What happened?

I bit her.

The throes of sex—sex he’d indulged in without protection or second thought—had resulted in a bite. Not just any bite. The bite.

The kind of bite that said she now belonged to him.

He chose not to explain that to her, though, when she touched the mark his teeth had left. Let her think it an enthusiastic hickey for the moment. He didn’t need her getting indignant that he’d forgotten to ask about claiming her.

Why don’t you ask?

Because he feared she would say no.

Even more, he feared something happening to take her from him, which was why, despite the euphoria of claiming her, he was a mess of nerves.

When would something happen? The fact that Parker and his minions hadn’t made a move grated.

Tomas needed to expend some energy, but he’d already claimed Chandra more than he should, given her previously virginal state. He had to remember she was more fragile than he. She needed time to recover.

At the moment, she slept, her hair fanned over the pillow, her features delicate perfection. Her body was hidden by a blanket, but he could imagine it. Even better, he still remembered her sweet, honeyed taste.

His cock hardened, and he could have groaned.

What to do with the excess energy flooding his system? When he and Chandra had tumbled into bed the day before, they didn’t leave it much except for room service and showers. Followed by acts that required more showering.

But he still had too much pent-up adrenaline. She woke and stretched. The smile she sent his way had more wattage than the sun.

He almost melted into a puddle, and then he found his balls and smiled back. So much for being Mr. Suave.

“Did you sleep at all?” she asked.

“Enough,” he replied as he paced the room, wearing not a stitch. She no longer blushed and looked away. It didn’t help with his permanent erection.

“Still no sign of Parker?” she asked, sitting up in the bed, a sheet modestly tucked to hide her most excellent breasts.

“Not a damned thing,” he griped aloud. “We’ve been here forever.”

“Twenty-nine hours,” she corrected.

“More than a day, and still nobody has tried to attack.” His shoulders slumped. Had his reputation grown too vast? Did Parker fear coming after Tomas given his abject failure before? The problem with greatness? Finding opponents.

“You’d think the fact that Parker isn’t interested in us would be good news, but you seem upset.”

“I am upset. What’s the point of setting a trap if no one will walk into it? And don’t kid yourself. Parker’s not done with us. He’s just waiting for us to let down our guard.” He whirled, and yet she didn’t notice. Didn’t even glance his way, more interested in the tablet she’d snared off his nightstand. What did she find more interesting than him? “What are you looking at?”

“Just checking the news.”

“I’m being ignored for the news. There is no point in my strutting naked, showing off my assets, if you’re not going to admire them.” How was she resisting? He was finding it epically difficult to leave her alone. He wanted to dive onto that bed, tear the sheet from her—material that dared to touch her skin. His skin. He wanted to curl himself around her and cherish her, his most precious thing.

She is better than any treasure.

Hack. He almost choked. Where had that thought come from?

“I see I’ll be adding narcissistic complex to your list of attributes,” she muttered, not taking her eyes off the screen. Did she not realize he’d suffered an epiphany?

She’d gotten him to care. And not just care.

Dammit. He loved her.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

How could that have happened? He hadn’t meant for it to happen. And yet, it had. He cared for this woman, cared so damned much he would do anything to keep her safe and with him. Even give up his treasure.

It was a turning point in this dragon’s life, and she didn’t even know it.

Look at me. He pushed the thought at her.

She still scrolled the tablet. Her brow creased, and she muttered, “Later.”

Later? What was wrong with now? “What is more interesting than me?” Because, really, he couldn’t think of anything more fascinating. Well, there was one thing he liked more, but she was ignoring him, preferring to type and read whatever appeared on her screen.

“Oh, stop whining. You’re a big, bad dragon. You can handle a little separation.”

“Are you calling me clingy?” He was not clingy. Possessive and coveting were completely different.

“If I’m wearing you more hours in a day than my underwear, then yes.”

He blinked. “There’s a measurement for clinginess?”

“Yes, and you’re coming awfully close to it.”

“I’ll try and be more careful.”

At that, she did peek at him and wink. “Not too careful. I never said I didn’t like wearing you. Wearing you is what I’m planning to do after we eat. In the shower.”

“I think that can be arranged.” Said with utmost seriousness, even though he wanted to chuckle. It delighted him that Chandra didn’t act as expected. She didn’t rush or crowd him. Didn’t try and extract promises. She was her own woman. One who was with him, not out of politics but genuine desire.

He might have started out trying to seduce and own her, but in the end, she was the one who owned him.

It would sound emasculating and pathetic if said aloud to another man—I’d do anything for her. But it was true.

And having admitted that, he needed to do something to earn his balls back.

“If I remember correctly, didn’t you tell me you were kidnapped from an archeological dig?” Chandra addressed him regarding something he’d not even thought about since their escape.

“I did.” As if he could forget having gotten caught flat-footed. “Why?”

“Is this the place?” She pointed to a map on her screen.

Reading the name of the town where he’d been abducted brought a scowl. “That’s the place. The irony of it was I had just about given up. Some of my research must have been really wrong because, despite the clues, none of our excavating ended up revealing anything of note.” It totally sucked, as he’d been so sure he’d found the right locale. Wrong, and such a blow to his ego. He’d never found more than a few broken trinkets.

“Actually, you were almost right.”

“What do you mean almost?”

“After your departure, another archeologist took over your dig.”

“They replaced me?” Impossible. One couldn’t replace his brand of greatness. And why would they have done that given the location proved a dud? It made no sense to have someone take over to continue searching.

“They replaced you within a week. According to the news on the net, a young fellow, a graduate from another school, approached your university. He had a theory based on your current project. The university told him to give it a shot, and the guy went on to find a ruin.”

“Someone stole my glory.” The nerve. Tomas had planned a lovely sandstone pedestal for this accomplishment. And another professor had swooped in and taken the credit.

“It wasn’t really stealing since he actually dug in a different spot. He had to get permission from the owners of some land about a half-mile off from where you were. He landmarked the spot using some really old tree.”

A tree? There was only one ancient tree of worth in the area. A gnarly olive tree thought to be over three thousand years old, even older than the one in Crete. He’d stood in front of that thickly trunked piece of history. While it didn’t tower, the base of it was thick, so very thick at almost sixteen feet, and pockmarked with age. Yet it still produced the most magnificent olives because the owner of it tended to it religiously.

“There is no way anyone let him cut it down. Who would even have the nerve to ask?” Tomas certainly hadn’t. The old tree was a veritable treasure of history. Tomas would never destroy something like that.

“Lightning struck the tree and felled it. The owner decided to have it carted off since people were stealing pieces of it for luck. So when that other guy went asking to dig, the owner agreed.”

Probably for a price. “And what did he find?”

“Amidst the roots, they located the crushed entrance to some kind of temple.”

The temple he should have found. Another thing to blame on Parker.

“And you’re telling me this to what, rub salt in the wound?”

“No, to show you that you were really close.”

Nice of her to point out his coordinates were wrong. Perhaps I should show her my navigational skills are working fine.

“Don’t pout. It’s not attractive.”

He pulled in his lower lip so he could better glare.

She grinned, her expression bright and full of mirth. “I’m lying. It’s totally attractive.”

“Then let’s go have that shower now.”

“Not yet. I found something you need to see.”

“I need to see you naked.”

“Later. Have a little self-control.”

He almost whined, I don’t want to. “I am in perfect control.”

“Now who’s lying?” She gazed at his erection.

He waggled his hips.

She bit her lip to hold in laughter and shook her head. “That was not sexy.”

“It would have been if we added music.”

Another giggle escaped her. “Nope. But thanks for the laugh.”

“So glad my manhood could entertain.”

“Don’t pout. Come over here instead and take a look at this.”

He almost sighed. The way she held him off tested his patience. “What do you want me to see?”

“Pictures of the discovery by that other guy. A bunch of images have been uploaded. I found them when I was searching. You’ll want to see them.”

He would have liked to say no, but the truth was Tomas did want to see. What had they found in that temple underground?

She held out the tablet so the screen faced him. He took a few steps closer. Closer still to be sure of what he saw.

Tomas stared at the images on the screen. Stared and cursed.

“What’s wrong? Because that sounds like jealousy plus something else.”

“Can you blame me for being jealous? He found a bloody hoard.”

And not just any hoard, the hoard it seemed of a Golden dragon because who else would collect unrelenting amounts of gold? The other colored Septs also found themselves with an affinity for certain metals and stones, but only the Golds ever collected it to the exclusion of almost anything else.

It was an unbelievable historical find. A treasure of epic proportions. But…Tomas noted a slight issue with the images. “The hoard was touched before they began documenting it.”

“How can you tell?” Her fingers slid over the screen, a tap enlarging some images, a pinch and widening of her fingers zooming it. Magnified, they could make out details in the towering stack of gold—candlesticks, chains, rings, crowns, and so much more. But that wasn’t the only thing in the vast chamber. It was set up to entertain, with furniture made of gold, the soft metal melted and molded into finely filigreed décor that was beautiful to look at, but he feared what would happen if someone were to actually sit on it. Ringing the room, much like Tomas had in his aerie, pedestals, each displaying a very prized item.

Draping himself on the bed, Tomas propped himself with an arm and pointed to a pair of spots in the pictures. “Zoom on one of these.”

“What am I looking at?” She pulled on the pic, trying to make it bigger, but the blurry pixels made it hard to discern.

But Tomas knew what they looked at. “There are two empty pedestals.”

“And? For all we know, the stuff on them fell or maybe biodegraded. They say that tree was three thousand years old.”

“It didn’t fall or decay.”

“Then maybe it was moved, and these pictures came after.”

He shook his head. “No, these pictures show the room as they found it. Go back to the search engine and let’s see if there’s a clearer picture.”

Some people might have argued with Tomas, but in this, Chandra listened. She was curious, she had the mind of a scientist, and she liked looking for evidence.

“Here’s a higher resolution one.” Chandra presented a much clearer copy.

“Zoom here.” He stabbed the screen, and she enlarged it. He pointed again. “See the dark crud on the shelf of the pedestal? The dust is too even for anything to have moved recently but too thin for it to have been very long. Everything else is covered in a fine silt.” He indicated another section where the wall of the giant treasure chamber had caved in. “I’ll bet this was a secondary entrance, created by thieves. They probably began emptying the room and would have cleaned it right out if it hadn’t collapsed.”

“And they didn’t return?”

“Perhaps they couldn’t, or they needed a better access point and had to wait.” He rubbed his chin. “Can you show me the fellow who dug under the tree?” Did he know him?

A quick type of letters in a search window and Chandra pulled up a picture of a young man, his hair blond, his gaze a piercing green. He stared right into the camera, as if knowing his picture was being taken. Daring it.

Something in the face, the attitude, struck a chord. He was familiar, and yet Tomas knew he’d never seen him before. Who was this man?

“What’s his name?” he asked, wondering if it would ring a bell.

“Samael D’Ore. Recent graduate. Seems to come from a bit of money.”

She listed out some boring facts about Mr. D’Ore. But the only two that mattered to Tomas were, how had the man known where to look? And was the lightning strike accidental?

A suspicious mind wanted to know because he understood how single-minded and cutthroat people could be.

When an academic was starting out in the archeological field, the best thing that could happen was finding something notable. Something of worth to bring prestige to a name. The more esteem, the better the options both for university placement and for funding when it came to pursuing his own curiosities.

D’Ore had beaten all odds. How did a human find a Golden hoard? Is he human?

He couldn’t shake a strange feeling about the fellow.

A knock at the door had him bouncing off the bed to stand. His hands dangled by his sides, and he listened.

“Why aren’t you answering?” she whispered.

“I didn’t hear our visitor arrive.” While engrossed in Chandra and the discovery, a part of him always remained alert. He listened and yet never got even the slightest whisper of notice that someone approached, and knocked now for a second time.

“Put some clothes on,” he ordered.

He wasn’t even done talking, and she was scrambling for cover. He went striding for the door.

“Tomas, you can’t answer it like that.”

Like what? He looked down. Ah, yes, still naked.

Too late to stop now. He’d already swung open the door.

A low whistle greeted him. “Hot dimples and dumplings, wouldn’t Mother love it if I brought you home?” The woman in the doorway eyed him like a prime piece of meat, and in a sense, he was to her.

The dragonesses of all the Septs tended to be quite marriage-minded, especially when they came across eligible dragon males. They were in short supply.

She kept eyeing, so long that he wanted to cover himself, especially when she asked, “Are you claimed?”

“I am not on the market.”

“Pity. You’d make lovely babies. I don’t suppose you’d donate some sperm to the cause?”

Used to the breeding bluntness, Tomas didn’t flinch, but Chandra seemed upset.

“He is not donating anything at the moment. But he does need to put pants on.” Chandra slapped him in the arm with the fabric of his trousers. He cast her a glance and was more than pleased to note her eyes sparking with displeasure.

Jealousy suited her, and he thought about prolonging it. However, since forbidden sex would hurt, he took the pants and turned around to step into them. It was with a wide smile he said, “You heard the doctor. I’m taken.”

“That’s not what I said.” Chandra blew out a breath. “You can date whomever you like.” She practically spat the words.

His grin stretched to face-splitting proportions. This was getting good. “I choose to date you, doctor.” While Chandra mulled that over, he seated himself on the couch, crossed a leg, and addressed the silver-haired female.

“Who are you?”

“Deka, and over there is my Aunt Waida.”

A glance over his shoulder showed a female entering into the room from the bathroom, her gray hair bound in a ponytail, her body clad in rappelling gear. So much for the sealed windows.

“How might I help you ladies today? As you can see, I’m not available for your pleasure.”

“Your ego is stunning,” Chandra muttered.

“Thank you.”

“He’s pretty,” announced Waida. “Is he sure he won’t donate to the family? We can pay.”

“How about you leave?” Chandra said.

“But we haven’t even talked yet.”

“Talked about what?” Chandra asked while Tomas waited.

This farce still missed a player.

Knock. Knock. The raps at the door had Deka exclaiming, “About time. I swear, ever since Adi got hitched, she’s been late to everything.”

As Deka turned to stomp away, Chandra moved closer to him. “Aren’t you going to do something?” Chandra hissed.

“I am. I’m sitting.”

“Why are you acting so cool?”

“Because they aren’t here to kill either of us. The Silver Sept has too much honor for that.”

Having heard his comment, a returning Deka dipped her short, silver bob. “We have too much honor, which pisses me off to no end. But not as much as Adi.” She jerked her thumb at the newest arrival. “My cousin hates being told no.”

“When the world revolves around you, everyone should just obey.” The female with short hair streaked with pink shrugged.

Deka snorted. “So delusional. The world is mine.”

Even more delusional since everyone knew the universe existed solely because of Tomas.

“Now that you’re all here, I suppose I should ask whether you are here on the side of the Crimson or against.”

Disdain twisted Deka’s features. “Are you seriously asking? That’s just plain rude.”

“And that answers the question. If you’re not here to kill me, then why are you, and by whose orders?”

“The matriarch of the Silvergraces and the head of our Sept has sent us. Certain intelligence we’ve gathered gives us reason to believe an ambush is coming.”

“From whom?” He had his suspicions.

She confirmed it. “The Crimson Sept, and they’re not abiding by our laws. You’re not safe here.”

“I know. I actually hoped you were my enemies when you knocked.”

“Do your enemies usually knock?” Chandra asked.

“No, but there is always a first time for niceties.”

Chandra snorted. “How about today? Why do you immediately believe her when she says she’s on our side?”

“You will learn, doctor, that our kind has a code of conduct. It has held us steady for millennia.”

“But you said some of your kind broke that code and went public.”

“They did, which means they broke a cardinal rule, and there is only one recourse for that.”

“That still doesn’t explain why they’re here.”

“The Silver Sept wishes to align with me.”

Deka nodded. “We have need of you. Especially if we’re to wrest the Golden dragon from Parker.”

That claim didn’t shock him as much as it should have. He’d been hearing about this supposed Gold enough now that he was beginning to believe it. “What makes you think Parker has a Gold? None have been seen since the wars.”

“We don’t know for sure it’s a Gold, but we do know he’s got something. Something that could tilt the balance of this world and those who control it. You’ve heard of his experiments.”

“Yes.” He didn’t feel a need to explain he’d been part of them.

“I won’t go into all the boring details of how Parker made a gator into a dragon. Mother is still having apoplexy over it. Needless to say, Aunt Xylia insists that for Brandon to have ascended, and show Gold attributes, he must have been infused with the essence of a Gold.”

“So that’s why you think Parker has him in hiding.” He leaned back and draped an arm around Chandra, drawing her down onto his lap. Always best to let other predators in the room know what belonged to a man.

She held herself rigidly, and the color in her cheeks was bright. “Why are you coming to Tomas with this information? What do you expect him to do?”

“Tomas is going to lead us to him.”

Sounded like an awesome plan, until the most priceless thing he owned said, “I’m going, too.”