Barty Winston seethed as Piper Linwood walked away from him.

Little American bitch thinks she’s something special. Too good to talk to me—that much is obvious.

But not for long. He’d made a deal with the devil tonight, and soon he’d be rich enough to take whatever he wanted, including her.

“Is that the woman?” a deep voice asked behind him. Barty jumped, startling a passing footman who barely avoided dropping his tray of empty champagne flutes before continuing on his way. Barty gave a short nod, afraid to look over his shoulder at the man lurking behind him.

Conrad Sinclair was a tall, imposing man of six foot three, with jet-black hair and eyes just as dark. But Barty never liked to look at him directly; there was something almost serpentine in the way Conrad never blinked, not even once. And there was something unnerving about a man in his thirties who behaved in such an old-fashioned way, yet he didn’t seem to be posing or pretending to be something he wasn’t. That was part of the reason why Barty was afraid of him. Nothing about him made sense.

It didn’t help that he was also one of the most powerful men in the country by virtue of his office as a member of the British Parliament. And if the rumors were true, soon he’d be the most powerful when he became the prime minister during the next election.

Ever since the jewels had been uncovered, Conrad had been keeping discreet tabs on their location and condition. He had donated a hefty sum to the museum to obtain a donor’s opportunity to see the exhibit privately and attend the auction and presale party.

“You did not tell me she was so beautiful.” Conrad stood beside him and placed a hand on Barty’s shoulder, forcing Barty to turn sideways to look at him.

After a panicked gulp, Barty nodded. “Y-yes, Ms. Linwood is very pretty. If you enjoy that sort of dumpy look.” Which he did, although he would’ve preferred her tall, leggy brunette friend instead. But she was clearly out of his league. Piper seemed more like an achievable conquest, which made her rejection sting all the more.

Conrad inhaled deeply, and his eyes seemed to redden in color, like blood mixed in oil.

“She’s pure…” The word escaped his lips in a low growl that sent shivers stabbing down Barty’s spine.

“Pure?” Barty’s gaze darted to Piper, who stood next to Mr. Thorne, the owner of the auction house, and a couple who were admiring a display of toadstones.

Conrad inhaled again and closed his eyes. “Yes. Untouched.”

“What? You mean you think she’s a…”

“A virgin.” Conrad’s eyes opened, and his smile was cold and almost vicious as he flashed white teeth. “And I do not think. I know.”

“Really?” Barty’s mouth fell open. Untouched. The thought made his cock harden in his slacks.

“I will take her, in addition to the jewels,” Conrad announced.

“What?” Barty sputtered. “But I—”

“She will be mine if you wish to receive the money I promised you.” Conrad continued to watch Piper, who was smiling and then laughing at something the couple she was with had said. The sound was light and sweet. Barty scowled. He’d wanted her far longer than Conrad. But there was no way he could go against the man’s wishes. His very tone conveyed a steadfast certainty of this being his right.

“The auction takes place in three days. I suggest we move up our date to tomorrow evening,” Barty said. “Both Piper and her colleague will have access to the jewels while they are here in the auction house. They plan to do some last-minute examinations.”

Conrad twisted a thick gold-banded signet ring on his pinky finger as he gazed hungrily at Piper.

“Tomorrow is acceptable. I will send men to collect the jewels and the girl. Once I have them, you will receive payment.” Conrad grabbed a champagne glass from a young footman who’d paused beside them. The moment Conrad had his glass, the young man darted away.

“What do you plan to do with Ms. Linwood…after?” Barty held his breath.

Conrad’s dark chuckle made Barty’s skin crawl. “After? I suppose if there is anything left, I could give her to you.”

Barty wasn’t interested in taking a man’s seconds, but Piper was attractive enough that he would take what he could get. Conrad shot him a quick imperious glance.

“Have everything ready by tomorrow night. Do not disappoint me.”

Barty nodded. “Consider it done, Mr. Sinclair.”

Without another glance, Conrad stalked from the room. People scrambled out of his way instinctively. Barty snatched a champagne glass of his own and hastily downed the fizzy liquid. He knew how they felt.

There was something scary as hell about Conrad Sinclair. Maybe he wouldn’t worry about getting Piper afterward. Whatever Conrad wanted to do with her was his business. With a sigh, he smoothed his shirt and tie with shaky hands and headed toward the table of appetizers, putting as much distance between himself and Piper Linwood as possible.

* * *

Conrad Sinclair stepped into his private car waiting outside the Thorne Auction House, his nostrils still filled with the scent of Piper Linwood. A virgin, of childbearing age no less. It was so rare to find them in these modern days. Hundreds of years ago, there had been an abundance of sweet-smelling creatures he could pluck like ripe fruit, but now? It was almost impossible.

Conrad’s skin burned at the thought of stripping the woman’s clothes and shoving her onto her back so he could take her. He would enjoy her cries of pain and the feel of her nails clawing at him. He loved it when females fought him. He was a male dragon, after all, and enjoyed being dominant in bed and in life. Dragons did not breed with weak creatures. He would prefer a dragoness, of course, but they were increasingly rare and more resistant to the advances of dragon males than ever.

He watched the streets with their bright flashing lights and immense video advertisements and growled. The modern age was a dreadful thing. A hint of smoke escaped his nostrils as his body responded to his mood. His dragon was just beneath his skin, clawing to get out. It’d been two weeks since he’d allowed himself the luxury of changing form and taking to the air.

The dangers were too great here, so close to London. The Brotherhood of the Blood Moon had a large hub in London. The last thing Conrad wanted was to be on their radar. He’d worked too hard to erase the evidence of his family lineage, as the last of the Sinclair dragons. The Brotherhood shouldn’t know he was a dragon, which meant that if his plans went accordingly, when he became prime minister they would never see the threat coming. But he couldn’t resist going after the jewels. He would just have to risk being recognized by the Brotherhood as a dragon if they came sniffing around. It would be worth it, though, to have the Cheapside hoard in his possession.

He needed those jewels. Both for practical reasons and out of spite. They had once belonged to Mikhail Barinov, given in exchange for a treaty with the Belishaws. It was because of Mikhail that he had been robbed of the power that should have been his.

And it had gone so well for so long. Being immortal, dragons could be patient creatures. He thought nothing of spending a decade slowly becoming a trusted assistant and confidant to the man who would someday be the queen’s court magician, John Dee. Teaching him a little of his people—not much, but enough to put him on the right paths of investigation.

He had planned to use the queen to rid himself of his greatest rivals at the time, the Belishaws. Dee learned much of the dragons’ nature, including what plants and minerals could quiet their inner beast, to the point of making as them weak and vulnerable as any human. Finding a potion to bring out the words of truth in his kind had been an unexpected but not unwelcome bonus.

Conrad knew that once he used Dee to poison Elizabeth against the Belishaws, those potions would ensure their destruction and secure his place and power over all of England, queen or no queen.

Then Mikhail Barinov had arrived and ruined everything. As soon as he had begun making secret overtures to Elizabeth, Conrad knew his plans were in peril. If Mikhail were to bond with her, claim her as his true mate, she would never turn on the Belishaws. In the end, Conrad had not only been forced to speed up his plans, but to change his target as well.

It had worked well enough. Barinov had been locked up in a dungeon, kept weak and helpless, and his treasures taken. But then Conrad had to wait years before he could move on the Belishaws. Too soon and he risked exposure. Time. He had all the time in the world.

Or so he’d thought.

He buried the memories of the past deep, ignoring the flare of his dragon’s rage.

“Soon we will have all that we are owed. Soon,” he promised the beast pacing inside him.

I trusted her, that human witch, but she betrayed me. I will have the hoard at last and will stand laughing over her tomb.

He closed his eyes, imagining the gleam of the rubies in the firelight of his treasure room and the sweet scent of a virgin in his bed.

Some days it was good to be a dragon.

* * *

Mikhail waited in the shadows of the mews outside Thorne Auction House, counting each heartbeat as he watched the lights in the windows being extinguished one by one. It reminded him of times long ago, with dark nights and firelight, eagerly waiting for any hint that Elizabeth wished to see him.

I was such a fool then to wait for a queen’s command. For one who knew so little of lovemaking, the Virgin Queen had known exactly how to master and manipulate men. But that was long ago, centuries away from this moment and the woman he wanted to see now.

Piper Linwood. His true mate. The moment he’d kissed her, he’d caught flickering visions of a little girl chasing a fat white rabbit in a backyard before stopping to pick up some brightly colored eggs. The vision had changed to a young woman bent over a desk, staring at gems gleaming on a black velvet cloth, her focus intense as she studied them.

A dragon knew his true mate by the bonding that began with a first kiss. Invisible threads would slowly bind his heart and hers together over time, until they could share thoughts and emotions almost telepathically. But it all started with a shared memory during a kiss.

When he’d recognized Elizabeth as his true mate, he’d thought that losing her would mean he’d never get a second chance. But fate had sent him Piper. His dragon was hesitant, though, and didn’t want to risk mating a woman if she would only betray him as Elizabeth had. It would kill him. He tried to send encouraging thoughts to his dragon.

She’s a virgin. Something a dragon couldn’t resist, it was like his own personal brand of drug. Her scent had haunted him from the moment he’d met her, and he couldn’t resist luring her to the firelight earlier tonight. It was an old trick his father had once spoken of. A male dragon could use a fire’s glow to draw a female dragoness to him. She wouldn’t be able to resist the gleam, crackle, and spark. And once she was close, a kiss to claim and keep her. And it had worked with Piper, though not in the same way.

He smiled at the memory of glimpsing her at the top of the stairs, wearing that beautiful red gown. The dress had demanded to be touched, as did her body. The flush in her cheeks, the lips parted in surprise, and those eyes, an ever-changing blue-gray that fascinated him. Tonight he’d watch them change like a gem held up to candlelight, watching shadows darken and transform the facets of the jewel.

It had been impossible not to lure her closer, separate her from the crowd, and draw her into a dark world of hot, slow kisses and exploring hands. It had taken every ounce of restraint he possessed to go slow and simply taste her lips tonight. She had tasted like perfection, a sinfully ripe fruit that made him dizzy.

Now that he’d had a chance to kiss her and had seen the answering gleam in her eyes, he wasn’t going to back down. She was his mate, and he would find a way to claim her…once he had stolen back his jewels.

She agreed to wait for me. He didn’t plan to let her get cold feet, not when everything between them had burned hot enough to set the room ablaze.

The last light in the auction house went dark, and Mikhail slunk along the mews until he reached the back door that led to the kitchens. Belishaw had mesmerized the guards earlier that evening. As a longtime acquaintance of Thorne’s, he had the run of the auction house and had used the last hour before the party ended to take care of the security detail. They all manned their posts, but they wouldn’t see Mikhail or anything else unless he wished it.

A dragon’s ability to mesmerize could be very useful.

He retrieved an old set of picks from his pocket and crouched by the keyhole. He made quick work of the lock and slipped inside. The alarm beeped his entry, and he turned to the small white keypad and entered the code a helpful female servant had provided him. It was always amusing to see a female lose her senses when a dragon turned on his charm. At least he was not as rusty in his ability to seduce as Belishaw had led him to believe.

Mikhail moved silently through the house. She had to be upstairs, and once he had her under his command, he’d take the jewels. His heart beat wildly as he eased open the first few doors on the upper landing and checked. No Piper.

The last door opened with a creak, and every muscle in him tensed. After a moment he pulled the door all the way open and froze. In the center of a large four-poster bed, he saw Piper. She was stretched out on her side, her curves on full display. The way her dress draped down her hips and her shapely legs peeked out from the skirts made Mikhail swallow down a sudden flare of desire.

No. Not yet…

Her scent was intoxicating. He growled as the dragon prowled and paced beneath his skin. Now came the hard part. He knew she would not help him willingly. She was a woman with honor, and she wasn’t going to like what he planned to do next.

I am a bastard, but those jewels are rightfully mine, and I do not have the time to explain.

The wood floor creaked and groaned beneath his feet the moment he reached the bed. Piper stirred. Her long dark brown lashes fluttered up. Those pale blue eyes widened, and she tensed as she saw him, her mouth open in a silent fit of surprise. He leaned over and clapped a hand over her mouth. She fell flat on the bed, a muffled cry vibrating beneath his hand.

“Easy, love. I said I would be back, didn’t I? I don’t wish to hurt you. But you will listen, yes?”

Her eyes locked on his, and she gave a jerky nod. The scent of fear rolled off her, and he cursed silently to himself. He didn’t want to do this, but he didn’t have any options. It was the only way he could get to the jewels before they were sold.

“You’re going to help me, aren’t you?” he asked. The look of confusion in Piper’s eyes told him she still didn’t understand why he was here.

He continued to lean over her on the bed, his hand on her mouth. “You have access to the jewels?”

A tiny, shaky nod.

“Good. Now listen to me carefully.” He studied her eyes and noticed the lessening of trembling in her body as his mesmerizing gaze took hold. Her pupils dilated, and she was almost glassy-eyed.

“I am going to remove my hand. You will not scream, and you will not be afraid. You are going to help me open the safe, and we’re going to take the jewels to their rightful home.” He carefully pulled his hand away. Piper released a soft gasping breath but didn’t scream.

“Now.” He reached for her, and she tensed. He growled in frustration and gripped her arm gently as he pulled her off the bed.

“You won’t hurt me?” she whispered, still in a daze.

Mikhail cupped her chin and gazed down at her. “I will never hurt you. You have no reason to fear me and every reason to help me. Do you understand?” She had no reason to fear him, but the same couldn’t be said of the consequences of their actions. While he didn’t like making her an accomplice, he had to use her. She knew how to get into the safe. But his plan had accounted for all that—there would be no record of her helping him once this was all over.

She was barefoot, which was a good thing, and he nudged her ahead of him, keeping hold of her arm. If she got too far away from him, he risked losing control over her. Free will was important between mates, and a dragon’s biology made it impossible for them to coerce their potential mates for long.

“Take me to the jewels.” He had arranged for Belishaw to wait in the mews with a vehicle. Once Mikhail was ready, he would load the jewels inside the vehicle. Piper walked slowly ahead of him, and he nudged her lower back with his other hand.

“Quickly, love.”

She jerked forward, and they returned downstairs to the ballroom. The jewels had been collected from the display cases, which now sat empty.

“This way. They were secured in the vault after the last guest left.” Piper took him to a small door built into the wall. She released a hidden latch, and the door swung open, revealing a tiny reinforced room that contained a large vault built into the back wall. She glanced at him, biting her lip, and he nodded. Already his hold over her seemed to be fading, but he would wait to use it again if he could.

“Open it.”

With shaking hands, she entered the combination on an electronic keypad. There was a series of beeps and clicks, and then the vault made a loud hiss. Piper cranked the metal wheel at the door’s center, and the door swung open. A light turned on, revealing the collection of jewels tucked safely away in travel boxes. The sight filled Mikhail’s heart with joy.

At last.

Pearls, opals, emeralds, rubies, amethysts, gold—it was all there. The tightness in his chest that had lasted for nearly five hundred years started to loosen. He was so close to bringing the jewels home and reuniting with his family.

“Help me carry the boxes,” he urged Piper with a jerk of his head.

She stiffened, and her lips parted as though to protest. Mikhail curled his fingers around the back of her neck, holding her still, not hurting her, but more in the way a male dragon would handle a rebellious drakeling as he reminded her who was in charge.

“Piper, now is not the time to test me,” he warned.

“Why do I feel so strange?” she asked quietly. “It’s like you’re making me help you, but…”

Mikhail didn’t answer her. Instead he met her gaze and worked his will into her again, reinforcing the belief that they were returning the jewels back to where they belonged. Which was true, for him at least.

He didn’t miss the flash of anger in her eyes before they softened with obedience. That was also good. She was strong enough to fight his powers. That was a quality worth admiring in a female. His mother, gods bless her, had been both beautiful and fierce, and Mikhail had always longed for a female of his own with such qualities.

Piper lifted a box labeled “Emeralds” and waited while he grabbed a box of topaz gems. Then he nodded at the door.

“Go to the kitchens and exit through the door that leads to the mews. There will be a Range Rover waiting for us.”

“Okay.”

They were able to move the entire cache in less than ten minutes. When Piper moved to take the final box, Mikhail stopped her.

“Leave it. Those who found the treasure have done me a great service. That is their reward.” It was a decent-sized box, holding perhaps a tenth of the trove, but she had no reason to disobey. “Now, lock the vault and come with me.”

Piper did as he commanded and followed him to back to the kitchens. The door was open, and he could see the car was ready. The back door behind the driver’s side was already open. Belishaw slipped out the back door of the auction house.

“Cameras are still on loop, and the guards are still at their posts.”

“Mr. Belishaw? What are you doing here…?” Piper stared at him, then at Mikhail as though pieces were falling into place. “You planned this together, didn’t you? The guards, the cameras…” Her accusing tone stung him because it was true. They’d planned this quite carefully, and if she didn’t get in the car soon, she would ruin his plans.

“We did. Now, get inside. You’re helping take the jewels to their rightful home, remember? This is the right thing to do, Piper.” He gestured to the car. Belishaw walked around to the driver’s side door and climbed in.

Piper froze, her eyes full of fear. “But—”

“Get in or I will make you. You must come with me now.” He wasn’t going to leave her here. She was his true mate, and he wouldn’t leave her behind. If he could convince her the jewels were rightfully his, she just might lose her fear of him and realize she wanted him.

That was a big if, however, because from the look in her eyes right now, the ones that burned with resistance, he knew that she didn’t trust him. It was going to be a hard battle to win her over.

“Please, Mikhail, just let me go. I won’t tell anyone.” Her voice broke, and it crushed something soft and unprotected inside his heart. He didn’t want her to cry or beg, didn’t want to see her afraid of him. But he needed her to come with him. A true mate was sacred, a gift from the gods, and he wasn’t going to let her go, not after living nearly two thousand years without her.

“Piper, I swore I wouldn’t hurt you, but you need to listen to me. You cannot stay here. You helped steal the jewels. Come with me, and I will take you somewhere safe.”

She shook her head and took a step back from him. It was the only warning he was going to get. She started to turn, ready to run. Mikhail lunged for her, grabbing her waist and hauling her back against his body, clamping a hand over her mouth again. He didn’t want to entrance her again if he could help it.

Her teeth sank into his fingers, but he swallowed down a cry of pain as he carried her back to the vehicle. Mikhail shoved Piper into the back seat of the Range Rover and followed her. She jabbed an elbow into his face, catching his jaw. Pain radiated from the point of impact, but he shook it off and pushed her flat on her back. Then he snatched her wrists, pinning them against the leather upholstery.

Piper screeched and struggled but wasn’t able to budge.

“Need help?” Belishaw chuckled as he glanced at them struggling in the back seat. “I can mesmerize her for you if you are tired of playing the villain.”

Mikhail let out a soft hiss of warning. “Just drive!”

The car sped into the night. Mikhail focused on keeping his little human female captive. It wasn’t going to be easy. Piper was a fighter.