Wings spread wide, Cyprus rocketed between two cliffs. White jets whistled from the tip of his bladed tail. Snow kicked in his wake, whirling between the rise and fall of mountain peaks. Perched on his shoulders, a death grip on the spikes behind his horns, Elise whooped in enjoyment. Concerned for her comfort, he rechecked the harness. All good. Naught for him to worry about. The magical tethers he controlled were doing their job, strapping her in, ensuring her wellbeing, protecting her from taking a tumble. His fire dragon saw to the rest, shielding her from the wind chill, keeping her warm and snug atop his back.

Glancing over his shoulder, he smiled, showing fang. She grinned in return and—

He faked left and flew right, banking around another corner.

Delight in her eyes, she angled her shoulders and leaned into the turn. With a chuckle, he flipped up and over, jetting between two jagged peaks. Elise stayed with him, following each shift as though she’d been born to fly. His heard thumped hard. Goddess, she was beautiful—adventurous and fun, as brave as she was intelligent. A perfect combination that filled his heart so full he wanted to give her more of a ride, but a delay in reaching Cairngorm wouldn’t be wise.

Night had fallen, and along with it, the potential for danger.

Grizgunn wouldn’t waste any time. He and his pack would be out hunting, in search of the high-energy female that got away. The strength of Elise’s bio-energy ensured it. She was a heady lure. One his enemies wouldn’t be able to ignore…or resist tracking. The fact he’d wounded Grizgunn’s pride by taking Elise fueled the fire, creating the perfect storm. Revenge and desire: a lethal combination in a male as unbalanced as Grizgunn.

Cyprus could smell the challenge in the air. The acrid scent of another warrior lost to a killing rage. So…

No question. The bastard would come.

The only thing left to do now was predict when and where Grizgunn would strike.

Clenching his teeth, Cyprus increased his wing speed. He needed to reach his mountain lair. The sooner he secured Elise inside—behind the magical shield that prevented detection from the outside world—the better. He needed to plot his next move and decide how best to deal with the enemy pack in his territory. Grizgunn required killing, but…his eyes narrowed…how to do it without revealing the reason behind the bastard’s obsession with the Scottish pack.

Cyprus frowned. A myriad of options spiraled though his mind, whipping his thoughts into a chaotic jumble. He shook his head. His scales clicked and…shite. Mayhap he was going about it wrong. Mayhap covering up the past—his mistake along with his sire’s treachery—wasn’t the best thing to do. Mayhap, he should tell his warriors the truth. Reveal all. Tell them everything. Lay what happened the night his sire died at his pack’s feet and let the chips fall where they may.

Unease snaked through him.

Telling the truth might well cost him leadership of the Scottish pack. The warriors under his command valued honor, upheld justice and the dictates of Dragonkind. What he’d done landed on the wrong side of the law. Males had been stripped of status and exiled from their homes—even executed—for lesser crimes, but…

Wallaig already knew.

The cunning male hadn’t said anything, but he knew. Cyprus sensed the weight of his censure, and yet felt Wallaig’s approval too. An odd contradiction. One that didn’t make him confident about the outcome of unburdening his heart and baring his soul. The inherent vulnerability rubbed him the wrong way, but…such was life. Which meant he must decide—continue to carry the burden alone or trust his brothers-in-arms to have his back when he came clean and confessed his sin.

A dilemma. A dangerous one worth considering, but not right now.

He couldn’t think with Elise in the open. Couldn’t get past the territorial beast raging inside him. His female sidelined logic, pushing him beyond reason into the primal need to protect.

Urgency whipping at his tail, Cyprus flew around the last bend. Cairngorm rose like a horned monster in front of him. Inhospitable. Unruly. Unpredictable. All teeth and no compassion—a safe haven from the human world, the place he came back to time and again. A home he hoped to share with Elise, if he could convince her to stay.

Scanning the craggy face of the mountain, Cyprus spotted the landing zone. He zeroed in and spread his wings, slowing his flight. An updraft lifted his bulk. He floated above the ledge a moment, seesawing in the wind before his back paws touched down. His claws scraped across granite. His forepaws thumped down. Elise gasped as he reached up, grabbed hold, and lifted her off his back.

As her feet met the ground, he shifted, moving from dragon to human form, and conjured his clothes.

“Oh my God, that was awesome!” With an exuberant hop, she grabbed hold of his shirt front. Blue eyes shining with excitement, she grinned at him. “Can we go again?”

He laughed. “Aye, but not tonight.”

Her smile dimmed. “It’s not safe?”

“Not yet, but donnae worry, talmina.” Wrapping his arms around her, he pressed a kiss to her temple. “Grizgunn won’t find you here.”

“You’re sure?”

“Aye,” he murmured, hugging her tighter. “The lair is surrounded by a protection spell. Only pack members may enter.”

“Oh, okay.” Exhaling, she relaxed against him and looked around, examining the rocky ledge. Wide enough to launch three dragons at a time, the outcropping served as a perfect LZ, and one of many entrances and exits into and out of his mountain home. “So, what now?”

“I give you a tour…” Turning toward the doorway cloaked by magic, he grabbed her hand and glanced over his shoulder. Red scales flashing in the gloom, Wallaig lined up his approach. Behind him, Levin and Kruger leveled out, planning to land on either side of the big male. His mouth curved. Time to get out of the way and inside the lair, before his warriors turned them into bowling pins. “And show you you’re surprise.”

Elise bounced on her toes. “My surprise first, please.”

“Impatient lass.”

“You probably should get used to that,” she said, following him across the landing. “I don’t have any.”

“What—patience?”

Lacing her fingers with his, she shrugged. “The first flaw of many, I’m afraid.”

Cyprus snorted. “Not much of one.”

“You’re biased.”

“Absolutely.”

She rolled her eyes.

Cyprus leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. A quick brush of his mouth over hers, the delicious taste of her just enough to appease his dragon half and keep his baser instincts in check. A good thing too. He wanted her so much he struggled to maintain his composure. A new state of being for him. He never lost control, in or out of bed. Females came and went, a pleasurable pursuit he forgot about the second he left his bedmate of the moment behind. Elise was different. His reaction to her didn’t play by the rules. He craved her with a passion that surpassed natural boundaries. Now, all he could think about was her.

He needed to strip her bare…again. This time, though, it wouldn’t be to heal her. He’d take what he wanted: love her so long and hard she sobbed his name as she came.

Unable to resist, he kissed her again. Deeper. Harder. Giving her his tongue before raising his head. As she sputtered in surprise, he banged on the door, requesting entrance into the lair. The beast in control of the spell acquiesced, cracking the portal open without complaint.

“Come, lass.” With a gentle tug, he drew her with him, stepped over the threshold, and into the subterranean tunnel. “Your surprise awaits.”

Warm air rushed in to surround him as he turned into the first tunnel.

The scrape of dragon claws on stone sounded behind him.

Cyprus didn’t wait for his warriors to catch up. He had things to do and a gorgeous female to seduce…to love and hold and cherish. Hopefully, the gift he planned to give her would do the trick. Or at least, nudge Elise in the right direction, toward hot lust and the beginnings of trust. The kind that would allow him his way and land her in the middle his bed.

Manipulative? A wee bit dishonest?

No doubt, but desperate times called for underhanded measures. It might not be honorable, but Cyprus didn’t care. With his dragon half in thrall, he couldn’t wait to lay her down. She was the blood in his veins and the beat of his heart, the entire reason he existed now. And like it or nay, a male did whatever it took to win his mate. Fair means or foul, the method didn’t matter just as long as she accepted his claim, and he got what he needed in the end.