Later that day, even though the clouds and rain from earlier had miraculously dispersed, Jenny couldn’t shake the heavy confusion that surrounded her heart.

She didn’t hate Seaton. Having him gone even a little while made her realize how much she missed him.

He’d given her a ray of hope that kept her from completely losing it, but there were still too many unanswered questions, too many secrets that needed to be let out in the open.

Something big was happening here, and she wanted to know what it was.

She sighed as she looked out at the calm ocean waves, the partially clouded sunbeams glinting off their rolling motion, and felt a deep longing for Seaton to be beside her.

She missed Kai and Marina as well. They’d already started to feel like family. They hadn’t even said good-bye. Would they be back as well?

Her reverie was interrupted by the sounds of men chatting, and Jenny perked her head toward the noise from her place standing behind the bar.

Outside, a group of men were meandering toward the bar. Most of them had bottles in their hands, and the closer they got, the more she realized they were drunk.

Then as they strode in, she suddenly realized some of them were the men from the other day, the ones Marina had bodily removed from her bar. Jerks with nothing better to do than drink and make trouble for decent people.

And even though she wasn’t afraid of them, Jenny was keenly aware of the fact that Marina and her brothers weren’t here anymore. She was on her own once again.

“Hey, you, a round for me an’ my friends,” one man shouted toward her as they sloppily found seats for themselves, setting their half-finished beers on the table.

Part of her wanted to call the cops, but the last thing she needed right now was Drew’s involvement in her business. So instead, she pulled out a tray and filled several glasses from the tap, then brought it over to the table.

Everything seemed to be going normal until one of the men, his eyes yellow and bleary, looked up at her and his eyebrow raised in recognition.

“You’re that girl from the other day. Where’s your hot friend, the tall one?” he drawled.

“She has the day off,” Jenny lied, hoping to deescalate the sudden interest.

“Oh. Well, maybe you’d like to come hang out with us, then. It doesn’t look like you’re doing anything else right now,” he offered.

“No, thank you,” she said, turning on her heel to get back to the relative cover of the bar.

She heard the sound of chair legs squeaking as the man sitting next to her suddenly stood and blocked her path, leering down at her even though he stood only a few inches taller.

“Really, you should come. I think you’ll enjoy yourself,” he said, advancing on her and backing her closer to the table where she could sense the other men beginning to stand up from their chairs around her. “You don’t have much of a choice.”

“Not if I have any say in it,” a low voice muttered angrily, familiar yet seemingly from nowhere.

Suddenly, the man in front of her was lifted off his feet and tossed like a beanbag out of the wide doorway and onto the beach. Jenny watched in complete shock as he rolled several times, and then when she looked in front of her, Kai was suddenly there, standing where the man had just been.

“Kai! I… How…?” she stuttered.

“Sorry to surprise you. I’ll take care of this,” he said coolly and walked past her.

Jenny spun around as the other men jumped to their feet. But Kai was on them in an instant, shoving one so hard he tripped backward, out of the bar, then grabbing the other two by their shirts and dragging them like they weighed nothing out the door and onto the beach.

Jenny’s heart surged with emotion. So Kai hadn’t left with Marina and Seaton? Why was only he here? Had Seaton been lying about her meaning nothing?

“What are you doing here?” Jenny called out to Kai, unable to control the hammering in her heart from adrenaline, even though he was occupied at the moment.

The first man stood and threw a wild but fast fist at Kai. But Kai blocked it with his arm, then punched him across the jaw so hard it sounded like a wave crashing on the surf.

“Protecting you. Obviously,” he said, matter-of-fact.

“Why?”

“Because Seaton cares about you. And even if you are just a fragile human, whatever’s important to my brother is important to me,” Kai said, kicking one man down as he tripped getting up in the loose sand.

Behind him, one guy hefted a large piece of driftwood and ran at Kai with it lifted high above his head. Kai whirled around on him, grabbing the oversized stick and crushing it with his hand, then throwing an elbow into the guy’s gut, making him crumple onto the ground.

Just what was it that made Seaton and his siblings so unnaturally strong? Even as he made the drunken men fly around like rag dolls, Jenny couldn’t help but feel that Kai was still showing restraint in using his strength.

And more importantly, if Kai was here, where was Seaton now?

Jenny was about to open her mouth to tell Kai that it was enough—as much as he seemed to be enjoying himself roughhousing the ruffians—when she felt a hand over her mouth, yanking her backward off her feet.

Immediately, she struggled, but an arm grabbed her around her midsection, dragging her back toward the rear exit of the restaurant. She tried to scream, tried to break free, but the hands around her were unyielding, crushing.

“Shh, don’t make a sound or your friend over there is going to hear us,” Jenny heard Drew’s voice muttering. As small as Drew was compared to Seaton and his siblings, he was still much stronger than she was, and in a matter of seconds, they were out the back door in the parking lot.

She turned to see an old cop car right before she was tossed into the backseat and the door was slammed shut behind her. She immediately tried at the door, but it was locked, clearly intended to keep criminals from escaping.

“Hope you like it. An old buddy from the PD let me borrow it for a day. I told him I just wanted to take it for a little spin. Just like you,” Drew said, his voice muffled through the closed window of the car.

She was banging on the door of the car, hopeful Kai, anyone, would hear her, while Drew walked around the back of the car to the driver’s side, when she heard a loud crack, followed by the sound of something heavy slamming into the rear bumper. The car shook back and forth, and Jenny whirled around just in time to see a figure that looked a lot like Drew’s limp form rolling off the car and onto the ground, motionless.

Behind him, a dark figure that she couldn’t make out through the windshield stood for a moment, then came to her side of the car. But instead of the door opening, she heard an ear-splitting wrenching sound as the door was yanked entirely off the vehicle, leaving Jenny staring up at a person she’d never seen before.

“I can’t stand dishonorable men,” the stranger growled.

* * *

Seaton’s heart twisted as they waited inside the “airport,” a strange building where humans waited for giant metal objects with fake wings to transport them across the country.

Why Aegis didn’t just fly them himself, with his dragon wings and his cloaking ability, Seaton didn’t know.

All he knew was he wanted to get back to his mate. His dragon was pacing and threatening to go mad inside him.

He wanted to grab Aegis and strangle him, ditch him and run for his mate, but he didn’t like his chances against the emerald dragon. Not with his limited form.

“You need to calm down,” Marina said. “She’s going to be fine. Kai will protect her.”

“Kai doesn’t even like humans,” Seaton said, folding his arms and glaring darkly out at the cloud bursts over the sky.

“Yes, but he loves you. And deep down, I think he actually has come to care for Jenny also. As humans go, she’s a nice one.”

“She is. The best,” he said.

Marina let out a giggle. “You’re so smitten.”

“Of course I am. She’s my mate.”

Marina frowned and tossed her long, blond braid over one shoulder. “Do you want me to go back, too? I will.” She cast her eyes around, looking for Aegis. “I’m not scared of the big, green wolf.”

“Dragon,” Seaton muttered.

“Whatever,” Marina said. “I’m not afraid of him. Besides, if Opal really is alive and mated to him, he knows she’d kill him for hurting her friend.”

“You think it’s really possible they are mated?”

“They were childhood friends, as I understand it. But then he became a controlling asshole and chased her off. That was before he went dark.”

“Wonder what caused it,” he said, looking around, wondering where Aegis had gotten to.

Aegis appeared a moment later, holding what appeared to be a brown, twisted, slightly shiny piece of bread with little bits of salt on it. He took a bite and held it out to Seaton. “I’m sorry. Are you hungry?”

Seaton shook his head at the unexpected show of consideration. “No.”

“Don’t look so shocked,” Aegis said. “I’m not a monster.”

“Then why are you kidnapping us?” Marina asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

Aegis coughed and nearly dropped his twisty bread. “That’s what you think I’m doing?”

“You didn’t give us a choice,” Seaton said.

“Oh, hell,” Aegis said. “That’s just because you all were acting like I was leading you into a trap when I feel like I’m actually rescuing you. I mean, look at you. You’re actually working out here at a beach bar.”

“How else would we be?”

“Well, some of us were officially awakened from cryo-sleep. We had rules and resources, and…” He scratched the back of his head. “Anyway, I promise you. This isn’t kidnapping.” He took a bite of his twisty bread and shook his head. “Stop calling it twisty bread.” He held it out. “This is a pretzel.”

“Stop reading my mind,” Seaton snapped. “Stupid land dragons.”

“We aren’t that different, you know,” Aegis said. “Aside from the whole ‘living in the ocean’ thing.”

“We are not the same,” Seaton insisted grumpily.

“I know, I know,” Aegis said. “Sea dragons like to be different and all that, but really, we are similar. Though you sea dragons like to ignore it.”

“My tie is to the ocean,” Seaton said. “My powers are with the sea.”

“Yes, yes, but we know there is more to it, don’t we? Like it or not, you are one of us. We are both here to serve humans and shifters alike, both have incredible powers, and aren’t from this time.” He stuck out a hand. “We’re on the same team. I promise.”

Warily, Seaton put a hand out. He gasped when Aegis gripped his and pulled him in closer. Aegis blew something green into the air between them, and Seaton, in shock, inhaled it.

He stumbled back, feeling heady and dizzy. “What did you just do to me?”

“Just a little something that ensures you will tell me the truth. I wasn’t sure if it would work from a distance, and I couldn’t take any chances.”

“You bastard,” Marina grated out.

Aegis put up a hand, focusing on Seaton. “That girl in the restaurant, who is she?”

“Jenny,” Seaton said, feeling as though his mouth moved without his permission. The powers of the emerald dragon.

“Tell me exactly what she is to you,” Aegis said, folding his arms and cocking his hip lazily. “And don’t leave anything out.”

“Fine,” Seaton said, feeling his mouth force the words out. “She’s my mate. I’d do anything for her.”

Aegis glowered. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“I thought you were a villain,” Seaton grated out. He was starting to feel the heady feeling fade and cracked his knuckles in preparation for knocking the emerald dragon out.

“Well, I’m not. And for what it’s worth, if I’d known she was your mate, I would never have let you leave her.”

“You wouldn’t?” Seaton and Marina said at the same time, looking at Aegis in shock.

Aegis’s jaw dropped. “Is my reputation really that dastardly?” He rubbed the back of his head. “Well, anyway, getting dragons mated is a top objective of the oracle. It ensures their loyalty to humans after all.”

“They all mate humans?” Marina asked curiously.

“Not all,” Aegis said. “It’s a rule, but there are exceptions. Anyway…” He turned on his heel and started heading back the way they came, keeping a brisk pace. “We have to get back to your mate.”

“We do?”

“Yes,” Aegis said. “I might have been a jerk a few lifetimes ago, but I don’t believe in splitting mates up.”

“But what if she isn’t willing to come with me?” Seaton asked.

“I don’t know,” Aegis said. “You’re going to have to figure that out. Or plead with the oracle. I’m assuming this human doesn’t know what you are.”

“No,” Seaton said, shaking his head.

“Well, then you’re going to have to tell her, to make your mating official. That might unlock your form. The oracle might have sent out a spell that suppresses unmated dragons in case some unexpectedly awakened. As soon as we get back to your mate and brother and make sure everyone is safe, I’ll get in touch with the oracle to find out.”

“Thanks,” Seaton said, running to keep up with Aegis as they made for the exit. “But didn’t we return the car?”

Aegis practically cackled, stretching his arms over his head. “We don’t need it. We’re going to fly.”

“Then why didn’t we before?”

“Better not to risk it when we have another form of transportation. But you know, we have to hurry at this point. She could be in danger.”

“Why do you care about that now? Hasn’t she always been?”

“I let Kai stay with her,” Aegis said sharply. “If I had realized she was your mate, I would have taken more care.”

“So she doesn’t matter unless she’s his mate?” Marina asked with a scoff.

“No,” Aegis said, looking exasperated as he stopped for a second to face them. “That’s not it. It’s more that if she is your mate and someone picks up on it, that puts her in greater danger than if she was just some random human.” He threw his hands in the air. “I should have seen it sooner. I blame pregnancy brain.”

“You aren’t pregnant,” Marina said.

“Right, but worry over my mate’s pregnancy is completely flooding my brain,” he said, rubbing his temples.

“Let’s get back,” Seaton said, suddenly feeling that much more nervous about seeing Jenny. It felt like the trapped dragon inside him wouldn’t let him breathe until he saw his mate again and made sure she was safe.