Page 50 of Marked Dragon

“I hate to, uh…interrupt,” Cassidy called out, “but dinner is ready, and it’s going to get cold.”

My stomach growled, and Thorn laughed. The sound was carefree and warmed my heart so much it could burst.

“We’re getting out,” he called back as he turned off the water. “But you guys don’t have to wait on us. Eat.”

Part of me didn’t want to get out of the shower despite the chill. That meant my mate would get dressed—a true tragedy. I’d been more worried than I’d let on about not seeing him again, and I hated for any part of him to be covered. But it was better than everyone seeing him naked.

He wrapped the towel around me and kissed the top of my head. He connected,We need to get you fed.

I pouted. “But we could stay here and have sex again.”

“There’s no question about that.” He winked as he snatched another towel from underneath the sink and dried himself. “As soon as you eat and we handle Peter, I’m bringing your sexy ass right back in here to make love all over again.”

Batting my eyes, I dropped the towel lower, exposing the top of my breasts. “Or we could go for round two now.”

Behave. Though I want to ravish you, one thing is more important—making sure you’re taken care of, which means eating.He strolled out the door, dropping the towel so I could see his tight ass walking away.Besides, it’s selfish. If you don’t eat, you won’t have the energy to have sex all night. So, a small break is winning.

All night.

I liked the sound of that. I hurried and got dressed, not wanting to be left behind.

Dinner went better than I’d imagined. I’d thought it would be awkward, but Cassidy, Vlad, Thorn, and I sat around the dinner table, while Tyson, Eva, and Elliott played a shooting game. Saphira, Brenton, and Errol sat on one of the futons, watching them play, while poking fun at Tyson whenever he died.

It was almost as if we’d known one another a lot longer than we had.

Cassidy had cooked steaks and potatoes and made a salad. I hadn’t had a good home-cooked meal since Mom had died, so the moment was bittersweet but delicious. The only thing nagging at me was my stepdad, who must have still been passed out since he wasn’t making noise from the back room.

I lifted a bite of steak to my mouth just as Saphira strolled into the kitchen.

“So…” She leaned against the window in front of me, grinning wickedly as she crossed her arms. “Eva told me you were in over your head with Falkor.”

Inhaling, I dropped my fork, and it hit the plate with a loud clank. A sour taste filled my mouth as I glanced from her to my sister.

Eva paused the game.

Elliott jumped from the floor and spun toward her, scowling. He rasped, “What thehell? Cheater! I was winning.”

“You still will be. Chill.” She turned around to watch the exchange between Saphira and me.

My jaw dropped. “Youdidn’t.” She’dtoldSaphira. The little traitor.

“I hope your mouth didn’t do that when you were hanging around there.” Saphira smiled devilishly. “Unless you’re a biter.” Her attention homed in on Thorn. “Is she a biter?”

I wanted to die. That was a moment I didn’t want to reliveeveragain.

Thorn placed his arms against the table and frowned. “What does Everly being a biter have to do with Falkor?” His irises darkened as he glanced at me.

“We’re missing something.” Cassidy wiped her mouth with a napkin and set it down. “Does anyone want to enlighten us?”

“No!” I yelled at the same time Saphira replied, “Yes.”

Everly, what’s going on?The concern wafting from Thorn had my nerves jumping.

“It was something that happened the first night Eva and I werethere,” I replied, wishing Saphira hadn’t brought the story up.

Vlad’s jaw clenched. “Did Falkor do something to you?”

Smoke trickled from Thorn’s nose, and I realized Elliott didn’t know about dragons yet. I glared at Saphira and said, “She’s making it sound worse…” I paused. The whole situation had been horrible. It couldn’t have gotten much worse. “More…” I didn’t know what to say to diffuse the situation.

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