The (Not) Satisfied Dragon - Colette Rhodes Page 0,47

as they appeared.

“Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you,” Levi chuckled.

“You didn't,” I lied, not wanting to ruin my reputation as a fearless assassin. We both watched in fascination as my golden healing magic coated Levi's hand, sealing up his skin like there was never an injury there. There were no tentative touches or hesitant kisses this time — Levi grabbed the back of my head and yanked me forward, capturing my lips with his. Someone — probably Ezra — gave a warning growl as Levi licked into my mouth, and my cheeks burned.

“He's not telling us off,” Levi reassured me, speaking against my lips. “Just reminding us to wait a little longer.” I nodded, not trusting myself to speak. I was feeling hot and weird again.

“Seff,” Ezra barked. I bit down on my lower lip, smiling a little. It probably said something terrible about my personality that I loved to aggravate Ezra so much.

Seff and Levi clapped each other on the shoulder as they traded places. Seff took a more measured approach, arranging himself carefully on his knees and studying his hand as scarlet scales rippled over it. Even the way his scales formed over his skin was smooth and methodical.

He glanced across at me, giving me a warm, reassuring look before running his talon over his opposing hand. Blood, the same rich red as his scales, instantly pooled, running over his warm brown skin.

“You’re doing so good,” Seff said quietly, looking at me appreciatively through hooded eyes. “So fucking good, gorgeous.”

Emboldened by his confidence in me, I reached out and wrapped my hand around his much larger one, my healing magic snapping out of me even faster, more precisely. Seff bit the corner of his lip as he watched it work before a flash of flames encased our joined hands for a second before disappearing. The chaotic burst of magic was the only sign his carefully maintained control was slipping.

“My turn,” Oren rumbled impatiently, moving behind Seff with his arms crossed. Seff pulled our conjoined hands towards him, placing a kiss on the back of mine before letting go so Oren could take his place.

He’d already partially shifted before his knees even hit the floor, slashing his palm open as he got himself settled. I’d been foolish to think of Oren as more patient than the others. He was just better at getting close to me. Oren hadn’t felt the same frustration they’d felt because he and I had made progress.

“Don’t leave me hanging, rebel,” Oren murmured, holding his bleeding palm up. “I’ve been waiting for this from the moment I set eyes on you.”

Unsure how to respond to that, I said nothing. I looked up at him, hoping I could convey how much he meant to me with my eyes alone. He’d been a steady presence when I was vulnerable, had held me through my nightmares, and never made me feel like I needed to be anything more or less than who I was.

My magic was all but crawling out of my body to get to him as I pressed our palms together, eager to complete the bond with my last mate. Oren’s water magic swirled around my hand, wrist, and forearm until the blood on my skin washed clean, and I let my magic take hold on my palm, the wound closing like it was never there. I couldn’t see a scar on the surface, but I felt it under my skin. Or maybe I just imagined it.

//Welcome.// Ezra’s voice echoed in my head, making me jump. It was done. We had bonded.

Chapter 11

I sat back on my heels, feeling stunned and a little overwhelmed, but in a good way. I had a lot of emotions to process, but they weren't bad ones. Mostly I felt right. Like I was where I was meant to be. I don't think I'd ever felt that way in my life — as much as I'd adored my family, even as a child I'd been the odd one out. Not here, though. Among my mates, I was confident I could be entirely myself.

//How are you feeling?// Oren's voice was more confident in my head than when he spoke out loud, and I got the impression that this was his preferred method of communication.

Okay. Good.

I looked around at the five of them as they stared blankly back at me. “Did it work? Could you hear me?”

Levi's lips twitched as he tried not to smile. “Not quite. You need to make a