She was the alpha of the dragon shifters. She was used to others following her every order.

This man didn’t care.

Perhaps he didn’t know who she was?

Or maybe it was her weakened state that had made her say it. “Please,” she forced out.

“There, Your Royal Kittenness, that wasn’t so difficult, was it?”

He was laughing at her. The annoying man.

“All I remember is being hit by the Elysian’s telekinetic energy, crashing into the platform of the oil rig, and blacking out.” She swallowed. “Hope and Aaron…I remember they helped me, then...nothing.”

He placed his fingertips together in front of him. “You were in a bad state when they brought you here. Your body healed fast thanks to your shifter healing powers.” He rubbed the back of his neck, his movements fitful. “It took you a little longer to wake up from the coma.”

He’d been afraid for her?

Who was this man? He had none of the rough beauty of the dragon shifter males or the lithe grace of wolf shifters.

No, this shifter was more, much more. He was big and so sexy. Charisma clung to his every pore. The whiff of his dominance weighed heavy on her chest. It surrounded her, poured over her, and sunk into her skin. She wanted to rip off her clothes and roll around in his scent.

What the—?

The thought sent a shudder of liquid heat to her core. Eve was shocked to find she was wet.

She’d just woken up from a coma. Thanks to her shifter healing, she was regaining her strength by the second. It didn’t explain why her skin was tingling. There was a fluttering in her stomach. She dug her heels into the mattress.

She wanted this shifter. To throw her arms around him, bury her face in his chest, and burrow into him.

He’d keep her safe.

Where had that thought come from? She was the alpha. She protected people. She didn’t look to anyone else to take care of her.

Eve hugged her arms around her waist. “Hope. How is she?”

The shifters lips widened in a genuine smile. His eyes sparkled. “Last I saw, she’s very much mated to Aaron. You saved her life.”

For a second she was envious of the affection she sensed he felt for her sister. “Aaron’s fine?”

Those gorgeous lips folded into a smirk. “I hear no complaints from him, not unless you count that smug look that comes from—”

“—being recently mated,” she finished his words.

“Not big on mating bonds?” He angled his head.

“When you’re alpha of the dragon shifters and are meant to bond only with another dragon, it makes the idea of a mating bond irrelevant.” She hadn’t meant to reveal that.

But the way she was reacting to this man...it made her want to warn him off.

“So, what if you wanted someone who was not a dragon for a mate?” He watched unblinking...waiting for her answer?

“The psychic impact of mating with a dragon can only be borne by another dragon.” She cut the air with her hand. “If I were to mate with anyone else it would mean their eventual death.”

His jaw firmed. “Hope and Aaron—”

“—got lucky. Aaron’s an Ascendant, an immortal warrior. The rules don’t apply to them.” She didn’t need to spell out that Cain was a lion shifter.

“Is that a challenge?” His nostrils flared; his body went still.

There was no mistaking he was a cat. He’d stalk and wait and jump when his victim least suspected it.

The thought sent a flush of liquid desire shimmering over her skin.

Had she revealed more than she’d intended to?

She’d faced off challenges to become alpha of her clan, been in complex inter-species negotiations, yet a few minutes with this man had thrown her off-kilter.

She rubbed her forehead, even as a trembling shook her body.

“You’re cold?” His eyebrows furrowed.

“I’m n-never cold.” She forced the words through chattering teeth. “Not as long as my dragon is alive.”

She stopped, her body going still. Dropping into herself, she reached for that violet flame that was her dragon.

Where her dragon’s fire had burned bright, there was a pale lavender stain. “My dragon...she... I can’t find or feel my dragon.” She gripped the front of his shirt. “It’s as if my dragon’s asleep, she’s...”

“Still in a coma?”

A man glided into the room. He had a smooth gait that made it seem like his joints had been well-oiled. A white coat marked him out as a doctor.

She scented a whisper of dry ice, not unpleasant. Just different. So the Council had vampires on their staff, too.

“Dr. Vance Rainer at your service.” He dropped into the only other chair in the room. “How are you feeling?” His eyes crinkled at the corners.

“Like all my bones were broken and knitted back together.” She swallowed down the cold feeling that had taken ahold of her chest.

Her dragon had never gone quiet on her, not like this.

Vance chuckled.

“Thank you for saving my life, Doc.” She pulled the sleeve of her hospital gown over her wrists.

Cain shot a glance at her.

Yeah, she could be charming. She had to keep the relations good between the dragon shifters and the Council. She’d never forget the responsibility she had toward her people.

Having checked her vitals, Vance drummed his fingers on his knees. “You’re almost fully recovered.”

“I can’t feel my dragon…” Her voice tapered off.

“You’ve been through a lot. You need a little more rest.” Vance tapped his heel on the floor.

Right. Eve gnawed at her lower lip.

Cain balanced his elbows on the arms of his chair. “Perhaps your dragon doesn’t want to show herself?”

She thrust out her chin. “You suggesting my dragon is hiding on purpose?” Her left eyebrow throbbed as it always did when she was close to losing her temper.

“The physical and the emotional are more connected than you think.” Cain stretched out, his stance relaxed. He crossed an ankle over the other knee, twirling his foot around in circles.

“Oh, yeah? Is that your professional opinion?” Violet clashed with amber.

The tension in the room ratcheted up.

“Ah, I’d tend to agree.”

Neither acknowledged Vance.

The vampire rose to his feet. “Don’t mind me, then. I’ll leave you two to figure this out.” He headed for the door.

It wasn’t like her to be this impolite. She should have asked the doc to weigh in. But the lion shifter was really beginning to get under her skin.

“The Elysian hurt my body, he didn’t mess with my emotions.” Her voice came out in a snarl. “Besides, you heard the doc. I’m fully recovered.”

“Perhaps you should wait until you are back on your feet before you throw your royal weight around?” He smirked.

That’s when she lost it.

Heaving off the covers, she swung her legs over the side of the bed. Ignoring the twinges of unused muscles, she pushed herself to her feet.

“What are you doing?” He pinched his lips together.

Was that a hint of worry in his voice? A warm feeling spurted inside. She paid it no attention.

“What does it look like?” She gritted her teeth. “I’m trying to walk.” She put her weight on her feet. Her legs held. She took a step forward. Her thigh muscles twitched. She ignored it.

If she could just keep going and make it to the door on her own, he’d see she was fine. He’d leave and take that delectable, sculpted chest of his with him, which was driving her crazy with wanting to touch him.

The next second, the floor rushed up to meet her.

She flung out her hand, expecting the floor. She hit flesh that was almost as hard.

The sensuous scent of parched desert after the first rain sent goosebumps skittering over her skin.

Placing an arm around her shoulders, the other below her knees, he lifted her.

Her palms had somehow found their way up against the front of his shirt. Her palm slid over the hard planes she’d admired. An answering twinge of lust tugged her belly.

Heat from his skin poured over her, surrounded her, drawing her in closer. Her throat went dry.

With a last ounce of energy, she pushed. “Put me down.”

His eyes narrowed. This close, she could see that the flares in them were more silver than gold.

He walked to the bed. Lowered her to the mattress.

As he withdrew his arm from beneath her shoulders, his fingers touched the nape of her neck.

Sizzle.

Desire pulsed, firing up her nerves.

What would it be like to have those hands on her? Would he be rough or gentle as he slid his fingers over her waist and down toward where desire pooled between her legs?

Her nipples insisted on pebbling. She hated it when her body betrayed her like that.

His nostrils flared. Dense heat spooled off his chest, slamming into her.

Her heart thudded.

His touch lingered on the curve of her waist. The cloth whispered over her thighs, sending pinpricks of awareness dancing across her skin.

His head lowered.

Her eyelids fluttered down. How would his lips feel against hers?

There was a murmur of air over her skin. Reaching for the cover, he lifted it up and around her shoulders.

What the fuck? Her eyes popped open.

His lips twisted in a smirk. “Didn’t want you getting cold, Your Royal Kittenness.”

He knew the effect he was having on her.

Her fists curled. “Am not a cat.”

He tucked a strand of hair that had fallen over her forehead behind her ears. “You sure hiss like one.”

She caught his wrist, tightening her hold on him.

He didn’t wince.

Sure, she was still recovering, yet she knew she was strong. The dragon shifters she’d met in the past hadn’t been able to face her power.

This lion was more dominant than them.

He ran his thumb over her knuckles, sending little shivers of awareness racing down her skin.

“Not fair.” She pulled her hand out of his hold.

“Don’t expect me to play by the rules.” He bared his teeth, the predator in him peering out of his eyes.

A pulse of excitement tugged her belly.

She snuggled into the mattress, thrusting her shoulders toward him. She wanted to rub herself against his skin, like the cat he accused her of being.

Something inside her sparked. That pale lavender blush of her dragon shifted. “My dragon.” She swallowed. “She stirred.”

His head tipped back, and a grin spread over his face, lighting up his eyes and transforming those rough features.

He was gorgeous.

Was her dragon reacting to his nearness?

Reaching up, she scraped her nails over his unshaven jaw. The rough whiskers scratched her skin.

The pulse between her legs throbbed.

Her dragon moved toward the source of heat that bled into her veins from him. How was that possible? They weren’t connected on the psychic plane. Are we?

She dropped her hand, reining in her dragon at the same time.

His jaw tightened. He’d sensed her withdrawal, then, which was crazy. How could this man be tuned in to her on such an intimate level?

A vein throbbed to life at his temple. “You’re pushing yourself.” His tone deepened.

She raised her chin. “I am a dragon shifter. I should be healed and flying by now.”

“You need to be patient, kitten.”

She didn’t want to be patient. She wanted to throw him on the floor, jump on him, and have him slam into her.

Fuck. This was insane. Maybe being in a coma had left her starved of human contact. That’s why she was reacting like a sex-starved teenager.

She should thank him for watching over her, for being there for her. But if her dragon continued to act in such an erratic manner around him, she wouldn’t be able to control it. It would insist on bonding with him. She would only put his life in danger.

Best she made him hate her and let him go before either of them acted on the sparks simmering between them.

She covered her mouth and pretended to yawn. “I think you need to leave, cat.” Her heartbeat sped up.

She was good at lying, wasn’t she? She could tell him to walk away, no matter how much her body insisted otherwise.

He was a proud dominant male. If she insulted his ego, there was no way he would stay.

She stretched. Ran a finger down his cheek. “You have your appeal if I went in for the rough-and-tumble kind of man. Perhaps even as an experiment if I wanted to find out what it would be like to sleep with someone the wrong side of the tracks.”

His nostrils flared.

Her stomach churned, bile rising up. She bit her lips to stop herself from being sick.

Say it, get it out, make him hate you so he’ll never want to be with you again. “Dragons are the superior of all the species. I am grateful for what you did but I am not going to sleep with you.”

His eyes shuttered. When he opened them, the amber flares were gone, replaced by a brown that was shorn of any feeling.

She winced.

Rising to his feet, he stalked out.

The snick of the door shutting reached her.

Her shoulders drooped. She’d done the right thing. So why did it feel like her heart was shattering in half?