Alex caught a glimpse of Cammie walking past the open door of the barn, doing a double take, and the next moment, he was doubled over with a fist in his gut. Panting, he fought to keep from showing just how much it hurt. Seth was deceptively strong, and his fist literally packed a punch.

“And that’s what happens when you let your attention slip for even a moment. Keep your guard up, and never take your eyes off your opponent.”

“Duly noted,” he panted, straightening up with a grimace.

In the past few days, his training had been kicked up a few notches. He was fighting a real opponent now, not just taking jabs at the punching bag, though he still did so often. He walked over to the bench, grabbing his water bottle and drinking deeply. Seth followed suit, and Alex studied him as he did.

Seth was rarely serious, always with a joke or smartass comment on his lips. Because of that, and despite having seen him fight before, Alex seriously underestimated him. But he was quickly learning that if there was one thing Seth took seriously, it was fighting. And it served to drill into him just how ineffectual he would be in a fight.

Cammie said Seth could be good, if he focused. But until he did, he couldn’t beat Ian or Jax very often. And the ease with which Seth took Alex down made him realize just how much work he needed to put in if he wanted to be the best he could be. He wasn’t even close to being at a level where he could take on Ian or Jax, much less a dragon, if that was possible at all.

So he was throwing himself into this with everything he had. He spent the last three days practically living in the barn, pushing Seth to push him. It was hard, because he wanted to spend every waking moment with Cammie, and it physically hurt him not to. Their nights in bed were pure magic, but it didn’t feel like enough. This was necessary, though. He had to do what he could to keep her safe, and if that meant spending every moment of his days, and even his nights, training, that’s what he would do.

“Why don’t you head inside and get a shower?” Seth said, clapping him on the shoulder.

Frowning, he glanced at Seth as he started leaving the barn. “Isn’t it early to call it quits for the day?”

“You need to take a break every now and then, Alex. Give your muscles a rest. Or hey, give them a different kind of workout altogether.”

Shaking his head in confusion, Alex watched Seth walk out without another word, laughter trailing behind him. He didn’t think a break was what he needed right now, but he couldn’t deny how much he wanted to spend some time with Cammie, either.

He headed toward the house, unwrapping his hands as he went. He went straight to his room and got in the shower, letting the hot water rain over him. His muscles slowly relaxed, some of the ache leaving them, and he quickly soaped himself up, in a hurry to see Cammie. Getting out, he dried off and wrapped a towel around his waist, leaving the room and coming to a halt when he saw Cammie sitting on his bed.

Her brown hair was loose, falling around her shoulders, the strands of red catching the light from the window. Her dark blue eyes were looking at him in admiration, and his groin tightened when she ran her tongue over her full, pink lips. God, she was so beautiful.

“Hey,” she said with a smile that took his breath away. Her eyes slid up and down his body, and he felt himself hardening under her appreciative gaze. “I was wondering if you wanted to go on a picnic with me.”

Realization dawned. “This is why Seth ended our session early, isn’t it?” Now his comment about Alex giving his muscles a different kind of work out made more sense.

“Yeah, I asked him to let you out early. We haven’t seen much of each other, and well… I missed you,” she said quietly.

Walking forward, he approached her and pulled her off the bed. “I’ve missed you, too,” he murmured as he kissed her lips softly.

His blood instantly heated in his veins, and he deepened the kiss, but when he started to tug her closer, she pushed him back, a breathless laugh on her lips.

“None of that, or we’ll never get out of this room. Get dressed and meet me in the kitchen, okay?”

He watched as she walked out of the room, hips swaying gently. Cursing under his breath, he closed his eyes, willing his erection down. It felt like it took forever for it to deflate enough for him to get his jeans on, but when it finally did, he dressed in a hurry, already anxious to see Cammie again.

Shoving his feet in his shoes, he hurried down the stairs, coming to a stop just inside the kitchen. Cammie was standing in profile to him at the open back door, her lips curved in a smile as sunshine bathed her in its glow.

His whole body felt like it was standing at attention, every molecule straining for her. Something in his chest stirred, and mine whispered through his mind. It was just beginning to sink in that she really was his, and nothing could have prepared him for how it made him feel.

She glanced over and caught sight of him, her smile widening. “Why are you just standing there staring at me?”

Clearing his throat, he moved forward and kissed her, unable to help himself. “Sometimes it hits me. That you’re really willing to do this with me, I mean. This was one of those moments.”

Her eyes softened, and she went up on tiptoe to kiss him back. “Grab the basket on the table, and follow me. I want to show you my favorite spot.”

He did as she asked and followed her out, wondering about the flash of uncertainty and worry he thought he saw in her eyes. Deciding not to bring it up, he took her hand in his and walked with her through the forest, until they came upon a small clearing by the creek.

“This is one of my favorite places in the world,” she said softly as she took the blanket out of the basket. “I come here a lot, when I need to think, or want time alone.”

He helped her spread the blanket, shooting little glances at her as he did. She looked nervous about something, and he didn’t think he’d ever seen her nervous. Once the blanket was laid out, they both took a seat, but when she started to reach for the basket, he put his hand on hers.

“Cammie. Talk to me. What’s wrong?”

She twisted her fingers together, inhaling deeply. “I forget how preceptive you are. Nothing’s wrong, per se. I just thought it was time to tell you the truth. We’ve grown so close in the past few days, and as much as I don’t want to live my life in what ifs, I’ve still been doing it. What if you can’t handle what I need to tell you, what if you leave, what if… you can see how they never end. I need to tell you, not only to end all of that, but because if you’re going to leave, I need you to do it soon—”

Shaking his head, Alex reached up and put a finger to her mouth, halting her rapid flow of words. “Sweetheart. Stop. There’s nothing you can tell me that will make me want to leave you. But I agree about knowing what’s going on. So tell me, but don’t be nervous about it. It’ll be okay.”

She searched his eyes and nodded, closing her eyes briefly and taking another breath. When she opened them again, they were a lightened blue and pale orange, not her normal denim blue. Not letting on that he saw anything different, he nodded at her encouragingly.

“What I’m going to tell you might sound really strange, and impossible, but I promise, it’s true,” she began softly. “I’m not… well, I’m not a normal human. I’m a shifter. I share my body with an animal, and I can switch forms. There aren’t a lot of us out there, but probably more than you think there are, in a variety of animals. Wolves, big cats, birds, and so on.”

She paused and he nodded at her. “What are you?”

Brow twitching with a frown, she searched his eyes. “I’m a… well, I’m a dragon.”

He nodded again, trying to keep his face impassive as he searched for something to say. In all his wishing that she’d open up to him, he never gave a thought to what he would say in response, and he was drawing a blank now.

“How the hell are you not freaking out right now? Calling me crazy, running away, something?” she demanded.

Blowing out a breath, he scrubbed his hand over his face. He’d just have to tell her the truth, and hope she didn’t freak out. It’s not like he could lie to her anyway, and pretending he hadn’t known would be just that.

“I kind of already knew. Well, not about your dragon. I only suspected that’s what your animal was.”

Her frown deepened. “How did you know? And remember, if you’re lying to me, I’ll hear it. Which you should already know if you know about shifters.”

He glanced at her in surprise. Actually, he hadn’t known that, and he was suddenly grateful for the quirk in his personality that wouldn’t let him lie to her. They wouldn’t be here now if he’d ever tried, he knew that as much as he knew the sky was blue.

“Honestly, I don’t know. The knowledge of shifters was just always there. I didn’t recognize it in the very beginning, but the more time I spent with you guys, the more I knew instinctively that’s what you were. I don’t know how I know what I know, just that I do.”

She nodded thoughtfully as she stared at him. “And the dragon part?”

Fighting back an uncharacteristic flush, he glanced away before locking gazes with her again. “I kind of eavesdropped. I knew at the fight what those two guys, Zane and Kian, were. Well, I knew they were shifters, at least. And I knew it bothered you. When we got back to the house, I was taking a walk, and heard voices in the barn. My curiosity got the better of me and I stopped to listen. I overheard what Ian said about them not having elongated pupils, so you had no reason to worry. I actually thought he was talking about a snake or lizard,” he said with a wry smile. “And then when I called you Camilla, your eyes changed, became this sort of kaleidoscope of light blue and orange, with an elongated pupil. After that, I don’t know… it just came to me that you might possibly be a dragon.”

Hoping like hell she couldn’t hear a lie of omission in his voice, Alex forced himself to sit calmly as she took in what he told her. He didn’t want to talk about his weird dreams yet, at least not until he figured out what they were, or what they meant. He felt guilty, because she was coming clean to him, but he didn’t see a reason to bring them up right now.

She briefly closed her eyes, exhaling softly. Blinking them open, she smiled at him. “I should probably be upset you never let on you knew, but I only feel relief that you’re not freaking out on me. I worried it would be too much for you.”

“There’s nothing you can tell me that would be too much for me. Unless you tell me you put ketchup on your eggs. That might be a deal breaker,” he said, relishing the sound of her laughter washing over him as he scooted closer to her on the blanket and wrapped an arm around her. “Now tell me the rest. The people you’re hiding from are obviously your kind. Why are they after you?”

Snuggling into his side, she sighed, hesitating for a moment. “Dragons are on the verge of extinction. We’ve been hunted by other shifters for as long as anyone can remember. We’re nearly indestructible in our animal forms, and something about us draws some shifters. Who can say why. Bragging rights, maybe. Being able to say they killed an almost un-killable dragon. Fear of an apex predator that’s so powerful. Whatever the reason, they almost succeeded in wiping us out.”

She paused, and Alex felt his eyebrows twitching in a frown. What she was saying felt familiar to him, like it was a story he knew but had forgotten. He rubbed his hand on her arm, urging her to continue, putting it from his mind for now.

“All of that is compounded by the fact that female dragons are even rarer among my kind. And the only way the species is continued is with another female dragon. Male dragons can only sire dragon offspring with another dragon. If they mate with another shifter species, the baby will always be the other shifter’s animal. Even with a female dragon, it might not happen. For whatever reason, it’s hard for us to get pregnant. Not impossible, but it doesn’t happen as easily or as often as other shifters, or humans.

“You also have to understand that male dragons feel entitled, and superior to everyone else. They take what they want. And what they want are offspring, and the females who can produce them. So when they find a female, they don’t hesitate or ask questions. They’re brutal, and will use whatever means necessary to get what they want.”

“And that’s what you’re hiding from. You don’t want a male to find you,” he said slowly.

“Yes. I don’t want a forced mating.”

“A mating?” he asked, the word sparking something vicious inside him.

“A mating is kind of like what a marriage is to a human.”

Something in him sensed there was more to the story than that, but he let it slide as he thought about everything else she told him.

“What about females who are already mated? Do they just steal them away?”

She shook her head. “Not generally, no. There are laws we follow, including starting shifter wars, and stealing another shifter’s mate would do just that between the two species. Even dragons aren’t foolish enough to break that rule and start one. But if the mate was a human… that wouldn’t stop a dragon.”

Ahhh, he got it now. This is why she said it was so dangerous for him to be with her. The prick males would probably eat him in a heartbeat to get to her, if they found them. He hadn’t been sure of the details, but he’d suspected she was running from her kind, and he wouldn’t be able to protect her from them if that were the case. But having it confirmed changed nothing, even if it did mean he was in danger. He knew he wouldn’t be able to turn away from her, even if there was a dickweed dragon standing right in front of them.

“Alex?” she said softly, her tone tinged faintly in worry she was trying to hide. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. Maybe I should have, before we ever slept together. I just—”

Shaking his head, he placed a quick kiss on her lips. “Hush. It doesn’t matter when you told me. It would have changed nothing for me.”

“Maybe it should, though. I’m not sure you understand just what you’re getting yourself into by being with me.”

“It’s not hard to imagine. Shifters are a lot stronger than humans, and I’m sure only another dragon could go up against one with ease. It still changes nothing.”

“You generally strike me as a very smart man, Alex, but that statement is making me doubt your intelligence.”

“Or maybe it should make me appear even smarter. I was smart enough to recognize what an amazing woman you are, wasn’t I?”

Huffing a laugh, she buried her face in his neck. “Sweet talker. How were you even still single?” She paused, her body tensing. “I forgot about that in the midst of worrying about dragons, but Alex… what if you aren’t?”

“Single? I am. Or rather, I was. I like to think I’m not any longer.”

“But how can you know for sure? You don’t remember hardly anything from your past.”

Frowning, he tried to figure out how to explain the certainty he felt about being free to be with her. “I’m not sure I can explain it. I just know, down to my bones, that I was. It feels like there hasn’t been anyone for me for a long time, and never anyone like you.”

Slowly relaxing into his side, Cammie blew out a breath. “I believe you. Still, it’ll be nice when you finally regain your memories and we know for sure. So you knew about shifters this whole time. I can’t believe you never said anything, even when we asked you if you remembered anything.”

“That’s not something I remembered, though. It’s just something I knew instinctively, somehow.”

“You’re splitting hairs with that. And you still didn’t say a word.”

“I had no way of explaining how I knew. You never would have believed me if I said I just somehow did.”

She glanced up at him, eyes dancing. “We can hear lies, remember? We would have believed you.” Glancing down, she rubbed her hand on his thigh. “About the dragons… I need you to not try to protect me from them. I know that probably doesn’t sit well with you, but you can’t go up against one of them and win. It’ll only get you killed.”

Reaching down, he grabbed her hand and threaded his fingers through hers, stopping her distracting movements. “I don’t think I could stand by if someone was trying to hurt you, Cammie.”

“This isn’t negotiable. I can’t have you killed because of me.”

He searched her eyes for a moment, finally nodding and leaning down to kiss her. Praying the stall tactic worked, he deepened the kiss, angling her head so he could push his tongue into her mouth. Desire instantly heated his blood, and what started as a way to distract her quickly turned real.

When he finally pulled away, their chests were heaving for air, and Cammie’s cheeks were flushed, her eyes dazed and flickering with her dragon. Satisfaction welled up inside him at the sight, and he dropped one more quick kiss on her swollen lips.

“Let’s eat, shall we?” he asked, grabbing the basket and beginning to unpack it.

Hungry as he was, that wasn’t why he wanted to occupy them with something else. He didn’t want her circling back around, and asking him to promise not to get between her and one of her people. He couldn’t give her that promise. He would always do whatever he could to protect her, even if meant getting seriously injured, or worse. He would just hope it never came to that.

He watched her as they ate, and he wondered what it was like for her. Growing up as a shifter with a hunted animal, in a culture where males took what they wanted without hesitation or permission.

“Did you join Ian’s crew when you were of age to have more protection?”

Freezing for a moment, she swallowed her bite of roast beef sandwich before answering. “Depends on what you mean by of age. I was sixteen when I met Ian and he took me under his wing. And there wasn’t really a crew then. Before me, it was just Ian and Jax. They’re both from Eagle Creek and were underground fighting in Savannah at the time. They moved a lot back then, and when they left a week later, I went with them. Seth joined us about a year later.”

“Sixteen?” he asked, eyebrows high. “And your parents let you leave with total strangers, just like that?”

“My parents passed away a few months before that,” she replied softly, eyes downcast.

“Shit, I’m sorry, Cammie.”

“It was a long time ago. I still miss them every day, that will never change, but the sting has faded a bit since then.”

“And you weren’t with family?”

“We didn’t have any. My parents were only children of dragons, and both sets of my grandparents had been taken out by hunters. It was only us three.”

“Are hunters how your parents died?”

Sighing, she pushed aside her mostly eaten dinner and stretched her legs out. “No. We hid well, out on fifty acres of land in Georgia. We were careful, only shifting a few times a year, wearing sunglasses when we were in town just in case our dragons showed in our eyes. Dragons don’t have tells, no scents like fur, to give us away, so eyes were all we needed to take precautions with. They bought the land through someone else, so their names couldn’t be traced, and I was homeschooled. Every precaution was taken.” She peeked up at him through long lashes. “It wasn’t hunters who found us. It was another dragon.

“I told you how rare female dragons are, but I didn’t tell you how rare I am. I’m a full-blooded dragon. Most dragons have mixed blood, so I’m basically a unicorn to my people. And before you ask, no, there are no unicorn shifters. That we know of anyway.” Her mouth curled in a quick smirk and then fell. “The man whose name my parents bought the land in… he knew. I’m not sure how. I know my parents were friends with him, but I feel sure they wouldn’t have told him. Regardless of how he knew, when he felt like I was old enough to be taken away, he sold our info to another dragon he knew, and the dragon came for me.”

Heart clenching, Alex hastened to interrupt, but she held a hand up, shaking her head.

“Let me finish this. I’ve never told the whole story before. Ian doesn’t even know. But I want to tell you, if you want to hear it all.”

“Of course,” he said softly. “I want to know everything about you, but I don’t want you to delve into something that’s going to bring the hurt of that day back.”

“My parents would have loved you,” she said, a wistful smile dancing briefly over her lips before she took a deep breath. “I was inside, working on schoolwork, when I heard my dad scream. There’s no other word for it. It was this inhuman sound, full of heartbreak and anguish. I ran to the door and he was staring at my mom. She was lying on the ground, and even from where I was, I could see the blood underneath her. There was a man standing over her, and he told my dad if he didn’t give me to him, that would be his fate, too.

“My dad glanced at me then. It was fast, more like a flicker, but I knew he was telling me to run. I was frozen, though. He didn’t stop to make sure I did, immediately turning into his dragon. The other man did too, and they started fighting. My dad… he was many things, but he wasn’t a fighter. The fight didn’t last long at all, but even when it was over, and my dad was dead, I couldn’t make myself move,” she said, swallowing hard. “I was in shock. Just minutes before I’d been happy. We had a good life. I was a little lonely, but my parents loved me, and every day was full of laughter and happiness. And in the blink of an eye, all that was gone.

“The man changed back and caught sight of me. It was the cold, remorseless smile he gave me that finally got me moving, and I took off. I’m not sure if you remember this, or sensed it somehow, but all shifters have a special gift, something they’re good at. Mine is speed. I’m faster than anyone I’ve ever come across, human or shifter. Once I could move, I ran through the house and out the back door. He was never able to catch up.”

Wrapping his arms around her, he held her tightly, struggling to control his emotions as his heart bled for her. “Oh, sweetheart. God, I’m so sorry. Tell me you found Ian right after that.”

Laying her head on his shoulder, she shrugged. “About two months later. I’d done okay for myself up until then, but it had been a couple days since I’d eaten, and I got desperate. I was passing by some people eating outside, and not knowing Ian was a shifter, I snagged his lunch.” She laughed in remembrance. “I was so surprised when he caught up to me. I didn’t use my gift while I was in the city, and I was a little cocky as I darted away, using just a touch of shifter speed. He snagged me pretty quickly.”

“I’m glad he caught you,” he said, placing a kiss on the top of her head.

“I wasn’t. Not at first, anyway. I still don’t know what made him pause. I was dirty, smelly, and wearing nothing but rags. He was pissed when he first stopped me, but something made him hesitate for a moment, and then he snatched my sunglasses off my face. My dragon eyes were showing at that point. He was surprised, because despite how often we’re successfully hunted, a lot of shifters don’t know we exist anymore. Most think we’re extinct. He took me in and was kind to me. Despite only being a couple years older than me, he reminded me of my dad, and I was comfortable with him right from the start.”

“You said male dragons are assholes, but your dad sounds like he was a good man.”

“He absolutely was. He was the best. Male dragons are mostly entitled douchebags. They think they’re superior, and everyone around them is put on Earth to serve them. But my dad wasn’t like that. He was loving, kind, and gentle. He had a big heart. He insisted on helping others out, not wanting anyone to wait on him, like other dragons. He was an amazing man.”

A boom of thunder interrupted the conversation, and they both looked up. “Looks like we’re gonna get rained on. Let’s try to get back before it does. I don’t want you to get sick,” he said, getting up and holding a hand to her so he could pull her up. Unable to resist reeling her in for a kiss after she was standing, he turned to put stuff in the basket. She helped him, her lips quirking up as she shot him a glance.

“We don’t, you know. Get sick, I mean.”

His eyebrows rose. “I didn’t know that. You guys have a lot of advantages over us mere humans.”

Sobering, she helped him fold the blanket. “In some ways. But in others, being a more uncomplicated human sounds a thousand times better.”

Lifting the basket, Alex grabbed Cammie’s hand and held it tightly as they began walking back to the house. Remembering what she told him today, he knew she wasn’t wrong. It was no wonder she was so tough, so strong. She had to be to overcome a past like hers.