Finally. After several failed attempts and numerous repetitions of Taelen’s instructions, Ling managed to return to her human form.

She stretched out her arms and wiggled her fingers. All ten digits intact. Whew. Even better, I’m not naked. She’d somehow conjured a top and pants, like dragons were supposed to. Yay, me.

Shouting clamored from the far side of the island. She exchanged frowns with Taelen before they both rushed in that direction. Jeers and whoops echoed from around some kind of medieval arena. Her chest tightened as she approached, weaving between large dragon bodies to catch a glimpse of what was happening below.

Oh, gods. It was Cao in that ring, facing off against Gen. What the hell was he thinking?

Invincible or not, he could still be harmed.

“Idiot,” she muttered under her breath, then paused to watch the fight. Cao appeared so tiny and greatly out-powered next to the massive red dragon. Yet, the immortal had a few good tricks up his sleeves. While Gen lumbered about, spewing molten lava dragon fire, Cao ducked beneath his large, serpentine body and leapt atop him from the other side, dug in his weapon, and used it to slide down the dragon’s long tail, leaving a deep red gash.

Gen’s howl cracked the air, and the dragon audience fell beneath a stifling hush.

Cao hopped to the ground and launched to his feet, facing off against the dragon. He gripped his weapon in his hand, braced for assault. Wait. Was that a…talon? Ling gaped from the spiked claw to the half-formed stump on Gen’s front foot. Sweet Emperor, what had she missed?

Ry sidled up beside her, squeezing between her and Taelen. “Gen made Cao fight him as payment for staying here.”

The hell? Ling crushed her fist at her side.

The torch dragon flared his nostrils and made to spew Cao with his dragon fire, but at the last second, swung his tail toward Cao instead, smacking straight into him and sending him slamming into the wall.

Cao crumpled on the ground, the crunch of broken bones unmistakable.

Ling cringed, wincing.

Taelen squeezed her shoulder. “He’ll be fine.”

“I know,” she mumbled. Fine wasn’t the issue. This man had already endured so much because of her. As if drowning and being smelted alive weren’t torture enough.

Groaning, he staggered to his feet, his left shoulder hanging at an odd angle and his left foot unnaturally crooked to the side. Ouch.

“That all you got, dragon?” He hobbled to the wall and slammed his shoulder into it to reposition the joint. Wheezing, Cao stood on one foot and grabbed his ankle, giving it a sharp jerk to right it. Then he rotated his shoulders and sauntered forward, talon in his fist. “Guess you don’t heal as fast as me, huh.”

The gash on Gen’s tail was split wide open, several inches deep. Hissing, the Zhulong whirled about. “I wonder, how well would you heal inside my stomach?” His forked tongue flicked and the dragon struck, snapping his jaws and spewing dragon fire.

Instead of lunging out of the way, Cao dove straight through the veil of flames, hitting the ground and rolling beneath the dragon. “Why don’t we find out?” He jammed his weapon straight up, into the dragon’s belly.

Gen roared, legs and tail flailing as he attempted to swipe Cao aside, but the immortal hung on tight, driving the talon deeper. The torch dragon flapped his wings, taking to the air, doing somersault after somersault, but Cao clung to him, the slit peeling wider.

Was Cao going to kill the Zhulong? Ling tensed, unsure of which outcome was the best.

“Yield?” Cao ground from between clenched teeth. “Or you can wait for me to split you open, if you prefer.”

In answer, Gen swooped to the ground, striking it with his belly and pulling up hard, grating his scales along the sand, crushing Cao.

Ling held in her breath and waited while the dragon’s long body steered upward to detect whether Cao remained attached, and intact.

She exhaled in relief at the sight of Cao, his clothing and skin torn, bleeding, like he’d been tortured with a sander. Yikes. He continued to grip the dragon, refusing to let go.

Stubborn man.

Even more stubborn than a dragon.

At this pace, the battle would last centuries. Ling shuffled her feet, anxiety piling inside her.

Time to end this.

“Cao!” she shouted, reaching into her spirit and withdrawing the jīng stone. This was crazy risky, because the dragon might take it from her, but it was the one card she had left to play.

As Cao shifted his attention to her, she hurtled the stone toward him, and he caught it in his fist. He cast her a quick nod before pulling the talon free and leaping off the beast’s belly.

“Hey, dragon, look what I got.” As Gen reared about, Cao held up the indigo stone and a spark of pure luminescence flashed from within it, lighting the entire arena.

Every dragon concentrated on the gem, riveted like kids glued to a television screen. Ling averted her focus so as not to be pulled in, too.

Casually, Cao tossed the gem between his hands and smirked at Gen. The leader gawked at the stone, rigid as a statue. “I think this means I’ve won.” The dragon didn’t respond, but sparks of the gem’s brilliance reflected in his molten eyes.

Cao glanced in her direction. “What now?” he mouthed.

My turn. She straightened her shoulders and leapt down from the wall, marching toward Cao. He handed her the stone and she closed it in her hands, breaking the enchantment. Wow, it felt good in her grasp. She swallowed the urge to pet the stone and met Gen’s stare instead.

The male blinked several times, then flashed into his human form and advanced to several paces away from her. “How did you come to possess such an exquisite gem?”

“I have my methods.” She angled her head, assessing how much he guessed about the rock.

“Of course.” He snorted. “That stone bears a tremendous amount of power. I hope you realize that.”

“I do, and if you agree to end this fight, I’ll let you hold it for a while.” She cast him a sly smirk.

“Deal.” Gen whirled to Cao. “You have proven a worthy opponent, Immortal. Thank you for the entertainment.” Dipping his head at Ling, he extended his palm, and she set the precious gem upon it for him to admire. “For as long as you require sanctuary here,” he murmured, entranced by the stone, “it is yours.”

* * *

A light tap on Cao’s shoulder jolted him and he swung his head to peek at Ling.

The shy smile cutting across her lips suggested she was damned pleased with herself. He returned the grin, proud as hell of her. “You look, ah, human.”

“Whew.” She wiped a fake drop of sweat from her forehead. “For a moment, I was worried I’d turned into a possum or something.”

He barked a laugh at her joke and seized her wrist, pulling her in close. “Time for bed?” The urge to purr those words into her ear was hard to resist. A bright bloom across her cheeks was the perfect reward.

Holding hands, they headed out of the arena. His body hurt in about fifty different ways, but none of them seemed to take priority over how much he craved Ling right now.

“We’re over this way.” She swept her arm toward a jungle path. Taelen’s “walk” had been good cover for a quick survey of the area. He nodded in approval and accompanied Ling down the path.

“You two come across anything interesting?” How crazy it must be for Ling to suddenly have a brother. His musings flitted to his own brother, but he smashed them aside. Not now.

“It might be because we’re newcomers, but I can’t shake this sensation of being watched.” Casually, she lifted and dropped one shoulder. “Other than that, it’s nice here.”

It was nice. Beautiful. The air was thick and refreshing, sweet with floral notes from the lush array of tropical flowers. Kind of like drowning in a cocktail.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if Gen has sentries out there. I wouldn’t worry about them.” They crossed through to a narrow cave opening.

“This is us.” Ling paused, glancing at him.

He pressed a gentle hand to her lower back, ushering her inside. Betraying the bleak exterior, the expanse before them was decked out like any luxury hotel room. Massive four-poster bed. Tapestries on the low-arched walls. A thick rug beneath his feet. Even a roaring fireplace on the opposite side of the room from the bed.

Cozy. Inviting. Welcoming.

Not bad for the Den of Dragons.

After proving himself in the arena, he could almost let down his guard. Almost.

Ling paced through the chamber, toward the archway at the back, and froze.

He darted to her side, fists braced for a fight, but instead of an enemy, a steaming pool of water greeted them. A steady trickle of water cascaded down the far wall, into a hot tub-sized hollow carved into the stone floor of the cave.

He whistled low. “Now, this is a bathroom.” Pivoting, he winked at Ling, and hoped like hell she was thinking what he was thinking.

She jumped at him, grabbing a fistful of his shirt, and kissed him like he was hogging all the air.

Fuck, yeah.

Cao crushed her against him, his hands racing to rip off her clothes while hers did the same to him.

A few seconds later, they were both naked, and he couldn’t be inside her fast enough. Last time had been tender and gentle, but the passion slamming between them demanded more this time.

He herded her to the trickling water wall and spun her to face it. Pressed against the stone, she was at his mercy. The bubbling stream poured over her tanned skin, running down those curves and coating them in pearlescent beads. He brushed aside her locks and trailed his tongue along her neck, lapping at the sweet water on her soft skin. A whimper chimed in her throat and she shivered, but definitely not from being cold. It was hot as hell in here.

And he was about to make it even hotter.

* * *

A small gasp escaped Ling as Cao nudged her thighs apart, widening her stance. She swallowed and shuttered her eyes at the sensation of his warm, rough hands molding to every inch of her body. He palmed both of her breasts, squeezed, and grunted in approval. Water trickled down her body, teasingly, enough to dampen her skin. The liquid was warm, creating steam that billowed through the room, and scented of minerals. No wonder the dragons chose this place.

Her nipples pebbled against his thumbs, which caressed and pinched them, kneading them to his satisfaction. His persistent massaging was making her incredibly wet. Maybe it was her heightened perception since she’d embraced her dragon, but she scented the slickness between her thighs and the salty beads forming on the head of his erection.

She rested her arms against the wall, beside her head, and surrendered to the steady force of Cao’s hunger. He slipped his hands lower, running firm fingers down her sides, over her waist. As he gripped her hips, she steadied herself for his penetration, but he didn’t thrust into her. Instead, he held her in one hand and the other dipped between her thighs, cupping her sex. Rhythmically, he stroked her, teasing his fingers across her bud, the water from the cascade mingling with her own wetness.

Lust built within her, drumming through her core, and her knees buckled. It was coming, so hot and steady, that she was certain in a minute she’d explode. Blast apart this entire cave with her.

Yet he didn’t let her cross that sweet drop-off. As she neared, mewling and her hips swaying of their own accord, he removed his delightful fingers and spread her wider. Then his demanding hardness pressed between her thighs, pushing his way in.

His invasion was even more foreign at this angle, and her first instinct was to close her legs, but Cao wrapped a hand around her waist and held her against him, waiting.

“Easy, love,” he purred, his decadently accented rumble sending tingles down her spine. The head of his thickness pulsed inside her. “Open to me.”

He tangled his other hand around her front, to rest against her throat. His powerful thighs prodded hers apart, arching her forward just a little, creating more room for his rigid width. The change in position shoved him deeper, until she imagined he couldn’t fit any more of himself inside her, but he pressed onward, making her take in all of him.

She whimpered at how full and stretched she was, at how every inch of her closed snugly around his shaft. Her ass was right up in his lap and she perched, vulnerable in his embrace.

Slowly, he pulled out, before slamming back inside her, knocking the air from her lungs. She hunched further against the wall, grasping for support as Cao repeated the movement, slapping his hips against hers.

Growling, he continued his rough thrusts, pounding into her, making her breaths uneven and ragged. Her mind spun as her body absorbed these new sensations. So, this was what he’d sought to do with her earlier. She didn’t want him to hold back, to treat her like some fragile creature who could break.

She was a dragon, dammit, and she craved for him to slake his thirst on her.

Suddenly, he withdrew and whipped her around, kissing her ferociously, a feral snarl rolling in his throat. His teeth grazed her lips, sharp little nips.

He tucked his hands under her and hoisted her to the wall, and she latched her legs around his waist. His length throbbed so hard inside her opening, the vibrations traveled through her.

Cao caressed his large hand against her cheek and kissed her with tenderness, rocking himself inside her. With his free hand, he seized hers and linked their fingers together, pressing their hands against the wall. They undulated together, breathing each other’s air. Moaning with each deep glide that joined their bodies. The rawness had burned off and left in its wake a slow-burning passion.

Ling slid her other hand around Cao’s waist, trailing her fingertips across those hard ridges of his chiseled abdomen, and sighed in delight.

Not a single doubt in her mind.

She was in love with him.