Olivia:

It’s almost dusk, and I get up to leave before the detsena show up. “Tell me again why you have to go.” Liorax sounds super grouchy, poor guy. Zunix doesn’t look much happier either.

“I have to,” I mutter reluctantly. “You heard Dariux earlier. He wouldn’t let Belfox and Herrix wager away their claim to me. How’s he going to react if I spend the night here?”

“I don’t care what Dariux thinks,” Liorax snaps.

“I don’t either, but...”

“But you have to consider the other women,” Zunix finishes. “If Dariux is in a snit, he might use his influence to delay or even cancel the plan to look for the missing human women.”

“Exactly.”

Liorax pulls me against his chest. “I want you, Olivia,” he says quietly. My heart starts to beat faster at his tone, which is serious and intent. “My dragon knew right from the start, but I was too damaged by my past to recognize the truth, even though it was in front of me all along. I fought against it, and I tried to resist, and I was stupid.”

His presses his lips on the curve of my shoulder. “I was afraid of repeating the past,” he says. “But I have nothing to be afraid of. Kat’vi was selfish and cared only about herself. You are nothing like her.”

I can hear his heart in his chest, steady and strong. “Claim us,” he says. “Allow us to claim you. We don’t need Dariux’s skimmer to look for the other women. When we complete the mating bond, we can fly to the Lowlands.”

I have to force out the words through the tightness in my throat. The three of us got off on the wrong foot, but not anymore. When I got to camp, I didn’t know who I could trust. Now, there’s no doubt in my mind. I trust Liorax and Zunix. And when the time is right, I want to do exactly what Liorax is asking me to do. I want to claim them as mine.

My mates. My Draekons. Mine.

But not yet. “I can’t. There’s only nine of us on this planet. If we complete the bond now, you know people are going to take sides.” I glance at them in appeal. “You said it yourselves. There were twenty-four Draekons on your ship, and now there’s only fourteen of you in camp. I don’t want that to happen to us.”

Zunix sighs. “I don’t like it, but you’re right.” His green-gold eyes rest on me. “We’ve kept secrets from each other from the day we met. You’re not who you pretend to be, and you know already that I’m more than my blood status would indicate.”

My lips twitch. “You’re finally going to tell me everything?”

There’s a familiar amused glint in his eyes, but also something else, something softer. “Olivia, I trust you. I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, whenever you ask.” He takes a deep breath. “I thought my dragon had chosen poorly, but I should have given the beast some credit. You’ve always been a worthy adversary to pit my wits against, sweet human, but you are so much more than that.”

The sun’s setting rays fill the room. Damn it. The detsena are going to be swarming over the ground soon, and I need to get back before that happens. “I’m going to hold you to that offer,” I warn Zunix, brushing a kiss over his lips. “But if I don’t want to be eaten alive by mutant crabs…”

“We’ll walk you back.” Zunix gets to his feet and pulls his pants on, tying them in place. “I want what you want,” he says to me. “Nothing would make me happier than making your wish come true. Seeing the humans reunited. But,” he fixes me with a warning look, “it might not be that simple. People’s loyalties are divided already.”

He’s right. Of course he is. I only have to examine my heart to know that he speaks the truth. If it came down to a choice, I’m going to choose Zunix and Liorax over the other women.

Three of the women in camp have mated with Draekons. May, Felicity, and Paige have conflicting loyalties now. And what about the others? If any of the missing four women have found their mates, then my hope of reuniting all of us might have to remain unfulfilled.

“Don’t get ahead of your problems,” Liorax says as we walk back to the mansion, which is what I’ve taken to calling the treehouse I share with Bryce. “You’re not alone. We’re with you.”

I squeeze his hand. They’re both such good guys.

When I enter the mansion, I find, to my surprise, that Bryce isn’t alone. Felicity is with her, her eyes red and her face blotchy.

“Is everything okay?”

“Of course not,” Felicity snarls, as charming as ever. “Would I be here if it were?”

Bryce rolls her eyes in my direction, and I bite back my grin. “Let me make you a cup of tea,” she says soothingly. “We’re here to talk if you want.”

It’s not really tea, of course, but I’ve acquired quite a taste for the faintly lemon-mint taste of the purple-leaved plant. Steeped in hot water—the kettle a gift from Zunix’s syn—it almost feels like the real thing.

I’m still floating in a happy, well-sexed haze, but something tells me I’m going to want something stronger than tea to deal with Felicity. The Draekons distill the creamy white berries into a sort of brandy, and Zunix and Liorax have made sure I’m well stocked. I pour myself a shot and curl up in an overstuffed chair—once again courtesy Zunix’s syn—prepared to listen to Felicity’s tale of woe.

I don’t have to wait long. “They don’t pay attention to me anymore,” Felicity complains as soon as she takes a sip of the tea. “At the start, they would bring me presents every single day. Now, I don’t even think they know I exist.”

“Luddux and Xanthox?” Bryce asks skeptically. “But Felicity, I’ve seen them around you. They think the sun and moons rise and set on you.”

“Really? Then why have I barely seen them this last week?” Her voice is bitter. “Every morning, they head out somewhere, and when they come back, they’re too tired to do anything fun.” Her forehead furrows. “We used to do it twice, three times a day. Nowadays, it’s once a week. At best.”

I look up. Zunix thinks that Herrix and Belfox are up to something. Now, Felicity is complaining that her two guys don’t have time for her. Coincidence? I’m not so sure. “They head out somewhere?”

“That’s what I said.” She scowls at me. “Maybe if you drank less, you’d be able to listen better.”

Maybe if you weren’t so bitchy, I’d drink less.

I ignore her cattiness. Bryce cuts in hastily to keep the peace. “Have you tried talking to them? Telling them how you feel?”

“I was going to this morning,” she mutters sullenly. “But then that guy showed up, and they took off.”

“What guy?”

“One of the Draekons,” she says. “I can’t keep track of their names.”

We’ve been here for three months. There are fourteen Draekons in camp. It’s not that difficult a task. Of course, that would involve Felicity caring about something other than herself.

“One of Olivia’s admirers,” she adds. “The skinny blond one.”

“Belfox?” Unease trickles down my spine. Luddux and Xanthox are nice guys, but crafty and manipulative they’re not. If Herrix and Belfox are up to something, they’ve now managed to entangle Felicity’s mates in it.

There’s not even a shadow of doubt in my mind. I’ve got to tell Zunix and Liorax about this.