Waking up felt a little like swimming to the surface, struggling against the weight of the deep, dark water above him.

When Jonathan finally opened his eyes, it took a moment to remember what had happened.

Angel was still in his arms. Angel was asleep, her head resting against his chest.

Angel—who now knew what he was, and who hadn’t run from him.

Warmth filled him, together with the memory of why he felt so exhausted.

He’d used his powers to show her that he really was a dragon shifter. After ten years in the ice had utterly drained him, and after he’d drained himself even further by fighting off the dire wolf.

I really need to give myself a day or two to recover, he thought ruefully.

Not just because it felt as if his bones were aching, something inside him dry and brittle where he’d sucked out his own life force to keep going.

But also because there was still the puzzle of the dire wolf shifter. It was weird that it hadn’t run when it realized that he was a shifter, too. Which meant that it was here for a reason.

That it was after Angel for a reason.

And as long as I keep draining myself before I have recovered, I won’t be able to protect her.

Some time during their nap, the dog had moved off the couch. Now, she was stretched out in front of the fire, her paws twitching every now and then as she dreamed.

Jonathan smiled. He was glad that she’d made it through the storm. He’d sensed a flicker of life out there, back when he’d fought off the dire wolf. But he must have collapsed in the snow before he’d had the opportunity to search for her, once the dire wolf was gone.

They needed to get moving soon. They’d be able to live off peanut butter and cookies for another day or two, if they had to, but the thought wasn’t particularly appealing.

And the blizzard had died down. The snow outside was deep, but as an ice dragon, the cold didn’t bother him much.

It would be easier if he’d be able to shift. He’d be able to just fly Angel and Lola out of here.

But shifting wasn’t going to happen until he’d fully recovered. He was so drained of his powers that turning a single cup of coffee into ice had knocked him out. Shifting at this point would probably kill him.

Hopefully the dire wolf won’t realize. Where did it even come from?

Jonathan had sensed the presence of another dragon nearby when he’d chosen this place to sleep in the ice. But surely no dragon shifter would allow a beast like the dire wolf to roam free...

Unless the dire wolf works for the dragon?

But what he’d felt from that other dragon long ago had been the usual suspicion and wariness of their people. The dragon had wanted to be left alone—just like Jonathan.

What he’d sensed of the dire wolf, on the other hand, had been rage, greed, and anger.

No dragon who wanted to be left alone by the outside world would have a dire wolf like that work for him. Especially since these mountains were popular with tourists in the winter. Sudden, inexplicable attacks would cause a lot of attention.

I need to get us out of here.

Carefully, he got up. He stretched.

He wasn’t as strong yet as he had been, but he’d be up for a trek through the snow.

They needed to get back to civilization. Angel needed to get back to looking for her second lost  dog. And he needed a place to stay for a few days to replenish his energy.

Shifter healing was fast. If he’d broken a leg, the bone would have mended in a single night. Maybe two, given how weak he was right now.

But this time, it wasn’t his body that was wounded. It was his dragon’s power that was dangerously low.

Like a car with a drained battery in winter, he thought, then laughed. That was a pretty good example, actually. Maybe that would help Angel to understand.

“Feeling better?” Angel smiled up at him, her eyes lingering.

He allowed his own gaze to trail over what little of her body was exposed.

“Much better. It’ll take a while until my dragon has recovered, but as long as we don’t get into any fights, I’ll be fine.”

“Do you know where we are?” Angel got up, stopping by Lola to check on her for a moment.

“No,” Jonathan had to admit. “I don’t know anything about these mountains. But I should be able to get you back home. I wish I could shift and fly you there—but I think the weather’s good enough to make it back on foot.”

“All right.” Angel sighed deeply. “After this, I don’t want to see any snow for at least a few more years. I just hope that Diego made his way back home...”

“If you lost him close to home, he’ll be fine,” Jonathan reassured her. “I’ve known a few dog shifters. They’re good at tracking.”

“And Lola tracked us all the way to this place.” Angel bent down to press a kiss to the spaniel’s head. “Okay, you’ve got me convinced. A hike through the snow it is.”

Even now, it was difficult to take his eyes off her body. But maybe it was for the best that Lola had interrupted them. If they left now, they should make it back to Angel’s place before sunset.

And then, perhaps, after Angel had been reunited with Diego, he and Angel could spend some time together without constant interruptions by dogs or dire wolves. And Jonathan could continue to recover as his dragon finally got to recharge his powers.

Or maybe they won’t come back. Maybe I’ve drained myself so completely that this is it. They’ll never return.

For a moment, he felt a surge of hope at the idea, even as his dragon recoiled in horror. He’d live a human life—and he’d never have to face another dragon again.

On the other hand, without those powers, how would he keep Angel safe if the dire wolf returned...?

But that was something to worry about later. For now, they needed to get going.

***

“Are you sure it’s the right path?” Angel stopped to wipe the sweat from her brow as they crested yet another hill.

Before them spread a small, snow-covered valley. Jonathan couldn’t even remember how many of these valleys they’d crossed by this point. With the heavy layer of snow covering all life, one looked much like the other.

But they were moving—moving towards the direction of his cave. He remembered that much.

And Lola was eager to get back home as well. A few times, when they’d hesitated over which path to follow, Lola had unerringly led them forward.

“I’m certain,” he said, stopping by Angel’s side.

The mountain rose behind them now. They weren’t following a straight path down the mountain either—they were keeping to the west, hopefully heading toward the mountain slope that held the cave where he’d slept for ten long years. And there, not too far away, the mansion Angel was house-sitting had to be situated.

Even now, with his dragon’s powers nearly at zero, Jonathan could feel the nagging awareness of something powerful at his back.

He shifted his shoulders uncomfortably.

The other dragon he’d sensed back when he’d chosen this place to sleep was still around. They weren’t in his territory—but close enough for the constant awareness of his presence to feel like an itch.

Maybe the dragon lived on the other side of the mountain. Or maybe it was the mountaintop past this one.

Either way, he’d hopefully leave them alone. They hadn’t intruded into his realm, and Jonathan didn’t want to pick yet another fight with a powerful shifter.

A moment later, Jonathan narrowed his eyes.

From behind a ridge not too far away, he could see smoke rise.

“There,” he said triumphantly. “Either that’s your house, or one of your neighbors.”

“I don’t think there was a fire going in the fireplace,” Angel said slowly. “I wouldn’t go out and leave a fire unattended. And the central heating is so convenient I haven’t even thought about using it again...”

“A neighbor, then,” Jonathan said.

In response, Angel laughed. “There are no neighbors. Not in walking distance. But hey, I’m not going to complain if you’ve led us to that Christmas resort instead. As long as I can sit down with some hot food, I don’t care where we end up.”

Privately, Jonathan thought that something about the area seemed familiar. He didn’t think he’d led them astray. They had to be close to his cave now—which meant that they were close to Angel’s place.

It took them another hour to cross the valley and make it all the way up to the ridge that blocked their view of what was beyond.

Once they did, Angel gasped.

Before them, another valley spread, thick, pristine snow gleaming before them.

Beyond, another hill arose, densely growing fir trees covering it. The air was crisp and clear, giving them an amazing view of the range of mountains spreading before them.

And it also gave them a good view of the mansion that stood not far away, the generous house with its picturesque red wood and huge windows an inviting sight.

That was, until Jonathan realized just where the smoke they’d seen was coming from.

It wasn’t coming out of the chimney. There wasn’t a blazing fireplace awaiting them.

Half of the house was blackened, windows sooty, charred planks of wood resting in the snow. The house wasn’t ablaze, not anymore—but parts of it must have been, not too long ago.

“Oh, my God,” Angel said breathlessly as she stared at it. “It—it burned down. I must have left a fire going, or forgot about the oven, and it caught fire and I burned down the house. I lost their dog and burned down their house. The dog and house of a pair of Hollywood billionaires. I’m dead.”

“We don’t know what happened.”

Although Jonathan had to admit that it didn’t look good.

Still, there was no reason to believe that it was Angel’s fault.

He eyed the charred windows. “The blizzard probably broke a window and something short-circuited.”

“Not with my luck,” Angel said glumly. “I’m so dead. Or in prison until the end of my life. Goodbye, IT career.”