“Why are you calling so late?” Anders hissed into his cell.

“Ah, I always forget about the time difference,” Max sighed. “Should I call you later?”

“Never mind now. What did you learn about the women?”

“Not a lot,” he confessed, and Anders felt a stab of disappointment in his bones. Things had been too quiet the past two weeks. The arsons had stopped abruptly after Anders’ penthouse, a conflagration that had cost six people their lives and two dozen more serious injuries. Never mind that Anders had been uprooted from his home.

Not that these past couple weeks have been unkind to me, he thought. Sawyer had been like an anchor in the storm to him, and he wondered if he would have been able to handle everything quite as well if she hadn’t been such a welcomed distraction.

The police had no answers, chalking the fire to yet another one of the unexplained. It was not the work of a bomb, nor was there an accelerant used.

“It’s almost like someone just dropped a ball of fire on the building, like the sun just spat something up and it happened to land on random spots in New York City.”

But of course, Anders knew that was not the explanation.

“I went to Airolo to speak with the locals. It’s been a year since anyone has seen them.”

“No one thought that was strange?”

“Anders, they thought the entire village was strange, all women and children,” Max said. “They didn’t ask questions. They’re Swiss.”

“Valid point.”

“But there was a man who seemed to recall some strange men settling in around the time the women vanished.”

“What men?” Anders asked, tensing. “What about them?”

“I don’t know. I got a vague description. Two of them. Tall, blonde, cold blue eyes. Doesn’t help much, but it’s all I have for now.”

It could be nothing. “Are you back in Misty Woods now?”

“Yes,” his brother answered. “Father is on a rampage.”

“About what now?”

“Estrella.”

“I will never understand how she puts up with—” Anders halted his speech. “Maximus, you need to speak with Estrella! She lived in the village before she came to marry Father! Find out what she knows, but you can’t let Father know anything about what’s going on.”

“Of course!” Max cried. “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that before. I’ll speak with her and see if she knows anything.”

They said their goodbyes, and Anders turned away from the poolside to rejoin Sawyer in her bed.

“Who were you talking to?”

Her voice startled him, and he laughed nervously.

“My brother,” he said. “He’s in a different time zone, and he forgets that people sleep sometimes.”

Sawyer studied his face for a long moment. “You have a brother?”

“I have five brothers.” A strange expression crossed over her face, but it was gone so fast, Anders thought he might have imagined it. “Come on,” he said, offering her his arm. “Let’s go back to bed.”

He didn’t want to think about whatever Maximus was doing at that moment, but he knew he couldn’t ignore the inevitable forever. A day of reckoning was coming, and he was going to need to prepare one way or another.

Just not right now.

In the light of dawn, Anders remained awake, his mind still processing what he had learned about the women and children. If they had not started a mutiny on their own, they had been taken by others who knew about them.

Sawyer had finally fallen back asleep, and Anders watched her with affection, but his mind would not stop moving toward whatever was happening everywhere else.

We have enjoyed our time here together, but I can’t stay anymore, he thought. I need to leave today and see what else I can learn. Armageddon is upon us, and hiding out with my beautiful lover in the Hamptons will not change that while I send my brothers off investigating my whims.

A pang twanged in his gut, Sawyer’s sleeping face plucking at his heartstrings as he realized that it was going to be the first time in a fortnight since he had left her for any extended period.

Am I melancholic about leaving her or worried about leaving her? he wondered, remembering what had happened the last time he had gone without her. She almost died in my home. If anything were to happen to her, I’d never forgive myself.

But Anders realized that sitting around doing nothing was not going to ensure her safety. There was at least one dragon on the Eastern seaboard. If he found that one, it would likely lead to others. He needed to get back to Manhattan and learn everything he could about the fires that had occurred over the past weeks. If he could get a bassline on where, perhaps he could find a center point to work with.

You’re the most successful lawyer in the world. You have resources at your disposal that others do not. Between Titus’ tech savvy and your endless supply of shady informants, you can find anything.

Sawyer stirred in her sleep and stretched, her lips parting as if she was going to say something, but her lids remained together, and she settled back onto her side, curling her naked form outward like she was willing him closer in her sleep.

Anders was powerless to resist, sliding his own muscular frame toward her, his body lining up against the smooth flesh of her back to curve her against him. It would be easier to just leave without an explanation, to let her wake up and be gone. She would be safely tucked away in the Hamptons with Vander while he discovered what he needed to find.

It will be easier, he reasoned, knowing that she would not like it, but it made the most sense. He would not need to answer any questions, and she would not call him if she was angry enough. He didn’t want to lie to her, but he couldn’t very well tell her that there was a real fear of a dragon take-over. She would think he was insane.

I’ll tell Vander I had to go, Anders thought, and I’ll be in touch. She is too proud to call and demand why I left. The plan was growing on him. After, he could come back and explain why it was necessary. Well, maybe not really explain. He could come up with something that didn’t entail lying to her face. Who knew? Maybe one day, he could even tell her the truth.

He grimaced at the thought. Baby steps for now. You only just got her to open up to you. Don’t lose her.

Reluctantly, Anders peeled himself off her warm skin, but he could not resist watching her for a moment longer before rising from the king-sized bed and slipping into a pair of discarded jeans nearby. Slipping a t-shirt over his head, he quietly left the guesthouse and made his way to the manor, his bare feet padding across the dewy grass.

“You’re up early,” Vander chirped, eyeing him appreciatively over the newspaper from the kitchen island.

“I have to get into the city today,” Anders replied, sinking into a chair as the personal chef, Raj, turned to fix him an espresso.

“Back to it, then?” Vander commented, casting the periodical aside.

Back to something. “Yes,” Anders agreed, nodding gratefully as Raj slid the coffee toward him. “Thanks, Raj.”

“Sawyer must be disappointed. Unless you’re taking her with you?”

“I didn’t want to wake her.” He shifted his eyes down, mildly surprised by the feeling of guilt he felt by lying.

“I see.” There was a small smirk on Vander’s face, his thoughts evident, and Anders wanted to smack him.

Sawyer’s words echoed in his mind. “I also don’t care that he warned me you were going to break my heart.”

“I guess I’ll let her know, then,” Vander offered.

Anders downed his espresso in one sip. “Thanks. I’m going to borrow a car, all right?”

“Mi casa es tu casa, Anders. You know that.”

The lawyer paused and cast the man a quick look, his eyes narrowing slightly. There was no question that the man had a crush on him, but Vander had gone over and above the call of unrequited infatuation by helping him out. It was not as if Anders did not have the means to care for himself. He would have happily stayed in Manhattan at the Plaza or Hyatt, but Vander had insisted he stay, as if he knew keeping him there would keep Sawyer happy.

And he still had no idea what a poor girl from Nashville was doing with a pretentious, gay billionaire. If it wasn’t sex or family, what else could it be?

He realized he had not given it much more thought since the night he had met Sawyer, her well-being and his growing affection for her distracting him from the original question.

“How do you know Sawyer?” he heard himself ask, determined to learn the truth before he left.

Vander was obviously taken aback by the question, and Anders’ well-honed instincts told him that he was floundering for an answer.

“Well,” he drawled slowly, clearly buying time. “It’s a rather long story, and you seem to be in a rush to leave.”

Anders’ eyes narrowed at the response, but he had to admit that if he wanted to leave without answering questions of his own, he did not have time to play games with Vander Kinrade. “Another time, then.”

Vander’s relieved look was not lost on Anders, but he rose from the stool toward the service stairs to collect his things from his room on the second floor.

“What do you want me to tell Sawyer when she wakes up?” Vander called after him.

“Tell her it’s a long story,” Anders shot back, disappearing before Vander could reply. He still heard the man release a long chuckle.

I’ll be back soon, he promised himself, though that did not stop the growing sensation of shame in his gut. He had a feeling that his abrupt departure was going to cost him something dearly. It’s for her own safety. She will eventually have to forgive me for this.

Inside the suite, he haphazardly packed a bag, unsure how long he would be gone. He could buy whatever else he needed in the city, of course, but he had other things to do than shop, and he didn’t want to bring David along. The assistant was already suspicious.

He was completely on his own this time.

How long has it been since you’ve gone out by yourself like this?

It seemed that he had been embraced by an entourage of people for decades; drivers, assistants, staff. When had he ever just gotten into a car and gotten his hands dirty, off the radar of everyone else? It was exhilarating and nerve-wracking, but it needed to be done.

I feel… alive, he realized. Anders grabbed his black duffle bag and slung it over his shoulder, casting one last look around to ensure he had not forgotten anything pertinent. Maybe I should just go look in on Sawyer one last time…

He swallowed his desire, knowing that he was looking for an excuse to stay, to prolong the inevitable. He was doing this for Sawyer. He needed to find the responsible party for causing her pain and make him suffer.

The logic in his own argument prevailed, and he spun to leave with conviction. Still, Anders could not deny that he was unhappy about walking away.

As Father would say, you must do what must be done, he thought grimly.

The fact that he was quoting his father did not make him feel any better.