Cammie frowned, fighting to open heavy lids. She couldn’t remember ever sleeping so deeply in her life, but maybe learning the man she loved was a lying, jerk dragon was enough to do that to her. Her frown deepened when, after putting all her energy into it, she could still barely crack her eyes open, and she licked her dry lips, but it did little good. Her mouth was ash.

Trying to scratch an itch on her face, she froze when she realized she couldn’t. It felt like her hands were cuffed behind her, and panic hit her in waves, adrenaline burning the lingering wooziness away. In a rush, she remembered the sting in her arm, and looking down to find she’d been struck with a dart. She remembered pulling it out, but nothing after that. Using her shifter strength, she tried to break the cuffs, but they held strong. Must be made out of some unbreakable metal even shifters couldn’t bust.

The adrenaline surging through her veins helped her pry her eyes open, and she looked around her. She was lying on her side on an uncomfortable cot, facing the wall, and the room around her was small, and looked sterile. The walls were made from concrete, and there was a single bare bulb burning brightly in the ceiling.

It was like a prison, bringing to mind the image she had all those weeks ago when Alex told her about the memories he regained. She froze, fury burning through her. He did this. He brought her here, apparently deciding the game he played was up, and knowing he didn’t have a choice if he wanted her. This place looked too much like what he described for it to be a coincidence. The nerve of him. Describing the place he was going to steal her away to, while he pretended he didn’t know what the memory meant. She never should have gone to her special spot, especially knowing he knew about it. Before meeting him, she was caution personified. But since him, she was the dumb idiot in a horror movie who walked straight into the bad guy’s trap.

Tears stung her eyes at how far he was willing to go to get her, but she willed them away. She turned her head back to the front, staring at the cold wall in front of her. He didn’t deserve one more tear shed because of him. She needed to channel her energy into figuring out a way out of this. It would be hard, because on top of not having a clue where she was, he was also aware of her shifter gift. She couldn’t rely on her speed to get her out of this.

She would just treat this like she would a fight. Let her instinct guide her, but never forget to use her smarts, too. She could do this. Her situation wasn’t hopeless.

The door opened, and she fought not to stiffen. Slamming her eyes shut, she focused on keeping her breathing deep and even, pretending to be asleep. Listening hard, she heard what sounded like two separate pairs of footsteps enter.

“Why hasn’t she woken up yet?” a heavily accented voice demanded to know.

“Don’t worry, Your Excellency. She should any minute now.”

“Well don’t just stand there. Go fetch a glass of water. I’m sure she’ll be parched when she wakes soon, if what you say is correct. And it better be correct.”

“I’ll fetch one right away,” the other voice said, tinged faintly with nervousness.

Eyebrows twitching, she listened as the door shut softly, and a heavy set of footsteps came closer. She’d been expecting Alex to come in, but maybe these were his lackeys. Although, one of them had called the other ‘Your Excellency’. It didn’t make much sense. But maybe Alex was working with another dragon. Her body went cold at the thought. Like hell would she be passed between too jerkass dragons. She’d die first.

She was caught off guard when a big hand grabbed her shoulder unexpectedly, and she was turned over. Unable to hide her grimace at the pressure it put on her cuffed hands, she let out a round of curses in her head.

“Ah, as I thought. You were just pretending to sleep.”

Reaching down to lift her into a sitting position, he pulled her up, and she waited until she was upright before she opened her eyes to glare at him. She watched as he pulled a chair from the corner and sat down, and then he looked at her with a smirk on his face.

Horror filled her and the blood in her veins iced over as she got a look at his face. It had been seven years since she saw him last, but his was a face she would remember to her dying day. This was the man who killed her parents. Trying hard not to hyperventilate, she focused on controlling her breathing. In and out, in and out.

“My name is Ivan, Camilla. It’s very nice to get to speak to you. I’ve been looking for you for a very long time.”

“Did—” Pausing to clear her throat as her voice broke, she tried again. “Does Alex know what you did to my parents? Does he know who you are? Either way, you can tell him I’ll see him in Hell before I ever let him touch me again.”

Ivan frowned, his Russian accent thickening. “I do not know who this Alex is, but the thought of anyone else but me ever touching you displeases me. And I will kill anyone who tries. Remember that, Camilla. I am pleased that you remember me. Our time together is off to a wonderful start,” he said with a smile.

She stared at him in disbelief. He couldn’t seriously be sitting here, so pleased over the thought that she remembered him killing her parents. He was insane for thinking it meant something good. Then the rest of his statement sunk in. He didn’t know who Alex was. She was still beyond furious with him, but knowing he hadn’t brought her here, that he hadn’t planned on sharing her with another man, caused dizzying relief to sweep through her.

A quick, soft knock sounded at the door, and Ivan got up to answer it. She heard him say, “She is awake. You live another day”—before he shut the door, and turned with a tray. He held out a glass to her. “I’m sure you must be parched.”

Her first instinct was to refuse, but she thought better of it. Raising an eyebrow, she turned to the side slowly, showing her cuffs. “I can’t drink as I am.”

“Ah, of course!” he replied, taking a key from his pocket and moving close. “Now, you must promise not to try to escape. You wouldn’t get far, and it would only make me angry. I don’t want to have to punish you, princess. So don’t make me.”

Trying not to stiffen at his touch, she nodded as he unlocked the cuffs and took them off. “I’m not a princess,” she replied, rubbing her wrists where the cuffs had bitten into them.

“I disagree,” he replied, handing her the glass. “You are a full-blood dragon. That makes you royalty of our kind.”

Watching her closely, he glanced at the glass of water. She didn’t have any intention of drinking something here because she didn’t know what it might be laced with. But she brought the glass to her lips and pretended, not wanting him to force her to actually drink some, or cuff her hands again.

“What did you mean by telling the other guy he would live another day?”

Settling back into the chair, Ivan shrugged. “You are always who I wanted for a mate. But after I lost you the first time, I decided I had no time to lose. I found two other female dragons after you. The first was a female named Adara. I found her, but the man I had on her was too slow to report back, and when I went to fetch her, she was gone. By the time I found her again, she was mated. To a grizzly shifter, of all things. Inferior creatures. The next was Daria. I entrusted her retrieval to one of my men, and she put up a fight. Unfortunate, but it was to be expected. What was unacceptable was my man getting too rough with her when she put up a struggle, and her dying because of it. Both men failed me, and both died for it. Actually, you might know Adara. She was tracked to Eagle Creek, the same town I found you in. Imagine my surprise in finding you in the same place.”

Eyebrows high, she stared at him. He’d tried to take Adara? She was glad he was thwarted, and felt horrible for Daria, who’d lost her life because Ivan tried to kidnap her. But she felt guilty because she couldn’t help the small part of her that wished someone else had been found, instead of her.

“Do not look like that, my dear,” he said, catching the emotion she hadn’t been able to hide, and misreading it. “Had I been successful getting another female dragon, I would not have truly mated them. Both of them had mixed blood, though Daria was almost a full-blood. But her idiot mother mated a lion, and ruined the purity of their line. Regardless, they were inferior to you, princess. I never would have given up looking for you so I could properly mate with you. But I’m sure you understand the need for more dragon children. They would have been mere breeders for me, but you will be my mate, and you and our children will hold exalted positions in the household.”

Fighting to keep her disgust from her expression, she swallowed hard. “How did you find me?”

“I’ve hired many men to search for you. The last one was a human, and I despise them, but I was assured he was the best with technology and hacking, so I allowed my man to bring him in. I had high hopes for him, but after more than a year, I was growing impatient. He disappeared one day, just vanished into thin air. I’m still looking for him, and one day he will die for such an offense,” he said, voice hard. “But I digress. I had another tech brought in, and he was able to recover a small bit of the human’s work.

“It wasn’t much, but it was enough. The human had tracked you as far as Cheyenne. My men were dispersed with your photo, and they widened their search to all outlying areas. One of them found you in Eagle Creek through some tiger shifters who recognized you. The shifters were rewarded handsomely, and my man was promoted. It was child’s play to find out where you lived from the chatty locals once we knew you were there. I made sure I was there when you were taken. I couldn’t take the chance something would go wrong, or if you struggled, too much force was used. You’re far too valuable to leave to chance.”

Cammie sat quietly as she absorbed that. Alex truly didn’t have anything to do with Ivan finding and capturing her, and the relief she felt was staggering. She still felt betrayed that he’d lied to her, and unsure that he didn’t have his own agenda, but it would have crushed her soul to dust had he been in league with Ivan.

Ivan clapped his hands together and stood, drawing her attention. “I will leave you to rest. I won’t put the cuffs back on, but do not abuse my trust. You will not get far should you try to escape, and though I don’t want you hurt, I will not hesitate to punish you for trying to leave me. I am your destiny, and you cannot escape me. I will have dinner brought to you soon, and we will not be parted for long, so do not fret, my princess. And rest assured, once I am sure you won’t run, you will have access to my entire compound. I am very wealthy, so trust me when I tell you, you will have anything you desire.”

Except her freedom, she though bitterly. Holding herself perfectly still as he came forward, she fought to not bite his fingers off as he trailed them down her cheek. He left the room, and her spine slumped in disappointment when she heard the click of a lock engaging. A locked door complicated things. Skin crawling, she scrubbed her cheek, hoping to remove the feel of his repulsive touch. Mind racing, she scooted backward on the bed, leaning her back against the cold wall. She had to think of a way out of here. If she could just get past the locked door, she knew she could outrun the men likely guarding the hall. And if all else failed, she could fight her way out. She was good enough, she knew that, and she was fast. Hopefully, she could take out everyone before they could raise the alarm.

A couple hours later, she had a tentative plan in place when she heard the scrape of the key in the lock. Racing to get in position, she held her breath as the door opened, and a small man walked inside holding a tray. He was looking down, thankfully, and as soon as the door was shut behind him, she slammed the chair she was holding down on his head. He started to slump to the floor, and she darted around him, grabbing him in one arm, and the tray in the other. She didn’t need any racket drawing more guards.

Putting the tray on the floor, she dragged him further into the room and grabbed the handcuffs. Yanking his hands behind his back, she quickly cuffed him, and then took a long strip of the sheet she’d ripped up and wrapped it around his head, covering his mouth. Standing back, she appraised him before grabbing the heavy silver lid off the platter on the tray, and quickly smashed him in the head. Overkill, maybe, but just in case there weren’t guards, or she managed to get past them without attracting attention, she wanted to make sure he wouldn’t wake up and scream. Besides, he worked for Ivan. He deserved it on that basis alone.

She searched his pockets, quickly finding the set of keys she was looking for. She might need them to escape. Wanting to be thorough, she kept searching for anything else that might be useful, and found a pocket knife. Stuffing it in her pocket, she straightened back up and took a deep breath. Time to be brave and leave the room, hopefully getting the hell out of there.

Putting her ear to the door, she listened hard for any noise outside, but heard none. Inhaling deeply, she steadied her nerves, effortlessly slipping into the frame of mind she went to when she fought. Easing the door open, she held her breath, half expecting a shout to sound. When nothing happened, she slowly opened it farther and eased her head outside, looking for guards. Not spotting any, she slipped outside and shut the door, trying each key until she found the right one to lock the door. It cost seconds she couldn’t afford, but it also added another layer of security against the man inside.

Her dragon stirred in her chest, urging her to flee, and Cammie froze for a second. That was the first time she felt her dragon since being captured, now that she thought of it, and that was beyond abnormal. Where the hell had she been? Unable to take the time to wonder, Cammie looked around her. To her left was a dead end, so she set off down the hallway to the right.

Stealthily, she crept along, her bare feet making no noise on the unforgiving stone. The hallway was barren, with no decorations or rugs, so she knew this wasn’t were Ivan stayed. Dragons were accustomed to comfort, and one as wealthy as Ivan claimed to be wouldn’t live like this. Coming to the end of the hallway, she peered around the corner and spotted a guard a few feet down. His back was turned to her, so she pulled the knife out of her pocket and opened it, taking a silent breath.

Moving swiftly on silent feet, she came up behind him. Going up on tiptoe, she slapped one hand over his mouth, and placed the knife to his jugular.

“Do you want to live today?” she hissed. He nodded frantically, and she continued. “Good. I’m going to take my hand off your mouth. Don’t make a peep, and I won’t slit your neck. Make a noise, and all bets are off. Nod your head if you understand. Very good. Keeping your finger off the trigger, take the gun and hand it to me.”

Doing as she told him, the man grabbed the gun by the butt and eased it behind him. Taking it, she adjusted it in her hand and gave him a silent apology as she used her speed gift, removing the knife from his throat and swinging the butt at his head, so quickly it was like it happened at the exact same time. Closing the knife, she caught him and eased him to the ground.

She didn’t know how to shoot a gun, and though the basics seemed simple, her aim would be shit. Plus, the noise of it firing was a factor. Still, she kept it with her as she continued down to the hall, heading toward the sunlight spilling from another hallway. Sunlight meant a way outside, and keeping the gun meant she had another option for incapacitating someone.

Coming to the corner of the hallway, she listened hard and nearly groaned as she heard people talking. Slowly easing her head around, she took a peek before jerking back, closing her eyes. There were only two men, and although both were armed, she knew she could take them. She just wouldn’t be able to do it quietly this time. They were standing between her and a door to the outside, which was both good and bad.

Good because, hello, her way out was just a few feet down that hall. Bad, because she could see a keypad for an alarm system next to it. It hadn’t looked like it was armed, but that didn’t necessarily mean it wasn’t. She had no choice but to take the risk. She had to get out of there.

Taking a steadying breath to calm her nerves, she slipped once again into fighter mode. Holding the gun tighter, she peeked around quickly, memorizing their positions. One was facing her, in front of the door, and the other stood with his back to her, laughing over something the other was saying. With one more breath, she rounded the corner with her speed, bringing the gun up and swinging it hard on top on the head of the man closest to her.

Not bothering to try to catch him to mute the noise of the fall, she dropped the gun and lunged toward the other man as he startled and raised his gun. Reaching him, she thrust the heel of her palm upward, smashing it into his nose. There was a loud crunching noise, blood instantly pouring from his nose. He let go of his gun with one hand to clutch it, howling.

“Oh, hush, you big baby,” she said as she kicked out, knocking his gun from his hand and sending it spinning to the floor.

Rage in his eyes, the man pulled his arm back to hit her, but she was faster. Using all of her shifter strength, she gave him two swift punches, one to his gut, the other to his kidney. He immediately doubled over, clutching his middle with one arm, the other hand still covering his nose, and she moved quickly. Snatching up his gun, she swung it at his head, watching in satisfaction as his eyes rolled back in his head.

Dusting her hands, she looked around her. She’d never hit so many people in the head, knocking them unconscious, in her life, but she had to admit, it felt good. And they all absolutely deserved it.

Get out of here.

Smart dragon, she thought. She studied the control panel next to the door for a moment before finally muttering, “Fuck it.” She had to open it, and to hell with an alarm.

She slowly turned the knob, and when it turned easily, she dropped the keys she hadn’t needed to use. With one more deep breath, she shoved the door open and bolted outside, relief threatening to weaken her knees when no alarm sounded. She took a moment to look around before she employed her shifter gift, running for the tree line to her right.

She was almost there when out of nowhere, a figure appeared in front of her.

Panting from her burst of speed and the adrenaline coursing through her, she skidded to a stop, dismay filling her when she saw it was Ivan, holding a gun pointed at her chest.

“Did you really think you could escape, my princess? Though you were almost successful. Heads will roll for that. There was a silent alarm on the door, and you triggered it when you opened it. Luckily, I have a monitor I keep with me, so I was able to get here swiftly to stop you. Don’t even try to go any further. My men are coming as we speak.”

Exhaling, refusing to let panic overtake her, she tried to access her dragon and shift. His gun wouldn’t be able to penetrate her scales, unless he got lucky and a bullet hit her just right. But nothing happened, and the panic she was holding at bay threatened to overwhelm her.

“Let me guess. You’re trying to shift right now, aren’t you? Did I not mention after you were tranquilized, I injected a serum into your vein that suppresses your animal? No? What a shame I forgot to mention it. I guess I just wanted to see if you’d run. I really am disappointed in you, Camilla. I hoped you’d be different. That you would not only accept your fate, but embrace it. Now I’ll be forced to punish you. I hate that you’re making me do so.”

So that was why she hadn’t heard or felt her dragon at first. Squeezing her eyes shut for a moment, she accepted she’d been thwarted, trying to resign herself to her immediate future. She wouldn’t give up trying to escape. She’d never give up. But for now, she was trapped with no other option but giving in, though it chafed her to her soul.

Opening her eyes, she felt her eyebrows twitch minutely as she caught sight of movement by the treeline. Her breath caught and she swallowed hard as Alex melted out of the woods. His mouth was moving, and she squinted at him, even as she fought to not give him away. It looked like he was telling her not to worry, he had this.

Like hell he did. Furious as she was with him, she didn’t wish him dead, and trying to confront Ivan was a death wish. Alex might be a dragon, but he wasn’t a fighter in human form, and she seriously doubted he would be much of a fighter in dragon form, either. A vision of her father, quickly defeated and lying lifeless on the ground next to her mom flashed in front of her eyes, and she inwardly flinched.

Fuck that shit. She’d be damned if she sat by and watched as Alex fought and died for her. Anger and determination filled her veins, and when she looked back at Ivan, he was coated in red. She let the bloodthirst surge through her. Even without her dragon, she could take him. She knew she could.

But she never got the chance to find out.

Protect mate, her dragon roared.

With absolutely no warning, her dragon burst out of her, full of fury and the need to end Ivan. She didn’t even feel the transition, the pain of shifting, like she normally did. One moment she was human, the next she was dragon, and she didn’t hesitate to lift a lethally clawed hand and slash Ivan. He was thrown to the side, and he skidded a few feet before he surged to his feet, the shock in his eyes swiftly melting into bone-chilling fury. Moments later, he was in dragon form too, and it suited her just fine. She needed a good fight. She’d needed one for a long time, and another dragon would give it to her.

They crashed together, snarling and snapping. He was bigger and stronger than she was, but she had speed on her side, and she knew what she was doing. He almost got her by the neck, but she darted away, surging into the sky, betting he would be even slower while flying in his bulkier dragon form.

Glancing beneath her to make sure Alex wasn’t in danger, she froze in surprise as she saw him fighting Ivan’s men, side by side with her brothers. She hadn’t even realized they were here. A few clicks of warning were all she had to let her know Ivan was going to use his fire, and she quickly dodged to the side as he spewed a stream of fire her way.

That had been too close, and she focused on the huge yellow dragon in front of her with murder in its eyes. Knowing her brothers could take care of themselves, and Alex if it came to it, she put them from her mind, resolved to not look again until her fight was over. Wings flapping faster than the eye could see, she feigned going to the right and then darted to the left, going for his more vulnerable neck. He moved so that her razor sharp teeth only grazed him, but she knew her venom left its mark, because he roared in pain as he swiped a leg at her, a sharp claw slipping past her scales, nicking her.

Hissing in pain, she shot away and up, flying higher in the sky. He followed much slower, and seeing her opening while he was distracted with flying, she divebombed him, going for his neck again, and this time, managing to clamp her teeth around it. He shrieked and struggled, but her venom worked quickly, and soon his struggles were just a weak attempt to free himself. Not leaving anything to chance, she clamped down harder, and it wasn’t long until he went limp, his dead weight quickly dragging her down.

Opening her mouth, she let go, watching with satisfaction as he plummeted to the ground, changing to human form as they always did in death, moments before he hit the ground with a crash. She circled lower, needing to see him clearly, and when she was able to, she saw blood everywhere, his throat ripped open, almost completely separated from his body.

Staying in the sky, she quickly tore her gaze from him, looking around to see if her friends needed her. There were dead bodies, in human and animal form, littering the ground, and Ian and Seth were sitting on their haunches in animal form, the big cats casually cleaning themselves, licking the blood of the fight from their fur. In the sky below her, Jax was flying in eagle form, circling watchfully.

Catching sudden movement from the corner of her eye, she saw another dragon, light charcoal in color with a gold iridescence to his scales, larger than her but smaller than Ivan. Her brothers didn’t seem concerned, and she realized with a jolt that this was Alex. She watched as he used his fire to burn bodies, swooping down to devour the ashes before he’d find a new grouping of bodies to clean up. He spat fire to Ivan and then scooped the ashes up, letting out a triumphant roar. Lowering herself from the sky, she joined him, burning and devouring ashes, until all the bodies were gone. She landed gracefully, and the ground shook as Alex landed harder in front of her. They both changed back to human, staring at each other, not speaking a word.

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, she caught sight of the guys behind him, also back in human form. Pushing past Alex, she rushed for them, hugging them one by one.

“I couldn’t believe it when I looked over and saw you guys. Heroes, come to rescue the damsel in distress.”

“You didn’t need any saving, Cam. You did that all on your own,” Ian replied, ruffling her hair.

“Yeah, you were pretty badass,” Jax said quietly.

“I don’t know how I managed it. I managed to make my way outside, but when Ivan caught me, I couldn’t shift. He said he injected me with some kind of suppressant, and I thought I was done for. Then I saw Alex—I mean, I saw y’all, and my dragon just burst out of me.”

“Nice try, but you didn’t save that statement,” Ian said with a wry smile. “You really did mean you saw Alex and shifted to protect him. Even if we couldn’t hear lies, we would have known. Alex was the only one visible when you shifted. We were still hidden in the trees.”

Shifting her feet uncomfortably, Cammie tried to think of something to say to that, but drew a blank. Seth spoke up then, unwittingly coming to her rescue.

“I really am glad you’re okay, Cammie,” he said, not of a hint of a joke or laugh in sight. “Nothing would be the same without you around. I’m gonna go to the car and grab our clothes so we can get dressed. Jax packed some for you, too.”

Giving her another quick hug, Seth spun around and walked quickly to the tree line. Silence descended as everyone watched him, and her eyebrows furrowed as she asked, “What’s up with him?”

Ian exhaled heavily, shaking his head. “I don’t know. He’s been a little quiet since we knew you were taken, but it got even worse after the fight.”

“It’s not like him, but we can’t figure out what’s wrong,” Jax said, uncharacteristic worry in his eyes. The eagle shifter didn’t let much truly bother him, though he liked to pretend Seth did.

Putting it from her mind, she resolved to pry info out of Seth later. Turning back to the other two, she asked, “How did y’all know where to find me?”

“Alex,” Ian replied, inclining his head to where Alex was striding after Seth.

She watched him with narrow eyes, suspicion filling her. “He just happened to know where to find me?”

Ian’s heavy exhale had her looking back to him. “It’s not what you think. I was helping him look for you, and we checked your clearing. We found the tranquilizer dart and the syringe. We knew you were taken, and Alex knew who did it and where he was taking you. How he knew isn’t bad, I promise. But I can’t say more. It’s his story to tell. Just promise me you’ll actually give him the chance to tell it.”

Hesitating, she searched his eyes, finding nothing but determination, and faint pleading for her to give Alex a chance to explain. She glanced at Jax, but he just nodded at her, apparently agreeing with Ian. Sighing wearily, she decided to ignore it, but she would seriously give it some thought.

“Let’s just get dressed and go home,” she answered, spotting Seth and Alex coming back, already dressed and holding handfuls of clothes. “I’m exhausted, and I have a scratch on my stomach I need to take care of. It’s fine.” She said hastily at their worried expressions. “Ivan nicked me with his claws. It’s nothing, no venom involved, and I know it doesn’t really need it, but I’ll feel better when it’s cleaned.”

“There’s probably a first aid kit on the plane,” Jax replied.

“Plane? Where the hell are we that a plane was needed?”

“Canada.”

Feeling a little faint, Cammie didn’t reply as she took the clothes Seth held out for her, and dressed without replying. She thought she was holding up well after everything that happened, at least she had been until she learned she was taken to a whole different country. Shit. Feeling a little like Scarlett O’Hara, she decided she’d think about it, all of it, tomorrow.