Violet blinked open her eyes, and, for a moment, could not remember where she was. In her head, she somehow thought she should have been back in her hometown of Falcon Cross, in her old familiar bedroom. Her mind, craving safety, had convinced her that she was home.

But as her eyes fully opened and the grogginess of sleep wore away, she saw that she was, of course, not in her old bedroom in Falcon Cross. She was still in Blackstone, in the small bedroom of the apartment she was sharing with Weston. The events of the previous day came back to her as she rolled over to look at the clock. It was just past six a.m. She’d been sleeping for over thirteen hours.

Violet sat up and stretched, surprised at how good she felt. She’d expected to be a bit more sore, but perhaps the long stretch of sleep had helped clear away the remaining aftereffects of the battle she’d fought. That was good, since she knew more battles would be coming. She groaned as she remembered the heated discussions she and Weston had had the day before with Peter and Knox.

Knox and Peter were, of course, thrilled at the news that the master bat had been killed off. This blow to Saul’s army would ensure that the good wizards and shifters had some breathing room, which would allow them to focus their efforts fully on finding the dragon ruby. The dragon ruby was one of four dragon stones that held an incredible amount of ancient, supernatural power. Three of the stones—the dragon emerald, dragon sapphire, and dragon amethyst—had already been recovered by the side of good. But the remaining stone, the dragon ruby, was still missing, and it was rumored to be as powerful as all of the other stones combined. If Saul managed to get his hands on it first, this could spell disaster. Saul might be able to, with the power of that dragon ruby, overcome all of the forces of good. Violet shuddered. She did not want to even think about what the world would look like if someone as evil as Saul was in complete control.

The knowledge that Saul’s forces in Sandview were crippled, though, was not enough to distract Peter and Knox from the fact that Weston and Violet had taken off on an unauthorized mission without telling anyone. Peter and Knox had been unhappy, to say the least. They had chewed Weston and Violet out in front of everyone, which, theoretically, should have made Violet feel upset and embarrassed. The strange thing was, she didn’t really care.

She had still been on too much of an adrenaline high to worry about the fact that her superiors were upset with her. She could hardly believe that she and Weston had done what they’d done.

Now, in the darkness of her own bedroom, a broad smile crossed Violet’s face as she remembered Peter telling her that a Wizard Advocate like her should know better than to participate in unauthorized missions. She’d made sure to keep a dutifully repentant look on her face while Peter reprimanded her, but on the inside, she’d been smiling just as broadly as she was now.

The truth was that she felt pretty badass. She’d spent her whole life coloring inside the lines and doing as she was told, but something about Weston and his adventurous spirit had encouraged her to go off into enemy territory in the middle of the night. It had been the best decision she’d ever made. She’d done something, really done something. She’d crippled the army of one of the most powerful forces of evil in the world today. No one could ever take that away from her.

Violet swung her legs over the side of the bed and made her way to the bedroom door. Thirteen hours of sleep had left her feeling quite hungry and thirsty, and she wanted to see what was available to eat in the kitchen. To her surprise, when she opened her bedroom door, she found Weston sitting on the living room couch. He had one lamp on, and looked up from the papers he’d been poring over as she entered the room.

“Hey,” he said, his voice surprised. “I didn’t even hear you stirring.”

“I’ve only been up a few minutes,” Violet said. “I think I woke up from hunger.”

Weston smiled. “That would make sense. You’ve been sleeping for so long.”

Violet padded over to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. She pulled out a bottle of orange juice and a cup of yogurt. Grabbing a spoon and a glass, she went to sit at the dining room table. As she sipped her juice and ate her yogurt, she watched Weston intently. He was completely absorbed by the papers he was looking over, and didn’t say much else to her until she couldn’t stand the curiosity any longer.

“What are you looking at?” she asked.

He looked up in surprise, as though he’d already forgotten she was in the room, too.

“Oh,” he said. “Maps I drew up of Saul’s headquarters. I’m trying to figure out how we can get in there and get to those prisoners.”

Violet raised an amused eyebrow. “You’re not planning another secret mission, are you? Peter and Knox might have forgiven you for running off on your own once, but twice is asking for it, don’t you think?”

Weston grinned at her. “Yeah, probably. Although I have a feeling you’d be down for another adventure if I asked you.”

Violet tilted her head at him. “Perhaps. Are you going to ask me?”

Weston laughed. “Well, I think that in the interest of not getting kicked out of the Redwood Dragons clan, I’m at least going to run this by Peter and Knox first. I think I have a pretty solid plan for invading Saul’s headquarters. He still has a lot of soldiers there, even with all the ones we’ve killed off in the last couple battles. But he’s been weakened considerably, so our army might have a good chance of taking him if we use the tunnel to sneak in one last time.”

“One last time?” Violet asked. “That sounds so final.”

Weston nodded. “I think we can only get away with using it for a large army once before Saul’s soldiers realize that we have access to this secret entrance. Besides, I think once we get the prisoners, we should all head back to Falcon Cross. It’s safer there, and we’ve done all we can to destroy Saul’s plans in Sandview. He wanted to clone bats out here, and we’ve put a stop to that. It’s time to leave and get back to searching for the dragon ruby. We must find that before he does.”

Violet nodded. “True enough. Do you think that Peter and Knox are going to agree with you?”

Weston shrugged. “Knox will. He chewed me out yesterday, but he’s proud of me, I know. He’s my clan leader, and he’s known me for a long time. He trusts my judgment on things. I’m not so sure about Peter. The man is a bit of a wildcard. Sometimes he’s willing to take big risks. Other times, he wants to play it ridiculously safe. I’m trying to make my plans as well thought-out and foolproof as possible before I go talk to them today. Maybe that’ll appeal to Peter’s cautious side.”

“I hope you’re right,” Violet said. “Because I think we need to get those prisoners out of there. I’m not sure who they are or what Saul’s doing with them, but it can’t be anything good.”

“Agreed,” Weston said. “And since we’re on the same page about this, do you think you’d be willing to look over my plans and see if I’ve made them as strong as I can? I want to be as prepared as possible before I go talk to Knox and Peter.”

Violet grinned at Weston and then gasped in mock surprise. “Are you actually asking for my opinion on something, Mr. Weston Pars?”

Weston grinned right back at her. “I am. Don’t get used to it.”

Violet stood, and went to toss her empty yogurt cup in the trash. “I’ll take a look, but do you mind if I shower first. I haven’t had time to take a proper shower since our mission, and I feel disgusting. Plus, I could still use a little time for my brain to wake up.”

“Sure, no problem,” Weston said, already turning his attention back to the papers in front of him. “Take your time. I still have quite a few details to work out before I feel like this plan is complete.”

Violet headed toward her bedroom and its attached bathroom, but she stopped in the doorway to turn for a minute and look at Weston. He didn’t see her watching him, or, if he did, he pretended that he didn’t. Things had been a bit strange between them since they got back from destroying the master bat. Neither one of them had mentioned the fact that they’d both admitted to having romantic feelings for each other. Violet supposed she couldn’t blame him too much if he didn’t want to try to make another move on her after he’d already told her he loved her only to have her reject his advances.

Violet turned away abruptly, forcing herself to tear her eyes from the handsome outline of his face. She’d made the right decision, hadn’t she? They were at war, fighting battles every other day. There was no time to think about love or romance.

And yet, as she showered, Weston was all she thought about. Ever since she’d ridden out of that bat cave on his back, she’d felt different. She felt closer to him somehow. Perhaps it was the thrill of going on a secret mission together, or perhaps it was just that every passing day was one more day of living with the knowledge that her heart was yearning for Weston. Whatever the reason, her resolve to keep him at arm’s length was slowly being whittled away. She could hardly look him in the eye now, for fear that the desire filling her would be evident on her face.

Violet stayed in the shower a long time, and took even longer getting ready. She felt like she needed more time to collect her thoughts before she went to talk to Weston again. She blow dried her hair until it was perfectly straight. She spent a long time choosing her clothes, as though it actually mattered what she wore today. She even put on makeup, which she almost never did, just as an excuse to spend more time hidden away in her bedroom.

Finally, though, she’d run out of reasons to stay behind her closed door, and she forced herself to walk back into the living room. Although she had no logical reason to think that this encounter with Weston would be anything special or different, she couldn’t seem to slow the rapid pace of her breathing, or the pounding of her heart in her chest.

When she stepped out of her bedroom, Weston was no longer sitting on the couch. The papers he’d been looking over were all spread across the coffee table, but he was not there. It only took her a moment to find him, though, thanks to the sound of his voice.

“My god,” he said from the kitchen, where he stood with a carton of milk in his hand. “You look beautiful.”

Violet blushed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I look the same as always.”

Weston set the milk carton down on the kitchen counter, unopened, and started walking toward her bedroom door. “Well, you always look beautiful,” he said.

Violet’s heart continued to pound in her chest. Her breath grew more ragged with every step he took toward her. She had been right. Something was different between them now. Special. Violet felt drawn to Weston like a magnet. There was no escape. Her eyes locked on his, and she couldn’t tear herself away. He felt the pull between them, too, she knew. He walked right up to her, until his face was mere inches from hers.

“Violet,” he said, his voice husky. The only word he said was her name, and yet, somehow, he was saying so much more than that.

“Weston, we shouldn’t,” Violet said. But her voice didn’t sound convincing.

“Shouldn’t what?” he asked. He reached his right hand up and cupped the left side of her face with it. His palm was large and warm, easily covering both her cheek and her ear. His thumb reached to stroke gently at her lips.

Violet had no answer for him. She tried to put words together in her mind that made sense, but it was impossible to think with his hand on her face, and his thumb on her lips. Nothing on the outside had changed between them. After all, they’d been soldiers together in this war already. They’d fought battles together. But somehow, the mission to destroy the master bat had changed them. Violet knew that they had done something great together, and that they had only been able to do it because they trusted each other so completely. Sure, they argued about what the right course of action was at times, and they teased each other relentlessly about who was better at every little thing. But at the end of the day, all that mattered was that, in the heat of battle, they were always one. They fought together, they were willing to die together, and, so far, thankfully, they had always triumphed together.

Violet didn’t know how to put into words what she was feeling, but she knew that her attraction to Weston was about so much more than just the way he looked. Oh, sure, he looked amazing. There was no denying that his muscular body, chiseled jawbone, and piercing green eyes were enough to send any woman’s heart racing right out of her chest. But physical attraction was only the beginning. There was something about his soul, the very essence of who he was, that drew Violet’s heart to his.

He was brave, loyal, and kind. He was fearless in battle, and willing to die to defend what was right and good in the world. He never wavered in his efforts to make the world a better place. He was, in short, a dragon. He had an old soul, a heart strengthened by the legacy of a thousand dragons before him. And somehow, miraculously, he was hers. She could not have told you how she knew this. She just did. Her heart leapt at the sight of him, and she knew that his heart did the same for her. He loved her. He had told her so. And in the middle of that tiny apartment in Blackstone, Violet finally fully admitted to herself what she had known since the moment she’d met him: she loved Weston Pars.

Before she could change her mind, or try to rationalize away the truth that was filling her heart, Violet tilted her head upward and found Weston’s lips with her own. He tasted, strangely, like cinnamon. His lips were softer than she would have thought, and she closed her eyes as they pressed against hers, returning the kiss she had finally allowed herself to give him. For a moment, time stood still as they both came to the realization that they were finally letting themselves fall into each other.

And then, the softness of the moment ended, and was replaced by a sudden, heated urgency. Violet heard a low growl coming from Weston’s chest. The sound was deep and primal, and it sent shivers of delight running down her spine. He broke his lips away from hers to lift her in his arms, then carried her over the threshold of her bedroom door. He lay her down on her back over the soft comforter of her bed, and reached for the buttons of her blouse even as he bent down to find her lips again. He slipped his tongue into her mouth as he fumbled with the buttons, and another deep growl rumbled from his chest. Violet reached her legs up and wrapped them around his hips, pulling him down toward her and making his button-removing task nearly impossible. She didn’t care at the moment. There would be time to mess with buttons in a moment. All she knew right then was that she needed him close to her. She needed to have his body pressed up against her body, the same way her lungs needed oxygen. It was as though her life depended on it.

Weston let her pull him in, and Violet moaned as the weight of his body pressed across the top of hers. His tongue moved skillfully in her mouth, flicking back and forth against first her teeth, then her tongue, then the roof of her mouth. Every movement he made sent a wave of tingling pleasure emanating across her body. She felt the heat of it spreading to her furthest extremities, until even her toes were tingling. She could feel the space between her legs growing wet as her body’s craving for him grew. With every passing second she wanted him more. With every passing second, the juices of her desire oozed out thicker than before. Her body beckoned to him, begged for him, prepared itself for him.

She lost track of everything in the room except him. She moaned as the stubble of his cheek brushed against her own smooth cheek. He hadn’t shaved in the last twenty-four hours, and the shadow on his face made him seem more masculine than ever. She shivered as he pulled away from her kiss to finish his work of unbuttoning. He took her shirt off first, followed by her pants, then her bra and panties. The clothes she had spent so long in choosing this morning now lay on a crumpled heap on the floor. She was naked before him, her breasts rising and falling rapidly under the intensity of his gaze. The only thing remaining on her body now was the delicate gold chain around her neck, her favorite necklace from which a compass charm hung. Weston reached up and fingered the charm, holding it a few inches above her chest as he looked at it. Then, he let it fall, and he moved his fingers to her breasts. He circled her nipples carefully, his intense eyes drinking in the sight of her as he stroked the hard nubs that rose in response to his touch.

Violet trembled from the heat and pressure that filled her now. The comforter was growing wet below the point where her legs joined, as the wetness of her desire increased. She blushed, slightly embarrassed by how strongly her body was reacting to Weston. But she couldn’t hold back. She had never wanted anyone the way she wanted Weston right now. She had never felt so intricately connected with another human being.

He traced his finger down to her navel, slowly circling her belly button before continuing on to lower, wetter spots. He raised his eyes to meet hers when he first felt the warm moisture that coated her slick entrance.

“You want me,” he said. His voice was husky, pleased.

“I need…you,” Violet panted out. “More. Now.”

She was surprised at how difficult it was to speak. The heat that filled her body seemed to weigh down her tongue, making it impossible to form sentences. Weston understood, though. He smiled at her, warmly, then pulled back for a moment to stand next to the bed. He reached down to pull off his t-shirt, exposing his sculpted abs in all their perfection as he removed the garment in one swift movement. But, as lovely as his muscles were, it was not his stomach that caught Violet’s eye. It was the space just below his stomach, where his erection was now pushing out insistently against his jeans. She sat up and let her legs hang off the side of the bed, with Weston standing in front of her. She reached for the button and zipper on his jeans, tugging, pulling and grunting with impatience as she struggled to remove the pants, which were so obnoxiously in the way right now. Weston let out a grunt of his own, bending slightly to kiss the top of her head. Finally, Violet managed to remove the jeans. She could see his outline clearly now, stiff and hard against his black briefs. She wanted to see it fully, with nothing between them but skin. In one smooth movement, she pushed off his underwear so that he stood naked in front of her. The sight turned the warmth in her body into a burning fire. How was it possible for a man to be as wonderful and perfect as Weston? He stood tall, muscular, and strong. His erection pointed straight at her, as though heralding her. She smiled, and reached to grab it with her hand. She wrapped her finger around his shaft, marveling. He felt like steel—hot steel. He was warm and throbbing beneath her touch, and she rubbed against his skin, hardly able to believe that she was lucky enough to share a moment this intimate with a man like Weston. She looked up at him, her face glowing with heat, passion, and desire.

“My dragon,” she whispered.

“My lady,” he answered.

And then he bent his knees just enough to position himself in front of the sweet spot where her legs joined her body. The bed was high, so he didn’t have to work very hard to fit his tall frame perfectly in front of where she sat on the mattress. He slid into her and she gasped as he filled her. His thick shaft pressed against her inner walls and she could feel his heat as he slid back and forth. He reached down to wrap his arms around her back and then pressed into her, thrust after thrust, each one feeling deeper than the one before. She tilted her head back, her eyes closed as she drank in the wonderful sensations that filled her. Every movement of his body against hers increased the tingling pressure within her, until she felt that she was going to explode. Her breathing grew even more ragged than it had been as she felt her whole body reaching the point of explosion.

And then, her release came crashing over her. She let out a surprised moan as the intense shock waves rocked across her body. The heat and pleasure that filled her felt incredible, and she thought that she hadn’t understood what true happiness and ecstasy were until that moment.

“Weston!” she cried out, needing to say something, but only able to gasp out his name.

He grunted in response and thrust harder, his impossibly stiff erection reaching into the deepest parts of her as he kept her pleasure going much longer than she would have ever thought possible. She probably would have fallen backward against the bed if he hadn’t been holding her. She felt like she was floating and couldn’t concentrate on minor details like holding her body upright. All she knew was that the tremors her body was experiencing right now made her feel more fulfilled than she ever had before.

Just as her own ecstasy began to slowly subside, Weston let out a roar and thrust into her one last time, long and hard. His shaft pulsed and throbbed, pressing against her inner walls as he found his own release and came into her. The feeling of him finding such pleasure inside of her set her off anew. She moaned with him, whimpering in happiness as her body once again quaked under his touch.

She wasn’t sure how long she sat there, deliciously entwined with him as her body practically glowed from the aftereffects of their lovemaking. All she knew was that she was warmer and more at peace than she’d ever thought possible, and she wouldn’t have traded that moment for anything. When at long last Weston pulled out of her, he didn’t walk away. Instead, he sat on the bed next to her, then pulled her down with him so that they were lying at a funny diagonal angle across the mattress. He looked over at her and grinned, then leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“You’re amazing,” Violet said. It sounded like such a silly, juvenile thing to say, but she wasn’t sure what other words to use to describe how he had made her feel. Words felt so inadequate right then. She looked at him in wonder, drinking in the sight of his tanned, stubbled cheeks and piercing green eyes. He crinkled up those beautiful eyes as his smile deepened.

“So are you,” he said, then glanced over her shoulder at the alarm clock that sat on her bedside table. “It’s already been the best day of my life, and it’s not even nine a.m. yet. Who knows what wonderful things the rest of the day will bring.”

“Who knows,” Violet agreed. And although their conversation was somewhat joking and lighthearted, she had a feeling deep down that this day was indeed going to bring more amazing things. If only she had an idea what those things might be.

For now, though, she was at peace, basking in the beauty of this moment with her dragon. Her dragon. How had she been so lucky?