Dennox:

“Keep him talking. Keep him distracted.”

Vulrux nods, his face a mask of tension. I feel the same panic in my heart, but I will myself not to fall to pieces. This is not the time for fear.

I’ve been a soldier since I hit puberty. My training was brutal, painful, and stunningly effective. I was a commander of the finest fighting machine in the galaxy. I was Zoraken.

Everything that’s happened in my life has brought me to this point. Every hour of training, every moment of battle, every enemy vanquished. It was all for this moment. It was so that I could save Harper.

Arax and Nyx have followed us down. Arax places his hand on my arm. “If you can,” he says in a low whisper, “take him alive.”

I understand why the Firstborn wants Beirax alive. The scientist is a valuable source of information, and I’m sure that Arax wants to question him about the scientists’ plans, but I don’t care about Zorahn politics.

I just care about Harper.

I make my way silently to the opposite bank of the lake. I’ve spent hours here, and I know the terrain intimately, which is a blessing because the underground lake is pitch dark. I move silently but swiftly, counting on the noise of the rainfall to muffle my footsteps.

Beirax has positioned himself well. His back is to the rocks, and no one can sneak up behind him without him hearing them first. If I got close to him, I could disarm him easily, but the lake is in the way, and I can’t reach them.

I keep an eye on Harper. She’s nervous, but she’s not panicking. She adds her voice to Vulrux’s. “He’s right, you know,” she says to Beirax. “This is a stupid plan. You’ll need to sleep sometime. You’ll get tired, hungry, thirsty. My mates are stronger than you. There’s no way out.”

My mates, she says, without the slightest bit of hesitation in her voice. My heart swells with love when I hear her say those words.

“I’ll improvise,” Beirax replies, but his tone is uncertain, and I see his grip on the knife waver. Good. Vulrux and Harper are doing their job perfectly. Beirax is starting to get afraid.

If I could fly, I could snatch the man away with my claws, but we’ve already discovered that the cave isn’t large enough for flight.

Which leaves only one way to save our mate. Dragon flame. A narrow burst of fire aimed at the Zorahn scientist, forcing him to drop the knife.

But he’s too close to Harper. I cannot risk hurting our mate, and I have only one shot at rescuing her.

We were unable to save one mate; we cannot fail again. Harper is my life, my heart, my future. I must save her.

I get on my knees and force the shift, barely registering the pain that sweeps through my entire body. Bones break and reform. My skin hardens into scales, and my tail sweeps the ground. My claws pierce the soft soil. Careful, the man inside me whispers. We have only one chance.

Then I hear it.

Vulrux makes a familiar chirping sound under his breath. Of course. The narmi. The crimson snake’s den is near the cluster of rocks where Beirax is holding a knife to Harper’s throat. If it hears Vulrux, if it emerges from the rocks—

My focus sharpens, and I wait. Vulrux chirps again, and this time, I see it. A flicker of movement in the bushes, then the narmi slithers out of its den and makes its way toward Harper, drawn to her familiar presence.

Beirax flinches when he sees the snake. “What is that thing?” he says, backing away in fear.

Now. I open my jaw and exhale fire. My strike finds its target. Beirax shrieks with agony as the hand holding the knife blisters and burns. Screaming, he dives into the lake, dousing the flames that engulf his arm.

“Dragons are so cool.” Harper’s voice vibrates with excitement as we fold her into our arms. “Calling the narmi was genius. Burning Beirax’s hand? Call me bloodthirsty, but that was fantastic. You guys are my heroes.”

My lips curve into an amused smile. I want to be mad at Harper for putting her life in danger, but my anger drains away in the face of her obvious enthusiasm.

Vulrux and I wrap our arms around her. “You know,” Vulrux says mildly, “you really shouldn’t be swimming by yourself in the middle of the night.”

“I know,” Harper replies. “I just needed to be alone for a bit, that’s all.”

There’s a sudden bleakness in her tone. “Diya, what’s wrong?” I ask her gently.

She avoids our gaze. “The two of you treat me so well,” she whispers. “You’re kind to me, you take good care of me. You make me laugh. You protect me.”

“Harper.” Vulrux puts a finger on her chin and tips her face up. “Why do you sound so sad?”

She swallows. “Because I’ll always be second best,” she says. “I know it’s stupid of me to be jealous of a dead woman. I should be grateful for what I have, not be sick at the thought that you’re both still in love with her.”

“In love with her?” Vulrux sounds astonished. “What are you talking about, sweet one? There’s only one person I’m in love with, and that’s you.”

“But you interrogated Beirax because you wanted to know who killed your mate.”

“I did,” he agrees. “I feel responsible for her death. Had we not shifted that day in the Crimson Citadel, she would still be alive. I’ve burned to identify the person responsible.” He draws in a deep breath. “I interrogated Beirax,” he says quietly, “Because I wanted to let go of the past. Because I wanted to fully embrace my present and my future.” He kisses the palm of her hand softly, careful not to reopen the cut. “My future with you.”

I press a kiss on her lips and pick up where Vulrux left off. “I love you, Harper Boyd. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. You are everything to me.”

“Really?”

“I promise.”

Her face breaks out into a bright smile, and she hugs us tight. “I love you too,” she says, burying her face in our shoulders. Her voice lowers. “And when we go back up to Vulrux’s house, I’ll show you exactly how much I care about you.”

I run my hand over her gentle curves, feeling the warmth of her skin, luxuriating in her sweet softness. My heart swells with happiness. She’s ours.

“I heard that,” Nyx grumbles. “Fine, the three of you go do your thing. Arax and I will manage Beirax.”

“Let them be,” Arax advises, his voice amused. “Beirax is in no condition to cause trouble. We’ll put a guard on him and a guard on Raiht’vi, and deal with this in the morning. We have problems of our own. Viola’s not going to be happy that we forbid her from following us.”

Harper snorts with amusement. “Yeah, I can imagine you have some groveling to do,” she says. “Hey Arax?” He looks up at our mate, and she flushes. “I was kinda mad at you when you insisted I had to hang out with Vulrux and Dennox.”

His expression softens. “And now?”

She smiles at him. “I’m pretty damn happy,” she says. “Thanks for that. Maybe you did know what you were doing, after all.”

* * *

Harper:

“Confession,” I whisper as Dennox sets me down on the bed. Halfway to the house, he asked if he could carry me, and I couldn’t bring myself to say no. Besides, after today, I want to wrap my arms around my mates and never let go. “I love your dragons.”

“We know, Harper. And we have decided…”

“Yes?”

Dennox grins at my eagerness. “As soon as the rains stop, we will carry you on our backs as we fly.”

Squee!

“As long as it is safe,” Vulrux adds.

I roll my eyes at his caution, but Dennox nods agreement. “Vulrux is right, reckless one,” he says. “By then you might be pregnant with our child.”

“Pregnant?” I test the idea in my head. To my surprise, I don’t hate the thought. Huh. I always liked the idea of kids, but after my last horrible relationship with Tom the Terrible, I’d lost faith that I’d ever meet a man who’d I want kids with. Much less two. “Will they be Draekons?”

“Most likely,” Vulrux replies. “Though it is impossible to be certain of anything. There is much for us to learn.”

I inch to the edge of the bed and clasp my arms around Dennox’s neck, kissing him deeply. “What should we do until the rainy season ends?” I ask, my voice innocent.

Dennox’s eyes go hooded. “I’m sure we’ll think of something.” He groans as I slip my hand into his pants and squeeze his cock. Giant, sexy dragon dick. All mine.

Vulrux climbs on the bed behind me. I push back and grind my ass against him while undoing Dennox’s pants. His cock jumps out, thick and hard, and I can’t resist. Licking my lips, I get on all fours, lowering my mouth on his hard shaft.

Vulrux’s fingers tease my clit before he thrusts two fingers into my pussy. I arch my back, trying to press his fingers deeper. His other hand plays with my ass, and I shiver in pleasure. So good. “You’re in such a hurry for the rains to end, Harper,” he says, his voice rough with lust. “You want to fly, diya?” His fingers slide in and out of my pussy, and I whimper into Dennox’s cock.

I’m already flying.

Dennox pulls me away from his cock. “I want to be inside you, sweet one,” he says. I kiss my way up his chest. Time to play with his nipple rings. The big guy strokes my back, sucking in a breath as I take the metal in my teeth and tug lightly.

Vulrux’s thumb brushes over my clitoris before pulling away. “Before we claim her,” he says to Dennox, “I want her screaming with pleasure.” His strong hands pull me backward. I lose my balance and end up sitting on his chest. Smiling, he lifts me up and positions me so that my pussy hovers over his face. “What do you think, Harper?”

“Sounds good to me,” I say with a grin, and lower myself down.

Several hours—or is it days?—later, I rouse myself from my second coma on this planet.

“I love dragon dick,” I rasp. This wasn’t how I expected my life to turn out, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m glad I gave these guys a chance. “And I love you.”

Vulrux smiles. He lies on one side of me, his hand threaded in mine. “And we love you, Harper. Mate.”

“Mate,” Dennox echoes, taking my other hand. Then his expression turns wicked. “I want to taste you now,” he says.

Yep. Dream guys. Dream life. Even if it’s not quite what I wanted when I came out of my coma—I’m glad I woke up.

“Harper? You ready?”

“Always,” I reply, and spread my legs.