Flaked out on her back, Elise woke in slow degrees. Her surroundings registered a little at a time. Comfortable mattress beneath her. Soft blankets wrapped around her. The scent of vanilla-infused candles floating in the air. As the smell drew her from the dreamscape, she shuffled on the cotton sheets and opened her eyes. She blinked, up and down: shift one leg, bend the other knee, wiggle her hips, and…

Sore muscles squawked in protest. A dull ache bloomed between her thighs.

Elise hummed in approval.

Oh, yeah. Cyprus and the luxurious feeling of post-orgasm delight. She sighed. He’d given her so many. Had made her come over and over. At first, she’d begged him for more. By the end, she’d been begging him to stop. Death by orgasm. Arching her back, Elise stretched out her arms and huffed. Who knew it was even possible? Not her. Not before yesterday. Women never complained about too much pleasure. And neither was she. Despite her aching muscles, the thought of Cyprus made her blood heat and need unfurl in her belly.

God. Something must be wrong with her.

She wanted him again.

Twisting onto her side, she scanned his side of the bed. Empty. No smoking hot guy lounging against the headboard waiting for her to wake up. Just a dented pillow and a tray covered by a fancy, embossed cover. A white piece of paper lay propped against the silver dome. Squinting, she forced her eyes to focus.

Elise grinned. Well, now. That almost sounded like a threat. A delicious, sexy one as she read between the lines, guessing his “seeing to her” would entail additional time in bed…and a lot more orgasms.

“You won’t hear me complain.”

With a short army crawl, she made it to the edge of the bed. Setting his note to one side, she plucked the lid off her breakfast. Or lunch. She pursed her lips. Could be dinner. Not that it mattered. Two croissants, a neat pile of wedged cheese, and…

“Fresh raspberries,” she murmured, popping one into her mouth. A sweet tang exploded over her tongue. “Yum. My favorite.”

The tiny taste made her stomach rumble for more. Wrapping the sheet under her arms, Elise pushed upright and, sitting cross-legged, grabbed a croissant. Hmm, French baked goods, flaky on the outside, soft on the inside, the perfect meal after mind-blowing sex with a gorgeous man. She took another bite and reached for the power drink Cyprus had left her.

A knock sounded on the door.

She opened her mouth to answer.

The door cracked open before she managed to say ‘come in’. A redhead peeked through the narrow opening. “Are you decent?”

After last night? After all the depraved things Cyprus had done to her? Elise blinked. She wasn’t sure decent was a word that applied to her anymore.

Setting her drink down, she leaned to one side. The shift improved her view of the intruder. Dark red hair surrounded a pretty face. Fair skin with freckles sprinkled across the bridge of her nose. Bright green eyes alight with mischief. “Ivy?”

“Hi.” A small hand joined the face peering between the door and jamb. Fingers waved in greeting. Nails painted with purple sparkles winked at her in the candlelight. “Sorry, but I couldn’t wait another second to meet you. You’ve been sleeping forever.”

“Really?” Dying to meet Tydrin’s mate, she waved Ivy into the room. “What time is it?”

“Almost midnight.”

So late? Wow, she’d been out of it for hours. “God. Sorry. I just—”

Ivy snorted, cutting off her apology. “No worries. I didn’t fare any better after my first night with Tydrin. Orgasm central. He nearly blew the top of my head off.”

“I hear you,” she murmured, feeling better about the fuzzy nature of her mental state. “I’m still a little muddled.”

“Get used to it,” Ivy said, wearing an impish grin. “If Cyprus is anything like Tydrin, you’re not going to be walking right for a while.”

Elise laughed, liking Ivy already. Direct and to the point. Friendly with a wicked sense of humor. A woman she could relate to, a ready-made friend inside a lair full of dragon guys. Happiness bubbled up inside her. Strange, but there it was again—unabridged contentment, the sense she belonged here, that she’d finally found her place in the world.

Ripping off another piece of flaky goodness, she pointed to her plate. “Want a croissant?”

“Tempting, but…nah.” After crossing the room, Ivy hopped onto her side of the bed. Leaning over, she surveyed Elise’s plate and, after a second of indecision, stole a raspberry. “Tydrin left me breakfast before he took off.”

“He’s gone?”

“Cyprus, too.”

The news hit her like a freight train at full speed. All her mental cars derailed, leaving her scrambling for a moment. Why? Elise frowned. The hell if she knew, but as distress streaked though her, she reached out with her mind, searching for Cyprus. For the elusive, yet powerful connection that tied her to him. Nothing. No zing in her veins. No echo of him inside her mind, just a coiled tether with an empty hook on one end and…no Cyprus.

Ivy wasn’t lying. Cyprus wasn’t in the lair.

Sucking in a breath, Elise struggled not to panic. Her reaction made no sense. She hardly knew him. Had spent all of two nights and one day with him, and yet somehow, he’d become vital to her. She felt his absence like an important manuscript missing from a prized collection. As though someone had stolen all the books off her shelves, leaving her without cover or context.

“Where did he go?” she asked, fighting to tamp down her unease.

“No need to panic, girlfriend.” Understanding in her eyes, Ivy reached out. A warm hand settled over hers, steadying her, making her feel less crazy and more connected. “It takes time to adjust to the connection. Energy-fuse creates a powerful link between you and your mate. What you’re feeling right now is completely normal.”

“Normal? I feel as though I’m going to—”

“Explode? Go into meltdown?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” Ivy smiled, delight in her eyes. “It means the bond you share with Cyprus is not only strong, but active. It means I get a sister…and some freaking back-up.”

Good? Was Ivy nuts? She didn’t feel good…at all. Elise scowled at her new buddy. “What do you mean by back-up?”

“I’m the only girl here, and the guys are super protective. I feel as though I’m walking around in bubble wrap half the time.” Gesturing with her hands, Ivy wiggled into a more comfortable position. “Like just last week, I wanted to visit Stirling—you know, to see William Wallace’s broadsword?”

“Oh, my God,” Elise murmured, nibbling on a piece of cheese. “I’ve always wanted to see that.”

“I know, right?” Ivy threw her a look of long suffering. “Well, I happened to mention it to Levin in passing. He told Kruger, who told Wallaig. And that rat ran straight to Tydrin, so I got shut down. It wasn’t as though I didn’t plan to tell my mate, but…sheesh. The guys didn’t give me a chance. They’re worse than a room full of nannies.”

“Annoying.”

“You have no idea. Not yet anyway, but you will.” Ivy grinned, the mischievous glint in her eyes a little disconcerting. “At least now, they’ll have to split their attention between you and me. It’ll totally distract them, which means I get more wiggle room.”

“Oh, sure. Throw me under the bus, why don’t you?”

“That’s the plan.”

Elise huffed in amusement. “Some friend you’re turning out to be.”

“Oh, you’re awesome,” Ivy said, laughing. “We’re going to have so much fun together.”

And get into a whole lot of trouble. Elise could see it now, Cyprus going all hard-faced when she refused to toe the line. “The guys are in for it now.”

“Okay, good. We’re on the same page.” Looking delighted, Ivy rubbed her hands together. “Time to plan our first incursion, but first—get dressed. You look like you need coffee. Lord knows I do.”

The suggestion made Elise groan. Coffee, her drug of choice.

Taking the sheet with her, Elise slipped off the bed. The second her feet hit the floor, she made for the bathroom. Her clothes were in there…somewhere. She remembered seeing her sweats on the floor while showering with Cyprus. Right before he drove her into a pleasure coma with his soapy fingers and tucked her into bed.

Hinges creaked as she pushed the door wide. Standing on the threshold, she scanned the space, looking for her clothes. Her brow furrowed. Not curled up in the corner beside the shower stall. Not under the cantilevered stone ledge full of fat candles throwing light into the room. Not jammed beneath the antique tub either. Elise turned full circle. Her gaze caught on the wooden vanity with multiple drawers and double sinks. Her heart clenched in appreciation. Folded neat as a pin on the granite countertop rested a pair of jeans, a dark tank-top, and a warm, zip-up hoodie. Cute lace-up running shoes sat beside the pile.

All in her size.

God bless Cyprus. He thought of everything.

Dressing in record time, she left the ensuite and—

“Ready?” Stealing another raspberry, Ivy raised a brow.

“Yup.” Finger combing her hair, Elise skirted the foot of the bed. “Lead the way.”

Five minutes, and some fast walking later, she walked under a familiar archway and followed Ivy into the great room. Halfway across, footfalls muffled by area rugs, she paused to look around. Same set up: couches, beanbag chairs, a kitchen kitted out with the best of everything. Her attention bounced from the old fashioned six burner stove to the enormous stainless steel refrigerator. Powered by magic, the appliance hummed, sending a quiet buzz into the air as light globes swayed overhead.

Lots of light. A comfortable space, but...quiet and empty.

No one around but her and Ivy.

Unease ghosted down her spine. Prickles shimmered over her nape, raising fine hairs, increasing her awareness. As her skin turned clammy, Elise looked around, instinct screaming for her to find safer ground, to run hard and hide fast. No rhyme. Zero reason. Hugely paranoid, but the insistent thrum wouldn’t die down or let go. It clutched at her instead, making her feel like prey, as though she was being hunted.

Standing beside the island, two mugs on the countertop and a carafe of coffee in her hand, Ivy glanced her way. She frowned. “What’s wrong?”

Breathing too fast, Elise shook her head. “I don’t know. Something’s off and—”

Boom!

An explosion rocked the room. The walls trembled. The floor shook. Stone dust fell, coating her with filth as Ivy cursed and the carafe went flying.

Another tremor rumbled through the lair.

Elise stumbled sideways, knocking into an end table. Pain spiraled over her hip. The quaking increased, rolling into aftershocks as a familiar buzz burned between her temples. Oh God. She recognized the awful sinking sensation. Had felt it before in St. Giles Cathedral when…

“Ivy!” Her focus whipped back to her friend. On her ass, Ivy struggled to stand up. Fear giving her speed, Elise sprinted across the room, around the kitchen island, and hauled Ivy to her feet. “We need to get out of here. Right now.”

“What’s going on?”

“Griz—”

A roar blasted into the room. The sound of claws scraping over stone echoed up the tunnel.

Panic hit. Her heart slammed against the inside of her chest. “We need to hide. Where can we hide?”

“I don’t know. Shit—I don’t know.” White-faced, Ivy clutched at her arm as Elise pulled her out of the kitchen. “I don’t spend a lot of time here.”

A dragon shrieked. More cacophonic roars. A second later, the terrifying growls turned to words spoken by male voices.

“Oh, my God,” Ivy whispered. “Whoever it is just shifted.”

“Female!” Grizgunn’s shout throbbed through the labyrinth. “I can smell you.”

Her muscles tensed. Her mind raced. A place to hide, a place to hide…she needed a goddamn place to hide. Some place safe. Some place secure. Somewhere Grizgunn wouldn’t be able to get in to and—

“The vault.” Adrenaline hit her like rocket fuel. Dragging Ivy behind her, Elise sprinted across the great room. “Ivy—we need to get to the vault!”

“What vault?”

Elise didn’t answer. She ran instead. Her shoes thumped up the stairs. The thud of heavy boots echoed across the great room. Heart pounding, Elise glanced over her shoulder. Standing in the doorway across the room, Grizgunn snarled as he spotted her.

“Come on, Ivy—run!”

Breathing down her neck, Ivy yelled, “I am—go!”

Running shoes providing grip, Elise raced across the vestibule, down the steps on the other side, and legs churning, skidded around the corner. Her knees skated across stone. Her palm slammed the dragon emblem in the center of the wood panel. The wall retreated to one side. Elise didn’t wait for it to open all the way. She pressed her hand through the narrow opening. Her skin met steel.

“Open. Open. Please, open.” Chest heaving, she pushed against the vault face. “Open Sesame!”

Magic hummed. A click sounded. The vault door started to open.

Grizgunn shouted at someone. “Get them!”

Afraid to look behind her, she shoved Ivy into the wedge between steel jambs and followed her through. Her pant leg caught on metal. Grizgunn roared again. Gritting her teeth, she yanked at her leg. Denim ripped. Her foot cleared the doorway. Elise slammed her palms on the interior of vault, asking it to close, praying it listened before Grizgunn reached the library and pushed in behind her.