“Wow,” Marina said, staring at Lead once he’d finished confiding in her. “I had no idea things were moving so fast.”

“Didn’t they move fast between you and Mercury?”

“I don’t know,” she said, leaning back on her hands. “I mean, we spent a lot of days talking in the dungeon when I would visit him. But I guess you’re right. Whatever it was that made me want to visit him happened right away. I was always intrigued.”

“So you see my dilemma.”

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. “I mean, I see your problem. And it’s maybe not the smartest thing to pick your mates without the oracle’s approval, but other shifters have done it. Me, for instance.”

“I thought she sent you to Drakkaris.”

“She didn’t know I was going to mate him. I didn’t even know at the time. I just knew I’d bonded with him, and he’d helped me with something important and I owed him. So no matter what, I had to save him. I would have risked anything to be with him, looking back on it.” She looked over at him with a warm smile. “I guess that’s what you have to be willing to do.”

“But what if she says no?” Lead said. “We came to this planet with her permission. I can’t go against her. Even if I try, she has armies of dragons.” He put his head in his hands. “What have I gotten myself into?”

“Whoa, whoa,” Marina said, pulling his hands away and pulling him up straighter. “You haven’t done anything wrong. You can’t help who your heart wants. Especially as dragons. The heart wants what it wants. And besides, I told you this is how things work on Earth. That’s why I thought it was so sad that love had no place in matches on Drakkaris.”

“Unions,” he said with a scoff. Marina was sitting close to him, but Lead made sure to leave a bit of distance. She was naturally kind and nurturing, but he didn’t really need an angry Mercury on his back right now. “Yes, Drakkaris is doing it wrong in some ways. Then again, I wouldn’t be risking this much hurt if I were there.”

“True,” Marina said. “But you also wouldn’t have met Brittany.” Her eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands together. “And you must really like her if you feel this tortured.”

“I really do like her,” Lead said. “I love her, though I’m afraid to say it.”

“Why?”

“Because my feelings never mattered,” he spat out, feeling years of anger well up in him. “Even when I was young, it was all about what I could do, what I was good for, not what I wanted or felt. None of that was taken into account, and I got used to it. If all I could gain was honor, then I would be the best at it. It’s only being with Brittany causing me to want so much more. Things I was never allowed to hope for as a warrior whose life belonged to an entire planet rather than myself.”

“But you aren’t on Drakkaris anymore,” Marina said. “You belong to yourself.”

“That’s not how the oracle sees it. She keeps us cooped in this mansion, and she didn’t say we could mate the rescued humans. She leaves us in the dark.”

“She’s stressed and not doing so well,” Marina confided in a low voice. “Why do you think I’m training to replace her?”

“Replace her?” Lead asked, shocked. “Does that mean she was a dragon?”

“I’m not sure,” Marina said. “But she’s been transferring more and more of her power to me. One day, I will have all of it.” She drew her knees in and wrapped her arms around them. “It scares me sometimes, and Mercury doesn’t exactly love it, but if it helps my world, I’ll do it.”

“Sacrifice,” Lead said dully. “I get it.

“No, you don’t,” Marina said. “It’s different, because no matter what, I get to keep my mate. As long as he’s by my side, nothing else feels like a sacrifice. I feel like the luckiest woman in the world, and helping anyone who needs it is the least I can do.”

“I see,” Lead said, still not getting where she was going with this.

“So if the oracle is smart, and I know she is, she will want you to be with Brittany. She’ll be glad you found a mate. Because when we have that one person with us, we’re stronger, more able and willing to sacrifice for those around us and more willing to open our hearts.”

“Right,” Lead said. “Except lately, I’ve been closed off, secretive. Dishonorable. I haven’t felt like myself.”

“That’s because you’re worried she may not be yours. Frankly, I’m surprised your dragon hasn’t burnt the whole house down. I actually think you’re doing well.” She touched a chain on her neck. “Would you like me to call the oracle now?”

He swallowed, wondering if he should talk to Brittany first. But no, that was just stalling.

“Is it that easy?”

“As long as she is around to take my call.”

“Let’s try it, then,” Lead said. After all, Brittany was getting nervous, and he had a friend here at his side to argue his case. Perhaps he should have done this sooner, but he could at least rectify that now.

Marina pressed a button on her chain, and it made a low beeping noise several times before a woman’s voice sounded somehow through a microphone. “Marina, what is it? I’m terribly busy.”

“It’s about the dragons,” she said. “Can one of them mate Brittany?”

“Which one?” the oracle replied sharply. “Speak up. I don’t have all day.”

“Lead,” Marina said.

There was a short pause. “I’ll have to think about it.”

Lead just sat there, feeling as though the earth was falling out from underneath him.

“What do you mean think about it? He wants her,” Marina said. “And as far as I can see, she wants him.”

“She doesn’t know what she wants. There are a pair of double dragons who might better match her that I was thinking of introducing to her.”

Lead felt a tiny shockwave of pain go through him and realized for the first time he was feeling his poison. They said when dragons felt despair, they got closer to losing control. It was why Mercury had gone so dark. “Like hell another dragon will have her.” He snarled.

“Is that him? Tell him I’ll think about it later. I have bigger things to do. He’s a warrior, right? He should understand life is about more than what you want. Sometimes you have to serve the greater good.”

Lead stood abruptly. “That’s it. I can’t hear anymore.” Why had he allowed himself to hope? He was so stupid. What leverage did he even have? “Tell her I quit.”

“Quit what?” she asked. “Helping Earth? You’re going back to Drakkaris? If you do, you’ll die there.”

Death would be better than seeing Brittany mated to other dragons, but he wasn’t going to allow that to happen either. “She’s mine,” he growled. “I can’t breathe without her. If you try to stop me, I’ll take her anyway, if she’ll have me. If I can’t have her, to hell with my honor. For once, I’m going to honor my heart.

“Well, I do love a man who knows what he wants and goes after it,” the oracle said after a short pause. “If it means that much to you, then just get her consent and I’ll sign off on it.”

Relief flooded him, immediately releasing the searing pain that seemed to have taken over his whole body a moment before. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”

“It’s not like I had a choice, did I?” the oracle said. “I can’t afford to lose any dragons.”

“I’ll do whatever you want me to after this. Rescue every dragon-heart.”

“Well, remember, first you have to get her consent.”

“Yes. I’ll do that.” He had no worries about that though. That was the easy part.

Marina’s face brightened hopefully. “Okay, boss. Talk to you later, then.”

“Good luck,” the oracle said. Then she hung up.

“Well, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”

Lead shook his head, feeling drained from all the adrenaline. But it was worth it, and he was done. All the remained was to tell the others and get Brittany’s yes. “It almost killed me, but I’m just glad it’s over.” He leaned over to give her a quick hug. “Thank you so much.”

A dry voice interrupted them. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Lead let go of Marina and looked up to see Arsenic had come outside without them hearing him. “Why not? What’s going on?”

“What’s going on with you and Brittany, that’s more the question,” Arsenic said angrily. “Because if something is going on with you, then I may have just fucked it up. Something I hate doing, but couldn’t help because you didn’t fucking tell me what you were up to.” He stormed forward and caught Lead by the collar, yanking him up and glaring at him with burning emerald eyes. “How dare you play with her?”

Marina stepped out of the way just in time for Arsenic to throw Lead forward, sending him tumbling over the grass.

He landed face down and pushed himself up, glaring at Arsenic. “What was that for? Who said I was playing with her?”

“She saw you out here with Marina and looked brokenhearted. She wouldn’t admit something was happening at first, but then she did. And she also implied that you have never done the honorable thing and made a promise.” He stood over Lead, looking like he wanted to pick him up and throw him again.

Lead put up a hand. “I had to get the oracle’s permission, asshole. What was I supposed to do, make a promise I didn’t know I could keep?”

“If you didn’t know you could keep her, why did you touch her?”

“Because I couldn’t fucking help it!” Lead burst out, brushing his knees off as he got to his feet. “You once said you were worried I’d never have anything I wanted because I was too damn honorable. Well, you were wrong. Turns out when I want something, I’m just as dishonorable as anyone else.”

Arsenic shook his head. “I don’t get it. Will you just tell me what’s going on?”

“She’s my mate,” Lead said. “I knew almost the moment I met her, but I didn’t know if it was possible.”

“So all of that overprotectiveness, all of that ‘don’t touch the human,’ that was because you wanted her for yourself?”

Lead knew it was dishonorable, but it was time to own up to what he’d done. “Yes. I mean, I would have protected her either way, but I maybe have gone even more overboard because of my feelings. Feelings I didn’t feel I could tell anyone about.”

Arsenic threw his head back and began laughing, almost hysterically. He looked at Lead, wiping his eyes to remove the remnants of his mirth. “That is just amazing. The best thing is none of us would ever have seen it coming. You’re so damn honorable we thought you really were holding back, when really you were doing what any of us would have done if given the chance.” His eyes grew more serious. “And if she’s your mate, you had every right to. Speaking of which, you should probably go find her. I think she’s pretty upset.”

“What did you say?” Lead asked. “You said you fucked up. How?”

“Uh, she saw you talking with Marina, and I may have blurted out that you used to like her.”

Lead groaned. “That’s ancient history. I better find her.”

“You want me to talk to her?” Marina asked.

“No,” Lead said. “It’ll be better if it’s just me and her. It’s been that way from the start, and now it’s up to me to fix it in the same manner.”

“You go, you dishonorable dragon,” Arsenic said, laughing again.

Lead sent him a scowl but then smiled to himself. He might be walking into a difficult situation with Brittany, but all of that could be resolved. Nothing else in the world mattered now that he knew the world wouldn’t stop Brittany from being his.

As long as he won her over, they could be together forever.

It was the most wonderful thought in the world.

* * *

Brittany had almost finished packing and was wondering how she could get in touch with the oracle when she suddenly heard a knock on the door.

She hadn’t been in her room for very long since her first night here, and she was still a bit nervous hanging out inside.

But she’d be damned if she was going back to Lead’s room either. She’d stay with Cadmium or someone like that. She knew they’d respect her space if she asked them to.

But hopefully, the oracle would just erase her memory and send her home, where she could forget stupidly falling for a dragon who wanted another woman and couldn’t commit.

Especially when it seemed dragons were usually dying to commit as fast as possible.

She loved being with him. She didn’t doubt he enjoyed making love with her, enjoyed owning her instead of letting the other dragons get close. But that wasn’t enough for her. She was coming to love him, and she needed to leave before she got more hurt.

After all, if he’d wanted more, he would have said so. She’d given him so many chances. She’d given him the benefit of the doubt, right up until he’d told her he’d work it out and then just gone to hang out with a girl he apparently once had feelings for and maybe still did.

Feelings he’d never even told her about, which now made sense.

The knock sounded again, more urgent this time. “Brittany, you in there? I need to talk to you.”

Arsenic must have ratted her out. Damn. “No,” she said. “I saw what I needed to see.”

The door burst open, and Lead stood there, looking dismayed. “You could at least give me a chance to explain before jumping to the worst conclusion. There’s nothing between me and Marina.”

“Oh?” she asked, challenging him. “Then why did you keep it a secret that a girl you wanted to mate was here in this mansion? A girl you would have mated if she accepted you, when you haven’t once agreed to mate me.”

“That was because—wait, do you want to mate me?”

Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. “Why on earth would I do all those things with you if I didn’t—never mind.”

“Wait,” he said, putting a hand up. “We can talk about this. We can…” He trailed off as he heard an odd crackling sound and looked around him. “What is that?”

She blanched. “Oh no. That’s the same sound as—” She whirled around to see a large portal opening behind her, a dark figure silhouetted there, staring out. “Help!”

She shot toward Lead, but something hard caught her by the elbow, jerking her back against a soft chest. She looked over her shoulder to see a tall, gaunt woman with pale skin and dark, glittering eyes the color of wine. Her mouth was pinched, and there were deep lines on either side of her lips. Her eyes looked like liquid cruelty.

“Got you,” she said quietly, her voice like the hissing of a poisonous snake.

“Who are you?” Lead said, stepping forward. “Let her go.”

The woman just stared at him, cocking her head. Then she stiffened and raised her chin. “Who are you to ask?”

“I’m her mate,” he said. “Give her back to me.”

“Ah, yes, I was hoping one of you had bonded with her. That makes this all the better.” She stepped backward into the portal, dragging a struggling Brittany with her.

“No,” Lead said, jumping forward. But just as he was about to reach Brittany, the woman waved her hand and hundreds of blackish-red needles shot forward, knocking Lead backward so hard that he hit the opposite wall and slumped down it.

He recovered quickly, raising his hand so that shards of gray metal shot out of nowhere to form a huge, blocky sword in his hand. But before he could charge forward, the woman quickly twisted Brittany around so she could be used as a human shield.

Lead was forced to skid to a stop, and he winced as the woman laughed and jerked her hand, pulling the needles out of him and knocking him forward, bleeding.

“That was fun,” the woman said. “But I’ve got to go. Not all dragons have time to just sit around and play games.”

“You’re a dragon?” Lead rasped, pushing up on his hands. His wounds appeared to be healing, but he’d still taken dozens of hard, spiky hits. “Wait.”

But Brittany knew he was going to be too late, as the lady dragon jumped the rest of the way through the portal, and Brittany watched it close in front of her eyes, erasing all hope.

Erasing all sight of Lead.

What was she going to do now?