A dragon. Aimi was a fucking dragon. And her reply to this most momentous of news?

“Duh. I told you so.”

He swam to the edge of the pool and sloshed out. “No, you can’t be. You were supposed to be some crazy girl with delusions of being a fucking dragon. Not a real fucking dragon.” Such a beautiful one, too. When he’d seen the shadow overhead, noticeable even with the falling twilight, he’d suspected it was Aimi, but he could have never imagined the rest.

Cartoons often portrayed dragons as sporting fat bellies and spewing flames, wearing horns with smoke curling from their nostrils. Some also sang—Puff the magic dragon anyone? The truth about dragons proved somewhere in the middle.

Aimi’s beast held a lithe shape, more serpentine slender than rounded belly. While she still had two legs and two arms, they were hinged slightly different, and her toes sported sharp claws—that dangled me like a worm on a hook. His mancard sobbed in his pocket.

Her scales were incredible, appearing made of actual silver, bright and flashy. He wondered how she’d look with her skin refracting the setting rays of the sun.

I look beautiful. “Before you ask, you spoke aloud, not in your head.”

Despite her claim, he still gave her a stiff-lipped stare. She didn’t look like a dragon now. Even her eyes were normal and human looking. He suspected her pupils only slitted green fire when her beast pushed.

“You’re a fucking dragon.” He couldn’t help but repeat himself.

“I don’t know why you’re acting so surprised. I told you from the start what I was. You were the one who kept insisting I lied.” She shrugged, the movement sending a ripple through the hair forming a silvery curtain around her body. Her nude body. Parts of it flashed as her hair shimmered over her skin. Hide and seek. A game he wanted to play with his lips and hands through the silk skeins of her tresses.

Want her. He most certainly did. Wanted her for himself. The pretty-shiny precious moonbeam who’d suddenly appeared in his life.

A woman who was a dragon.

“Dragons aren’t fucking real.” A denial that no longer worked. He’d seen Aimi in all her gleaming beauty. Such a majestic creature. Few things awed him. She did, though; a strange new feeling for him.

And he’d thought to touch her? Kiss her? He wasn’t worthy of her. Not by a long shot.

“Let us recap so you can stop repeating yourself. I am a dragon. Dragons are real. Want to touch me again to be sure?” A teasing smile lifted the corners of her lips, and her hip jutted to the left, loosing the silken hair covering it. Even with the murky shadows, he could see her exposed skin.

How he wanted to touch her and do dirty, wicked things to her body. Have her scream my name as she comes for me. A wickedly appealing fantasy, but one he couldn’t have. “Fuck me.”

“I’m ready now if you are.” She took a step forward.

The temptation almost dropped him to his knees. On my knees, I could worship her as she deserves. A true moon goddess who entranced him. “I can’t.”

“You mean you won’t because we both know you can.” Her gaze dropped to a spot below his belt.

“Don’t you look at me like that. I was more than willing earlier, and then you drugged me.”

“My sister drugged you. For your own safety.”

“How is making me helpless safe?”

“Because then you don’t do stupid things like try and leave.” She glared and pouted at the same time. A powerful combo.

Not going to kiss her. Nope, not him. He was still pissed. With good reason. He’d woken from a drugged sleep to find himself locked in a room. The result proved to be a litany of curses—goddamn piss fucking son of a bastard—that did nothing to get him out.

However, he’d learned a thing or two about electronic door locks while working at Bittech. There was always a way to shut it down and open the door manually—unlike the movies.

“I left because you had no right to keep me prisoner.”

“You’re my mate.”

“Well, you sure didn’t act like it.”

“Did you not wake in my bed with me?”

“Do you lock in all your lovers?”

She smiled. “Only the one I’m keeping. Congrats, you’re the first.”

The words shouldn’t have warmed him. Why didn’t he fight their allure? Shut the fuck up and enjoy it.

Nothing wrong with enjoying the fact that a woman appreciated him. He’d had to wash that appreciation off his hand so it wouldn’t give him away when he made his escape.

A male should never share the scent of his woman’s passion. It’s mine and mine alone. Sharing was for saps.

“You know, if a guy does the same thing, it’s considered a felony.”

“Sucks to have a penis.”

He winced. “You shouldn’t use that word.”

“What word? Penis?” Cringe. She laughed. “I don’t believe it. He cowers at the word penis.”

“I don’t cower,” he said, lips twisted in annoyance.

“Penis.”

Flinch. Glare.

“Peeeee-nnnnnissss.” She sang it.

“I don’t care if you’re a dragon. Say it one more time, and I’ll put you over my knee and spank you.”

“Promise?” She batted her lashes, which were dark, unlike her hair. “What word should I use instead? Penis is the proper word.”

“Cock.” The word burst from him, reasserting some manhood to his manbits. “Dick. Giant lizard.”

“Lizard? You think lizard is a sexier option to penis?” She stared at him, mouth agape.

“Snake also works, as does love shaft, boner, and dong. They’re okay, too, depending on how you use them.”

“There is another term mother approves of—baby maker.”

Funny how that didn’t make him flinch. “There will be no baby making.”

“Don’t let my mother hear you say that.”

He blinked at her. “Your mother wants me to fuck you?”

“That’s the preferred method of getting pregnant. By the way, I feel like I should mention, she hates the f-word.”

“Your mother can kiss my ass.”

“She just might if it turns out you’re really a gold.”

Ah, yes, the insane belief that he was a dragon. As if. He could never aspire to the beauty he’d seen. A gator or a freak with wings was his lot in life. At this point, he wasn’t even sure he still had the ability to change. The only thing certain was that the cold voice within still spoke to him and, even more worrisome, appeared to be blending in.

“What if you’re wrong? What if I’m not gold? What then?” He already knew the answer. They’d cast him out faster than a drunk at a bar at closing time.

“If you’re not, then, as a consolation prize, you can kiss my butt instead.” She smiled. “Or bite it. I’m open either way.”

Why did she make it so hard? And he meant hard. Any chance she didn’t know the effect she had on him? Judging by her coy smile…no, she knew. “You’re trying to distract me again.”

“Is it working?”

It worked all too well. As Aimi stepped off the massive rock, her hair wisped around her body, teasing and revealing only snippets of her perfection.

“You’re naked.” The observation from before spilled past his lips.

“Your grasp of the obvious is startling.”

“I didn’t mean it that way. I mean you have no clothes, even though you changed back. From watching movies and stuff, I thought dragons weren’t like shifters. I thought you were supposed to be more magic. Shouldn’t that mean you keep your clothes when you morph?”

“It would certainly make things easier if we could. Alas, we are perhaps more like Cryptos than we like to believe.”

“Cryptos?”

“Short for Cryptozoids. It is what we call those who are not dragon or human.”

The line dividing him from her got thicker. He was but a shifter whose entire belief system had gotten turned upside down. “Your culture is completely different from mine, isn’t it?”

“Yes. We have a unique way of living, much of it very structured, but many of our laws came about out of a need for survival after the purge.”

“The purge being…?”

“When humans tried to hunt us to extinction. Much like what might happen now that the Cryptozoids have revealed themselves to humanity.”

“You think they’ll kill us all?”

“I should hope not because it would mean we would never have a hope of revealing ourselves.”

“And do dragons want to reveal themselves?” he asked.

“I think most of us just want to be able to fly free in the sun and blue skies once again.”

“You did just now.” A setting sun, but still, it was far from dark outside.

“And for that, I will probably be punished. Even though I did it in a safe spot, I broke a cardinal rule.”

“The rebel of the family, are you?”

She appeared startled by his statements. “Me? No. That’s usually my sister, Adi.”

“And yet, your sister isn’t the one here on this mountain with me.”

“Of course, she isn’t. I claimed you.”

The nonchalance with which she threw that at him didn’t detract from the words themselves. “Should I be flattered?”

“Are you looking for compliments?” Her lips curved. “I claimed you because you intrigue me. It is hard enough to find an unmated male, but to find one who is handsome and strong and not a mama’s boy…” She reached out a hand to trace his lower lip. “That was not a prize I could ignore.”

“I won’t be owned.” His uncle and Andrew and Bittech had thought to own him once upon a time. He wouldn’t let that happen again.

“But I take ever such good care of my things. Wait until you see my hoard.”

“Hold on a second, did you just say—”

“You talk too much. Come here.” She grabbed his chin and pulled him down, and he let her, mostly because staring into those shockingly beautiful violet eyes, he couldn’t stop himself.

“You’re dangerous, moonbeam.” His words dusted her lips; her hands cradled his cheeks.

The reply hit him warmly. “Thank you. Remember that if you ever decide to cross me. Apparently, my family still has yet to learn how to give me my space.”

Whirling from him, she planted her hands on her hips and yelled at the approaching drone. “Yes, I know I’m in trouble. But could you give me fifteen minutes with my mate?”

Fifteen? He could probably shave that down to five for both of them.

Zap. The streak of heat hit the ground at her bare feet, and Aimi scowled. “You pussy-blocking, womb-hogging, ass-kissing traitor. I will get you back for this.”

Zap. Aimi easily dodged the laser’s streak. “We’ll have to continue this conversation later.”

“Or I could grab that drone and make it into scrap.” It occurred to him that chivalry demanded he destroy the toy robot.

“She’ll just send another. Besides, we should get back. We have a mission.”

“A mission? To do what?” Finish what they started?

“You still want to save your sister?”

“Yes.” The mention of Sue-Ellen had him forgetting any thoughts of seduction. Sue-Ellen was the reason he’d left the house in the first place. “Do you have a clue as to her whereabouts?”

“Not quite but I’m sure it won’t be long before we’ve pinpointed it for sure.”

“What my so-in-trouble twin means to say,” said a tinny voice issuing from the drone, “is that she has an invitation to the gala one Sue-Ellen Mercer is attending tonight in Beverly Hills. And guess who gets to be Aimi’s plus one?”

“I’m going to see my sister?” The very concept stunned.

“Apparently. So let’s go.”

And by go, Aimi meant now, as with a shimmer, she went from seductress to dragoness—silver-scaled majesty.

Stunningly beautiful.

Don’t touch.

Fuck it, he touched, the scales warm against his skin and of the strangest texture.

“Mom is going to kill you,” sang Aimi’s twin, to which Aimi replied by swatting the drone out of the sky.

He, on the other hand, was emasculated as once again she grabbed him in her claws and carried him, with ease he might add.

How did such a tiny woman pack such a large creature? It made no sense.

He got a chance to ask less than two hours later when they were on board a plane to the West Coast. First class, of course, a section overtaken by mostly platinum hair. Apparently, as a Silvergrace, Aimi required an entourage, whereas Brandon needed a lead suit, given he was pretty sure a few of the cousins who’d bummed along had x-ray stares.

To ignore them, he chose to talk to the seductress seated by his side. “How is your dragon so large?”

“That’s a rude question.” Bright eyes peered at him over the headrest in front. “I’m sure you wouldn’t hear Aimi asking how your dick got so big.”

Aimi dove forward and grabbed—was it cousin Deka or Babette?—by the hair and growled. “Don’t you be looking at my mate’s parts. Mine.”

“You can keep him. I hear he’s quick in the sack.”

His turn to feel heat warming his cheeks. He bit back his retort of, “You’d come quick, too, if you hadn’t truly touched a woman in two years.” But it was more than just that. Aimi just excited him that much. She also fascinated him, especially how she went from being such a proper lady to wild-eyed hoyden banging her cousin’s head off the seat.

“Aimi! Let her go,” shouted someone a row behind. “You know the airlines frown on blood.”

With one last growl and tug, Aimi released her cousin, who slunk back into her seat. It didn’t stop his moonbeam from muttering, “Next time you look at him, I’m eating your eyeballs.”

Some people might have taken her literally, but Brandon, used to these kinds of family interactions, thought nothing of it. Mercer celebrations usually involved a few brawls, blood, and loose teeth. To prevent any more trouble, he diverted her attention, drawing it to him instead. “Okay, Captain Cavedragon, did you seriously just say ‘mine?’ Isn’t that right up there with ‘I licked it?’” He might act aggrieved, but there was definitely something hot about a woman—not just any woman, but Aimi—saying that.

“Yup.” She shrugged. “Dragons tend to have a hoarding gene. Once you ascend, you’ll feel it, too.”

Why wait? I already covet a certain moonbeam for my own.

He waited for his colder self to add in its two cents and was surprised when it remained silent. It hadn’t said much since his change to his man shape. Did his gator sulk?

I’m here. Even more than before. Cryptic words that he didn’t have time for. The rescue for Sue-Ellen took precedence over everything. “So what is this party we’re going to that has my sister attending?”

“You don’t have any idea at all what date it is, do you?”

“No. Why?” He frowned. He’d lost track of a lot of things during his run-and-hide routine the past few months.

“Does November third ring a bell?”

November third. “Ah, fuck. It’s Sue-Ellen’s birthday. You mean this is a party for her?”

“Yes.”

“But how did you get invited? I thought you didn’t know her or Parker.”

“I don’t, but Mother does, and since the birthday party is also acting as a fundraiser to request funds to promote a better relationship between shifters and humans, we got an invite.”

“Back up a second. I thought people didn’t know you were dragons.”

“They don’t, but we have loads of money.”

“An invitation is all well and good, but you can’t seriously expect us to just walk in. I have a feeling Parker is still gunning for me.” Of course, his uncle wanted back the pet project that had gotten away. Uncle Theo wants his slave. He fisted his hands by his side rather than let them touch his bare neck. He’d had such a hard time getting the controlling collar off, he had no interest in wearing one again.

“Of course, we won’t just walk in.” She gave him a duh tone and expression. “We’re dragon. We strut.”

The assertion made him grin. “You’ve got balls, moonbeam, I’ll give you that, but I don’t know if this is a good idea, confronting him like that. Uncle Theo will probably have security in place with orders to watch out for me.” A covert operation to extract his sister seemed like a wiser move.

“Don’t you worry about your uncle. Why do you think we got so many volunteers to come? They’re expecting trouble. We’re going to have so much fun.”

“You’re going to fight? I thought you dragon gals liked to stay low-key. You do know there will be cameras there.”

A coy smile tilted her lips. “There are cameras everywhere we go, and yet, you won’t see many images of us around.”

“You won’t be able to avoid being caught out tonight if you start shit. It’s not just cameras you have to worry about. Keep in mind, Parker won’t hesitate to shove you out of the closet.”

“Parker might be many things, but he’s not stupid. If he outs us, it will be the last thing he ever does, and he knows that. But at the same time, he can’t be allowed to continue with his impunity, especially if it turns out he’s been using us to experiment. We shall crush him.” She slammed a fist into her palm and wore the most savage smile.

It was so fucking hot. “Crush him like a bug? Can I watch? I’d love to see him demolished by a girl.”

“I’d love to knock him toothless, too. Alas, that would draw too much attention.”

“Then how are you going to crush him?”

“Not all fights are physical. We’re going to demolish Parker with elegance.”

“Sounds civilized,” he said with a moue of displeasure.

“Have you ever seen someone socially ruined?” She arched a brow.

“All the time in high school.”

She made a noise. “That is mere bullying. This is an art. You’ll see.”

What he saw was a bunch of excited women, treating this excursion as a lark. It struck him in that moment what a grave disservice he might be doing to the Silvergrace ladies, drawing them into danger. What if Parker decided to take Aimi or one of her other family members hostage to use in more of his experiments? Aimi could pretend all she wanted that Parker wouldn’t dare, but Brandon didn’t doubt for a second Parker would do whatever he wanted if he thought it would serve him.

“I should be going on this mission alone.”

“Are you ashamed of me?”

“What? No?” More like he didn’t want the responsibility of keeping them out of his uncle’s clutches.

“If you’re not ashamed, then why wouldn’t you want me to go with you?”

“None of you should be going with me. Don’t you realize what kind of danger we’re talking about? My uncle, Theo, is the guy who had no problem blackmailing family. Who experimented on me and countless others. Dragon or not, Theo won’t hesitate to harm you. What if I can’t protect you?” Just like he hadn’t protected his sister. What if he failed again?

Failure is not an option. Next time, we crunch.

“Aw, isn’t that sweet. He thinks we might get hurt. Don’t you worry about us, Speedy,” Adi chided as she walked past. “We can take care of ourselves, and we’ll keep your butt safe, too.”

He frowned. “Why is she calling me Speedy?”

“You really don’t want to know.”

Except the way she said it caused him to understand and his cheeks flamed. Doing something about it, though, meant hitting a girl, Aimi’s twin. Fuck me.

Since the flight they were booked on was an overnight one, he closed his eyes and relished the feel of Aimi using him as a body pillow. He let his mind wander, wondering if his luck were about to change. Could his bad streak finally be coming to an end?

After more than two long years, would he reunite with his little sister? I’m not a monster anymore. I can have a life. A normal life.

Normal isss overrated, and things would be better if monsters ruled the world. Monstersss like me.

I’m not a monster.

The coldness swirled around him, drawing him into a place of smoke and shadows, a place in his mind where he and his beast cohabited.

You are more than a man, and yet you keep trying to deny what you are.

And what am I? He wasn’t sure anymore.

You and the thing you would call monster are one, and you need to stop fighting it.

I am me!

You are the dragon we seek. We see you. We come.

The strange voice spoke within his dream, jarring him as it forced its alien presence into his reality.

His eyes shot wide open, the sleep he’d fallen into wiped in an instant. He immediately wondered if he’d imagined it. The subconscious was a powerful place, or so his great-nana told him. She believed in portents and messages via the dreamworld. She also believed in a few glasses of moonshine before bed.

The voice didn’t speak again, and around him, he noted no panic or agitation. Leaning against his arm, Aimi still snoozed. It seemed everyone did judging by the soft snores. What didn’t sleep was his bladder.

Easing out from under Aimi, he stood and stretched. First class gave him enough room to squeeze past her without having to wake her up. She cutely grumbled anyhow at the loss of her pillow.

The bathroom at the front of the plane said Occupied. Since he didn’t mind stretching his legs, he went through the curtain and headed to the one at the back, noting the passengers in this area as he did. It was less than a third full, and only a few were awake, reading by feeble lights. No one paid him any mind.

Not normal.

Paranoia, his dear friend, wanted to make an issue of it. He, on the other hand, was more interested in the pair of bathrooms at the far end. One was available.

It took some maneuvering to get into the slim cubicle, as it was made for tiny people. He finally managed to wedge the door shut, slide the lock to Occupied, and whip it out.

Midstream, the plane rocked, and he missed, pulling a rookie splash. “Fuck.” He finished, did a quick wipe, and washed his hands before exiting. The plane wobbled again. Damned turbulence.

As he made his way up the aisle, he noted more than a few lights on, and some of the passengers peering out the windows. Of more interest, their whispers,

“What is that?”

“Is it a giant bird?”

“Looks like gargoyles to me.”

That last remark brought a chill to his blood. He leaned down and did his best to peek. The sky outside remained dark, so dark, with only the lights on the plane’s wings to illuminate it, which was enough to see a bulky shape on the metal, a shape that moved.

“Monster!” The word that started the panic.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Alarms went off as people paged the flight attendant. As for Brandon, he suddenly realized what the shape on the wing was.

The plane was being attacked by… “Dragons!”