The (Not) Satisfied Dragon - Colette Rhodes Page 0,54

mad at me. I want to scratch you and bite you and do all sorts of other weird things that honestly, I'm not sure how to explain,” I admitted.

“Follow your instincts, Shira. If you want to mark me, mark me. I'll wear it with pride, I promise you.” Levi looked at me expectantly as I dried my hands on a towel. Maybe the slithering, bitter jealousy would ease if I let my possessive instincts guide me.

Not giving myself a chance to question it, I closed the distance between us and reached up to grab him by the back of his neck, yanking him down towards me. He could have easily resisted, but he allowed me to control his movements, dipping his head so I could capture his lips in mine. It wasn't a gentle kiss. It was a punishment and a claim. A primal desire to wipe the memory of any female who came before me from his mind.

I sunk my teeth hard into his lower lip, a rumble of satisfaction coming from my chest at seeing my marks on his mouth, taking me by surprise. Deciding to go with it since it was making me feel better, I turned my attention to the smooth column of his neck. Frustrated that I couldn't reach him properly, I jumped and wrapped my legs around Levi's hips. He didn't miss a beat, catching me easily and gripping my ass as he held me in place. With careful attention, I covered his neck in love bites, occasionally scraping my nails over his collarbone and under his shirt while I writhed against him.

As much as I wanted to partially shift and claw him with my talon to leave a permanent mark, I resisted. I was determined not to hurt him, no matter how much the jealousy was riding me.

“Beautiful, we are heading towards dangerous territory,” Levi groaned as I wiggled over his hardness again. “You're going to make me come in my pants and, as a grown male, I don't know how I feel about that.”

“I feel good about it,” I breathed, licking up the side of his throat, admiring all the pretty marks I'd left there. I wasn't entirely sure when I'd become so bold. The jealous monster who was possessing my body wasn't shy. She wanted to own Levi and needed him to understand that.

I rolled my hips again, latching onto a spot just behind his ear I'd noticed he'd liked, and grinned in satisfaction as his body shuddered then stilled. My name on his lips was a prayer and a curse as a sticky patch formed on the front of his trousers between us. I looped my arms around his neck and leaned back to look at him, biting my lip in a weak attempt to hide my satisfaction.

“My bro,” Hiram chuckled, leaning against the archway between the dining room and kitchen with his arms crossed, looking smug. “What a punishment.”

How long had he been there? Long enough, apparently.

I snorted. “Levi wasn't being punished. You are, though. You don't get to... come. At all. Until I say so.” Shy Shira was back in full force, blushing from my hairline to my toes. They kept saying 'come', but I wasn't even sure if I was using it right.

“Babe,” Hiram groaned, slumping against the archway as Levi gave a satisfied grunt, his labored breathing starting to even out.

“Do you, um, want to go clean up?” I asked Levi awkwardly, unwrapping my legs and sliding down his front until my feet touched the floor.

“That's probably a good idea,” Levi chuckled, leaning forward to place a tender kiss on my forehead. “If you ever feel the need to stake your claim again, go right ahead, beautiful.”

✽✽✽

My mates had been very gentle with me yesterday. Ezra had been particularly attentive, looking at me with a mixture of heat then guilt, probably for causing me any discomfort. I wanted to reassure him, but I hadn't found the right words. Instead, I cuddled up to him in bed at night, with Seff on my other side since Oren had spent the most time sleeping next to me.

Their attention had almost been enough to distract me from what we were about to do today. Almost.

I liked to think that if I hadn't killed the Councilors whose seat we were hoping to take, I'd be feeling excited, but I couldn't be sure of that. Maybe I'd be feeling this sick, nervous energy either way. Would they suspect me? Would I