Cobalt slowly awoke to the sound of silence, vaguely aware of the fact he was in his bed, and it was totally dark.

And acutely aware of a terrible headache throbbing at the front of his skull.

He shook his head, swiftly remembering the sequence of events last night. The food, the dancing, the alcohol.

And the sex.

Looking at the clock on his bedside table, it had been only hours ago, so why was he awake?

The dragon within, unaffected by hangovers or sleepiness, growled possessively for its mate. But on quick inspection, to his dismay, he realized Sylvie was gone. He glanced around the room, double-checking for her and finding nothing.

Crap, she’d left again.

Ignoring the headache and his body’s desire for more sleep, he jumped out of bed and pulled on some jeans and a shirt. He knew the hangover would pass fairly quickly, given his dragon’s constitution.

And even if all Sylvie needed right now was some privacy, he couldn’t help wanting to see her again just to know she was safe.

Their night had been so wonderful, so perfect. The closest they’d ever been together, both in body and mind. And even though he knew that by normal human standards, things were going very quickly, Cobalt also had seen his companions’ mates come around fairly soon once they’d realized their feelings.

But he could wait. Even if it meant the constant pacing of his dragon at the back of his mind, wanting to claim Sylvie and make her his own forever.

Cobalt first peeked into the library and then the gym in the off chance she might be in either place, but no luck. He then went upstairs, poking around the kitchen and living room in the event she’d just come up for a midnight snack. But his search there came up with scant clues as to her whereabouts.

By now, he was beginning to worry a little. Yes, Sylvie came and went as she pleased sometimes, but she’d never fully disappeared before.

Unable to wait anymore, he went upstairs to the far corner of the mansion where her room was located. He moved quietly so as to not wake anyone else in the house, lest he reveal the true nature of his relationship with Sylvie, and approached her door, listening closely for any sounds of life within. For several long moments, he pressed his ear against the wood frame, but heard nothing.

For a short moment, he debated whether he should intrude or not. But Cobalt figured it would be better to ask forgiveness for impinging on her sleep if he did in fact wake her up than it was to lie awake worrying about her all night.

Besides, after what they’d done last night, he didn’t feel it was too audacious a request to want to know where she’d gone.

He tested the door handle and, to his surprise, found it unlocked. Slowly, he opened it, then peeked in.

To his shock, the bed was completely empty. And aside from a few open drawers and a couple discarded articles of clothing on the ground, there was no other sign of recent activity in the room. He quickly felt the bed and, upon finding it cold, determined that she probably hadn’t been in here for some time.

His mind was going fully haywire with worry now. Had she been taken through a portal? No, Marina had assured them that since Lead’s mate Brittany had been taken that way some time ago, it couldn’t happen again. What if she suffered from bouts of sleepwalking, as some humans did?

Cobalt needed to get help. But the last thing he wanted to do was alert the entire household that his mate might be gone, spilling all of his dirty secrets all at once, just to have her appear from some corner of the mansion where he might not have looked yet.

His best bet was Chromium. He trusted his cousin. And even if Chromium had been a little too familiar with Sylvie the past few days, he couldn’t fault his cousin for acting that way when Cobalt hadn’t told him anything about his own feelings toward her.

Cobalt strode toward Chromium’s room and knocked on the door several times, just loud enough to wake his cousin, but hopefully not loud enough to wake everyone else. There was no answer, and he knocked again, a little more deliberately this time.

In worry and exasperation, he let himself into the room, ready to give Chromium an earful for not answering his damn door, when he found that his bed too was empty.

Where the hell was everyone tonight?

And why were Chromium and his mate both gone?

Cobalt tried to push away any overblown, jealous ideas he might have. But given the circumstances, things were looking bleak.

He rushed down the stairs, headed for the back deck, when he noticed the deadbolt on the front door was undone. That was odd. Someone always checked all the locks in the house before going to bed (usually Arsenic or Lead). But maybe it was a coincidence.

When he opened the door, though, he caught just the faintest hint of Sylvie’s scent on the cool midnight wind.

Shit, where had she gone?

He rushed past the entryway and then walked toward the street leading away from the mansion. In the soft dirt at the side of the road, he saw small footprints that looked like they were sneakers making a faint trail heading south.

Cobalt took a deep breath and began sprinting in the direction the footprints were heading.

* * *

Chromium checked his watch impatiently, wondering why the always-on-time bus was currently late.

He didn’t have a lot of time on these outings outside the mansion, and he resented having any of it wasted.

He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back on the bench, enjoying the wind rustling and lifting his hair. It was a cool, dark night, and he couldn’t wait to get back to the human world again.

He knew Cobalt and the others would disapprove, but he was a warrior, and he couldn’t just sit on his ass in the mansion anymore.

Not that he had been for a while.

He was surprised no one had picked up on it. Then again, everyone was caught up with their mates, and since Cobalt usually went to the library at night, no one was there to see he’d left his room and didn’t come back until early morning.

He smiled to himself as he stretched, wondering which restaurant he would visit tonight before completing his “business.”

Despite Cobalt’s warnings that Chromium was smarter than he looked, the other dragons were constantly underestimating him.

They seemed to correlate his silence with agreement, his mild nature with submission.

That couldn’t have been any further from the truth. The truth was he got away with what he wanted because of his perceived state of innocent purity. The quiet, thoughtful Chromium dragon.

He laughed to himself, thinking about what an uptight dragon like Zinc would say if he knew Chromium was going vigilante at night.

Chromium cracked his knuckles, thinking with satisfaction of his nightly activities. He didn’t have to tell the others about it, but he was a warrior, and he wasn’t alive unless he could fight.

He checked his watch once again and groaned, as he didn’t see any sign of the bus coming down the road, but then he heard something that made him prick up his ears.

He glared into the darkness, thinking maybe he saw a shadow moving along the road.

Squinting harder, he knew he was right. Someone was coming. He got up from the bench and strode forward, unafraid of anything that could come out of the night, and frowned when he saw the person that stepped out of the darkness.

“Sylvie,” he said in a low voice. He sat back down on the bench in shock as she walked forward, a huge backpack slung over her shoulders and a look of shame on her face.

He wanted to yell at her, shake her for being so stupid as to come out here alone at night. Of course, he had, but he was a dragon, a strong one at that. It was different.

But as she came closer, he recognized the broken look on her face. The defiance of someone who is utterly terrified, but not able to show it on the outside.

How he had felt before Cobalt stood up for him back on Drakkaris and made him feel like he wasn’t worthless after all, despite not living up at all to the demands of his family.

He patted the bench next to him, and she came warily over but stayed standing.

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

“What are you doing here?”

He raised an eyebrow. “You really want to ask that?”

She folded her arms and slumped onto the other side of the bench, as far away as possible, and let out a sigh. “I guess not.”

Chromium studied her carefully, waiting in case she wanted to say something. He liked Cobalt’s mate. He didn’t have many people he could hang out with in the mansion now that the other dragons were mated, and she reminded him of himself in some ways. Perhaps that was why she got along so well with Cobalt.

Not that well, however, if she was leaving.

“Not that it’s any of my business, but did something happen to make you run? Did Cobalt say something to hurt you?”

“No,” she said quietly.

Chromium nodded. He was pretty sure that would be the answer because his cousin was far too kind for something like that, but he’d also seen his cousin act absolutely stupid over this human and make a lot of mistakes.

Cobalt had been jealous of him. Chromium. He shook his head at the thought, wondering how crazy Cobalt would have to be to think Chromium could ever betray him. The last thing he wanted was a fight with his cousin, but he could tell there was tension anytime he spent time with Sylvie.

He’d also been unnerved by Sylvie’s total denial of the situation, saying there was nothing between her and Cobalt, when clearly there was.

He’d been blocking her thoughts since that first time, but he was pretty sure at this point they were fucking.

He’d tried to make the point to her that she was making Cobalt jealous by hanging out with him, but she hadn’t really picked up on it at all.

And he was kind of angry with Cobalt for trying to keep a secret from him when they’d always trusted each other with everything before.

Cobalt should know Chromium would never make a move on his mate. That even if they hung out, it was only as friends and for Chromium to put in a good word for his cousin.

He was slightly rankled at the fact that Cobalt seemed to have forgotten who Chromium was altogether in this crazed lust over his mate.

Then again, Chromium hadn’t found his mate yet and so didn’t really understand what mate lust was. Only that, in watching his friends, he’d gathered it was pretty much the most powerful force in the universe, based on how all of them lost their minds.

So he knew that wherever he was, Cobalt was probably hurting and worried about Sylvie, or would be when he woke up.

He wanted to yell at Sylvie and tell her to get her ass back to the mansion, but he also knew, based on her downtrodden expression, that it wasn’t the right tactic for now.

“So where were you planning to go?”

She shrugged. “Away from here.”

He leaned back, hoping to look casual. “You’d break his heart, you know.”

She looked up at him, and he was struck by the hollow look in her usually fiery eyes. Where was the fighter he knew so far?

“I don’t think so. Nobody falls in love that fast. He’s just infatuated, and when he snaps out of it, he’ll realize he’s lucky I left. He can find some beautiful, perfect lady who is a better match for him.”

Chromium wrinkled his nose. “So they can be extra boring together?” He put his hands behind his head. “Personally, I think you were good for my cousin.”

She bit her lower lip. “Naw. But thanks.”

There was no way he was going to let Sylvie leave tonight. She’d been in far too much danger. Yes, his night was pretty much shot, but he didn’t mind if it helped her and his cousin.

But he sensed that the only way out of this was to pretend he didn’t care if she left and just listen.

“Well. It’s up to you.”

She looked at him in surprise. “Really?”

He nodded. “I mean, you’ll probably die out there. You’re not a dragon after all, and you still have people looking for you. But well, it’s your choice, and no one should take it from you.”

“Cobalt would.”

Chromium nodded. “True. He loves you. It would destroy him.”

“I told you he can’t love me yet. He doesn’t know me.”

“And I told you dragons don’t work like that. His dragon knows you were meant for him. That’s all that matters. Forces greater than you know you’d be good together. I think you know that deep down as well. But if you want to screw over the both of you, no one could really stop you.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You could.”

He shrugged. “I don’t believe in taking away people’s choices.” A small lie wouldn’t hurt. She couldn’t read his mind after all.

“I… Would I really destroy him?”

“If something happened to you? Utterly.”

“Ugh.” She put her face in her hands. “I didn’t want to hurt him. I don’t know what I’m doing. Tonight was so wonderful. It’s all been so wonderful, and I just…”

“Freaked out?”

“Yeah.”

Chromium looked at the empty road again, glad this time for no sign of a bus. “I get it. Caring for someone is frightening. You think they’ll hurt you. When I was being bullied, when I was mute, I was pretty sure Cobalt was going to get sick of me. Leave me in the dust.”

“But he didn’t?”

“Of course not. It’s not in his nature. When he loves, he loves hard. So when he stuck up for me, I decided I would never leave him. We’ve been best friends ever since.” He looked down at her. “Well, he’s been a little distracted lately. But I suppose I could give him up if it was to you.” He frowned. “Though, not if you’re going to leave him.”

“Wow, you sure can talk a lot when you want to,” she said with a grin, leaning back on the bench and looking concerned once again.

“I can listen, too.”

She took a deep breath, and her short curls lifted slightly in the air. His cousin’s mate was stunning, and as long as Chromium could keep her from doing something incredibly stupid, maybe it all could work out okay.

“I… used to sleep at bus stops.”

“Why? Were you homeless?”

“Sometimes. Other times, being away from home was being better than being back at home. Nothing good was waiting for me there. So after a fight, I’d run. Just kill time either sitting on benches or riding buses along their entire route, watching houses go by until it was so late I knew nobody would be awake when I got home.”

“You don’t need to run away from Cobalt. It is perfectly safe to go home.”

She shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s that I should have left my home for good long before I did. Before I finally stood up to them and got thrown out. If I’d known how things were going, that my mom would choose him over me, then I wouldn’t have stayed. It just hurt more that I couldn’t leave her, but she could leave me.”

“Who is he? Who did she choose over you?” Chromium’s neck was feeling tight at the thought that someone could hurt her. Could hurt everyone. Being bullied as a kid had given him a keen sense of justice, and he hated anyone who picked on anyone else.

He went around punishing them now.

“My stepdad.” She crossed her legs nervously. “At first, he was a creep, but then he got more aggressive. Finally, I decided to fight him one night, and I hurt him. I was proud because I’d protected myself. But he told my mom I’d tried to seduce him, and my mom, who’d pretended to love me, threw me out.”

“That’s pretty terrible,” he said sympathetically, secretly logging a reminder to ask her later for this man’s name and address so he and Cobalt could hunt him down and exterminate him.

To his surprise, she leaned forward, making muffled sounds with her hands over her face, and he realized she was crying.

“I guess I can’t really believe anyone would love me. Why would they when she didn’t? Everyone I’ve met since then, I’ve waited around, hoping to prove someone could love me, but they all leave. They all abandon me. And Cobalt, he’s so wonderful. More wonderful than anyone I’ve ever met in my life. I couldn’t stand it if he abandoned me. I really don’t think I’d survive.”

At another choked sob, he pulled her in against him, wrapping her in a brotherly hug and stroking his hand through her hair. There was nothing sexual about it. He just wanted to help heal her heartbreak and needed time to think about how to convince her that Cobalt wasn’t like that at all.

“I swear he’s not going to abandon you,” Chromium said. “That’s not how dragons are. He’d die first.” He pulled back, wiping her tears with one thumb. “And besides, Cobalt isn’t like that. When he loves, he loves for life. No matter how much the person doesn’t deserve it.”

He could feel his own guilt for the times he’d let Cobalt down and for keeping secrets now. “Please, just give him a chance. You weren’t wrong for holding on for someone to love you. If you run now, you’ll lose your best chance for proving your mother wrong.”

She nodded quietly, swiping at her cheeks. “I suppose you’re right. It’s terrifying, but I’ll have to stay. I love him, after all.” She gave him a weak but genuine smile. “Thank you, Chromium.”

“What are brothers for?”

She grinned and threw her arms around him, hugging him tight. “I think I’d like to have a brother.” She sighed, not letting go. “I guess I have to go back and face him now, huh?”

A loud roar rent the night, and Chromium looked up with panic to see a tall figure walking toward them, quickly emerging out of the darkness. “Shit.”

Sylvie pulled back and looked up at Chromium and then in the direction he was looking.

A fierce, furious Cobalt was approaching, gray hair whipping in the dark, and he was wearing an expression Chromium had never seen before.

“You might just be facing him sooner than you thought.”

“Yeah,” Sylvie said. “What are we gonna do?”

“I don’t know.” Chromium stood and moved in front of her. “But it’s going to be all right. I promise.”

All right for her anyway. Judging by the murderous gleam in Cobalt’s eyes, things were about to get rough for Chromium.

He cracked his neck and got ready to face his cousin.