For a time, Luna sat on the bench, staring up at clouds as they passed over the moon for which she’d been named. The night sky always reminded her of her parents. She’d always wondered what had prompted them to name her for a reflective sphere that hung in the dark between the stars.

Whatever the reason, she was grateful for everything they’d done for her and Silver.

“Wherever you are, I miss you now, more than ever,” she said as she took in the cool air, savouring the quiet of the night.

If her parents had been with her, they could have advised her. They could have given her an opinion on Ripper, on Kirith. Maybe they could even have helped Silver through the silent pain that he was enduring, since he wouldn’t talk to her about it. Something told her that he needed them even more than she did.

She sat in peaceful silence on the park bench for an hour before Kirith’s Dragon returned, landing hard in front of her. His talons hit the ground with such a force that pieces of gravel flew up around him, scattering in every direction.

“Were you successful?” she asked as he shifted, striding towards her with purpose. “Minach and his brother are flying to their destination as we speak. Time will tell, but I am hopeful that, thanks to you, the family will remain protected.”

“Good. I’m glad I could help.”

“I thought I told you to leave,” he said, his brows knitting together.

She shrugged her white shoulders dismissively. “I didn’t want to,” she replied. “You’re not the boss of me.” The words came with a smile, thought Luna wasn’t entirely sure that she was joking.

“No, indeed,” Kirith replied, seating himself next to her, hands pressing into the dewy surface of the bench. “It seems no one is the boss of you, in fact.”

“I do have an Alpha,” she replied.

“You have an Alpha who is unworthy to lead a Pack,” he told her. “That makes him less than worthless. It also makes you a non-follower. You are a leader; I can feel it in you. You are strong as anything.”

Warmth flooded her chest at the compliment. It wasn’t the first time he’d said something kind to her. The bloody BHD was going to make her blush.

“I don’t feel so strong around you,” she said, turning to study his profile. “You make me feel weak, Kirith.”

He turned to look at her. “I don’t want to,” he said. “I don’t want anyone to feel weak in my presence, except for one shifter.”

“Who’s that?”

“You know the answer to that already.”

“My Alpha.”

“The man you call Ripper.” Kirith let out a hard exhale. “But for now, I’m going to go to bed. You should do the same,” he said, rising to his feet. “Go home, Luna.”

“No,” she replied, rising to stand in front of him. She wasn’t going to touch him. Wasn’t going to try to stop him with any force other than her voice. “I don’t want to leave until you tell me why you hate him so much. Why you hate me.”

Kirith’s eyes grew wide, as though her words had shocked him. “I don’t hate you,” he protested.

“Even after what happened last night, you told me that you don’t like me,” she replied, “and even if you hadn’t said it out loud, it was clear when we met in the pub that you all but despised me.”

“I shouldn’t have said it,” he replied. “As for last night, it was a mistake to…be so intimate with you. It shouldn’t have happened.”

“So it’s true. You don’t like me.”

“I don’t like Wolves,” he said, his eyes narrowing once again. There it was, the expression of suspicion and quiet rage that so frequently inhabited his face. After a moment, though, it softened. “Though one Wolf is growing on me a little, I’ll admit.”

Luna felt like her heart was bouncing against her sternum. Kirith had just ever so slightly cracked open the door, inviting her to take a step towards his inner workings. Had he really just said he was beginning to have feelings for her?

Because the thing was, she felt something for him. She always had, of course, but this was different from the schoolgirl crush from her teens. She was beginning to actually care for him. Beginning to wonder how she’d ever believed him capable of hurting anyone close to him. There was no way that this beautiful man was evil, or insane, or any of it. He was sad, yes. Angry, even. But he wasn’t a man who could have destroyed something he loved.

“Let’s have a drink,” she said abruptly, shocking herself with her own words. What the hell was she thinking, making such an utterly inappropriate suggestion? She may as well have asked him to take in a midnight showing at the cinema.

Yet somehow it seemed like a good idea. Maybe if they sat down like two friends, she could get him to open up a little, explain the mystery that was Kirith Sigurdsson.

“When I said a particular Wolf was growing on me, I didn’t mean that I wanted to go out for a candlelight dinner,” Kirith said, his lips turning down in a frown. “I told you to go home, didn’t I?”

“I’ll tell you what; we’ll make a deal. I’ll go home once you’ve spent a little time with me,” she replied. “But first, take me into your—Lumen’s—flat. I want to get to know you.”

“Seriously, woman,” he groaned, rolling his eyes.

“Kirith, either you’ll enjoy yourself or you’ll want to gouge your eyes out with a spoon. But aren’t you a little curious to spend some time with me?”

“No.”

“You are.” She leaned towards him, a sparkling smile lighting up her face. “I can tell.”

“Fine. I’m slightly curious.”

“Good. Bring me inside.”

With that, he gritted his teeth, took her hand and led her to the reeds. They slipped down into the mysterious flat once again, landing softly on their feet.

“Come, there has to be some booze around here somewhere,” said Luna, throwing off her shoes and striding towards the kitchen. “Let’s have a glass of something delicious and talk.”

“Wolf, I’m in no mood to talk.”

“Oh?” She swung around and looked at him. “So you’d rather have sex then?”

“Right, then, talking it is.” Kirith’s lips ticked up into a brief smile, betraying the sense of humour that he kept locked away deep inside.

Luna laughed. It was the first time he’d shown any sign of real cheekiness. This was serious progress.

“Don’t forget, Kirith, I may have saved the Alpha of the Dragon Guild tonight. You owe me on behalf of Dragons everywhere.”

“I see. You’re just going to employ manipulative tactics, then?”

Luna nodded. “Absolutely. I’m not above such things.” She rifled through the cupboards until she found a bottle of red wine. “This looks perfect,” she said. “I’m sure Lumen will forgive me for opening it.”

“I’m sure he will,” sighed Kirith. “You are his almighty saviour, after all.”

A minute later Luna had opened the bottle and poured them each a glass. She pulled a chair up to the table and sat down opposite Kirith, picking up her glass. “Cheers, then,” she said, clinking hers against his.

“Cheers,” he grunted, then he went to take a sip. His eyes immediately slid down to her chest. Horny man. She was enjoying his habit of staring at her tits.

“Nuh-uh,” Luna protested. “You must make eye contact with me while we take our first drink. Otherwise it’s seven years bad sex. Or worse—no sex.”

“Superstitious little thing, aren’t you?” he asked, but he looked into her eyes as commanded and drank. “Seven years is nothing, besides,” he added. “I could do that standing on my head.”

“I could do a lot of things to you while you stand on your head,” Luna muttered. Immediately she looked away, her cheeks flushing. “Sorry, I can’t believe I said that out loud.”

“I can,” said Kirith, laying down his glass. He leaned forward and stared at her, a devilish smile curling his lips up. “Don’t forget that I spent some time with my mouth between your legs. I recall vividly how aroused you get around me.”

“I suppose I thought you’d forgotten.” She ventured a gaze at his face, only to see him draw his tongue seductively over his upper lip. The man was so fucking confusing. Was he hitting on her, or teasing her mercilessly, or both?

“How could I forget?” he asked. “You’re the first woman I’ve been intimate with in…many years.”

A flood of emotion overcame Luna, stealing her sense of balance for a moment. Pride, sadness, joy, wistfulness. Jealousy of other women who’d been with Kirith; sadness that she had been born a Wolf and he a Dragon.

“How old are you?” she asked, jerking them off topic. Better that, though, than to ask how many lovers he’d had.

“I’ve lost count of the years, truth be told,” he replied. “I was alive when the Roman Empire ruled over this land. I was alive when Dragons ruled the Northlands.”

“Tell me about that time,” Luna said, putting her glass aside and leaning forward on bent elbows, enthralled.

Kirith looked at her, and for a moment she thought she detected another near-smile on his lips, as though thoughts of the days long past were actually pleasant for him.

Perhaps things had been different then.

“I once lived in Norway,” he told her. “Of course, it didn’t become Norway until 872 A.D.”

“You’re telling me you were alive before then?”

“I was alive when the Romans came,” he replied, nodding. “I was alive when the weather changed. When the North became colder, when the trees altered. I was alive when men learned to work iron, make weapons. I was alive when the Vikings built their first longships.”

“Wow. That’s rather impressive. You weren’t a Viking though, were you?”

He shook his head. “Not exactly. But my Dragon’s likeness was carved into the prow of many a ship.”

“I’ve seen pictures of the boats with the Dragon heads,” she said. “I always thought…”

“You always thought it was Vikings paying tribute to their mythology, when the truth is that their mythology was, of course, based on reality.” He took another sip of wine. “There is an old Norse tale about a man called Fafnir, who stole a cavern full of gold for himself and guarded it fiercely. He eventually turned into a Dragon, in order to better guard the treasure from his enemies.”

“That was a myth, then?”

Kirith shook his head again. “No. It’s a true story. Only the name has been changed.”

“From what?”

“Kirith. It was done to protect my identity.”

“Fafnir,” Luna said, working the name over her tongue. “He was protective, like you.”

“I suppose he was. We Dragons like to protect the things we care about,” said Kirith. He was staring so deep into Luna’s eyes that she felt suddenly more naked than she ever had in her life.