At lunch, Sever tried hard not to stare at the woman he was now working for.

It wasn’t turning out to be that easy.

She looked unlike any human woman he’d seen as any of his friend’s mates. Her hair was curly and long, cascading over her shoulders, with half of it pulled up. It was a soft brown color, but certain pieces were dyed in colors he’d never seen on another human.

Purple, pink, light blue.

She caught him staring and put a hand warily through the curls, making them catch the light from the kitchen window. “I did it for fun, but it’s kind of fading. Not sure if I’ll do it again.”

“It’s pretty,” he said, still trying to figure out what he thought about it. And how to stop thinking of those colorful curls wound around his fingers, falling over his pillow.

She wasn’t his. She couldn’t be, right?

You didn’t get two chances in a lifetime. He didn’t know if he would ever trust himself again.

She had warm, light-hazel eyes that were a mixture of blue and brown and green with little flecks of gold. He’d never seen such eyes. When he looked into them, he couldn’t seem to keep track of space and time.

Was that what a mate was? Or had he simply not had time alone with such a beautiful woman?

And she was beautiful. A pointed, stubborn chin, wide, soft cheeks with high cheekbones, small, lush lips with a fuller bottom that curved poutily. A dimple on one cheek. A heart-shaped face that looked striking yet inviting at the same time.

She was hard to describe, yet his heart was leaping toward her.

He swallowed and focused on the sandwiches she had given him, full of a mixture of sticky substances that tasted great but needed to be washed down with milk.

On his next chance, he would head into town for more man food.

“Do you like it? I guess we might need to adjust our diet now that someone with your… build is joining us,” she said.

He shrugged. “We can visit the store later. This is fine for now.” He remembered his manners. “Thank you,” he said, looking up to meet her eyes.

Such soft, pretty hazel. It was a mistake to look up at her, but he couldn’t look away.

She blinked slowly, her long lashes sultry without her even knowing it. “I guess so. I mean, it’s no problem…” She turned back to her plate, poking at carrots with her fork. “Well, when we’re done here, would you like a tour of the farm?”

He smiled in relief as the tension dissolved momentarily. He wondered what Dante would say about this whole situation. “I’d like that.”

“Okay,” she said. “Taylor and I can clean up dinner, and then I can meet you down here and we’ll head out. It’s nice outside, not dark yet, but nice and cool.”

“What should I do?” he asked, feeling a little uncomfortable to not be the one working.

“Nothing,” she said, giving him a wink that shook him to his toes. “You’re our guest. You can get some rest after all that driving, and we’ll come get you when we’re done.”

Taylor looked slightly resentful, and Sever had to stifle a laugh. “All right, then,” he said. “If you’re sure I can’t help.”

She nodded. “I’m sure. I already owe you for coming out. I don’t need to owe you more.”

He wanted her to owe him more. No, that wasn’t quite right. He wanted her to depend on him.

It felt like a long-dormant part of him was coming alive.

He’d planned to just come out here to take a break. He’d already given up on a happy ending.

But when he’d gotten her letter, he hadn’t been able to put it aside. He’d had to answer.

Now, in her kitchen, far away from his time, his friends, and anything he’d ever known, he was facing something he’d never imagined.

He was starting to feel at home.

He left the kitchen and took the stairs two at a time to his bedroom.

Maybe he’d just been driving too long. Maybe it was too much at once. Maybe the sandwich was doing things to his head.

Or maybe, for once, he was in the right place at the right time, and he didn’t know what to do about it.

* * *

Lori pulled at the sleeves of her jacket nervously as she waited for Sever to come down.

It would be getting darker soon, but she didn’t want to interrupt his rest.

They could always tour the place tomorrow.

But a little part of her felt disappointed at the prospect of not seeing him.

Taylor was holding a rubber stress ball in his hands, tossing it from one to the other in that awkward way preteens have. “I still don’t know if we should trust this guy. Even if he’s your friend, he could have bad ideas.”

“Do you think he does?” she asked, honestly curious about his opinion.

“No,” he said grumpily. “But I don’t just trust anyone who comes along.”

“Makes sense,” she said. “Trust is something that has to be earned. You can trust him, or me, when you want to.”

“I trust you,” he said earnestly. “I think.”

She put an arm around him and gave him a squeeze. “I appreciate that.”

“He’s tall,” Taylor said. “Am I ever going to be tall like that?”

“You’re probably going to be as tall as your dad,” she said. “Which is still pretty tall.”

“That guy doesn’t even seem human,” Taylor said, folding his arms and shaking his head. “More like Thor or something.”

“Thor?”

“From the movies.”

“Oh,” she said faintly. “I see.”

They were interrupted by soft thuds coming down the stairs. The entire house almost seemed to shake when Sever moved. When he entered the kitchen doorway, he made the whole room appear smaller by comparison.

His hair was back, combed into an even neater braid, and he was wearing a jacket over his tee and jeans. “I had a good nap, thank you. I’m ready to see the land.”

As he came closer, she had to arch her neck harder to look up at him, her gaze moving over hard abs, taut pecs, to a hard jawline and full, amused lips just above it.

Then twinkling, smoky-gray eyes like dark ashes. Or crushed graphite. He winked, and she took a step back.

“What?” She gasped.

“I don’t know,” he said. “You did it earlier.”

She did? She did. At lunch. She’d already forgotten. It was something she did all the time to keep things light with Taylor. She’d forgotten it could have this kind of effect, especially coming from a gorgeous, extremely tall man.

She swallowed. “Oh.”

Taylor rolled his eyes and headed for the front door. “C’mon, let’s go.”

“Right,” she said, following him out onto the porch. “The tour.”

Taylor reached for her hand and swung it between them as they headed down the front drive and then branched off to go around the side of the house to show off the back yard.

Despite the brush and wild scrubs all around them, there were also tall, beautiful trees and a nice-sized orchard in the back. Plus, a fairly good fence that was still in nice condition, outlining all ten acres of the property.

She felt Sever’s eyes on her as they walked, and a shiver went up her spine.

Focus.

“All right,” she said, letting go of Taylor’s hand so she would be able to point out certain aspects of the yard. She led them to the small garden just behind the house, and then they walked to the chicken coop that was a little farther out. And then the corral that could hold horses in the far west corner. There were none there now, but there could be in the future.

Taylor seemed to like the idea, but she didn’t dare bring animals in until she felt she could keep her and Taylor safe.

All the while, Sever listened intently, hearing her thoughts on what she wanted to do in the future, what trails there were that led around the property if he wanted to go for a walk. At the back, there was a long line of tall trees leading into a forest that went on to other land, and as long as he didn’t go past their property border, he could hang out there.

She sometimes liked to.

But no matter how much she tried to tell him about the land and saw him sweep his eyes over it intently, she kept feeling he was truly more interested in her.

Like his gaze kept finding her, like that thoughtful look he kept getting when he thought she wasn’t looking had something to do with her, and it was starting to make her a bit nervous.

After all, what did she know about this person, other than he got paid to come out and do things like this?

No, for all she knew, he got paid to do way different things, like going to fancy balls as a rich lady’s escort. Who knew?

She decided that later that night, she should spend some more time getting to know him, rather than helping him get to know the land.

Perhaps then she’d be more comfortable around the big man with the stark, flinty eyes.

An electric tune rang out, making her nearly jump out of her shoes, and Sever reached in his pocket to retrieve his phone. He looked at the ID and then gave her a reluctant frown. “I have to take this. Is that okay?”

“Sure,” she said, trying to settle her nerves. “Taylor, want to go on the swing?”

Taylor’s face lit up, and she felt calm go through her. That’s right. This was her focus. This was why she was doing this. “Yes,” he said.

“Okay then,” she said, putting her hand in Taylor’s again. She gave Sever a smile. “We’ll be on the porch if you need us. See you when we see you, I guess.”

“I’ll just walk out this way,” Sever said, gesturing toward the side.

“Okay,” she said.

But then there was a frozen moment when Sever glanced at her, reluctance in his eyes, almost like he didn’t want to leave.

Was she imagining it?

Sever started walking away, answering the phone, and she turned on her heel and walked with Taylor back to the swing on the front porch.

Cool breeze, nice evening. Just what she needed to get her head back on straight.

* * *

“Dante?” Sever asked irritably, picking up the phone. He was relieved for the chance to break away from Lori and stop staring at her like a cat at a juicy mouse but a little surprised by his friend’s intrusion.

“How is it going? How are you doing out there? Is it some sort of trap? Do you need us to come get you?”

Sever put a hand over his face. Dante had previously been a selfish, if effective, leader in their old life, but ever since finding a mate, his more protective aspects had come out, and it had extended to basically anyone in his circle.

“I’m fine. No trap. Why are you calling?”

“It’s just something about that letter,” Dante said. “I don’t feel she was telling you everything.”

“Yes, well, we should be the first ones to know that sometimes you can’t tell someone everything, but it doesn’t mean you’re trying to trick them.”

Dante had to pause at that, Sever knew, because as ancient dragon shifters in the modern world, they had to keep a lot of things hidden. It also made things complicated when it came to taking a mate.

Still, he didn’t think he would have to worry about it. He was attracted to Lori. Maybe something would even happen between them, but he was more and more sure it was just the feeling of admiration for what she was doing for Taylor and, of course, her exquisite physical beauty, kind eyes, and curvaceous, feminine figure.

He was pretty sure.

“So this Lori, what’s she like?” Dante asked. “Nice? Beautiful?”

Jealousy lashed through Sever, throwing him off balance mentally. “She’s fine. She’ll make a good friend.”

“Not more than friends? Not a mate—”

“Dante, you should know that’s complicated.”

“Look, just because Mercury tricked you, just because Amelia wasn’t necessarily your mate—”

“Shut up,” Sever barked angrily, silencing his friend. He knew everyone had been afraid to bring it up ever since they’d found out what had happened. They still weren’t sure on some of the details, but one thing was certain.

The woman Sever had thought he was courting, the one he’d thought had been stolen, the one he’d become a rival with a former friend over, had never existed.

Not like he thought.

If he looked hard into his past, maybe he could figure out where he got things so wrong, but he wasn’t ready for that. Not yet.

Right now, he just needed a peaceful place to rest. And no mate talk.

“I’m sorry,” Dante said. “I know it’s difficult.”

“No, you don’t,” Sever said. “You’ve got your mate. You’ve got your happy ending. Now stop worrying and leave me alone,” he snapped, hanging up the phone.

He stood there looking down at the blank screen as guilt waved through him.

He would call and apologize to Dante tomorrow. He knew it probably hadn’t been easy for his friend to bring up the subject and that he just wanted Sever to be happy.

Truthfully, Sever wanted to be happy, too.

But some things were still too sensitive, too painful to face in all their implications.

Being wrong about the woman you thought was your mate, having to unravel all the reasons you got it so wrong, was one of those things.

His heart was thudding mutely in his chest, making his ears ring as rage moved through him at what he’d been through. Everything from childhood on.

He didn’t want to think about any of it, and now Dante had brought it all back, damn him.

As he felt the past swirling around him, his ears perked at the sound of voices, the predator in him immediately snapping to attention and whirling around.

Ah, perfect. Something to focus him in the moment. A situation to give him something to do.

A truck must have pulled up while he was arguing with Dante, and now he saw men walking up the drive as Lori walked out to meet them.

She looked like a warrior as her hair blew out behind her in the evening wind, and she pointed accusingly at the men as she shouted at them.

As they shouted back, walking faster, alarm went through Sever, and he picked up his pace, jogging carefully over the scrubby ground to reach her.

What had first seemed merely distracting was quickly becoming something that made the dragon inside him roar.

As the men reached Lori, one of them getting in her face threateningly as she tried to stand in front of Taylor to protect him, Sever felt his hands form fists, nails biting into the skin of his palms, and he saw the red of bloodlust before his eyes.

He stood there for a moment, trying to let it pass, because the last thing he needed was to go to jail for overreacting and hitting a human, and he slowly realized what this overwhelming feeling was.

Mate, the dragon in him thundered.

Shit, he thought as he released a deep breath and went to deal with the men who were threatening what was his.