Liorax:

The more time I spend with Olivia, the more the dragon inside me wants her. Not just the dragon. If I’m being honest, the man in me wants her too.

So what are you waiting for? Tell her how you feel. Ask her to be yours.

But, though, Olivia is nothing like Kat’vi, fear of repeating the past holds me back. So I play along with Dariux’s contest, even though a very large part of me wants to force the issue and claim Olivia for my mate.

I spend a sleepless night, tossing and turning, my dreams filled with images of the red-haired human woman. Finally, at dawn, I give up on rest and get out of bed. Zunix and I spent yesterday with Olivia, which means, unfortunately, it’s Belfox and Herrix’s turn to spend time with her today.

Stupid contest.

I’m making my way to the clearing when Zunix falls into step with me. “It’s almost three months to the day since we found the human women,” he says.

“It’ll stop raining in the Lowlands soon. Is that what you’re thinking about?” The expedition to find the other women is problematic. Dariux’s skimmer will only hold two people, three in a pinch. Dariux will almost certainly want to be one of them. Who will be the other? I’m not sure. The mated dragons could fly to the other camp, but convincing them to leave their new human mates will be difficult.

His expression is pensive. “Among other things.”

“What’s bothering you?”

“Herrix and Belfox,” he replies. “They’re up to something. Do you know that every time we’re with Olivia, the two of them borrow Dariux’s skimmer and head east?”

“East? To the desert?” I give him a surprised look. “Why? They’ve never been interested in exploring this planet.”

“I don’t know why,” he replies. “But my instincts tell me that they’re up to no good. The timing is suspicious.”

“You could ask Olivia to look into it.” My lips twist into a reluctant grin. “She’s good at getting information out of people.”

Zunix laughs. “She is indeed,” he says, his expression admiring. “But I don’t want to. Whatever Herrix and Belfox are doing, they’re taking efforts to keep it concealed. I don’t want to put her in danger.”

That’s sentiment I can appreciate. Olivia is stubbornly self-reliant, but I still feel the urge to protect her, and my dragon cannot bear the idea of her in any kind of trouble.

“However,” he adds, “I’ve got Dariux’s skimmer today. I’m going to try to figure out what the two of them are up to. Can you ask Olivia to keep them away from the eastern edge of Lake Tuli?”

“She’s going to want to know why.”

Zunix’s eyes twinkle. “And I’ll be happy to tell her.”

Three months ago, I’d been concerned for my friend. His games were starting to take on a hard edge, and I’d been afraid that he’d end up like Dariux, bitter and hostile.

But he’s changed in the last three months, and that’s entirely because of Olivia. Zunix can never leave his spymaster training behind, but he’s lost his unfeeling edge.

“Be careful,” I warn him. “You know I don’t trust Herrix.”

He nods, and we part ways. I continue to the clearing, but when I get there, I’m not alone. Olivia’s there, shooting arrows at her target, her expression focused. She doesn’t hear me come up, and I watch with pleasure as she hits the bullseye three times in a row.

She’s been practicing. She always had some level of skill, but she’s improved by leaps and bounds. I start to clap, and she looks up, startled. When she sees me, her expression softens into a smile. “I didn’t see you,” she accuses me.

My lips twitch. “You always do better when no one is watching, Olivia. You do know I’m onto you, right?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she tells me, biting back her smile. We’ve been playing this game for weeks now, trading truth for truth, and I know it’s only a matter of time before all our secrets are out in the open. “Where’s Zunix?”

She lines up her next shot, and I correct her aim slightly. She smells like the green flowers that grow around the lake, and my cock leaps in my trousers. Her skin is warm and soft, and I ache for her. Constantly.

Claim her, my dragon growls, not for the first time. “He’s wandering around the eastern edge of Lake Tuli,” I reply.

She gives me a sidelong look. “Because Belfox and Herrix keep heading there? Let me guess, Zunix is snooping around today because he knows they’ll be otherwise occupied?”

She smiles at me, her eyes crinkling at the corners, and I find myself returning her smile. “Exactly. That’s what I appreciate about you, Olivia. I never have explain things to you. Zunix told me to tell you that he’ll be very grateful if you keep them away from Lake Tuli today.”

“Will he?” she asks cheerfully. “I’ll have to think of some way to make him repay the favor.”

I laugh. “I’m sure you will.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Herrix and Belfox walking toward us, matching scowls on their faces. “Liorax,” Herrix says coldly as he nears. “What are you doing here?”

If my kinsman is expecting me to be intimidated at his tone, he doesn’t know me at all. “Talking to Olivia,” I reply calmly. “Was that not obvious?”

Olivia bites back a grin at Herrix’s annoyed glance, and then, to my irritation, she gives him a sweet smile. “Shall we go?” she coos. “We’re going on a hike today, aren’t we?”

Jealousy fills my chest. I’m trying to stay calm when Herrix throws fuel on the fire. “He’s been teaching you to shoot?” he demands. “Him?”

His entire life, Herrix has resented me because I was the Firstborn of Laris. My patience snaps. “I have,” I tell him with a smirk. “She’s a very good student. In fact,” I pause and let my smile widen, “I’m pretty sure she’s better than you.”

Olivia raises her eyebrow. What are you doing, she seems to ask.

Belfox can’t be easily baited, but as I expect him to, Herrix reacts immediately to the provocation. “Shall we wager on it?” he says, lifting his chin.

I start to reply, but Olivia cuts in. “Sure,” she says tightly. “What do you want to wager?”

“Not you,” Herrix says dismissively. “Liorax. If I win, Liorax will hunt for me for the next year.” He smiles gloatingly. “I’ve always wanted to be served by the Firstborn of Laris.”

* * *

Olivia:

Herrix is a dick.

This situation has trouble written all over it. Part of me wants to defuse it, but there’s also a part of me that’s getting pretty damn tired of Herrix’s ‘women-can’t-do-anything’ attitude. Combative-Olivia wins out.

“Deal,” Liorax says easily. “And if I win, you give up your claim to Olivia.”

I’ve been wondering what on Earth has gotten into Liorax, but when I hear his wager, the dots connect. Clever, clever Liorax. He’s buying me freedom. If Herrix loses this wager, I’ll never have to go out with Herrix and Belfox again.

There’s a lump in my throat. I’ve no doubt that if I lose, Herrix will lord it over Liorax mercilessly. This might be the nicest thing that anyone has ever done for me.

Win or lose, he’s so going to get a thank-you blowjob.

“No.” A smooth voice cuts in. Dariux. The Draekon appears from out of nowhere, moving as silently as the karvil. I hadn’t even heard him approach. “The mating bond is too important to be a prize in a wager.”

Damn it.

I want to press the issue, but I don’t. Dariux is clever and manipulative, and he has managed to win the support of nearly everyone in camp. If I go up against him right now, I will lose.

For the moment, I’ll let his ‘master of the universe’ act go unchallenged.

Liorax frowns. “Fine. If she wins, you give up your time with Olivia for the next month.”

Dariux looks thoughtful, and then he nods. I turn to Herrix, my eyebrow raised. Will he bite?

He does. The prospect of humiliating Liorax is too much to resist. “That is acceptable,” he says. “Do not worry, Olivia,” he adds, his voice dripping with condescension. “This contest is not your fault. You will not shame yourself when you fail.”

When I fail? My blood boils, and resolve stiffens my spine. I am going to show Herrix.

Dariux isn’t done bossing us around. “We’ll do ten ends of three arrows,” he announces. “Any objections?”

I shake my head. Herrix doesn’t have any objections either. We flip one of Zunix’s syn coins to see who will go first—a human custom that we’ve taught the Draekons—and it comes up heads. That’s me.

“Wish me luck,” I say softly to Liorax.

He smiles confidently. “You don’t need luck, Olivia. Trust me, you are more than capable of winning this wager.”

Definitely getting a blowjob.

My three arrows find the second ring of the target. Herrix goes next, and he’s better than me, but not by much.

Liorax is right. I can do this.

My next three shots hit the center of the target, and Dariux whistles admiringly. “Well, well,” he says. “Herrix, I think she might indeed be better than you.”

Herrix doesn’t react well to the taunt. He flushes with rage and rapidly fires off three arrows. Neither of them hit the center of the target.

I’m not going to fool myself. On a normal day, I’m not better than Herrix, but today’s not a normal day. Today, I’m absolutely determined to beat him, and I’m at my best.

And Herrix is at his worst. He walked into this contest, expecting it to be a cakewalk. He isn’t prepared for me to be competitive, and it’s messing with his head. Dariux’s open amusement doesn’t help either.

Less than an hour later, it’s over, and I’ve won. I turn to Herrix to shake his hand, but he spins away from me. His face red with rage, he raises his bow. Out of the corner of my eye, I see his target, a familiar orange shape. Fluffy.

I don’t think. I act on instinct, barreling into him just as his arrow leaves his bow. It misses Fluffy and bounces harmlessly against a tree. “You jerk,” I scream at him. “You were going to kill Bryce’s pet.”

Liorax steps in front of me just as Herrix raises his hand. “Go ahead,” he says, his voice icy. “Try it. See what happens.”

Dariux looks furious as well. Bryce is easily his favorite person in camp, and she would have been broken-hearted if something happened to her karvil. “Get out of my sight,” he snaps. “I don’t want to see you in camp for the next week.”

Herrix glares at Liorax, then at me, his hands clenched into fists. Then he turns around and walks away, Belfox on his heels.

I won. I should be jumping up and down with glee. But as I watch the men walk away, I can tell that I haven’t heard the last of this matter. Things aren’t over between us.