple sheets we’d made love in for the first time now felt like home.

I walked past the bed and the dresser to the bathroom and turned on the shower. As the water warmed, I bent to grab a towel from under the sink. I tossed the white towel over the shower rod and heard the bedroom door shut. When I glanced up, Thorn was leaning against the bathroom door frame.

Turning to him, I rubbed my arms.

Then he gestured for me to come to him, an unreadable expression on his face.

My heart nearly stopped. What did he want?

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

I straightened,trying to find some sort of calm. This was the first time we’d been alone since I’d snuck out in a poor-ass attempt to save Thorn’s parents, Saphira, and Eva. If he wanted to yell at me, I deserved it.

My feet moved toward him without me giving it much thought. We’d been apart for too long, and at least, I’d get to be near him when he told me whatever he had to say.

Inhaling, I had to get something off my chest. “Before you say anything, I just want to say again how sorry I am. I know I fu—”

He kissed me, cutting off my words, and connected,None of that matters. I just need you.His tongue brushed my lips, begging for entrance.

My body thrummed as our dragons purred together inside our minds. I hadn’t expected this, but it was a more than welcome surprise. We were mates and had been apart too long. We needed to connect again.

To be one…even for a few moments. One soul, one body, one everything. The way we were meant to be.

His minty scent engulfed me, making me dizzy. I opened my mouth to him…and my skin cracked as something that had dried on my face stretched.

Blood.

Ew. He was kissing me while I was covered in blood—though it was mostly Vlad’s. I took a step back.

Thorn’s forehead lined, and he tilted his head. “Did I do something wrong?” His concern wafted through me.

“No,” I said forcefully. I glanced down at my chest and the splotches of blood. “Iwantto kiss you and—” My face burned as I cut off and waved at his body. “You know.” I cleared my throat.

He grinned wickedly. “Nope. Not a clue. You’ll have to spell it out for me.”

I stuck out my tongue, well aware this was the happiest I’d been since the last time I’d seen him. “Well, some would say that leaving you guessing works in my favor.” I scrunched my nose and sighed. “But can we hold off untilaftermy shower? I’m covered in blood and want to wash off the stench of the chateau.”

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