Angel clung to Jonathan’s back as the magnificent ice dragon soared over the house. Jonathan didn’t make a single sound, and Angel forced herself to keep silent as well.

She didn’t want to alert whoever was down there to their presence. And it wasn’t like Jonathan could answer her questions anyway in his current form.

Jonathan swerved, circling over the house again. Still no sign of the intruder.

Then, as if he’d come to a sudden decision, Jonathan tilted his wings. He slowed down even further until he could silently land behind the mansion.

None of the lighted windows faced in their direction. Even so, Angel felt her heart speed up when she scrambled down his back.

A second later, Jonathan shifted. It was a relief to see him back in his human form, although she was glad that his powerful wings could carry them away quickly, if it was necessary.

But nothing was as comforting and reassuring as the sight of his strong arms and the sound of his voice.

“We should probably go back and call someone,” he said softly. “But I’m afraid they might be gone by the time I can return with Henrik. Something feels off about all of this. Especially after the dire wolf.”

“This time, it’s not my fault someone broke in,” she murmured. “I think you’re right. This was never about me at all.”

Jonathan’s jaw tightened. “I don’t want to go in there. Not when you don’t even have a weapon.”

“I’ve got a dragon.” She smiled at him, touched by his concern, but also amused. What burglar would dare to threaten a dragon? “Anyway, if we sneak around and catch a glimpse of them through one of the windows, we might figure out what the hell is going on with this house and the dire wolf.”

Jonathan hesitated for a moment, but then he nodded tersely. “If it is the dire wolf, we’re leaving immediately. I won’t endanger you. But if it’s just a burglar...”

“If it’s just a burglar or maybe paparazzi after scandalous secrets, you could put the fear of a lifetime into them if you shift.” Angel bit back a soft giggle. “I’d love to see them try to explain that to the police.”

“Once we know what’s going on, we leave and contact the police. Let human authorities deal with all of this,” he said, even though she saw a smile tug on his own lips. “Let’s not draw any attention to us. Remember, I’m trying to hide.”

“All right. Let’s just be spies today.” She took hold of his hand, tugging him towards the corner of the house.

It did feel exciting—she felt a bit like James Bond, ducking beneath windows as they sneaked along the side of the house.

The snow made crunching noises beneath their boots. Angel could feel her heart beating in her throat.

She tried to move as silently as possible, grateful for Jonathan’s reassuring presence behind her. With a dragon as back-up, she was safer out here than James Bond would ever be.

Still, she’d never done anything like this in her life. Who’d have thought that the cushy dog-sitting job would not only lead to pursuit by a dire wolf and falling in love with a dragon shifter, but also getting to feel like an international spy?

When they finally made it close to the windows on the front of the house, everything was still silent. Whoever was inside hadn’t spotted them. In fact, she couldn’t hear any sounds from inside now.

Is that a good sign? Maybe we’re too late and they’ve already left...

She turned around to give Jonathan a questioning look, who nodded at her. Taking a deep breath, she pressed herself against the wall. Then she slowly rose from her crouch, until she could peer in through the window.

At first, she couldn’t see anything but a disappointingly empty room.

Jonathan crept past her to peek in through the other corner of the window. He looked disappointed as well when it turned out that they hadn’t surprised a thief in the act.

And then, a moment later, Angel realized what was wrong.

They were looking right into the generous living room, which was comfortably furnished. Against the wall, there stood the soft, white leather sofas. Above it hung the paintings she remembered, landscapes and pictures of dogs. Most hung askew but hadn’t been completely destroyed by the blizzard.

But in front of the large couch, where before, a fluffy carpet had covered almost the entire floor, the dark wood beneath was now visible.

Most of the carpet had been pulled away—and there, at the center of the room, loomed a dark square.

Angel felt her heart speed up.

All this time she’d been house-sitting, and she’d never realized that there was an entrance to a secret room hidden right in front of her...

Don’t be silly. That’s probably just the basement. And I bet it’s just the guy sent by the insurance who’s checking for water damage.

Still, she couldn’t shake the thought that something more sinister was going on.

What if it wasn’t a simple basement? What if the Mitchells had a safe hidden down there where they kept jewels or a stash of gold?

When she turned to look at Jonathan, he was tense as well. Carefully, she moved closer, until she was able to whisper into his ear.

“Do you want to go in?”

Jonathan hesitated. She could see that he was torn. A part of him wanted to explore the mystery before them—but another part of him was worried about her.

Which was sweet. And it wasn’t like she wasn’t scared—but after everything that had happened, she had a right to know what was really going on here. After all, she’d already spent way too much time feeling like the destruction of the house was all her fault.

After the dire wolf and the blizzard, it was just too much of a coincidence to have a burglary happening, too.

“I’ll wait here if I have to,” she said, “but I want to know what’s going on.”

She really didn’t want to wait out here on her own, but at least she’d have a good view through the window.

“Of course, if we both go in, you can keep an eye on me,” she added.

Jonathan took a deep breath. Then he nodded reluctantly. “You’ll stay behind me. Promise?”

“Promise!”

She didn’t want to face a dire wolf on her own anyway. She was more than happy to let Jonathan’s dragon handle any crazed shifters they might encounter.

But she needed to know what was going on.

They couldn’t hear any suspicious sounds when they silently made their way in. The door had been open—but she couldn’t remember whether the storm had destroyed the lock.

It might have been the storm...

Inside the corridor, everything seemed normal at a first glance.

Well, as normal as a house half destroyed by a blizzard and a fire could look.

The part they were moving through had fortunately been spared by the fire. Nevertheless, everything still stank of smoke. She barely managed to suppress a sneeze just in time.

Jonathan was looking around with a strange expression as well, as if he was sniffing the air. Maybe it was a shifter thing. Although she didn’t think he’d have any luck catching the scent of their burglar. Everything was overpowered by the heavy, acrid smell of smoke, charred wood and burned plastic.

Jonathan’s hand brushed her arm. She gave him a small nod. Before them was the door that opened to the living room.

And that door stood open as well.

Jonathan waited for a long moment. Angel couldn’t hear any sounds but those of her racing heartbeat.

At last, slowly, he moved into the room. Angel followed just as slowly, concentrating on keeping her steps as light as possible.

The living room was empty too. But the carpet was rolled to the side, and the trapdoor was still open. In the minute or two it had taken them to make their way in, nothing had changed.

Very carefully, Jonathan made his way to the yawning rectangle of darkness in the floor. He peered into it while Angel waited, but once again there was no movement or sound.

Maybe they’d been too late. Maybe the burglar had broken in yesterday, and all they’d find was an empty basement...

Jonathan was still hesitating, his eyes on the small ladder she could now see leading down into the darkness. A moment later, he turned his head to look at her, and she gave him an encouraging nod.

After all the strange things that had happened around this house, she really wanted to know what the big secret was.

Jonathan’s brows drew together as if he wanted to argue with her, but after a moment, he tilted his head in acquiescence.

She smiled, sending a wave of affection through the bond.

She had a dragon of her own with her. She felt safer than she’d have felt in the company of an entire SWAT team.

Jonathan leaned over the dark opening, then climbed down with easy, confident movements. Angel followed a little slower, her heart still hammering in her chest.

It wasn’t fully dark down here, she now saw in relief. There was a light in the distance, dim and yellow, coming from behind a corner.

Before them spread an empty corridor of simple, rough concrete.

Jonathan still in the front, they sneaked through it, listening for any suspicious noises ahead. She still couldn’t hear a sound.

And then Jonathan made it to where the corridor turned a corner.

Wait, he mouthed, the dim light illuminating his pale hair.

Angel really didn’t want to be left behind in a dark underground corridor—but she knew that Jonathan would never abandon her here.

She nodded again. Then, for a moment, it was just the gloom and her thundering heart.

Through the mate bond, she could feel Jonathan’s presence, warm and reassuring.

She smiled, feeling his love fill her own heart, relaxing a little. This was new—and it was beautiful. Even when she was alone, she’d never, ever be lonely again. A part of him would always be with her.

And then she felt a sudden shock and confusion race through the bond between them. At the same moment, she heard the most unexpected sound. A sound she’d have recognized anywhere after the past few weeks.

It was the familiar barking of a dog.

“Diego?” Without thinking, she ran after Jonathan.

How the hell had Diego made it out here? They’d left him with the girl who’d volunteered to dog-sit. Had he run off again?

But how would he have made it here? But then, they do say that runaway dogs always find their way home...

She ran straight into Jonathan’s back, who flung out his arms to shield her.

But it was already too late.

Before them spread a small room, the walls undecorated and unpainted. It wasn’t filled with a Hollywood billionaire’s treasures: no huge diamonds, no Picassos or Rembrandts, no secret supercomputers holding Swiss bank account codes.

Instead, there was a simple plinth of concrete in the center of the room. And on that plinth rested what looked like a crown of iron, decorated with small, red rubies.

“Diego!”

The poodle stood before the concrete plinth, staring at them, his tongue lolling out as he panted.

Angel took a confused step towards him—and then Jonathan’s arm shot out, keeping her from moving forward.

At the same moment, Diego’s small, familiar body began to shimmer.

Angel felt her heart plummet into her stomach as the dog’s furry body turned strangely translucent for the fraction of a heartbeat.

Then the poodle was gone. Instead, an unfamiliar and very much naked man stood in front of them. He had unkempt, shaggy black hair, and there were several scars on his chest and arms.

Most importantly, as soon as he’d shifted, he lunged behind the pillar of concrete before either of them had a chance to move.

A second later, the stranger pointed a gun at them, which he must have hidden there.

“Diego?” Angel said, her voice trembling in disbelief.

How is that possible?

The man gave her a grin, unbothered by his nudity. “The name’s Sean, actually. And I’ve had about enough playing the stupid little lapdog for folks like you. Diego, sit! Diego, come here!” He bared his teeth at her. “I’d love to show you how I feel about all of that, honey, but unfortunately I’ve got more important things to do.”

Angel was still reeling. “So you were a shifter all along? But why?”

Diego—no, Sean—chuckled darkly. “Why do you think, stupid? This isn’t about you. It’s about this. It has been all along.”

He reached out and casually took the iron-and-ruby crown from its plinth.

Nothing happened. No sudden alarm began blaring, no trapdoors fell shut.

He laughed again. “Almost too easy. Of course, the main problem was figuring out who had it, and where it was hidden.”

“That’s iron,” Jonathan said calmly. “I don’t know what they told you, buddy, but that’s nothing more than a worthless piece of junk. And those rubies are small and flawed. No fence will give you more than a few hundred dollars for that.”

Sean held the crown idly in his hand. “That’s where you are wrong, buddy. All high and mighty dragon shifter—but as easy to fool as the rest of them. You dragons and werewolves and lion shifters are all like that, so strong and proud. You never look twice at a dumb mutt like me.”

He smirked, the gun still pointed at them. “Even in my own family it went like that. I was the runt of the litter, as they say. Weak as a child. Not good at anything. But there’s one thing that makes me special. Have you still not figured it out?”

“I didn’t know. All this time... I can’t sense that you’re a shifter,” Jonathan said slowly.

“That’s right.” Sean looked satisfied. “A useless power, you might think. Of course, as soon as I figured it out as a teenager, I left my home. You can’t imagine how useful that skill can be when you want to get in and out of places unnoticed.”

“That still hasn’t answered the question of what the hell you want with that thing,” Angel said.

“Oh.” Sean chuckled. “It’s not for me. It’s for him.”

Through the mate bond, Angel felt sudden alarm flood her heart. At the same moment, Jonathan whirled around.

The gloomy corridor behind them was no longer quite as dark. As Angel turned around in dread, she saw light spilling out of the tunnel. The tunnel was empty, as far as she could see—but someone must have turned on a light.

“The dire wolf,” Jonathan said, clenching his teeth as he looked at her. “He’s here.”

“I was just laying the trap,” Sean said behind them. “Given that you can sense him, but not me.”

There was the sound of boots on the floor above them. Suddenly it stopped. A long moment later, a dark shape appeared at the end of the tunnel, little more than a silhouette of black against the glare of the light.

Then he came towards them.

It was a man, this time, not a wolf. But when he stepped at last into the small room, Angel didn’t need Jonathan’s senses to tell her that the man was a shifter.

He had the same terrifying, yellow eyes of the beast she’d glimpsed in the blizzard.

He was older. He might have been in his sixties, for all that he had the powerful body of a man twenty years younger. But his hair was gray, and so was his beard.

There was an aura of menace surrounding him that made Angel shiver instinctively. She couldn’t even say what about him scared her so. But something about the hardness of his eyes told her that he was the sort of man who didn’t care if he had to kill someone to get ahead.

Fortunately, right now, his gaze wasn’t resting on her, but on the iron crown in Sean’s hand.

“Well done, puppy. See, I knew you’d be useful after all.”

“Don’t fucking call me that. I got you your crown, Reed.”

“Even though you fucked up and nearly burned down the house.” Reed smiled, although it did not reach his eyes. “But I’ve got the crown. And you’ll be paid for it, just as I promised.”

“Who are you, and what the hell is going on here?” Jonathan demanded.

“Ah, and here’s our weak little dragon who decided to cause so much trouble for us. You should’ve stayed in the ice. Easier for all of us. But now that you’re here—this doesn’t have anything to do with you or your mate. But you just had to meddle. Which turned you into a problem.”

Reed gave them another brief, cold smile, then pulled a gun from his pocket and gestured with it. “Against that wall. Sean, come here. We’re going to leave you two now.”

Her heart beating in her throat, Angel slowly moved towards the back of the small room, just as Jonathan did.

What was Reed planning to do? Was he going to just leave them here and escape with the crown?

She didn’t trust him. And he didn’t seem like the sort of man who’d leave witnesses behind. Witnesses who could tell the Mitchells all about what had happened here...

The moment Sean had reached Reed’s side and handed over the iron crown, there was the sound of a shot.

Angel heard herself cry out, instinct taking over as she lunged to hide behind the concrete plinth.

Jonathan!

For a moment, she felt nothing but the iron fist of terror clenching around her heart.

Jonathan! Are you okay?