Dax walked Aria back up to her room to change after their fun in the pool. He wanted to take her into her room and lavish pleasure on her, but he knew it was too soon. She was afraid and unsure. Every moment they spent together, they grew closer, and it was all he could ask for.

He had been an aggressive fool in the beginning and had not given her a very good impression of himself. He had to make up for that. The movies that Cato had sent him had been a start. But now the real work began. Convincing this lovely, soft, gentle human to be his.

As strong as the Dragon Soul inside her might be, she was still unsure about being his mate. She had good reason. But now that they were growing closer, Dax’s dragon was calming down. He swore to himself that he would stop acting a fool and concentrate on making her happy.

He wanted to take her away from the mansion so that she wouldn't feel so trapped. He was beginning to devise a plan for them to spend a day at the beach.

He wanted to protect her, but he also wanted to show her that they could have a normal life together. He knew she was afraid, and that fear was preventing them from finding their true connection.

He went downstairs and found Kian and Everly in the living room, watching the news on the big screen TV.

“How would you feel about an outing to the beach? The whole crew could go, and we could take Ember for her first beach trip.”

“Why?” Kian asked.

“I want to take Aria. She feels trapped here. And I want to show her that we can have a normal life.”

“I think it sounds lovely,” Everly said.

“I suppose we could do that. We’ll be with the girls to protect them. And I doubt the vampires would attack us at a public beach.”

“How does tomorrow sound?”

“It is supposed to be warm on the coast tomorrow,” Everly said, checking her phone.

“Alright, we’ll go to the beach tomorrow. We’ll make a family trip of it,” Kian said, smiling at Everly and patting her knee.

Dax was so excited for the next day that he could barely sleep that night. In the morning, he found Kian in the kitchen with Everly, cooking a huge breakfast for the whole crew. Baby Ember sat in her baby seat, smiling and laughing at everyone.

“I’m so excited to take Ember to the beach,” Everly said.

Kian served eggs and bacon and waffles. Aiden and Cato joined them in the kitchen, followed soon after by Aria, who was dressed in a sundress with her swimsuit underneath.

“I still don't know about surfing in the north Pacific at this time of year.”

“I promise you we have the best wetsuits money can buy,” Dax said with a wink.

“In that case, I can't wait,” she said, giggling. “I loved surfing when me and my dad lived in southern California.”

She sat next to Dax and smiled up at him. He wanted to grab her and kiss her and pull her into his lap and feed her breakfast by hand, but he resisted the temptation.

“This is going to be so much fun,” Everly said, clapping her hands together. “I can't wait.”

“Me either,” Aria said, taking a bite of waffle.

After breakfast, they all went out to the garage and decided what cars they were taking. Dax decided to drive the truck with the surfboards in the back while Kian would drive the SUV with Ember and Everly. Aiden would drive the Mustang with Cato as the passenger.

“Activating additional security protocols,” Cato said over their mental link as they pulled out of the garage.

“Affirmative,” Kian said.

Dax smiled at Aria. She gazed out the window with a grin on her lips. He was so happy that the family was going out with the ladies to show them a good time. Even with all the work to save the world from the vampires, they needed to have fun every once in a while. Dax knew that, of the four dragons, he was the one that had to remind the crew of that. Aria turned on the radio and sang along. A tingle went up his spine.

“You’re a really good singer,” he said.

“Thanks,” she muttered, growing quiet.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, sensing she was upset about something.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just sensitive about my singing voice.”

Dax could tell there was more to it than that. But he didn’t want to press her. She had a beautiful voice. And the moment she began to sing, he’d felt something flutter inside him. She stopped singing, and he didn’t understand why. He hoped he hadn’t hurt her feelings or said something wrong.

They made it to the beach a few hours later. They found a spot in the sun just as the heat of the day was rolling over the waves. Everly held Ember and Kian set up a big beach umbrella. The air was calm and warm.

“It's a perfect day for surfing,” he said, looking out at the waves rolling into the shore.

“I haven't been surfing since high school,” she said. “I hope I remember how.”

“They say it’s like riding a bike. Although, I haven’t tried riding a bike yet.”

Aria giggled at Dax. They pulled the wetsuits out of the back of the truck, and they slipped into them in the parking lot. He grabbed a longboard for her and a short board for himself and carried them both down the beach. When they got to the shore, they attached their leashes. Her wetsuit hugged her voluptuous curves so enticingly, he almost wanted to forget about surfing completely, and go claim her in the dunes.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Absolutely,” she said, giving him a thumbs up.

They took off into the water, jumping onto the waves as they paddled out beyond the breakers. When they made it deeper into the ocean, they rested, waiting for the next wave to come.

“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Are you cold?”

“You were right about this wetsuit. It's keeping me warm.”

“You take the first good wave,” he said.

The next wave rolled in and she battled hard to catch it. It lifted her up, and she paddled harder. At just the right moment, she bounced up on her knees and then onto her feet, thrusting out her arms to balance as the wave barreled her toward the shore.

She shrieked with glee as she rode the wave all the way to the beach. She made it to the shore and began to paddle back out. Dax caught the wave behind her. On his short board he could do all kinds of tricks.

He zigzagged and bounced up and down on the water and even did a flip. Aria squealed with excitement and cheered for him. His heart burst when he saw her smile.

She paddled back out, ready to catch the next wave. They took turns, one after the other, riding the waves toward the beach as the rest of the crew sat on the shore. Cato read a book under the umbrella. Aiden listened to his music while Kian and Everly built a castle with baby Ember in the sand. After an hour of surfing, Aria said her arms were getting tired. They headed to the shore and pulled their boards out of the water.

After drying off and pulling out of their wetsuits, they sat on the big blanket under the umbrella and ate sandwiches, chips and soda for lunch.

“I’m so happy,” Aria whispered into his ear, as they sat close together, drinking in the sun.

“We should do this more often,” Cato said.

“We can't spend our whole lives cooped up in the mansion, afraid of the vampires,” Aiden said.

“I wish that things were different,” Kian said. “That we didn't have this threat looming over our heads.”

“The vampires can't touch us,” Dax said, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose.

He looked around the beach at the humans digging clams and searching for seashells, the other surfers out on the waves, and the families with their dogs.

“We don't have anything to worry about here,” Kian said. “It's under the cover of night and in secluded areas that we need to worry.”

“They took me right out of the parking lot in front of the nursing home where I worked,” Aria said. “I don't know if I'll ever feel safe again.”

“I hope that today will help you start to feel safe again,” Dax said. “I don't want you to live your whole life feeling afraid.”

“This has been a great day. We should do it again soon,” Everly said.

“We will find a permanent solution to the vampire problem,” Kian said.

“I won’t let them touch you ever again,” said Dax.

“I know you will try, Dax. And I appreciate that more than I can say,” Aria said.

“Screw the vampires,” Aiden said, pulling his headphones off. “I'm tired of talking about them. Can't we just have one day where we relax and forget about them?”

“I agree. No more vampire talk for the rest of the day.” Everly said.

Aria sighed and leaned back on a beach towel under the sun. Dax lay beside her, soaking up the rays.

They leaned over and faced each other, he was pleasantly worn out from the surfing, and he knew that she was also tired. He brushed sand off her cheek and gazed into her eyes. Her face was growing tan from the sunshine.

“This really was a wonderful day,” she said. “I am beginning to feel safe again.”

“I will always keep you safe. And I will always protect you. We can have many more days like this. Any time you want to go somewhere, just let me know, and I'll take you.”

He felt terrible that she would have to be cooped up in the mansion to keep her safe from the vampires. It was no life for a human. He vowed to himself he would find a way to give her the freedom she deserved.