Jenny sat on the porch steps as she waited for Drew, hoping this would be over soon so she could go back inside with Seaton.

She could tell he wasn’t happy when he’d gone upstairs with Kai and Marina, but there was nothing he could do about it.

She’d been dealing with Drew for over a year now, and she could do it again.

She didn’t think he’d ever pull something like he did that day Seaton interfered. Even then, he’d only grabbed her hand and not let go of it, which wasn’t exactly a huge crime.

Oh no, she was justifying it. What else could she do? They owned a business together, and she wasn’t about to give it up just because of his harassment.

She didn’t have to wait long until Drew’s car pulled up, a luxury sedan he obviously expected would impress her. He stepped out, adjusting the tie he was wearing, and she suspected he had purposely not changed after leaving his office because he thought his business dress looked more intimidating.

Or attractive… or something.

He shut his door and walked forward, and she wondered how she had ever thought him tall and intimidating. Compared to Seaton he looked practically normal.

Then again, Seaton and his siblings were nowhere near normal.

But they were her friends now, real friends, unlike Drew, who had only pretended to be one. She could face him knowing she had people at her back. She wasn’t alone out here anymore.

“So,” Drew said, standing in front of her with folded arms. “I hear you hired some help.”

She looked up at him in surprise, standing up so she could face him from the steps on a more even level. “Where did you hear that?”

“Oh, just the complaint was that a female employee hit the guy,” Drew said. “But I’m sure I can make all of that go away. I’m just surprised you hired someone without telling me. After all, I am your partner.”

“In name only,” she said, folding her arms and matching his defensive posture. “Look, I thought you were going to take a more active role in the restaurant. I waited for that. But you didn’t, and I needed some help. And I found it. So what?”

He walked forward, and she walked forward as well, not wanting to get pinned back against the door or something. She lifted her chin, staying defiant.

This was Drew. She wasn’t afraid of him.

He sighed as he tried to take her by the arms. “At first, I thought owning the restaurant together would bring us closer. When it didn’t, what was the point?”

She shoved away from him, eyes blazing. “Running a restaurant. Helping people have a good time when they came to the beach. Making something.”

“I might still be willing to make some effort,” he said. “If you’re willing to ‘make something’ with me.”

“What?” she asked, discomfort curling through her as she raised an eyebrow.

“You know,” he said, catching her by the elbows again, pulling her in toward him against her will. One of his hands brushed along her face in a gross mockery of what Seaton usually did. “We could be good together. I always thought so. I thought if I was just your friend long enough, you’d come along.”

He leaned in, and she turned her head away, but then he caught her chin and pulled it toward him, dipping in.

She heard a shout and some rustling in the bushes, but whoever it was, they would be too late.

Remembering how badass Marina had been, Jenny jerked her face out of his grip, planted both her hands on his shoulders, and brought her knee up as hard as she could into Drew’s groin.

He howled and sank into a heap on the ground almost as soon as her knee made contact, and she stepped back, brushing off her hands in satisfaction.

She turned to Seaton, who had just run up behind her. “I did it!” she said happily. “Did you see that? I did it.”

He stopped, hands on his knees, breathing heavily. “I thought I was too late.”

“Were you spying on me?”

“No,” he said. “Yes. Sort of.”

She grinned at him. She couldn’t get mad at him for actually caring. “Well, thank you, but I took care of it.”

“Sort of,” Seaton said, looking at the moaning lump on the ground.

Drew looked up with a hiss. “It’s you, the one from before. You are whoring with him.”

Seaton stomped over and placed a booted foot right on Drew’s neck, shoving him into the ground on his face even harder.

“Stop it,” Drew mumbled.

“Get out of here. Don’t come back. If you come in the bar to bug Jenny, I’ll kill you.”

Drew looked up with an evil smile. “You can’t tell me that. My friends are the police. And I own half that bar, fair and square. I can come if I want.”

Seaton’s mouth curved in a snarl, and Jenny ran forward, getting between them.

She pushed Seaton back with a hand on his chest. “Stop it. He’s learned his lesson. Right, Drew?”

Drew just scowled at her as he stumbled to his feet and walked to his car. Just before he opened the door and got in, he shook a raised fist. “No one can keep me off my own land.”

Then he got in his car and sped away.

Jenny relaxed with a sigh, sagging against Seaton, just glad it was finally over. “Phew.”

Seaton stepped back and looked down at her. “Phew?”

“Glad that’s done.”

“It’s not done,” he said, his brows drawing in warily. She didn’t know why he was making such a big deal of it when she just wanted to go in and have a good rest of the night. “As long as you two own that place together, he has access to you.”

She bit her lip. “But I showed him I’m not just going to take it.”

“I don’t think he’s going to stop.” Seaton shook his head. “I don’t like it. Why can’t you just sell it to him and start over?”

She turned to him, gaping. “You have to be kidding me.”

“Why?” He put up his hands.

“Look, I know that you live in the magical world where people don’t need IDs or money or jobs, but I don’t. I’ve put everything I have into this. I can’t just walk away.”

“Even if it means always being here with him?”

“I’ll figure something out,” she said, folding her arms and turning her back to Seaton. Deep down, she knew he was right, but this was all she had. And there was no way out of it. It wasn’t like there were just tons of people waiting to buy. And it wasn’t like she had the money to do it.

And despite Seaton’s eagerness, she was pretty sure he didn’t either. He didn’t even have a job without her.

Which was fine; she accepted that. Nothing was really normal between them. But for him to just scold her, assuming such decisions were somehow easy… it really bothered her.

Seaton came around to look at her. “I wasn’t trying to be offensive. But what about when you settle down? When you have a man of your own and you don’t have to work there—”

“Whoa,” she said, jabbing him in the chest. “You know what I liked about you, Seaton? That you were different. That you seemed almost out of this world, unaware of how things worked and above all the bullshit that we down on Earth seem to deal with. But right now you sound just like any other guy who thinks my business is just something I’m doing while I wait for a man to sweep me off my feet. Like Drew. But I’m not.” She bit her lip, feeling tears at her eyes. “I came out here and started my restaurant because I wanted an adventure. I just didn’t expect it to come with so much crap.”

Seaton watched her quietly, as if he didn’t know what to say.

“Anyway,” she said, swiping at her eyes. “I get it. You don’t want to be involved with a bullshit situation. I’ll deal with it somehow. I’m fine on my own.”

She started back toward the house, eyes blurry with tears, but stopped when Seaton’s arms wrapped around her, catching her from behind.

His head lowered onto her neck, nuzzling in. “I’m not fine on my own,” he said in a low, tender voice. “I’m sorry I made you feel bad. I just hate seeing you in this situation. But if you want to stay here forever, then I’m here to fight beside you.”

She put a hand over his arm and leaned her head in against him. “Thanks. I’m sorry I overreacted. It’s just been really stressful.”

“Yes,” he said. “I get that.” He put a hand in hers. “But I’m here now, and I’m not going to run out on you. I promise.”

She looked up into his blue eyes, sparkling and honest, and nodded. “I believe you.”

Once again, she felt stronger. The world didn’t feel like it was tilting on its axis.

And she’d even hit Drew in the nads. “I did a good job taking him out, didn’t I?”

“Oh, yes,” Seaton said. “He won’t be thinking about anything sexy for a good while.”

She laughed. “I was inspired by Marina, you know.”

“I’m sure she’d be happy to hear that.”

“You know, maybe later, when everyone’s in bed, you can come to my room. We could finish up where we left off?”

Watching his beautiful eyes widen hopefully was the best reward in the world, and she practically skipped into the house ahead of him when he opened the door.

The only thing to dampen her mood slightly was the way Kai was standing against the wall, giving them a dark glare.

She decided to go clean up the kitchen and get ready for bed and let Seaton deal with his brother.

She’d dealt with all the difficult males she could for one day.

* * *

Seaton was so elated by the thought of more time with his mate that he didn’t see Kai coming for him ‘til it was too late.

Kai caught him roughly across the chest with one arm, knocking the breath out of him as he dragged him back out the front door with him. He pulled the door shut behind him as he practically shoved Seaton onto the front lawn.

Seaton had already been through a tiring day and didn’t really feel like fighting, but there was no point trying to deny Kai when he was in a mood like this.

“You promised her you would stay here forever? What the hell was that?” Kai paced back and forth on the grass as thunder cracked overhead. His blue eyes lit as if by lightning as he glared at Seaton. “When did you get so reckless? As if it’s for us to decide where we go!”

Seaton stepped forward. “I’m no one’s slave. I never was.”

Kai pointed to the heavens. “We serve a higher purpose.”

“We used to,” Seaton said. “At least we thought so. We fought sea monsters. We were sea monsters. That was hundreds of years ago. We’re in a new world, Kai, and you need to get used to it!”

Kai’s face tightened with rage. “You need to snap out of it. We didn’t wake up to play house here. You’re going to hurt someone if you aren’t more careful.”

“Like who, Jenny?” Seaton asked. “Because I’m never leaving her, Kai. I know it’s hard for you to understand, because you’ve never felt that way about someone, but—”

“Never felt that way?” Kai spat as the storm clouds above them grew darker, swirling overhead ominously. “How do you think I feel about you and Marina, then?”

Seaton felt slightly guilty, but he also felt he was being attacked unfairly. “Listen, Kai, that’s not what I meant, and you know it. Of course I love you and Marina, but—”

“There is no but,” Kai said. “You aren’t worried about us. We both want to contact our kind. Meanwhile, you’re just playing around with Jenny.”

Seaton frowned, knowing on some level his brother was right. He was being selfish. But he couldn’t think that fate had awakened him this close to his mate if he wasn’t supposed to be with her.

“You should be trying to figure out how we can get out of here, not promising to stay!” Kai said, folding his arms tighter as more storm clouds gathered.

“Watch it, Kai.”

“No,” Kai said. “I know my purpose. Do you?” He raised his hands and rain began to fall. “Do you even remember that you’re a dragon? Or are you happy to just playact a weak human as long as it gets you what you want?”

Seaton stepped forward until he was nose to nose with his brother. “Watch it, little brother.”

“You aren’t acting like the big brother right now,” Kai said. “You are acting like a selfish child.

Seaton stepped back, looking up at the sky as raindrops splashed over him, bringing clarity.

Perhaps it had been easier to focus on the good of the situation, in finding his mate, than it was to think about how confusing all of this was. Being in a new time. Not knowing how to find anyone of their kind.

But Marina and Kai didn’t have the same option. They hadn’t been awakened near their mates. They were waiting for him. They couldn’t just be at home there.

As much as he wished right now that they were human, they weren’t. They were dragons. Legendary sea creatures with purposes not their own.

He sighed, looking Kai in the eyes. Now that he’d shouted his piece, Kai seemed to be calming.

“I’m sorry,” Seaton said. “I know I’ve gotten carried away. I’ll start focusing more seriously on finding a way to contact the oracle or those connected to her.”

Kai nodded.

“But even when we find her, or the other dragons, I’m not going to leave Jenny. I don’t believe fate would bring me to her to make me leave her. I just don’t.”

Kai frowned. “So you would leave us?”

“I don’t know what the future brings,” Seaton said. “But it sounds like you would leave me.” Kai had nothing to say to that, so Seaton just waved a hand. “But I promise I’ll focus harder on getting in touch with whoever summoned us.”

“Do whatever you want,” Kai said sharply, walking in front of Seaton and pushing him out of the way to go inside. “Obviously, our opinions don’t matter to you anymore.”

Seaton looked after his brother. He wanted to tell him that he cared about him, too. That he wasn’t trying to leave anyone. But when it came down to it, his mate was his first priority.

His dragon, and his heart, were sure.

He walked inside, wondering if Marina was also angry with him, but she just gave him an apologetic smile, nodding toward Kai, who was storming upstairs. Then she walked over to give him a hug, which he sank into, appreciating her kindness.

“He’s just antsy,” she said. “He doesn’t know what to do when he’s not fighting. You know that.”

“The problem is there’s no one to fight here. Not like there was before.” He pulled back to look down at his sister. “The monsters are walking on land.”

Marina nodded. “I know. And don’t worry. Jenny’s been upstairs this whole time. I don’t think she heard anything.” Then she climbed the stairs to her bedroom, blowing him a kiss.

Seaton paused for a moment, listening to Kai banging around in his room, and then climbed the stairs slowly, feeling achy.

But as he turned and walked toward Jenny’s room, where warm light was streaming out from under the closed door, his found his body gaining energy again.

Time with his mate. Somehow just the thought of it made him feel like the sun was rising inside him.

He walked to the door and gently knocked.