Orion showed Lucia to a sleeping chamber. She held her cat to her breast, the subtle scent of anxiety still clinging to her body. How he wished he could wash it all away and bring her to life again with his touch. But that could not be tonight.

“Thank you,” she said, holding her black and white cat in her arms as he wiggled to get loose. “There is so much I want to know, but all this energy coursing through me is exhausting. I can barely keep my eyes open.”

“Sleep, and I will reveal all in the morning.”

She turned to go, but he stood in the doorway, watching her walk inside. He held the doorknob. She turned to him and gave him a questioning look. Finally, he closed the door and started down the hall.

His blood burned for her. He could feel the elemental fires in his belly raging bright for his mate. His beloved. How he needed to feel her feminine curves awaken at his touch. He longed for the scent of her ready cunt, begging to take his tongue, his fingers, and his cock. The memory of her taste lingered still, two thousand years later.

The beast inside him, forced to slumber all this time, was growling for the old ways. His woman had to know him. Their primal attraction had been timeless and ageless when they’d met three thousand years ago, and nothing had changed.

He turned the corner and took an elevator up to the top floor where he had his workshop. Most of his advanced technology was stored safely in the basement, but the top floor was where he did his best thinking and much of his work.

A massive wall of windows faced the valley that sloped away from his estate. Stars shone like torches, burning through the blanket of the black sky. With no other light, they burned in all their glory.

He went to his glass pad dashboard and waved his hand over the computer terminal. His three-dimensional holographic dashboard rose above the terminal, and he opened his communications network, pinging his brother Titus.

“We’ve moved on Denver,” Titus said into his camera. “But Xander’s forces have destroyed New York and several other cities abroad. They are organized and have legions of zombies. We simply can’t move fast enough.”

“You must concentrate on bringing back the sunlight.”

“You need to be here,” Titus growled.

“I’ve found her.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve found Selene, brother.”

“Selene? How can you be sure?”

“I would know her anywhere. I need time with her.”

“This is a critical moment for our cause. You must come here now.”

“Selene is everything to me, Titus. I will not leave her unmarked in these times.”

“Marking your witch is not as important as saving the entire planet from Surge rule!”

“Don’t belittle my love for my wife. You would feel the same if you’d ever found someone to love you.”

“This is not the time, Orion.”

“Is that my father?” he heard Ajax say.

Orion saw his son’s face on the holographic screen. His expression was grim and already battle hardened. Ajax squinted his bright green eyes and the wind rustled in his shaggy black hair. As one of the younger immortals, he was strong and in his prime.

“When are you coming, father?” Ajax asked.

“I’ve found your mother, Ajax. I need time with her.”

“Mother?” he started. His eyes narrowed. “How do you know?”

“It is her and she’s frightened. I must claim her before I leave her alone.”

“She’s in the fortress. Xander can’t rut her behind your walls,” Titus scoffed.

“I will join you the instant I feel it’s safe.”

“You are wasting precious time. You must join us on the battlefront now.”

“I will be there shortly,” Orion growled, flicking the application closed.

He gritted his sharp teeth, knowing his brother and his son were right. He had to join them. As the acting Alpha of the clan, this was his fight. But after two thousand years without his mate, his heart wept to be with her again. He needed her love. He needed to bind her with his mark and be sure no man could ever touch her besides him.

Losing her once had almost done him in. He did not intend to lose her again. The world be damned. All that mattered was his need for his precious Selene. All the money and all the skyscrapers in all the world could not replace his lost love. Nor could the glory of defeating the monstrous vampire Xander Valdis. Above all else, it was Selene who mattered most to him. Since the first day his bright priestess looked at him with her shining green eyes, he had gladly dedicated his life to her.

Titus had wanted the position of Alpha for a thousand years. Let him have it. Now was his chance to prove himself worthy of leading the clan. Orion had been their leader for three thousand years. He was tired, all he wanted now was his wife. He wanted to give her the child they’d lost and introduce her to the child she would not remember having.

He strode to his chamber behind the workshop. It was outfitted with everything he needed, but far from the most opulent room in the house. He sat on the bed and pulled a bottle of cognac from his black mahogany liquor cabinet. He uncapped the bottle and poured himself a glass. Sitting back on the bed, he waved his hand and made his shoes disappear. His nano-technology came in handy as a shifter. The dragons had been using it since before the veil, when their father, Dahaki, still walked the Earth. With his glass of cognac in hand, he leaned back against his fur-covered headboard.

His communications network pinged, and he dragged a finger over his glass pad to bring up the app on the glass screen across the room.

“Father,” Ajax said, his handsome face burning with the fight. “Why are you barefoot and drinking? You should be here.”

“Ajax. Sometimes those who would inherit power must learn to brave the battlefront alone.”

“Enough of this, father. We need your dragon in this fight. The Surge is winning. We will never deactivate the device if we can’t break into their labs. They have legions against our few. You are our last hope. Don’t you wish to see the sun back in the sky?”

“Of course, my son. But to leave the woman I love? It’s impossible.”

“If you must claim her then just claim her and be done with it.”

“You don’t know what you are saying, Ajax, and I forgive you for that. Since you have never loved a priestess of Gama, you have no clue what you are talking about. Your mother is not one of your mesmerized human women. Don’t think I don’t know what the younger immortals do in their free time.”

“Father, that is beside the point.”

“I think not. The women of Gama will awaken in the world again and they will be desired beyond all else. Mark my words. I believe it is my duty to protect them. And that starts with your mother.”

Ajax sighed, knowing he’d been bested. “You are right father. Titus and I will hold the fight until you arrive. But please make haste. We all want to see the sun shine again on our planet.”

“I will come soon, son. Fight well.”

Orion waved off his screen and stood, taking another swig of cognac. His son had a fine point, but so did he. Selene had been the leader of her coven when he’d met her and had remained as such for the rest of her too-short life. Her priestesses would come to her. They would reestablish their order. He intended to be there to protect them.

He finished his glass of liquor and waved his shoes back on. He had to speak with his wife. He had to know that she remembered him. He didn’t care if neither of them slept. This was too important. Selene was with him again and her body still did not bear his mark.

She was his. The dragon cried out inside him. It roared in his brain, shaking the very foundation of his being. He had to claim her, but he would not force his bite onto his shining star. Never. It would not happen. No matter how much he burned for her.

He went to her door and didn’t stop to knock, he walked in and found her sleeping under the blankets of her queen-sized bed. It was across from a bay window with fluffy pillowed seats, wrapped in floral covers. The cat slept beside Lucia and didn’t look up to hiss as Orion approached her bed.

He knelt beside her and looked at her sleeping face. Her full lips puckered like a budding flower. He wanted to steal just one kiss while she slept. One kiss would be okay. Then she would taste him on her lips when she woke. She would remember the subtle flavor of his kiss. It had to be.

Orion leaned in, knowing he was crossing a thin line in the sand. He had to taste her. His lips brushed hers, ever so softly. He took a breath, drawing her breath into his mouth. The taste of her filled him with longing. His body became electric with desire for the little forgetful human asleep in bed.

Her sweater opened to reveal the rise of her full breasts, her nipples hard under the thin tank top she wore beneath. Her lips pressed back against his.

The cat scuttled away, irritated he’d lost his place. Orion pulled back, standing above her in the darkness. He couldn’t taste Selene like this, without her full mind. He turned away, disgusted at the dark depths of his longing for her. This was his woman. His mate. His priestess. The dragon within growled. The power of an immortal demigod sang within him. The fiery elemental powers of his ancestors roared in his blood.

He would not allow the reawakening of his raw power to taint his love for Selene. He walked away, and her cat hopped back into the bed beside her.