All hell was breaking loose on the other side of the door. Sanaa regretted stepping outside the moment she saw the raging battle. A dozen leather-skinned hell spawn littered the path leading up to Ronin's home. At least as many more flew overhead, their screams echoing off the mountain walls. Ronin stood at the center of it all, weaving spells around him and launching them at the swirling mass.

He extended his arm at one of the man-sized bats. An arch of electricity erupted from it. The hell spawn seized violently and fell dead where it stood. Half a dozen more filled the space left behind.

“You need to change!” She screamed over the noise, pointing to the swarm.

Ronin glanced at her, rage flashing in his eyes. "Damn it, I told you to stay inside!"

She should have listened to him. Sanaa clenched her fists, willing herself not to run back into the house. The circle of powyr in the house was safe, the battlefield was anything but. Outrunning demons the size of a beer can was one thing. This hell was beyond her skill.

They were beyond the Dragon’s skill.

Sanaa stepped forward, calling for her Thunderbird and praying it didn't fail her now. Of course, it was her prayers that had drawn the Dragon's attention in the first place. None of them would be in danger if she hadn't offered herself to him.

The negative thoughts poisoned her connection to the Wyrd. The last dredges of venom still swirled in her blood with just enough potency. One of the bat demons jumped past Ronin, bearing its dripping fangs at Sanaa. She didn't have to touch the foul beasts to know their blood secreted the same poison as the guppies. Damn it, why wouldn't her imprint come!

The Dragon turned his head and extended an arm, shooting a spell through the monster's brain. Its black body shuddered. Its eyes bulged and exploded, sprinkling Sanaa's clothes with foul liquid.

"Woman, get insi–" Ronin's fervent command dissolved into a cry of pain as one of the creatures sunk a claw into his back.

The scream snapped Sanaa out of her shock. “Cover your ears!” Maybe she couldn’t shift, but she could still use some of her powyr.

She tilted her head back and screamed, releasing the piercing shriek of her Thunderbird. The sound echoed off the cavern walls, bringing every demon in its path to their knees. The Dragon clamped his hands over his still very human ears. He looked at her, eyes narrowed.

Good, let him look at her. Let him see the lighting flash in her eyes as her imprint came to the surface. She could indulge her fear and weakness later. There was a battle to be won.

Sanaa fell to her knees, bracing her hands against the paving stones. The bones in her limbs popped as they transformed, hollowing and elongating into golden wings. Surges of powyr ran through her cells as her full breasts expanded to meet her wingspan.

She slammed her talons against the walkway, loving the feel of the crumbled stone beneath her feet. She only had a second to enjoy it before the monsters began their attack again. Sanaa flapped her massive wings, as the monsters on the ground climbed to their feet.

No, you don’t, fuckers.

Sanaa launched into the air. Most of the bats followed her. On the ground, Sanaa's razor-sharp beak and claws were dangerous, in the air they were deadly. She swiped her claws across one's belly, letting its black guts fall to the walkway. The Dragon rolled away, barely avoiding a viscera shower.

It only took a few minutes for the tide to turn. With each sweep of her talons, each bolt of lightning another demon fell. But a strange sound joined the chorus of shrieks and roars. Laughter. Human laughter.

Sanaa turned her head, tilting her beak upward. There, nestled in the clouds, Sanaa saw Niabe's shadow.

Get. Away!

She shrieked at the shadow. It laughed again. The few remaining demon bats froze mid-battle and changed directions, flying into the black clouds. A retreat.

Sanaa didn't stick around to watch them leave. There was another sound in the wind, her baby's wails of fear. That sound she couldn't–wouldn't–ignore. She flew back to the ground, shifting back into her human form just above the ground.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Ronin shouted.

She ran back into the house and scooped the baby into her arms. The Dragon followed right on her heels.

"I told you to stay in the circle," he said through gritted teeth.

Sanaa bounced her daughter. "And I didn't." It wasn't a challenge, but there was an argument brewing. The dragon's mercy ran out when the demons attacked his lair. Whatever he had to say to her was coming out of his mouth in the next thirty seconds, and, like hell, was her daughter going to be there to hear it. Sanaa walked to the bedroom.

Ronin followed. “Maybe I wasn't clear before. As long as you and my daughter are under this roof, we do this my way.”

Sanaa sank her teeth into her tongue as she cleared the blankets away and set the baby on the bed. The Dragon’s fiery gaze burned into her skin. He could glare all he liked. She made soft, soothing sounds of comfort to lull the girl to sleep and hoped the Dragon got the message.

After a few moments of her silence, Ronin threw his hands in the air and stormed out of the room. The fierce roar of a dragon echoed through the air outside before receding into the distance.

Sanaa took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When the infant finally closed her eyes, she went looking for him. He sat on the living room sofa, naked, flexing his hands into fists.

Sanaa crossed her arms and looked up. If only, so she didn't have to look at Ronin's naked body. Nudity was a part of life for skinwalkers, probably for all shifters. Gaining and losing hundreds of pounds of muscle in a matter of seconds tended to destroy even the sturdiest fabric. But the dragon's naked body, with its chiseled abs and sun-kissed skin, was too distracting.

“I don't care what you say or do to me, but you won't be anything less than a smiling ray of fucking sunshine around my daughter.”

He turned to her, nostrils flaring. “You’re not giving me orders in my own house.”

Sanaa shrugged. “You’ve given me several. You can cope with one.”

The Dragon didn’t respond. He leaned forward, jaw clenched. The icy mask he wore the night before vanished before Sanaa’s eyes. The version of Ronin in front of her was a thread away from snapping, and he was about to lose his grip.

She sat on the coffee table in front of him. “You’re no good to me if you’re too pissed to form words. Whatever you have to say to me, say it.”

“I told you to stay inside for a reason. You could have gotten yourself killed. You could have gotten our daughter killed.”

“I saved your ass back there, Dragon. Dark spawn fight in swarms. One human can’t handle them all. You should have shifted.”

“And use my dragon powyr to burn my house to ashes, with my daughter and—” he shook his head and pursed his lips.

Sanaa rubbed her forehead. “It burns that hot?”

He leaned farther forward, bringing his face inches from hers. “It can melt stone.”

“Okay, no dragons this close to the house.” Sanaa climbed to her feet, raking her fingers through her hair. “If I can’t fight, I have to run.”

Ronin snorted. “She knew you came here, which means she’s tracking you somehow. Running would leave us too exposed.”

“Then stay here. Guard my back.”

“Are you out of your fucking mind? You’re not separating me from my child again.”

The words cut through her. She had no defense for them. “Look, I fucked up–"

"That doesn't begin to cover it."

Sanaa took a breath and fought to keep her temper in check. “—but so did you! And you’re not going to use that as an excuse to bulldoze over me. Niabe is my mother. Dark walkers are my people’s curse. This is my world.”

“She’s my daughter" he whispered, his gaze darkening. “And you hid her from me until it was almost too late.”

There was the guilt again. It was always there, whenever Sanaa had time to think of anything but survival. When she managed not to force it on herself, the tribe always reminded her of it.

"Clear instructions, remember?"

"Don't play games with me, Sanaa.” Ronin caught her arm in his hand. "I'm not in the mood.”

Sanaa’s breath caught. She looked down at the fingers caressing her skin. The Dragon’s eyes still burned with fury, but desire mingled with it. He protected his identity the night he came to her in human form. The loss of her sight made every touch of his hands against her skin all the more delicious. Every caress of his lips was all the more enticing. Just the memory of it was enough to make her moisten.

She pushed the arousal aside. If anyone in the world was off limits, it was the man she had already betrayed. Making the Dragon see reason was more important. ”This isn't a fight we can win on our own. Niabe has too much powyr."

Ronin pulled her closer. Her hand grazed the firm skin of his thigh. “I’m not going to bow from the knees to a bunch of old farts getting high in the desert. I haven’t done anything to be ashamed of.”

The hesitation caught her attention. The closeness of their bodies made it impossible to focus. Sanaa let her eyes roam over Ronin's body. She tried to breathe, to focus on the situation at hand. But the vibes emanating from him made it impossible. His eyes followed every movement, every breath, like a wolf stalking its prey. Her skin burned under his gaze, but she wouldn’t let herself shy away from it.

Ronin moved forward with such speed that Sanaa's eyes lost track of him. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned forward. His full lips grazed hers. She fought the urge to melt against him, let the warmth of his body drive everything else away. It was the first hint of affection from an adult since….

“Then why did you banish me?”

His chest heaved when he pulled away. “I had my reasons. You’re here now. Our daughter is here. A dragon doesn’t run away from a blood-sucking bitch.”

Ronin climbed to his feet and stormed out of the house.

* * *

The Dragon was already up when Sanaa left the bedroom the next morning. He had been busy. A full breakfast of toast, crisp bacon, and fried potatoes lay spread on the kitchen table. Their daughter sat in a donut pillow in the center of it all, her chocolate brown eyes locked on the Dragon as he wiggled her feet with his hands. There was no sign of the fury from the night before in his body language.

“Did I oversleep?” Sanaa asked.

“It’s still early. Little miss and I here were just getting acquainted,” he said. “You need to eat and we need to talk.”

She opened her mouth to object. Instead, her stomach growled. Ronin quirked an eyebrow.

Sanaa rolled her eyes. "Don't say it."

Ronin shrugged. "I don't need to."

She sat down at the table, pulling a plate of fried potatoes over and grabbing a fork. One buttery wedge of the starchy goodness was halfway to Sanaa's mouth when the dragon spoke again.

"You were right.” He didn’t took look away from their daughter as he spoke.

Sanaa froze. Her brow furrowed. "About what?"

“I fucked up, too. I sent you away on pain of death, and then treated you like shit for doing what I told you to when circumstances changed.”

Her eyes drifted to the baby. Even as the Dragon spoke he never stopped interacting with her. He tickled her toes until she giggled. When she got tired of that, he offered his index finger to her, poking her nose gently. Sanaa didn’t want to soften, but it was hard to stay cold while watching them bond. “You said you had your reasons. I think I deserve to hear them.”

He pursed his lips and shook his head. “How much do you know about dragon mating?”

“You mean other than first-hand knowledge?”

Ronin snorted. “I’m not talking about how we fuck. I mean how we form couples. Family units.”

“Not a damn thing,” she said.

“The first cycle hits dragon males in their twenties. We can bind ourselves to a woman, which comes with its own issues if you’re not careful, or we can be stubborn and fight through it.”

“You don’t look twenty to me, no offense.”

He laughed. “I’m a long way from my first heat and I’ve managed for longer than you would think on my own. The point is once a bond is forged that’s it. There is no breaking it while both partners live.”

Realization dawned on her. “You don’t have to worry about me trying to trap you. I didn’t even know any of this until you told me.”

“You work for a vet. Does it matter to any animal who’s under its cock when it’s time to breed?”

She speared another fried potato and shoved it into her mouth. “Fine, I’ll keep my pants on while I’m here, as long as you do the same.”

Ronin sighed and reached forward, catching her free hand in his. “I’m not accusing you of anything, Sanaa. I’m trying to explain why my…heart…isn’t mine to give.”

Fine. He could keep it for all she cared. Love and romance were for people who didn’t have blood demons attacking them every night. Not for strangers suddenly locked in one another’s lives because of the child they shared. “Can we just call it even and move on?”

He shook his head. “Tempting as that sounds, I need you to understand. Just because you and I aren’t bonded yet, doesn’t mean I’m not bonded to her.” He gestured toward their daughter, who was now trying to shove a strip of ribbon from the pillow into her mouth.

An emotion Sanaa couldn't identify swept over her, leaving her hands trembling and her eyes wet with tears. She set the fork down and cleared her throat. "Why are you telling me this?"

He reached across the table, hooking a finger under her chin and forcing her to meet his eyes. "Because, for our daughter's sake, I need you to stop seeing me as an enemy."

She shook her head. "I don’t.”

"Sanaa, I write traumatized women for a living. And I'm very good at what I do."

"Are you saying my emotions are predictable?"

Ronin grazed her cheek with his thumb. "Not at all. I'm saying the sentiment is justified, but it's also going to get our little girl killed."

He was right, of course. About everything. From the moment, he issued the order to the moment he unleashed his wrath before the Elders, Sanaa feared the dragon as much as the dark walker. Threats on her life had that affect. Two people couldn't be allies if they could barely be friends.

"What do you want?" she whispered.

"A little trust, if you can manage it. You in fighting condition," he pushed the plate toward her. "And a few answers."

"To what questions?”

"Why is the dark walker hunting our girl?"

Sanaa took a breath to steady herself. Ronin had admitted his fault, the least she could do was return the favor. "About two weeks ago I took the baby into the city. I didn't realize I was looking for my mother until I was standing in front of her house. I don't know what the hell I was thinking."

That was a lie. She knew exactly why she sought her mother that day, but she wasn't prepared to share that with the Dragon. Not yet.

If the dragon knew she wasn't telling the truth, nothing in his expression gave it away. "You think she's hunting her to punish you?"

Sanaa shook her head. "I know she isn't. Niabe's hunting the baby because she wants her imprint."

Ronin's brow furrowed. "I thought skinwalkers don't receive their imprint until they come of age."

"We don't, but she was born with hers. A gift from you, I suppose. If you want me to trust you, you are going to have to trust me. We can't do this without the Elders on our side."

Ronin rolled his eyes. "Woman, how many times are we going to go through this?”

"As many as it fucking takes for you to get it. Even if we manage to kill Niabe, our daughter’s future won’t be secure until–”

“She has a mother who screams lightening and a father who breathes fire. I think she’ll be fine without a bunch of bureaucrats telling her she shouldn’t exist.“

“Could you maybe for five minutes pretend you don't have complete contempt for my entire culture?"

"It's not your culture I have a problem with. It's the idea that our daughter needs their approval to exist. Or anyone else.”

Sanaa raked her fingers through her head. How many times had she told herself that she didn’t need the Bloodbones? At least a dozen times since she found out she was knocked up. Defiance came easy when stakes were low.

"It isn't about their approval. She’s the only dragon imprint skinwalker on the planet. If we do things right they have to accept her. The tribe is only as strong as each of us, and each of us is only as strong as the tribe."

"It's a nice slogan, Sanaa, but the reality is they threatened to eject her from their community the first time she became inconvenient."

"They didn't threaten," Sanaa said as she speared another potato. “Me admitting that she was fathered by a man outside the tribe immediately removed her from it."

The Dragon narrowed his eyes. "And these are the people whose help you are trying to convince me we need?"

Sanaa set her fork aside. "All right, what's your plan?"

A smirk came to his lips. Damn that man was sexy when he was mischievous. "You'll tell me where my darling mother-in-law lives, and I'll go have a chat with her."

"You mean you're going to roast her building? Subtle."

"As satisfying as that would be, no. There would be too much collateral damage. The dark walker will require a more delicate...personal touch."

His choice of words sent a shiver down Sanaa's spine, but she reminded herself that it was Niabe who had started the fight. "And if she kills you? What then?"

"Then our daughter will have you as her last champion." He said the words casually, as if he had no doubt that Sanaa would be up for the challenge, even though a group of guppies had kicked her ass during the first assault.

"And when I fail? What then? Who'll defend her then?"

Ronin opened his mouth to speak then grunted in frustration. Sanaa knew the emotion well. She felt it dozens of times a day, more since her mother's attacks began.

“Our daughter is the first dragon skinwalker ever born. That community is our daughter's birthright. If you won't honor it for me...I'm begging you...do it for her."

The words tasted bitter in Sanaa's mouth and she lowered her head to hide the burning shame that came to her cheeks. She'd begged for the dragon's favor too much in the last few days, gone too far into his debt. Even if he could forgive her for hiding his child from him, how could he respect a woman who owed him so much?

Sanaa heard his chair scrape against the tile floor, then Ronin's heavy footsteps as he walked over to her. He knelt beside her and turned her body, settling in between her thighs.

"You're no good to us wounded, Sanaa."

No good to their daughter. No good to him. "I know, but this is the only version I've got right now. Don’t think I didn’t notice you never answered my question."

“Which question?” The Dragon’s body was so close. His eyes so earnest. As if nothing in the world was more important than giving her what she needed.

“Why did you banish me?”

"I had my reasons. One day I may share them...but not today." Despite his cool tone, Sanaa saw a flash of pain in Ronin's eyes. He climbed to his feet, pausing to press a kiss to her forehead. "Dry your eyes and finish your breakfast. I'll be back in a few hours. Probably."

"Where are you going?"

"To have a word with your old men."