There was no time to think, only to act, and Alec leaped between Briar and Raven, shifting into his full dragon form as he moved. His tail whisked both demons aside, crashing them into the far wall, but Raven recovered quickly, her face contorting into the same ugliness as her mate.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Raven hissed. “You betrayed us!”

“You’re wrong about her,” Alec snarled, keeping his body against Briar, who was struggling for breath. “She’s one of us, Raven. You can’t kill her.”

“If she was one of us, she wouldn’t have robbed us!” Raven howled, her tongue jutting forward in a fork to spit at him. “All I need is one bite—”

“You’ll have to kill us both.”

“As you wish,” Raven replied evenly.

“ALEC, NO!” Briar screamed, but he exhaled a rain of fire against Raven and Drake when they rushed at him. They fell back, laughing.

“We’re demons, you fool!” Drake hissed, drawing back up to pounce again. “We love fire.”

“You will die if you do this,” Alec rumbled. “Think about this. You’re going to kill an innocent. She did nothing.”

“Alicia was right,” Raven snapped. “You’re in love with her. A mortal.”

“She’s not fully mortal!”

“It’s irrelevant.” Again, the pair moved toward him, and Alec sprayed another stream of fire on them. He knew he had to get Briar airborne before the demons closed in on her. A bite from either one of them would just as easily kill Alec.

And I can’t protect her if I’m dead.

“Maybe we can make a deal,” Raven suddenly said reasonably, and Alec was warier than he’d ever been. A calm Raven was a very dangerous Raven. If he could keep her talking, though, he might have a shot at getting both himself and Briar out of there.

“We’re listening,” Alec agreed, subtly moving his giant form back toward the door, his tail sweeping around Briar protectively. Don’t run. Don’t move, he begged her silently. He was banking on the fact that Raven didn’t really want to kill him and would avoid it as long as possible. Drake, on the other hand, was more unpredictable.

“Maybe if your princess will give up her accomplices, we’ll make her death less painful.”

“And our rings!” Drake snarled. “Where are our rings?”

“I already told you,” Alec spat. “She doesn’t know who was involved. Her vehicle was stolen and used in the robbery.”

“You are such a fool if you believe that!” Raven huffed. “I’m getting sick of this, Alec. Move out of the way. I really don’t want to kill you, but I will.”

“Then kill me.”

“Oh, God! It’s Colton!” Briar screamed suddenly, and all eyes turned toward where she was looking. The television was still on, broadcasting the only news station available to the cabin. On the screen was a young man who shared Briar’s bright blue eyes.

“She’s about to die and she’s watching TV,” Raven snorted. “You really could do a lot better, Alec. If you make it out of here alive, I’ll introduce you to some girls I know.”

“Shut up!” Alec yelled. “Watch this.”

On screen, Colton was handcuffed, standing before a slew of reporters, his face gaunt and grey with fear.

“—stole my sister’s van to rob several people over the past few months,” he mumbled. “My sister, Briar, had no knowledge of these facts, nor did she participate before, during, or after the events in question. I am afraid for her safety right now, and I just want anyone who might have her to know that she’s not to blame. It was all me and my crew.”

There was a clamor of reporter’s questions following his statement. “Mr. Baker, where is the loot you stole?”

“The money is gone,” he confessed. “We have a pawn shop in Little Haiti that fences our stolen goods. I’ve given the cops the name, and hopefully all the stuff will be retrieved.”

Alec saw the demons exchange a glance through the corner of his eye.

“You heard him,” Alec barked. “That pawn shop probably has your rings. Are you going to wait for the police to get them first? An evidence locker is a lot harder to access undetected than a sleazy hock shop.”

Behind him, Briar was trembling so violently, Alec was sure she was having a seizure. “We’re almost done here,” he told her. “Hang in there.”

Slowly, the disturbing demon masks slipped away from the couple’s faces, and Alec could see they were communicating telepathically.

“Well?” he yelled, still fully in his dragon form. “Are you going or not?”

“Your hospitality sucks, Alec,” Raven purred, nodding toward Drake. “You can shift back now. We’re not coming after your lover.”

He didn’t obey her request, smoke still emanating through his nostrils as he watched them shuffle toward the door almost sheepishly.

“That’s it?” he roared. “That’s all?” Raven paused and looked back at him.

“Oh, come on, Alec. We’ve been through worse,” she replied sweetly. “You don’t need to make a big deal out of this.”

“What about my brother?” Briar squeaked.

“Stay back,” Alec ordered, feeling her moving forward, but she didn’t oblige.

“What are you going to do with my brother?” Briar insisted.

“Nothing,” Alec answered for them. “They don’t want anyone to know what happened here tonight, right?”

Raven pouted and glared at Briar. “You could have just told us that your brother was the one responsible for what happened.”

Alec scoffed. “Yeah, Rave. You’re very reasonable.”

“If we get our rings, we’re through with this matter now,” Raven told her. “Your brother seems like he’s going to have enough problems going forward.” She didn’t wait for a response and hurried out the door after her husband, leaving Briar and Alec alone in the tiny cabin. The walls were still smoldering from where he had unleashed.

Alec heard the distant sound of a car driving away before he turned to Briar, his body forming back into his mortal shape. Briar stood silently, her face nearly opaque as she stared at nothing, like she was staring right through him.

“Are you all right?” Alec asked gruffly, stepping toward her to look for signs of damage. She recoiled, a fire showing in her eyes.

“Am I all right?” she choked in disbelief. “No, I don’t think I am.”

“Briar—”

“Demons, dragons—what else? What else exists out there?”

Alec exhaled and slumped against the wall, lowering his eyes. “Witches, Lycans, fairies, vampires, and—”

“VAMPIRES?!” Briar looked at him in shock. “Please tell me you’re kidding.”

“As you can see, none of this is a joke.”

Her lower lip quivered slightly, and she nodded. “Yeah,” she sighed. “I guess not.”

“There’s nothing to be afraid of,” Alec told her softly. “We’ve been around for thousands of years. We’ve walked among mortals just as long, and no one has been the wiser.”

“Until a demon comes to murder us!”

“That doesn’t happen as much as you might think,” Alec told her gently. “Raven is a very important demon—the strongest of her kind, just as I am the strongest of mine.”

Briar raised her head slowly and studied his face without speaking. When she finally found her voice, her eyes were shining with something he couldn’t immediately identify.

“You are strong,” she replied softly. “Stronger than anyone I’ve ever known.”

“Well, in all fairness, how many dragons do you know?”

“Two,” she replied quietly.

“Two?”

“I think I’m a dragon, too,” she confessed. “I had a dream.”

“There are ways we can find out,” he offered. He had no idea what conflicting emotions Briar must be experiencing at that moment, but he knew he had to give her time to sort through everything. I’ve been at this so long, I forget what it’s like to be shocked by anything anymore. Raven tried to kill us both, and I’m barely concerned.

Alec cocked his head to the side and watched as Briar tentatively stepped closer to him. His pulse quickened as he realized she was coming around.

“Could she really kill you?” Briar wanted to know. “With a bite?”

“Yes,” he replied. “I was hoping she wouldn’t. We’ve been some semblance of friends for a long time.”

“With friends like her…” Briar muttered, and Alec reached forward to yank her into his arms.

“It’s different with us,” he explained softly. “We’re not like other people you know.”

“No,” Briar agreed, leaning her head back to stare up at him. “You’re not. Most people I know wouldn’t die for me.” There were tears misting her eyes, and Alec kissed the top of her flaxen blonde head tenderly.

“I would do anything for you,” he promised. “You’re my mate, one I’ve waited to meet for thousands of years.”

“It must have been lonely,” Briar murmured, pressing her head against his chest.

“I never realized just how lonely until these past few days,” he said quietly. “But you know what?”

“Hm?”

“I think it was worth the wait.”

Briar chuckled. “Even though I almost got you killed?”

“That’s what makes it so much fun!”

“You dragons are weird.”

“Takes one to know one, I guess.” They giggled and clung onto one another tightly, ignoring the scent of singing walls and charred paneling.

Thanks, Miriam, Alec thought again. I really do owe you one.