Ariel continued staking the pegs into the dirt, securing the tent’s guy lines as she went. Her enhanced vision made the moonlight seem brighter, and it was like having a dim bed-side lamp turned on. She could only imagine how well Jett could see in the dark with his dragon eyes.

As she worked, she was surprised by how much energy she had after hiking all day—staking the tent was child’s play. She supposed her dual nature had something to do with that.

Speaking of which, her lioness had been relatively calm all day. She’d only transformed three times in total, for only a few minutes each time. She hadn’t felt the urge to change since Jett had caught her that last time: maybe she was finally learning how to control the beast. Then again, probably not. She still wasn’t sure how she’d resisted changing when faced with the grizzly bear, only to go and transform randomly later.

Still, it had been a good day. Hiking through the woods with Jett, she’d felt almost human again. It was fun to imagine herself on a camping trip with a lover.

Fun, but far removed from reality.

She still planned to escape that night. It would be tricky, given his sensitive ears. She’d probably have to transform at some point, since her lion could move far more stealthily than she could.

She finished with the last of the stakes and then tossed her backpack into the tent. She glanced at Jett, who sat cross-legged in the middle of the clearing with his hands held outward, palms up, like he was doing a yoga pose or something. His muscular shoulders made a pleasant V shape with his trim waist. He had rolled up his sleeves so that the tribal dragon tattoos on his thick forearms glinted gold and silver in the moonlight.

Tattoos shouldn’t do that, should they?

Her gaze shifted upward, to his face, and she could make out his features clearly. That bold nose, sensuous mouth, and aristocratic jaw, framed by those gorgeous golden locks, which somehow managed to maintain their bounce after a sweat-filled day of hiking in the woods. Then again, she hadn’t seen him break a sweat, just like he’d bragged.

Jett was gazing into the forest. She had the impression he was purposely trying to avoid meeting her eyes, as if trying to distract himself by appearing busy.

“You’re just going to sleep out in the open?” Ariel said. “There’s room in my tent, if you want. I promise not to bite.” Unless you want me to.

The moment that last thought echoed through her head, she realized it was a mistake to make the offer. If she truly wanted to escape, having him sleeping in the tent beside her wasn’t the greatest idea in the world.

Get a grip on your hormones, Ariel!

Those orange-gold eyes fastened on her. They seemed to blaze in the moonlight. With… desire?

“There was nothing sexual in the suggestion,” Ariel said quickly. “You know that, right? It was just a friendly platonic proposal. One that I take back.” She was stumbling over her words. Rambling.

Damn it, I can’t think clearly around him when he looks at me like that.

She took several deep breathes, calming herself. Getting ready to refuse him if he decided that he was going to take her up on her retracted offer after all.

Finally Jett looked away. “I’m not sleeping. I’m standing watch all night.”

A small part of her was disappointed, but the more rational part was relieved. Extremely relieved. On the bright side, maybe by offering to share her tent, she showed him how eager she was to stay, dispelling any notions he might have that she would try to escape. With luck he might not watch her as closely that night.

That seemed doubtful.

“Well, I have too much energy to sleep, yet,” Ariel said. She got up and joined Jett, sitting only a pace from his side. She stared up at the stars and saw Orion, the hunter. It made her shiver, considering what Jett had told her about the human hunters.

“You know, I’m kind of amazed that you’ve been able to guide us through the wilderness like this,” Ariel said. “You must have some kick ass internal compass.”

“No. Just modern technology.” He held up his sat-phone.

“Ah,” Ariel said. “I didn’t see you looking at it.”

“You need to start paying more attention to things,” Jett said. “You don’t notice the vampire collars. You don’t notice me using the map on my phone...”

“Yeah yeah,” Ariel said.

She stared at the moon and realized she was able to discern features she hadn’t seen before. Craters. Mountains. Or maybe she was finally paying more attention.

“Where were you born?” she asked idly.

“The Italian countryside,” Jett said. “Early 1500s.”

“What was life like back then?”

“Different.”

Ariel glanced at his profile in the moonlight. “Just different?”

He sighed. “I wasn’t a good man back then. I was cruel, self-absorbed. When my father began his many year journey to unite the tribes, at first I refused to help, not wanting to give up my old life.”

“What changed your mind?” Ariel said.

“The Orions,” he said. “I continued to go about razing and pillaging villages, but after one particularly bad night of debauchery, the hunters came. I was in a drunken stupor and could hardly defend myself. If it wasn’t for my sister, I would’ve never made it. I thought I was invincible. The Orions taught me otherwise. They had a witch, and came at me with Weaves I’d never seen before, trammeling me. I realized what a fool I’d been. It’s strange how key moments can define your life. That day was my first defining moment. The second came when my father abdicated the throne. And the third came when I met—”

He abruptly choked off. It sounded like he was biting his tongue. Holding back.

“When you met what?” Ariel asked.

“Go back to your tent,” Jett said, a bit forcefully. His voice softened: “I mean, if you want.”

“Wow, asking what I want for a change, instead of ordering me outright, that’s new,” Ariel said.

“I’m trying not to order you around as much,” Jett said. “But it’s hard for me. I’m used to getting my way. Telling people what to do.”

Ariel nodded slowly. “I guess that comes with the territory. Usually I really hate being told what to do. I guess it’s because, growing up, my dad told me things like: ‘You’re a girl. Girls don’t skateboard. Girls don’t rollerblade.’ Mom usually backed him up. She’d pull out the sewing kit or something and expect me to take up quilting. It kind of made me rebel big-time when I got older. I stopped listening to anything they said, really. I started doing extreme sports. Took up so-called ‘guy’ hobbies like archery and shooting. But anyway, yeah, I’ve been cutting you some slack. Letting you push me around.” Only because you’re so hot. And you’re the king of all shifters in North America. Plus rich as hell. “But be careful, because I might push back.”

When he didn’t answer, she kept her gaze on the stars, admiring them. It had been a long time since she’d simply sat back and absorbed the night sky. She didn’t want to return to her tent, not yet.

“So do you have a lot of mistresses?” Ariel asked.

He chuckled softly. “No.”

“Really?” she said. “But you’re a king. Don’t you have a harem or something?”

“I’ve always believed in leading by example,” Jett said. “I’ve been very careful not to embroil my reign in scandal. There are no women.”

Ariel glanced at him. Her eyes dropped to his chest; the top few buttons of his black and gold dress shirt were undone, allowing a tantalizing glimpse of the chiseled area between his two pecs. She couldn’t help lower her gaze further, to his groin, but the dim moonlight made it impossible to discern anything there.

Too bad.

She looked at his face, which remained in profile as he continued to gaze into the trees. “What are you saying? You’ve been celibate since taking the throne?”

“I took three dragon wives after I became king, to secure the continued allegiance of different tribes under my command,” Jett said.

“Oh yeah, your sister told me,” Ariel said.

“They’re long gone,” Jett said. “When I awakened from my last sleep, I discovered that they had all married off. My brother had granted them the equivalent of a divorce in the interim.”

“Well that’s handy,” Ariel said. “Divorce in absentia. Or something. Your sister actually told me your wives destroyed each other in the first year.”

“Their actions caused me to kick them out of my house after the first year, yes,” Jett said. “But I was still married to them. The divorces came later.”

“Ah,” Ariel said. “So you haven’t gotten any action since you awoke?”

“I do receive the occasional gifts,” Jett said. “I am king, after all.”

“Nice,” she said. “So you’ve only ever slept with other dragons, I presume?”

“I’ve had many human women,” Jett said. “In my youth, before the laws were changed, we dragons roamed the countryside, capturing females as slaves. But for all of these women, I never loved any of them. Including my wives.”

“Never loved…” Ariel said. “That seems a sad thing. To be married to someone you don’t love.”

“It is what it is,” Jett said.

“The women loved you, I’m sure,” Ariel said. “Did they ever try to use compulsion on you? To make you love them?”

“No,” Jett said.

“What about those Weaves you’re always mentioning?” Ariel pressed. “Did they ever try to cast a love spell?”

“No.”

Ariel clasped her hands around her knees. “What are Weaves, anyway? I get that they’re magic, but what are they, really? Invisible threads you use for spells?”

“I’ve already told you the Strength is the power that runs through the universe?” Jett said. “It’s everywhere. All around us. It powers your transformation.”

“You’ve told me that, yes,” Ariel said.

“Well,” Jett continued, “a Weave is a specific convolution of that power. A design made of different strands of the Strength. These strands are formed from one of the seven base affinities: Earth, Fire, Water, Air, Life, Light, and Dark. Different shifter species have strengths in different affinities. As you might have guessed, most dragons with the ability to Siphon specialize in Weaves involving Fire. Lions meanwhile specialize in Earth and Water.”

“You mean I have lion magic?” Ariel said.

Jett nodded. “Potentially. Plus Abilities that draw upon the shifter Strength within you.”

“Well that’s exciting!” Ariel said, edging closer to him. “You have to teach me.”

“I wouldn’t know where to begin,” Jett said. “I can Siphon very little Strength. And besides, I’m not a lion. That’s another benefit to joining up with your own kind. They can teach you the affinities. Who knows, depending on how powerful you are, you might someday be able to become a full-blown witch.” His face suddenly hardened.

“What is it,” Ariel asked.

“Nothing.”

“Tell me,” Ariel insisted.

“I was only thinking, if you are strong in the Strength, I’d never let the witches have you,” Jett said.

“You don’t own me,” Ariel said, though strangely she felt a thrill of pleasure at his possessiveness.

“Now you understand why I didn’t want to tell you,” Jett said.

There was anger in his tone. Ariel decided not to press the matter. Probably not the best idea to piss off a dragon.

She decided to return to the previous subject: “So compulsion is a Weave?”

“Yes, but for me it comes naturally,” Jett responded. “I’m not a witch, but I am powerful in compulsion. As I told you before, it’s an Ability that manifests in very few dragons. It’s strongest within members of the royal family. The Weave is complicated, and can be mimicked only by the strongest witches. It doesn’t work on all minds; a powerful witch can also snip away the threads before it touches them.”

“Interesting,” Ariel said. “So tell me, what other Abilities do you have?” She was unable to prevent her eyes from dropping to his lips.

He glanced at her once more, casually at first, but then he straightened slightly when he realized where her gaze was directed.

She smiled coyly.

Stop encouraging him!

She flicked her gaze away from his lips, wiped away her smile, and focused on his eyes. Yes, eyes alone!

But then his own gaze dropped to her lips. “You’re so beautiful.”

Her cheeks glowed with delight and her stomach fluttered.

“And you’re hot as hell,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

She sensed that Jett was going to move in for the kiss any second now. And when he did, she wouldn’t be able to control herself. She’d lose herself in that gorgeous face, sucking on those scrumptious lips.

Stop!

She forced herself to look away. She would be running away tonight. She had to focus on that thought. Remind herself of it. She didn’t have time play with this dragon king, as much as she wanted to.

Jett laid a hand on her wrist and she trembled with desire.

She swallowed hard, refusing to look at him. “I can’t do this.”

“You can’t?” Jett said. “Or you won’t?”

“Is there a difference?” Ariel said.

“You’re mouth says no but your body says yes.”

“And how would you know what my body is saying?” Ariel still didn’t trust herself to meet his eyes. If she looked at him, she’d probably cave. She wouldn’t be able to stop herself from throwing her arms around that massive chest and crushing his lips with hers.

“I’m very good at reading body language,” Jett said. “And it’s not just your body. Your voice betrays you as well. Your tone.”

Ariel sighed, twisting her wrist from his grasp. He let her go.

“Look,” she said, “as much as I might want to, I promised your sister I wouldn’t seduce you.”

“And you aren’t,” Jett said in a voice that was all sensuality. “I’m the one seducing you.”

“What about your First Rule?” Ariel said.

“Forget the First Rule,” Jett said. “Listen to me, Lioness. Midnight is a day away, and I’ve confirmed there are none of our security cameras around. No one will ever know.” When she didn’t answer, he plowed on. “What’s one night of passion with someone you’ll probably never see again?”

She almost gave in. Almost threw herself at this sexy, incredible man. This dragon king.

But then she came to her senses.

“I’m sorry, I’m not that kind of girl.” She stood up. “Have a good night, Jett.” She withdrew to her tent, leaving the entry flap open behind her.

As she lay back on the hard ground, she wondered why she hadn’t zipped the flap closed behind her. Sealing it wouldn’t have stopped Jett if he really wanted to come inside, of course. She supposed she did it because a part of her regretted walking away from him, and that part desperately hoped he would see the open flap as an invitation.

But he didn’t come.

Her inner beast remained strangely quiet inside of her. Subdued. Expectant.

Sorry lioness, you won’t be getting it on tonight.

She’d probably regret not taking Jett up on his offer. No doubt the regret would follow her for the rest of her days. A man like him? She was an idiot to throw away this chance. And yet it felt wrong, making him break his First Rule like that; a betrayal, especially considering what she planned to do tonight.

She just hoped he didn’t take her abandonment too hard.