Sexy hunk of treasure? Who the hell said that? What am I, in seventh grade? No wonder he flipped around and ignored her.

Problem was, he totally pushed all her buttons. He was sexy. Very hunky, and a treasure she wanted to worship with her mouth and tongue.

The things I want to do to you. And he pretended as if she weren’t there.

No. Not happening. Have you forgotten the lesson about the world?

“Yeah, about that.” Brand flipped onto his back again, showcasing the rippling muscles of his chest, the way his pants hung low on his hips. She might have gotten a little hung up on the vee.

He had a nice vee. Drool.

Want it.

Oops, she might have projected that thought, because his eyes widened. Then he grinned.

“Then come and get it.”

A challenge? She might have slobbered some more. He truly knew how to tease her.

She swooped low and reached out to grab him, only to have him dart out of her grasp.

He also taunted. “Too slow.”

I am just warming up. I don’t want to end things too quickly.

“But fast and furious can be fun. I still remember the feel of you on my fingers.”

The distracting reminder of the pleasure caused her to wobble. He did it on purpose to stay out of reach. No more. She would show him.

Banking left, she went to snare him again, only to have him bob at the last second and pop up behind her, giving her tail a yank.

You did not just yank my tail! she mentally squealed at him.

“I did. And I’m doing it again.” Tug.

Such disrespect. He’d pay for it. She narrowed her gaze on him. He laughed and beckoned her before sweeping away. With a trilling cry she couldn’t contain, she went after him.

Anger didn’t put the fierce smile on her face; the chase, the adrenaline, the pure fun of being outside made her grin—which she should note also resembled the I’m-gonna-shred-and-eat-you face.

Chances to fly free didn’t come often, not with all the rules and permissions. This wasn’t a flight in the sunlight, but with a quarter-moon shining, and with the stars, it was bright enough to fly.

Wheee. Might as well enjoy it while she could. Mother would freak. Then again, when didn’t she freak?

But she’d have more important things to lose her mind about than the fact that Aimi had flown after jumping out of a plane.

The Crimson Sept had moved against them. The question was, had that dragoness worked alone with her wyvern minions, or was this just the beginning of a larger movement?

Whatever the reason, Aimi wouldn’t tolerate anyone coming after Brand. My mate.

They kept to the higher skies, avoiding the spots of light scattered below. Every so often, they found an uninhabited patch of land, wide fields, and forests. They took a chance and skimmed low across treetops, Brand sometimes awing her with how deep in the woods he’d dip. Brand’s hybrid figure could move with sharp grace, his smaller size giving him an intriguing maneuverability.

They flew for hours, some words spoken between them but, for the most part, just hovering close, a comforting camaraderie between them that sometimes turned electric when he would come close and run a finger down her scales. She could feel his admiration. She thrived on it.

Dawn fast approached, and she knew they couldn’t fly forever. The lights of a city beckoned over the plains, the arid land they’d traversed giving way to civilization.

She alighted, and after a moment, he joined her. “Why did we stop?”

Because we can’t just coast into the city.

“Why not?” He cocked his head.

Because someone will see us.

“Yup. They might. And they might even take a picture that will probably grace the cover of a newspaper with a headline like, ‘Dragons are stealing your pets.’”

We do not eat cats and dogs. She couldn’t help an indignant reply.

“Then you’re missing out.” With his expression flat, she couldn’t tell if he joked or not.

We should find some clothes.

“Speak for yourself, I have pants.”

Not for long if you keep antagonizing me. She bared her teeth, and he laughed.

“You want me naked, then you just need to say the word, moonbeam.”

Actually, she did want him naked, but her wishes to do decadent things to his body would have to wait. By now, the plane would have completed an emergency landing—or crashed. Officials would be crawling all over it, checking off the passengers on the list, noting a few were missing.

It might be difficult to explain how she and Brand had survived, but knowing her mother, she’d bribe some official, Adi would fudge some records, and everything would work out. Of more importance, they needed to get to that party with his sister tonight. For that, she needed her human body and clothes.

I’ll be back. I need to go shopping. Before he could reply, she took to the skies, and he quickly followed, trailing her as she scouted until she found what she needed. A clothesline. A quick dive and she snared a dress from the line, the pins holding the garment snapping at the hard yank.

Alighting a few hundred yards away, it took her only a moment to change into the oversized dress that had probably once graced a discount rack at a big box store. Her mother would be appalled. How Aimi wished for a camera so she could send her a picture.

She smoothed the skirt down and turned to address Brand, who stood sentinel over her. “Did you have to be such a gentleman?”

“Are you complaining because I respected you?” The confused look returned, more adorable than ever.

“Would it have killed you to maul me while I was trying to dress?”

“Mauling would have led to other things. We don’t have the time, and we are also lacking a bed.”

“Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“Back on the plane. I’ve had enough adventure for the moment. I’d take a little bit of quiet now before we dive back into it tonight.”

Ah, yes, tonight’s mission. They’d rescue his sister, and he’d show his proper appreciation. In bed. “You’re right. Time’s a wasting. Shall we go hitch ourselves a ride?”

“No riding. I’ll fly.”

“It’s too dangerous. Lots of guns out here, and quick trigger fingers.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time I was shot.”

“Don’t make me break your wings.”

“Don’t make me put you over my knee.”

“You do realize that’s not a threat.”

“I know.” He smiled. “And we don’t have time for that either right now. We have to get moving.”

“Flying won’t be enough. And you’re tired. We need to hitch a lift.”

“In case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not exactly hitchhiking material.” His wings fluttered.

“America loves green reptiles. Look at Kermit still going strong decades later.”

“Kermit can sing. I can’t.”

“You’re right. You can’t be a Muppet frog because that would make me a pig. This is probably wrong somehow”—her nose wrinkled—“but I am so craving bacon right now.”

“Your mind is a fascinating place.”

“So is my bed, so come on, let’s go find one.” She took a few steps, only to have Brand scoop her into his arms. “What are you doing?”

“Carrying you. In case you hadn’t noticed, your feet are bare, and the ground is rough.” Chivalry. How adorable.

“Your feet are bare, too.”

“But I’m not walking.” He flapped his wings and rose, taking her with him. “I’ll drop you close to a service station. There’s got to be one close by. You should be able to snare a ride from there.”

“Not without you, I’m not.” She wouldn’t let them get separated, especially not after the attack. This was a direct strike against the Silvergrace family. It didn’t matter their goal appeared to be Brand, a rival Sept had attacked and tried to steal. That was grounds for war.

Brand is mine. Woe to any dragonesses or their minions who thought to take him. They just had to wait twenty-four hours, maybe less if she got some sleep—not likely with Brand around. In just under a day, she’d have more Dust to unmake her enemies. Which made her wonder if perhaps Aunt Waida had been right when she’d said, “Buy a gun, it’s quicker.”

“Sorry, moonbeam, but we’re going to have to split up. Unless you brought a pearl to flip me back?” She shook her head, and he shrugged. “Then I’m not going to be much good to you. Guess we’ll have to devise a new plan for my sister.”

“You need to stop being a Debbie Downer.” She reached up to rub his cheek, loving the fine-ridged lines. “Haven’t you realized you don’t need the bead? You obviously have more control than you realize. You managed to shift into your hybrid shape. Now shift out of it.”

“I can’t.”

“You will if you want me to blow you.” The dirty promise caused them to dip as his wing strokes faltered for a moment.

He recovered. “You don’t play fair.”

Nope, she didn’t. She nibbled his jawline as she murmured. “My mother always taught me to win by any means necessary.”

“And is that all I am, a prize to be won?”

He was more than just a prize, more than the sum of all her treasures. “You are mine.”

Softly said, and yet he hugged her tightly, and she felt his pleasure at her words through the bond connecting them. His need.

The neon lights of a gas station lit the dark sky, and as promised, he landed before they could illuminate his presence. However, when he placed her on the ground, she turned and grabbed his hands, ignoring the scales covering them and the talons tipping the fingers.

“You’re coming with me.”

“I can’t—”

“You can,” she insisted. “Close your eyes and relax. You seem to forget you own this body. You choose its shape. Relax and take control.”

He closed his eyes and grimaced. “This is dumb. It won’t work. Don’t you think I tried and tried to shift at will when I was at Bittech?”

“Perhaps you lacked the right incentive.” She leaned forward and lightly pressed her mouth against the hard seam of his lips.

The entire length of his body tensed, and through her bond, she felt panic, shame…longing.

She wound her arms around him and spoke softly against his mouth. “Change for me, Brand. I need a man. My man. I need you.”

A shudder went through him, and she loosened her embrace. The second time she kissed him, his lips were as human as hers, but his tongue had a mind of its own as it inserted itself and stroked hers.

His hands palmed her ass as the embrace deepened, and she sighed into his mouth.

Then she almost bit him as he said, “There’s a car coming.”

Indeed, a Jeep pulled into the service station, the driver a fellow who reeked of weed but who thought nothing of offering them a ride when he heard their friends had ditched them as a prank.

He dropped them at a motel on the outskirts of a major city, and Brand frowned as he looked around.

“This is where you want us to stay for the night?”

“What’s wrong with this place?” she asked, cocking her head.

“Because it’s the kind of place my family would stay at, not someone like you.”

“Are you accusing me of being a snob?”

“Aren’t you?”

“I am. I could never stay in a place like this. I mean, really, have you seen the inside of those rooms?” She shuddered. “The carpet requires a good fire cleansing, and there is not enough bleach for those sheets. No dragon should ever sleep in such a pit.”

“So if we’re not staying here, then why did you have us dropped in this location?”

“Because this is the spot.” Lights bobbed at the end of the street, moving quickly along, the engine roaring with a deep V-8 growl she coveted. The dark-tinted muscle car shot past, screeched to a halt, and reversed.

A window rolled down, and a head popped out, sporting silver curls with hints of red. “Is that you, bratface?”

“Hey, Natty.” Aimi waved. “That’s my cousin,” she informed Brand as she dragged him by the hand toward the vehicle. “She’s our ride.”

He braced himself against her tug to ask, “How did she know to pick us up here?”

“What do you think I was doing with our last driver’s phone?”

“I don’t know. You called your mom by the sounds of it and didn’t say much other than we’re all right. You never even mentioned the name of this motel to anyone.”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course, I didn’t. What if someone was listening in?”

“Says the girl who didn’t take her paranoia pill today.”

“Seeing as how you’re the one who was experimented on and is running from more than a few folks, I’d say you should take lessons from me in staying safe. First lesson, always assume someone is spying.”

“Like me,” Natty chimed, “and hubby over here. Totally not giving you any privacy on account you’re interesting.”

“It’s not spying if I can see you,” he pointed out. “And I am still waiting for an explanation on how your cousin found us if you didn’t tell your mom we were here. Is this a setup of some sort? Did you intentionally have the plane attacked and have us fly all night so we’d land here?”

Suspicion clouded his gaze, and she could have beamed in pride. “You just mastered lesson number two. Always assume someone is out to get you.”

“Is lesson three the one where I kill all the crazy people?”

“Only if I get to help.” Aimi winked. Then laughed. “Just kidding. I only kill if I have to.”

“Not entirely reassured.”

She leaned forward to whisper, “Have you forgotten I feel what you feel? And right now, I feel how hot you think I am.”

“The fact you’re sexy doesn’t detract from you not telling me everything. How did your cousin know to come here?”

“If you’d been paying attention, then you’d know when I told my mother that we were delayed and thinking of stopping in for a chalupa before renting a car that I was really saying we were safe, on the ground looking for wheels in Flagstaff. All part of the contingency plan.”

“A contingency plan that assumed the plane would crash?”

“First off, I doubt the plane crashed.” Her twin bond to Adi still held strong, and the adrenaline in it had given way to irritation, which usually meant Adi was dealing with paperwork and idiots. “Second, have you already forgotten your second lesson? People are always out to kill us. Humans or dragons. It doesn’t matter who we prepare for. Our kind didn’t survive this long by not planning for every possibility, and that includes having to bail on the flight.” Ever since their father’s fiery demise, Mother never let them fly without going over Plan B, C, and D. “We have rendezvous points pre-set up around the world, especially here in the States.”

“Still, though, we just got here, and we didn’t even have to wait for our ride. Your cousin just happened along right after.”

“The tracking chip probably helped with the timing.”

“You’re wearing a GPS?”

“Yup.” She grinned before swinging into the back seat of the car. “And so are you.”

“You microchipped me like a dog?” he bellowed, and quite indignantly, too.

So she popped her head out to add, “And you might have gotten a few shots to ensure you were germ-free, too, while you were passed out. You’ll be glad to know you’re protected from every known disease to man and dragon now, including ticks and fleas.”

“Does anyone have anything to protect me from crazy women?” he grumbled, and yet a glowering Brand joined her in the vehicle.

Curls bobbing, Natty turned around in the front seat to peek at them while her husband, Sam, put the car in gear and shot off again.

“Nice duds,” Natty snickered.

Tugging at the fabric, Aimi grimaced. “I could have done without the flowers and stripes. But I don’t want to talk about my new fashion statement. What happened to the plane I was on? Did it land all right?”

“Were you on the plane that went down?” Her eyes widened. “Shoot, no one told me that. I was just told to get my ass to the motel and do a pickup.”

“So there’s news then about the flight?”

“Only public stuff so far. According to the media, some plane had to make an emergency landing in the middle of bumfuck due to mechanical failure.”

“If by ‘mechanical failure’ you mean the gaping holes in its side on account we were attacked, then yes.”

“No way!” Natty’s eyes widened. “Who did it?”

“Wyverns led by a red dragon.”

“They wouldn’t dare attack. It would start a war.”

“Oh, it will, and they might not be the only ones to try. The Silver Sept has recently added something of possibly incredible value to the hoard.”

“What?” Natty couldn’t help the avarice that shone in her eyes. No dragon could.

“I can’t say yet. All in due time. Meanwhile, you haven’t met my mate yet. Brand Mercer, meet my cousin, Natalia Silvercrest. And that’s her husband, Samuel. His brother, Leopold, is married to my older sister, Mika.”

“Apparently, the fact that our families are married doesn’t mean shit. How did you get mated without me hearing about it or being invited to the party?” Natty glowered and pouted at the same time.

“It happened suddenly—”

“As in like a day ago,” he muttered.

“And it’s not official yet.” Something she really needed to rectify now that there was attention being turned his way.

“What Sept is he from? I don’t recognize him.” Natty leaned closer and sniffed. “He’s not silver.”

“You’ll never guess his color.”

“Because I don’t have one. I’m not a dragon.” Silly man just couldn’t admit it. Probably a good thing for the moment.

“What does he mean he’s not a dragon?” Natty took a longer inhalation to truly absorb his scent. “That definitely smells like dragon. Honey”—she turned to look at Sam—“you’ve got a good nose, what does he smell like to you?”

“Dragon. But I don’t know his Sept either.”

“What color is he?” Natty’s head cocked as she perused Brand, who simply shook his head and muttered a low, “The crazy gene lives on in all of them.”

“His color is a surprise.” The biggest surprise. “And you’ll learn about it at the reception we’re going to have to celebrate our joining. So keep an eye open for an invite.”

At her side, he grumbled. “You’re assuming a lot of things, moonbeam.”

“Assumptions are for those who don’t know the truth.” She turned to snare his gaze. “I know everything I need to know about you.” You are mine.

And was it her, or did he finally have his emotions shuttered enough that all she heard was, Ditto.

“Sounds as if you have an interesting courtship to relate. I can’t wait to hear all about it.” Cousin Natty might have managed to hide her envy in her speech but couldn’t exactly conceal the coveting in her eyes. Poor Natty might care for her husband, but theirs was an arranged marriage. They were just lucky it worked out.

“I promise to spill the details as soon as I can over at least two bottles of Mother’s finest. Now, enough about Brand and me. I need more news on my sister and cousins. Do you have a phone I can borrow?”

A bedazzled smartphone appeared. Pretty. She snared it and might have stroked the real diamonds glued to it before dialing. The phone was answered on the second ring.

“Rim jobs for five dollars.” Her sister uttered it with the grace of a professional barker and then snickered. “How’s it going, sis? I see Natty found you.”

“Nice to see you’re alive and not a meat pie. Did everyone else make it, too?” Because when she’d called her mother, they were still trying to get proper details.

“The girls and I all made it, most of the other passengers, too, but there was a bunch of boys on the plane… Yeah, they should have buckled their belts. So tragic.” Snicker. “Not.”

“Are we clear?” Aimi asked.

“You can talk. I’ve secured the line.”

“What are the surviving passengers saying?”

“They were all passed out from the pressure by the time the plane landed.” And those that weren’t, probably got a sharp rap to the noggin. “When they regained consciousness, they tried to blab about monsters and dragons. Odd how the cousins and I saw sharks and snakes. Officials are dismissing our recollection of events as hallucinations caused by the depressurization of the cabin.”

“And the pilots?”

“Saw nothing.”

“So what’s the status on those missing? Are they looking for bodies?” In other words, were they sure the wyverns had died? She knew the dragoness had, but that still left her accomplices.

“It’s doubtful any survived a fall from that high. Since officials can’t be sure where the bodies landed, they’re just putting out a general notice to law enforcement to be on the lookout along the flight path of the plane for heaps of meat.”

“Any more news?”

“Yes, there’s a stewardess from our flight currently on suspension given she missed the fact that two of her passengers went missing before takeoff. It’s truly incompetent how our flight attendant didn’t notice you and Speedy arguing as you left the plane before she sealed the flight deck.”

“So we’re in the clear?”

“As possible. We played with their computers a bit. The paperwork for the headcount is missing, and the airline staff is frazzled. Add in our story of events, and you should be fine. Listen, I got to go. There’s a cute cop I want to have interrogate me again.”

No surprise there. Her sister had a thing for handcuffs.

“See you at the hotel, then?” Aimi asked.

“Not likely. I don’t see any of us arriving anytime soon. We landed in the middle of tweedle-fucking-dumville. They have got the tiniest airport in existence, currently shut down because it’s under FAA jurisdiction while they investigate the cause of the plane’s demise. Which means, no flying out.”

“So drive.”

“Gee, wish I’d thought of it.” Her sister’s voice oozed sarcasm. “The town has got like…nothing. No taxi service or car rental. They’ve got us in a community center waiting for a shuttle bus to come. But that is going to take hours.”

“Not the way Deka drives. Get her to bribe the driver. You could probably still make it.”

“Not going to happen. So enjoy a night off, and we’ll come up with something new when we get there.”

“I can’t wait that long.” Impatience wasn’t something she enjoyed dealing with.

“Don’t you dare go to that party without us.”

“Then you’d better hope that bus grows wing and gets your ass here fast because we are going to that party.” The sooner she got Brand’s little sister, the sooner she could claim him. Although, she had to admit, the spot of danger proved exciting. Would mating stop the Septs from coming after him?

I hope not. Boredom belonged to those who didn’t truly live.

She hung up and handed the phone back to her cousin. “How far can you take us?”

“Where you going?”

“Beverly Hills.”

“We can hit an airfield I know and borrow a Cessna. We’d be there in just over two hours. Or we can drive all the way, which is like eight.”

She winced. “Ouch. I think we should—”

“Drive,” Brandon stated, echoed a second later by Sam.

“But it will take so long.” She might have pouted as she said it.

“It might be longer, but what are the chances we’ll be attacked on the road versus the sky?”

“It’s almost sunrise. Dragons don’t fly in the day.”

“I’ll bet they’re not supposed to attack planes either, and yet, look what happened.”

Sam merged onto a highway, and the car put on even more speed. “By car, we can evade them better. They might know where we’re going, but not how we’re getting there.”

“Unless they’ve got really good spies and are detecting our locator signals.” As soon as she uttered it, Aimi longed for some tinfoil. She also had a revelation.

No wonder Aunt Waida says wear metal panties if you don’t want them watching you. Did it disrupt the signal?

“Do you really think they’ll come after you again? I mean you are in Silvercrest territory. They wouldn’t dare.” Natty held her chin high in pride. Cute that she stuck up for her family, and yet, it turned out she was wrong.

Apparently, some families would dare once they passed the Silvercrest land boundary into no man’s land. Their attackers waited until a barren stretch, the sun mid-morning high, and everyone in the car partially drowsing except for Sam.

Good thing, because when a vehicle came shooting out of nowhere, he swerved the car hard enough to give them whiplash but avoided a collision. Rubber squealed, and gravel flew in a dusty cloud behind them as the tires of the car looked to regain traction. He hit the pavement, and the car shot like a dragon out of a volcano—which was way faster than a bat out of hell according to one of her great aunts.

“What the fuck just happened?” Natty bolted upright and slapped her hands on the dash, checking things out around them.

“We have company.” Understatement of the year went to Sam.

From behind, a car chased. Ahead of them, they could see another heading straight on.

But the truly crowning moment was the pair of shadows overhead.

Dragons. In daylight. Holy fuck. Even her mother would be too stunned to make her gargle castor oil now.

Brand tensed beside her. “We’re under attack again.”

“We should have stopped for tinfoil,” she muttered, turning around to peer at the car hugging their tail.

“How would tinfoil help?”

“Jamming signals. We just had the spy question answered. Someone has access to our GPS signal, and I do believe another family has just declared war.” Because those were yellows in the sky. “We might want to duck. One of the guys in the car behind us has a gun.”

Her remark was met a moment later by the cracking of glass as a slug hit the rear window and spiderwebbed it.

“My car. He hit my car.” Sam’s voice rose in pitch. He slammed the brakes, and the abrupt stop caused the car behind to swerve on the road, unwilling to crash into them.

Sam reached under his seat before opening his door and stepping out.

“Does he have a gun?” Brand asked.

“Under every seat,” Natty admitted, head popping up along with the muzzle of a rifle. “You wouldn’t believe how many he has stashed in the house. He’s a huge fan of The Walking Dead.”

Crack. Crack. Bullets peppered the area as Sam braced his AK-47 and sprayed it across the car that braked behind them and then flipped around to Swiss cheese the one trying to reverse.

As for the shadows overhead, Natty angled back and took aim. A squawk of pain met one shot, but the dragons were smart. As soon as they’d noted the guns coming out, they took to higher skies. In moments, the attack was thwarted with no casualty—but the car—on their side.

As they stood leaning against the vehicle, Sam paid a visit to the two vehicles and made sure, after wiping it down for prints, to place his gun with one of them. Then he placed an identical one with the other shooter, covering his tracks.

“Let’s go.” Sam swung into the car, cool as a glacier in the arctic, and Natty bounced in beside him.

“I don’t suppose there is any point in insisting it’s getting too dangerous, and I should go on alone?” Brand eyed them and the wrecks.

“If you’re going to be mated to Aimi, then that makes you family.”

“Get in,” said Sam, then, in a very Terminator style, put on some glasses and added, “They’ll be back.”

A pity they had a party to go to or Aimi would have waited for them.

As it was, they did have to stop for tinfoil. She didn’t know if it stopped them from emitting a signal, but she sure enjoyed helping Brand craft one for his groin, even if he ruined her fun by not allowing her to make it anatomically correct.