She was a fucking marvel, this woman. In the shifter world or the human, he’d never encountered her equal. The past few days had been more than any person should be forced to bear. A brutal attack, a near rape, an attempted murder…then to find out her rescuer from those monsters was a monster himself. So how did she react? By climbing onto his back and letting out a whoop of sheer joy as they took to the sky.

Most people would’ve had a nervous breakdown by now. Not his Taya. When he’d shifted in front of her, she’d been shocked, of course. But it hadn’t taken long before she was back on her feet taking in his form, far more fascinated than horrified.

You’re so beautiful, Etienne.

He flapped harder and let out a puff of smoke at the memory. Okay, so maybe that part hadn’t been so hot. In fact, so far the two adjectives she’d used to describe him since they’d met had been “beautiful” and “sweet”. Not exactly what most dragons hoped for when courting a woman, but in spite of his response, part of him was pleased.

He veered right, a pulse of satisfaction pouring through him when she tightened her hold on his neck, her thighs gripping him as she smashed her breasts against him.

This was a first for him, and he had to admit, even knowing that this was a stolen moment…a reprieve from the ugliness to come, he was enjoying the hell out of it. Sure, he’d flown with other beings in his grasp, but not on his back, and certainly never for the pleasure of it.

He swooped low again, making sure the bit of shifter magic that shielded him from the eyes of humans was engaged. They trailed along the water, low enough that he could hear her gasp as he cut into the glasslike lake, sprinkling her with droplets as they went.

She let out another whoop, and he laid on the gas, loving the sound of her unadulterated excitement. Wanting more than anything to get her to make that same sound again. After causing her so much fear and confusion, it was like a balm to his blackened soul.

Once they cleared the lake, he made for the mountain. His mountain. It wasn’t the best idea. In fact, it was probably a terrible idea, but the thought of turning and bringing her back to her house didn’t appeal to him at all. They had lots to talk about, and he wanted to do that alone, without Drake there to pass judgment.

For the next twenty minutes, he continued upwards, following the silhouette of the mountain until they passed Drake’s keep and rounded the southern side of the summit . He could see his own home from the air, perched on the highest peak, and glided through the smattering of trees before landing.

He bent low, waiting for Taya to climb off, but she stayed put for almost a full minute. Now that they were stationary, it was easier to tell that she was trembling from head to foot. Guilt pierced him again as he wondered if she was chilly or scared. Had he totally misread her? Had that whoop been an exclamation of terror or—

“That was amazing,” she finally whispered into his ear, her hushed voice filled with awe.

She patted him gently on the top of the head before sliding to the ground.

Relief coursed through him and he inclined his head before nudging her with his snout toward his chalet.

She walked slowly toward the wide front entrance, as if she was still trying to get her land legs back.

“This place is something,” she said, turning toward him with raised brows.

He spared a glance at his home and nodded again. He couldn’t deny his own love for the place. It was all gleaming, amber wood, and twinkling lights. A sprawling retreat that never ceased to make him feel at ease. Until now, as he showed it to Taya. He hadn’t realized how important it was that she liked it until she did, and the warmth in his belly spread.

He pressed open the doorway, and stepped into a room large enough to house ten of his kind, wings spread. Then, he turned away from Taya and closed his eyes, letting his body relax as he called forth his human form. He took it slow, as not to shock her. A shift of bone and scales, a gentle morphing that left him standing there, a man once again.

A very naked man.

He didn’t wait to see her reaction. Instead, he headed straight for the large closet next to the sweeping staircase. Silently, he tugged out a hoodie and a pair of gym pants and donned them before turning back to face her.

“Sorry about that. It’s one of the downsides of being a shifter. Clothes are pretty much disposable, one-time wear only.”

He’d never been a shy man. In fact, if he polled the people who knew him best, they would probably say he was almost arrogant in his confidence. But now, under Taya’s wide-eyed scrutiny, he wished he could read her mind. She’d seen him buck naked, and as much as he shouldn’t give a shit one way or the other, especially given their current, dire circumstances, he couldn’t help but wonder if she’d liked what she saw.

“Y-you’re very…fit,” she mumbled, before smoothing a hand over her sweater. Her cheeks were flaming red and he had to swallow a smile.

That answered that question.

“I’d love to take credit, but it’s the flying. It’s a great workout.”

“I’ll bet. I can’t believe you get to do that whenever you want. It was amazing. I felt like a bird. I don’t think I would ever stay on land if I was like you.”

Like you.

His delight over her uninhibited response to their flight faded as those two words brought him crashing back down to reality.

Because she wasn’t anything like him. And she never would be. Which meant all of these foolish fantasies he’d been harboring needed to be nipped in the bud. Bad things happened when dragon-shifters mated with humans. His kind and her kind just didn’t mix. Not for the long haul. And as much as she wanted to believe otherwise, she wasn’t cut out for a one-night stand. Not without getting hurt, and she’d been hurt enough.

That was just the reminder he needed to get back on track.

“I’m glad you liked it,” he said, keeping his tone neutral. “I was worried I’d frightened you.”

She shook her head furiously, sending her wind-whipped, chestnut locks swinging. “Nope, not one bit. In fact, that’s the least scary thing that I’ve done in days. It was totally exhilarating.” She worked up a brave smile and he resisted the urge to yank her into his arms and nip at that full bottom lip.

He’d indulged himself and his dragon’s desires far too much with her already. Playtime was over. They had important things to discuss and the quicker they got them out of the way, the quicker he could get back to making sure Taya’s attackers were neutralized.

“Let’s have a seat so we can talk,” he said, leading the way to the large, sectional leather couch.

She perched on one side, and he sat on the other, so they could face one another.

“I have to admit, it’s really hard for me to bite my tongue right now. I’m dying to ask a million questions,” she admitted, her elegant hand fluttering up to toy with the slim, gold chain around her neck. “It’s strange, because I’m split in half. It’s like, as a scholar, my mind is reeling with the ramifications of what you are. What this means on a larger scale. What it means in terms of science and evolution. And then the other part of me? The part that much prefers to think of my own species as the top of the food chain?” She let out a short laugh. “It’s quivering like a Chihuahua, curled up in the fetal position.”

She studied him, cocking her head to the side.

“I’m struggling to understand the displacement of mass, and how this all works, and how your wings can support your body weight and—well, lots of other things.” She shrugged and tucked a lock of hair behind one ear. “But mostly, I just think it’s freaking cool.”

Cool was good. A great start. But they were still only a few short steps down a very long and treacherous path. A fact that she must have considered at the same time as he did, because the light in her eyes dimmed.

“Clearly, I’m not supposed to know any of these things, right? I mean, if people knew…” She trailed off and bit her lip when he inclined his head in agreement. “And shifters don’t, I mean, a lot of your kind don’t like us, right? Humans, I mean. Like the two men who were after me. They wanted to—” She swallowed hard, her gaze flickering away before she looked back at him and seemed to steel herself. “They were going to kill me and eat me.”

He didn’t bother to soft sell it to her. She already knew the answer. “Yes. Although not necessarily in that order.”

She blanched, but steadied herself quickly. “You said there are hundreds of wolf-shifters living here, but I’ve lived in Montana for years. I’ve never heard of anyone getting eaten by a wolf or even bitten in this area. Is what they tried to do to me outside the norm?”

“It is,” he confirmed with a clipped nod. “Willa is a wolf-shifter as well and she doesn’t hunt humans, nor do the other members of her pack. She believes that the two men who attacked you were excommunicated from their packs and have gone rogue. By rights, they shouldn’t be attacking humans at all, by most modern standards, but especially not in a suburban area like that. It’s bad for the entire shifter species to garner that kind of attention.”

“Which is why you didn’t call the real police to help me?” she asked softly. There was no censure in her voice, only confusion and hurt.

Maybe it was splitting hairs, but he couldn’t let her think that he had forsaken her safety for his own.

“I didn’t call the real police because they couldn’t help you. If they went out that night to look for those two men, they never would’ve caught them. The wolves are so superior, physically, that they’d have evaded the cops at every turn. And on the off chance they did catch up to the bastards?” he shook his head grimly. “The results wouldn’t have been pretty. Not if their minds are as warped as I suspect. Even if the cops managed to defy all the odds and arrest them, it still would’ve been a waste. Shifters don’t do prison for long, and lives would’ve been lost when they busted out.”

She nodded her understanding and rocked back to rest her head against the cushion behind her, her expression pinched and tired. “So you’re saying that you lied about Willa and Drake to protect me.”

“And to make sure that, when the two men were caught, they were taken care of permanently. I don’t want you to have to face something like that ever again.”

Because there is nothing I want more in this world than to keep you safe.

Luckily, before he could speak the words, she pressed on with another question.

“And what about Drake? Is he a wolf too?”

“Drake is a dragon, like me.”

She digested that information silently as he leaned forward and slid open the drawer of the coffee table in front of him. A pile of identical cell phones lay inside and he plucked one out.

“Another job hazard,” he said, as he powered it on. “I try to remember to take a knapsack with me that I can tie to my leg so I don’t wreck or lose everything when I shift, but I never seem to be prepared when the time comes.” He paused to punch out a quick message and hit send. “I just texted Drake and Willa and asked if they could still stay at your house for the night in the event Mikhail decides third time’s a charm. I doubt even he would be that reckless, but it can’t hurt.”

“Okay, so what do we do now?”

“We wait for intel from Willa’s connections in the wolf world and see if we can get a bead on this Mikhail’s whereabouts. If not, the guy I have locked up at Drake’s house will give us the information soon. He just needs a little more time to think it all over and then I’m confident he’ll play ball. He’s a drug addict and his body is already starting to go through withdrawal. By morning, he’ll be begging to tell me something. For now, though, we’re in a holding pattern.”

Suddenly, the room seemed almost eerily silent, as if even the walls were holding their breath. Taya sat across from him, almost preternaturally still, her wide eyes drilling into his.

“I had thought that you could stay here. There are plenty of empty rooms, or I can take you home if you’d rather. Drake and Willa will be there to protect you, and—”

“No.” She leaned in toward him and shook her head slowly. “I don’t want to leave.”

He couldn’t help it. His gaze was instantly drawn to the deep V of cleavage her movement had revealed, and his mouth went dry.

“Etienne?” she whispered, her voice so quiet, if not for the question hanging heavily in the air between them, he might have thought it was his imagination.

“Taya,” he replied, a shudder going through him as a hot rush of blood drained from his head, straight to his cock.

“I know what you said about the danger.” She unfolded her legs from beneath her and stood, taking a step toward him. “And I know what you are, now. Nothing has changed for me. I still want to be with you. I still want to know what it feels like to wake up in your arms.”

“You have the wrong impression of me, Taya. I’m not sweet, or gentle or—”

She waved a hand to stop him mid-sentence and cut in. “I don’t care about that. I don’t want sweet. I don’t want gentle. I want you. Whatever that entails. Everything else is screwed up ten ways to Sunday. There are wolf-shifters, and dragon-shifters, and frigging rogue monsters who want to murder and eat me. All that’s bad. Terrible, really.” Her big, dark eyes probed his. “And then there’s you. Like a beacon of light in the dark. Hot and inviting. I want to bathe in that light.”

He should say no. He could make her no promises, and this was a recipe for disaster. Especially if his dragon grew even more possessive of her than it already was. Letting go would be like losing a limb. But walking away now? Would be impossible.

He ignored every single warning bell ringing in his head, and stood, sliding his hand around her neck to cup her nape. There had to be a way for them. He refused to allow himself to believe otherwise, and once her attackers were dealt with, they would figure it out.

Together.

“Fuck it,” he groaned, before crushing his mouth to hers.

The last of the warning bells went silent the second her tongue touched his.

He was home.