"You go to the east along the mountain and lay out the trip lines there," snapped Etienne. "I'll travel west."

"Do you know how to set these things?" Dan demanded. He didn't mean for his voice to sound so irritated but the events of the day had left him feeling raw.

Etienne started muttering in French again, and by his tone, Dan assumed the dragon was bitching about the stupidity of humans.

"I was setting trip mines long before you were born, human," Etienne spit.

Shit.

Of course he had. Clearly, it was going to take a little more time for him to get used to hanging out with creatures who had impossibly long life spans. But even so, the idea that Etienne pitted his old age against Dan's daily, real world experience jacked his annoyance up a few pegs.

"Fine," snorted Dan, "just make sure you avoid the traps Mina and Taya set." He spoke bouncing his anger against the Frenchman. That was easier than facing what was eating at his gut.

"No problem," snapped Etienne, every bit as annoyed as Dan. From the shifter's tone Dan suspected they were struggling with the same issue.

They had sent their women into danger and they had barely gotten out safe.

The idea of nearly losing Mina churned his stomach. Hell, just admitting to Etienne the depth of his feelings for her was enough to pitch him into uncharted territory. The rush of fear that accompanied their flight from town mixed like a whorl of crows in his mind with the memories of holding bloody comrades dying in his arms. He loved those battlefield brothers too, a desperate clutch of emotion born of the immediacy and the fellowship of shared dangers.

Was what he felt for Mina jumbled with that and lust conceived from one night with her followed by too many nights alone?

No, he decided. There was something more between them than two warriors of different genders finding relief from the stress of imminent battle. Dan knew that when they were joined to each other's bodies.

What alchemy they achieved in ecstasy went beyond the sharing of sex.

Dan had nothing to compare this to. The love of his parents paled to the need that thrummed through him for Mina. The camaraderie he shared with his war buddies didn't hold a candle to the fiery depths Mina plumbed in his heart.

There was only one conclusion.

He was hers and she was his.

It was that simple. And that complicated.

Losing her was a no go. Punch out. Mission aborted. And almost achieved by ignoring his gut reaction to protect her. He should have been in that store with her to neutralize the threat those attackers posed. Just like they were attempting to do now.

There was, not surprisingly, a lack of major ordnance in their bunker. Apparently, that was all cleared out when the base was abandoned. Once they'd utilized all the supplies they'd brought to create a first line of defense, they'd gone digging for more and managed to find some caps, nails, paper clips and an assortment of click pens. A few cartridges from his precious supply of rifle ammunition and a spool of fishing line he threw into his duffle for exactly this reason rounded out the requirements for homemade trip mines. They might not do serious harm to preternatural beings. But the explosions and, hopefully, howls of surprise would give the defenders a bead on their attackers' location.

Mina found some lengths of rope. Taya hauled in a garbage can of old glass soda bottles. He sent her to find some bedsheets and tear them into strips. When he asked Etienne to siphon some gas from the SUV, the dragon comtemplated Dan with suspicion.

"Why should I do that?" Etienne said with his jaw set and stubborness gleaming in his eyes.

"Because I can make firebombs from these bottles and that gasoline."

"You don’t need firebombs. I can spit all the fire we need."

"That's good to know, but I'm assuming that you could get busy. It would be nice if the rest of us have the advantage you do."

"None of you have the advantages I do," said Etienne. But he did what Dan asked.

While Dan made the bombs, he gave Taya and Mina the job of stringing trip lines of simple fishing wire along the paths carved by the military up the mountain.

"Set them," he said, "at irregular intervals, one or two each path. The idea is not to stop them but to get the enemy disoriented by not knowing what is coming at them."

Once he finished his work, he met up with Etienne to place the bombs on the mountain.

After their terse conversation, Dan parted ways with the shifter, moving east of the entrance of the bunker. After choosing the locations based on the likely trails the enemy would walk, he installed three snap-noose traps. The devices were as simple as they were diabolical. It involved twisting the rope around branches so that the trigger made of a small branch easily released when something, or Dan hoped, someone pulled against the noose on the ground. The hardest part was pulling the counterweight up high in the trees, but it felt good to put his muscles to work on something useful.

After constructing those, he set a dozen of the tripwire traps. On Etienne's suggestion, he rubbed his hands repeatedly with pine needles to mask his scent as he laid the mines out. Shifters, Etienne reminded him with his annoying French accent, had excellent olfactory senses. Now Dan's hands smelled like a god damned Christmas tree. But it was a small price to pay for a little more security, which he hoped he provided now with these little gifts for their attackers.

The sharp crack of an explosion rent the quiet of the forest. He jumped and turned to the sound. Listening intently he caught a growl of annoyance bouncing off the rocks from Etienne's direction.

"Setting trip mines since before I was born," indeed.

But Taya's concerned call up sent him jogging toward the pair. Not that he was worried about Etienne, but between him blowing shit up and his woman calling his name, they might as well just hand their coordinates to their enemies. Pine needles and leaves flew from under his feet as he ran and slid toward the two women close to the base of the mountain.

Mina and Taya stood above a shallow pit. Mina leaned on a shovel, her dark hair falling in wisps from a bun at the top of her head. Taya was in the pit pushing sharpened sticks into the ground.

Mina frowned at him. "Where's the fire?"

"Don't you think we should keep it down a little?" he asked.

"You, human, are the only one who doesn't know we are still alone here."

Mina's offhand retort cut deeper than it should have. Again, a shifter in his company dismissed him, but moreover, it was the woman whose regard he wanted most in the world.

As if to reinforce her words, Etienne burst out noisily from the underbrush.

"Didn't mean to alarm you, ladies."

Mina turned to Etienne and lost her footing at the edge of the pit as some of the soft earth gave way beneath her feet. Dan threw his arms around her waist as she pitched forward, sweeping her away from the hole. He set her lightly back onto the forest floor and she swallowed hard, her throat working as she gazed up at him.

"Saving the damsel in distress, lawman?" she asked in a mocking voice.

He had to hand it to her. She still managed to sound cool and composed, but he couldn't help but notice the rise and fall of her breasts as she drew in sharp breaths.

Not as immune to him as she was pretending. And just maybe the past few nights had been just as hard on her as they had been on him.

The thought sent a thrum of satisfaction pulsing through him.

"If she needs saving, yes," he said.

"Please," she said lightly. "Me and Taya nearly ended up as wolverine bait in the store, and we managed without you guys."

The offhanded way she regarded him and her mocking tone set fire to Dan's building frustration.

"Don't do that," he snapped back, voice low as he closed the space between them.

"Do what?" Mina demanded, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Don't act like it's no big deal that you could've been killed this morning. Or like you don't need someone watching your six. And while you're at it, stop acting like you don't give a shit about me when we both know that's a lie."

"Dan," said Etienne in a low, warning voice. "You don't want to go there."

"Back off, dragon. This is between me and Mina."

Etienne gave a low whistle. "Come on, cherie," he said, offering Taya a hand to help her out of the pit. "Something tells me these two need a little time to work some things out."

"I think so," said Taya putting her arm around her mate's waist.

"You don't have to leave," said Mina, her voice wavering for the first time since they'd started this standoff. Dan never took his eyes off her face as her friends turned to go. It was so fascinating to watch the anger in her eyes turn to wariness.

He might be a human, but she wasn't questioning his worth as an adversary right now.

"Sorry, old friend. Dan is right. This is between you and him."

The dragon and his mate disappeared down the trail leading to the bunker. The mountain was eerily quiet as if even the trees strained to hear their conversation.

"Your protector has left you in my hands," Dan murmured.

"More like you put your hands on me," Mina retorted with indignation.

"I always want to put my hands on you." His voice was gritty with a combination of need and adrenaline, but he didn't bother to hide it. He was done pussyfooting around. He pressed closer and laid his hands on her hips.

Panic flickered across Mina's face and she tried to pull away, but Dan held her fast.

"I told you. This," she uncrossed her arms to gesture between them, "you and me? It isn't a good idea."

"That's not how things were a few nights ago. I distinctly remember you acting like we were a good idea. A very good idea. Do the words 'please’, 'more’, and 'feels so good' ring a bell?"

She tore her gaze from his face and pursed her lips as she stared out at the lake. "Don't joke right now, Dan."

"I'm not joking. Far from it." He took her chin in his hand and tugged her to face him again. "I can't stop thinking about you. I nearly lost it when you and Taya came flying into the SUV. And making a joke about you dying in that store? Not funny. I can't bear the thought of anything happening to you. It would kill me."

"That's exactly my point," she murmured, her eyes glistening suspiciously. "I've tried to explain it to you, and you just don't get it."

"Do you honestly think you are the only one who's survived the death of someone you care about? Are you that blind? Jesus, Mina. You can't stop living because other people did. And you can't stop living because you're afraid of what the future might bring."

"Dan, I--"

"Enough," he snapped, yanking her flush against him. Hyperawareness of the woman in his hands burst over him. Her breathing sped as her breasts rose and peaked through the vee of her shirt. The arousal was plain of her face, and he wondered if she was as wet as he was hard. But when she licked her lips, he was done for. Need rose up, hot, demanding and desperate. He crushed his mouth on hers hungrily, taking in her sweet taste as he pressed his body even closer to hers. She leaned into him and returned the kiss, parting her lips with a soft moan.

It was good. So good. The way her lips moved with this, the way she pushed and pulled along with him, made him feel like she was offering something even more. Something that made him want to wrap his arms around her waist and push her up against a tree.

Exploring her mouth, he did just that, and when her back met with the bark she let out another little sigh of pleasure.

“Dan--” she started, but he cut her off with his mouth.

“On the ground.” It wasn’t a question, but her brow furrowed all the same.

“What, here? Now?” she said, but even as she spoke she was kneeling down and sitting on the leaf-strewn floor, gaze hot and needy. Joining her, he made quick work of unbuttoning her pants and working down her zipper.

“Dan, I don’t know if we--” she tried again, but he wasn’t hearing it. He could only focus on her lacy white panties and his own desperate need to get them off of her.

"I need to taste you," he said, his voice a low rumble.

She blinked up at him, a glimmer of something like acceptance passing through her eyes before she hooked her thumb under her waistband and wriggled free of the tiny scrap of fabric separating them.

"Your shirt, too," he said, and she followed along while he took off his own shirt.

He cocked an eyebrow at her equally lacy white bra, and she twisted her arm behind her. Then, with a little snap she was entirely his.

Laid bare.

"God, you're gorgeous," he said. A smile flickered on her lips and died away as he took each of her knees in hand and spread her legs until they were flush with the cool dirt beneath them.

He sat back on his heels for one long moment, taking in the image and committing it to memory. The black hair that had fallen from its captivity flowed around her creamy shoulders like a frame to the world’s most priceless portrait. Her full lips were damp from his kiss and her eyes…those eyes.

Soul-piercing gems that rocked him to his core.

He let his gaze drift lower to her full, raspberry-tipped breasts and leaned in, helpless to stop himself. He pressed a kiss between her breasts, relishing the feel of her silky skin pressing against his cheeks, before moving to one nipple and sucking long and hard. She gasped and let out a groan.

He pulled back to work her nipple with the tip of his tongue, teasing her before suckling again. Her hands dove into his hair, locking him close to her as her breath came fast in his ear. For a long moment, he allowed himself to be her prisoner, but soon, he wanted more. He drew back, kissing and licking his way down the plane of her soft, flat stomach until he could scent her sex. He inhaled deeply and shuddered as his cock, already stiff as a bat, swelled to the point of pain.

"Fucking gorgeous," he said, more to himself than to her. “I can’t wait to taste you.” He dipped low and laid his mouth to the very top of her sex, pausing to kiss the space just above her slit. With one finger, he pushed inside her waiting heat and his eyes nearly crossed at the feel of just how warm and wet and ready she was for him already.

"So good," he rasped, circling her aching bundle of nerves almost absently with his thumb as her body clenched around his finger.

It was enough to make a man want to pull back and take her right there and then, but instead he lowered himself to the ground and licked her, long and slow. The intimate taste of her sent the blood rushing to his ears in a whoosh, but he could still hear her low cry. It was a cry for relief. A cry for more.

And he had so much more to give.

He circled her clit with his tongue and then sucked the tight little bud gently, again and again until she bucked and writhed with every move. She quaked against his finger and he pushed another inside, the whole time imagining how it would feel when she rode his cock like that. With so much need. With so much urgency.

Again he licked up and down, noting every little shiver and moan as he went. He said a silent prayer that the sun would wait to go down so he could continue looking up and watching her mouth form a perfect little "o" when he sucked against her or thrust as deep as his fingers would allow. Watch her cheeks go from pink to scarlet as she got closer and closer to coming.

"I-I--" she tried to speak, but her voice broke on a cry and then she was convulsing around him, squeezing and working his fingers, fingers clawing wildly at the forest floor.

"Dan," she panted, but he barely heard her as he geared up for round two. She scooted away from him with a whimper and got to her feet, even though he could see her knees were shaking..

"Pants off," she demanded.

He wasn’t about to argue and stood up along with her before pulling the jeans down with his boxers in one.

“Good, now your turn to get on the ground.”

“Mina--”

“Ground.” She gave him a stern look, though her lips still tilted in a wicked, half-smile. “You got what you wanted. Now I’m going to get what I want,” she said, and when he sat down on the cool earth and leaned back, she sank to her knees in front of him.

It was like a wet dream. Mina, naked as a jaybird, nipples hard and proud, skin flushed from his mouth, as she ran the tip of her pretty pink tongue over her bottom lip.

Oh god…

His cock throbbed and then her hands were on his chest, running over his abs and back up again.

“Your tattoo is beautiful,” she murmured, tracing the outline of the warrior chief he had emblazoned on his shoulder. “Powerful.”

His brain was offline, but he managed to nod and force out a quick explanation. “Last patch of unscarred skin on my chest. Keeps me focused during battle. Reminds me to fight until there is no fight left. And it keeps me centered during peacetime. In tune with the world around me.”

A soft smile tugged at her lips. “I like that.”

If she liked it, then he loved it even more. But her attention had drifted along with her fingers as they trailed down his stomach to his inner thighs, massaging him and working closer and closer to his shaft.

Her mouth followed her hands, brushing the insides of his thighs and teasing him.

“Mina,” he groaned, but she didn’t so much as look at him. All he could do was lie back and watch her head as she bobbed closer and closer to him, teasing him so intensely that he nearly flipped her over and fucked her right then.

But when her lips finally brushed against his balls, his breath caught. She circled him with her tongue, sucking gently then releasing him with a pop.

“Fuuuuck,” he murmured, and again she didn’t look up. She was too focused on taking him into her hand and working him up and down slowly, gently, barely touching him and yet driving him closer and closer to the edge.

"Harder,” Dan urged. “God, you’re killing me.” He was too far-gone for games, but she didn’t seem to care. Her only response was to smile against his tip and then swirl her tongue around his head so slowly that he could watch every little movement. Could even see the lust in her eyes when she took him deep, lowering herself until he filled her mouth and could feel the back of her throat.

“Jesus, Mina,” he said as his cock jerked inside the molten cavern of her wet mouth. Her tongue snaked up his shaft and he shuddered, closing his eyes as she increased her speed, bobbing low and deep and moaning all the while so that little fissions of vibration rattled through him.

It was too good. Good enough that if he didn’t stop her soon, he might just blow in her mouth, but when he saw her expression, he couldn’t bring himself to stop her. She looked like she fucking loved every stroke, every dip. Like she’d been waiting her whole life to suck his cock and her big moment had finally arrived.

Heat roared through him, so fast and all-consuming, he wondered if he had a fever, but the thought evaporated as quickly as it had come, because Mina was hard at work. Pulling back, and sucking the swollen head of his cock gently before rolling her tongue around the tip again.

Enough was enough. He put his hands around her trim waist and lifted her effortlessly to straddle him.

He held his cock in one hand and lowered her onto it with the other, so wild with lust and desire so primal he felt like an animal in rut. The column of her sex stretched for him and then closed around him like an unseen fist, making his heart pound so fast, it felt like it might explode.

"Fuck me, woman," he demanded, his voice rough and low. Her eyes lit with something he had not seen before. Like something fierce let loose in her as she found the freedom to take what she wanted as rough as she wanted it.

She rolled her hips hard on his swollen member, teasing his tip slowly as she lifted up and then lowered herself down, taking him back in one inch at a time. She was everywhere, all around him. Her hands pressing against his chest, her thighs gripping his hips, her silky hair brushing his throat and shoulders as she bent down to kiss him when he was finally buried to the hilt.

She squeezed him, keeping him there for a moment before pulling away and teasing him again, slow and easy. Like she knew exactly how crazy it was driving him and relished every moment of it.

“God, so damn good,” he ground out, then leaned up to see the spot where their bodies were joined, watch his shaft growing slick and shiny as she ground against him over and over again.

He reached up and wrapped a fist into her hair, using it to tug her down to him and taking her bottom lip between his. He used his free hand to grip her hip and pull her down hard before guiding her up again slowly and then forcing her down again. She let out a groan and abandoned her little game of push and pull, working with him now, lifting her lithe body up and then plunging down. With every shiver, every little quake, she grew tighter around him, moving faster and faster until her breasts were bouncing with every thrust.

Sound and sight seemed to disappear and all he knew was the sensation of incredible heat, unquenchable need. Desire poured through him like a drug, dragging him to a place where there was no thought. His heart and soul became enveloped in a golden euphoria, beyond lust, beyond love.

It was as if he finally discovered something; a piece of himself that had been missing. His other half.

Mina's moans brought him back to consciousness as she slammed herself onto him again and again, throwing her head back. She cried out wordlessly, her Valkyrie wings unfurling as she bucked against him, her body going tight as a bowstring.

The pressure became unbearable as hot liquid pooled in his balls, and with a bellow, he let it launch, spurting deep inside her. Quivers racked his body as he came harder than he’d every come. It was a revelation. He gave it all to her, every part of him without hesitation. It was hers, all hers, now and forever.

Long moments passed before he became aware of his surroundings again. The cooling dusk air. The smell of the forest around them. The crackle of leaves beneath them.

And Mina. Always Mina.

She fell onto his chest gasping. "Good god, lawman, what was that?"

He cupped her face with his hands and pulled her mouth to his. When he let her go, she looked at him wide-eyed.

"I don't care if you say it back,” he muttered, “I don’t care how long you try to run from it. I love you, Mina, now, forever and until the end of time. And nothing is going to change that.”