Jett gazed deeply into her eyes as he bucked. He gripped her hands tightly. The way she had done that, wrapped her fingers around his, was sexy as hell. Everything about her was sexy as hell, in fact.

At first, she seemed stunned when he’d entered her, even in pain. That was her fault. He hadn’t wanted to hurt her. But he had left himself exposed to her, leaving his skin unhardened, and when she had raked her nails down his back, causing agonizing pain, he’d lost all inhibition. She was basically telling him she wanted him to hurt her. And that she didn’t care if he was gentle or not.

The flash of pain he’d seen in her features had quickly melted, her eyes rolling in pleasure as he’d begun to thrust.

He was lost now in his own pleasures as he continued to drive himself inside her.

“Yes, yes!” she said. “Mine, mine.”

For some reason, everything she said only turned him on more. He was the one who wanted to make her his own, and seeing this possessiveness from her aroused him beyond measure. He felt himself coming close to release, but he held back as much as he was able, wanting to time his crescendo with her own.

“Harder!” she said, and moaned when he increased his pace to accommodate her wishes.

When she bit her lower lip in the same sexy way she had done when she was pitching her tent, he knew he wasn’t going to make it.

Thankfully, she climaxed right then, shouting his name into the woods, again and again. As he felt her muscles repeatedly clench around his girth, he too gave in to his need, and his entire body shuddered.

When it was done, he collapsed on top of her. Mindful that he might be crushing her, he rolled to the side, lying on his back in the tent.

Ariel snuggled up against him, pressing her head into his chest. He wrapped his fingers around her long hair and held her close.

“What have we done?” he said.

“Oh, shush,” she said. “It’s not the end of the world. No one will ever know.”

“But we will know,” Jett said.

She glanced up at his face and smiled sadly in the moonlight. “It’ll be our secret.”

He sighed and wrapped his other arm around her, and rocked her against his chest. “I don’t want it to be a secret. I want you to stay in my arms like this for all eternity.”

“I want that, too,” Ariel said. “But you know that can’t happen.”

“Why not?” Jett said.

She lowered her head and pressed into his chest. “Once we find the pride, you’ll have to go back to your kingdom. You’ve been hinting at that since we left.”

“Maybe I’ll stay with you,” Jett said.

“No,” she said. “I couldn’t make you do that. Your people need you.”

“My brother can rule well enough in my absence,” Jett said. “Maybe I’ll just abdicate to him.”

“Like I said, I couldn’t do that to you,” Ariel said.

Jett pushed her away so he could look at her face. “Don’t tell me what you can and can’t do to me. I know what’s best for me. And right now, you are.”

“Yes,” Ariel told him. “Right now. But how long will that last? You said it yourself: you were afraid you wouldn’t want me after you satisfied your forbidden lust. Maybe you’re already having second thoughts.”

“I want you now more than ever,” Jett said.

She smiled, then placed her head on his chest once more. She traced small circles across his abs. “Mr. Dragon is sweet tonight.”

“You know, when I was resisting you back there, you started to transform,” Jett said.

“Oh, you noticed that, did you?” she said, seeming to put on an air of innocence.

“Yes,” he said. “And when I gave in to you, the change reversed. You summoned your lioness to help you overpower me. You’re learning how to control it, aren’t you?”

“Not really,” she said. “Though I’d like to think you have a calming influence over me. For the most part. Until you refused me back there, anyway.”

“I get the hint, refusing you is a bad idea,” he said.

“You’re damn right,” Ariel said.

He held her in silence, wanting to relish her presence, her smell, her everything, for as long as possible; with a sigh, he finally released her.

“Hey,” she said.

“I have to keep watch,” he told her, pulling away completely.

It was almost as if he could still feel her pressing into his side—his body was already missing her.

Jett grabbed his clothes and left the tent. She held the flap open behind him, but stayed inside.

He slipped on his underwear, well aware of her eyes on him in the moonlight. Then he pulled on his jeans, and shrugged on his black and gold dress shirt, slowly doing up the buttons.

When he was finished, he turned to look at her, but she had let the flap fall closed.

“See you tomorrow,” he said.

“Uh huh.” Her voice sounded wistful.

“I’ll keep you safe until morning,” he told her.

“I know.”

He almost hoped she would invite him into the tent again. He didn’t think he would turn her down if she did.

But she didn’t invite him.

Jett sat down in the middle of the clearing and did his best to clear his mind of the events of the past half hour. He had never felt so alive as he had with her. Never. The other women he’d had before in his life were nothing like Ariel. Nothing. What he had with them was purely sex, and sex alone. He hadn’t ever truly known what it meant to make love.

But now he did.

I’m really developing feelings for her, aren’t I?

He glanced at her tent and shook his head.

Too bad it’s not going to last.

Right now he wanted her more than anything. Would he feel the same way in the morning? He wasn’t sure.

He returned his attention to the woods and allowed his sense of hearing to expand. He heard the creatures of the night around him. The owl. The rat it hunted. The cicadas calling their mates. He was aware as he could possibly be. And yet, he noted, he could not hear Ariel breathing. Though he knew she was still there, because she occasionally shifted inside the tent.

He settled in for the long wait.

The night passed without incident, and at first light, Jett went to the tent.

“Ariel, it’s morning,” he said. “Time to get moving.”

She didn’t answer.

“Ariel?”

He noticed that the front flap was still unzipped. She had never closed it last night.

He peered inside.

Her clothes and backpack awaited within.

But Ariel herself was gone.

* * *

Jett sent off a quick text to Brazen, the leader of his White Swords, and then shoved Ariel’s clothing into the backpack. When he was finished, he slung the strap over his shoulder and set off into the woods immediately.

He followed her spoor: sometimes he spotted tracks or broken branches; other times, he picked up her characteristic feline scent on branches and shrubs. Her path had taken her well away from the surveillance cameras the dragons had placed in these woods. That was pure luck on her part. Still, she was headed directly for Blue Hurricane territory. He had no doubt they had captured her by now.

Jett felt angry, betrayed. After he had opened his heart to her and risked everything, she had to go and do this. He tried to convince himself that she hadn’t done it on purpose. That her inner lioness had taken over and that she wasn’t responsible for her actions.

But he reminded himself of the fallacy of that line of thinking. He was starting to sound like Ariel by separating the inner beast from the person, because the lioness was her.

She had run off for whatever reason. Had he scared her somehow? Had he been too rough with her? Too gentle? He caught himself pondering these questions, and realized they were proof of the effect she had on him. Ordinarily he would have never second-guessed himself like this.

There was another, more nefarious answer: it was possible she had purposely seduced him to get him to lower his guard. Because he certainly hadn’t been watching her tent as closely as he should have after their moment of shared intimacy. Oh sure, he’d stared at it longingly several times during the night, but mostly he was gazing into the forest, watching for signs of any encroaching ambushers. Wanting to protect her. It was a testament to how thoroughly she had disarmed him that his attention was diverted mostly to the outer perimeter, rather than within.

He thought of a noise he had heard midway through the night. It had sounded like a twig snapping somewhere in the woods. He had listened attentively for several moments, and when the sound did not repeat, he assumed it was nothing. But now that he thought about it, he realized Ariel had likely caused the noise. It wouldn’t take much effort to throw a rock or something to draw his attention; meanwhile, she could transform and escape in the opposite direction. Damn lions could move with such stealth. She’d probably instinctively timed her stride to coincide with his breathing, masking her already soft, padded steps. And she’d obviously chosen a route downwind, preventing her scent from reaching him.

Sly girl.

He had been worried he wouldn’t want her in the morning. But as he pursued her deeper into Blue Hurricane territory, he found himself desiring her more than anything. If she didn’t want him in return, that was perfectly fine. But he had to make sure she was safe, and that the lion shifter who bit her paid for his crime.

His sat-phone buzzed a few hours later. Brazen had returned his text. The surveillance cameras had picked up no sign of Ariel’s departure in the night, confirming what Jett already knew. The leader of the White Sword also reported a second bit of news that might prove helpful to Ariel, assuming the lions allowed Jett to see her.

He squeezed his fist. Oh, they’ll allow me all right.

Though he was dragon king of North America, Jett didn’t have individual control over each and every one of the thousands of shifter crews scattered across the continent, nor did he want such control. The many crews and covens mostly governed themselves, under the jurisdiction of the local dragon dens that answered to Jett. Through those dens, Jett could give orders to certain groups, summoning them to wage war for him, or to move to different territories, but he couldn’t otherwise interfere in their day to day operations. Even though the local dragon den in this case was Midnight itself, that didn’t change anything: he allowed the lions living on Midnight’s borders almost complete autonomy. Even so, he hoped they would let him see Ariel out of courtesy to who he was, because if not, Jett wasn’t sure he’d be able to contain his anger. Because while they might technically have autonomy, he would be visiting them not as king, but as a dragon seeking his mate. And even constrained by that collar, Jett could take them all.

He had traveled for half a day when he saw the first signs of the lions. He detected the scent, first. It was muskier than Ariel’s. More masculine.

A few minutes later he heard a twig snapping, and he caught a fleeting glimpse of tawny fur in the trees as a huge feline shape darted away.

Jett halted. “I know you’re out here watching me. Show yourselves.”

He waited patiently, wishing the collar didn’t prevent him from using compulsion.

He counted thirty seconds before he heard a rustling. Then a naked man appeared before him. The newcomer had a long, thick yellow beard. He was ripped, built like a bodybuilder. He had positioned himself strategically behind a shrub to hide his lower body.

“Unless you have come to summon us for war, you should go, Dragon,” the man said. “She warned us you would come for her. She’s safe now. Your presence is not needed. Nor wanted. Respect our autonomy.”

“You would insult me?” Jett said. “Didn’t she tell you no ordinary dragon was coming for her?” He purposely didn’t use her name, in case Ariel didn’t want these lions to know it.

“No ordinary dragon?” the man said. He took an involuntary step back. “What do you mean?”

“I am king of Midnight,” Jett said.

“You’re Jeddah Flavius Vespasianus III?” the man asked in disbelief.

Jett nodded impatiently. “Where is your Alpha? Cliff Dawson?”

“At the cabins,” he said.

“And the woman?”

“She’s at the cabins as well,” the man replied.

Jett took a step toward him. “Then you will take me there immediately.”

The lion man held up a halting palm.

“If you won’t take me, I’ll make my way there on my own,” Jett said. His voice had become quiet. Filled with warning.

“Wait.” The man had a smartphone strapped to his arm. Sat-phone capable, no doubt. He removed the tape and entered a quick text. He paused a few seconds, as if waiting for a response, then looked up. “I’ll take you.” He secured the phone back to his arm and then addressed the woods behind Jett. “We’re to escort him.”

The man transformed into a massive lion and, muscles rippling, bounded away through the trees.

Jett glanced over his shoulder and saw that three other big lions had emerged from hiding, and they were waiting for him to follow the first shifter. With a shrug, Jett broke into a run, and easily caught up to the lead beast.

In a few minutes he’d reached the camp of Blue Hurricane. Between the twelve log cabins loitered sixteen men and women dressed in casual jeans and T-shirts. Ariel wasn’t among them. He saw children peeking from the windows of some of the cabins. There were too many present for these men and women to be solely the members of Blue Hurricane: the Starry Oak pride had obviously joined them as well.

The escorting lions transformed back into men and stood bare-bodied amid the others, not ashamed of their nakedness in the least. No one seemed to care or notice. All eyes were on the dragon king.

Jett calmly strode forward. He recognized Cliff Dawson, Alpha of Blue Hurricane, as well as Finn Wyatt, Alpha of Starry Oak. Both men wore thick, tawny beards. Cliff was the biggest man present, after Jett, while Finn was relatively lanky in comparison. But he was far from weak. Whatever Finn lacked on the physical side he made up for with his lion magic: on his wrists he flaunted bracelets of bone that were broad enough to remain intact through any transformation. He never quite had the Strength levels to be considered a candidate for the Steel Tower, however. If he had, the witches would have whisked him away a long time ago.

“What do you want, Jeddah?” Cliff said.

“You know what I want,” Jett said. “Where is she?”

“She’s safe,” Cliff said.

“Where is she?” Jett repeated, unable to hold back a growl.

Cliff sighed. Then he nodded toward a cabin on the far side of the camp.

Jett made his way across the clearing, forcefully ramming his shoulder into one of the men who stood in his path and refused to move. The man hissed at him, but Jett ignored him.

As he approached the cabin in question, he heard a terrible caterwaul coming from within, followed by a loud thud as something inside threw itself into the door. Jett studied the unit and realized that the windows were all boarded up.

“You bastards!” Jett hurried to the cabin and bounded up the steps.

“Don’t!” Cliff said. “We’ve locked her in there for her own good! She has to learn to control it!”

Jett tore the door off its hinges.

He found a lioness within. His lioness. He recognized the unique design of brown and yellow patches on her back, and the white streaks running down her flanks. And there were those eyes. He’d know them anywhere.

She was crouched on the floor, and backed away as he entered. Her ears were flat on her head.

He held out his arms to her. “It’s okay now. Everything’s going to be all right.”

He entered the foyer slowly, trying to position himself between her and the entrance.

When he was about three meters away, she dove forward in a blur.

Jett tried to wrap his arms around her, but she was too quick and darted outside.

Jett hurried out after her, but six other lions had already surrounded her. Another six were quickly coming in. Whenever she tried to sprint past one of them, a lion would nip at her, forcing her back to the center. She was huge, almost as big as the males, and would’ve held her ground easily had there been less of them.

Jett raced forward, cursing the stupid collar that prevented him from transforming or using his compulsion. He batted a large lion aside with a mere kick and entered the circle with her. Ariel hissed at him, but when her animal eyes met his own, an understanding seemed to pass between them, because her gaze quickly turned to the other lions once more, and she gave him her back.

Jett positioned himself behind her and lowered the backpack he wore.

“Come on then,” Jett said. “If it’s a fight you lions want, it’s a fight we’ll give you.”

Cliff stood outside the circle. He hadn’t transformed. “She’s been this way since last night. After we caught her, she returned to human form for about an hour, and we talked. She warned us a dragon would come for her, but she never said it would be you. When she transformed again, she didn’t turn back. She’s been a lioness since. I’m beginning to worry that her animal has taken over for good. It happens in extreme cases.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t have locked her inside that cabin,” Jett said between gritted teeth.

“It’s standard procedure for the newly bitten,” Cliff told him. “We can’t just let her lioness roam free around the camp. She’ll run off. When and if she changes back to her human form, we’ll let her out, with an escort of at least two pride members at all times.”

Ariel darted her feline form forward, attempting to squeeze through a perceived opening in the circle, but once more, two lions closed the gap and nipped at her. Ariel anticipated the move and sidestepped, wrapping her jaws around the scruff of the closest lion’s neck and pinning the animal to the ground.

Two more thickly-maned lions made to attack her from the sides, but Jett intercepted. He kicked one of them away, and positioned himself firmly in front of the other. The ferocious animal was reluctant to approach the dragon—for good reason.

“Call your lions off,” Jett told Cliff.

“I can’t do that,” Cliff said.

Ariel continued to pin the original animal to the ground. He struggled helplessly in her grasp. Jett noticed blood issuing from his neck. She was bleeding the lion.

“She’ll kill him…” Jett said.

Cliff hesitated a moment longer, and then finally said: “Back off.”

The ring widened.

Ariel immediately released the lion, but Jett was there to grab her. He wrapped his arms around her chest as the injured lion hurried into the care of his companions.

Ariel struggled in his grasp, but like the last time he held her in such a compromising position, she didn’t touch him with her claws or teeth.

Jett ran a calming hand along her thick hide, stroking.

“It’s all right,” Jett said. “Everything is all right now.”

He continued to pet her as she squirmed underneath him. In a few moments, she ceased her struggles, and began to purr contentedly. The other lions that had withdrawn around them were forgotten. Only Jett and she existed in that moment.

The fluttering sound she made in her throat relaxed him, and the anger he felt for the other lions abated. She must have sensed that, because she rested her head against his knee and closed her eyes.

Ariel returned to her human form shortly thereafter. She opened her eyes groggily, as if waking from a dream.

With the crisis past, Jett felt his anger rising once more. He was pissed about many things: pissed that a pride full of lions was looking at her naked body; pissed that she’d run away on him; pissed that the lions had caged her.

He retrieved the backpack he had set on the ground and shoved it into her arms.

“Put on your clothes,” Jett told her, a bit more roughly than he intended.