Sawyer was unsure what to do with all the newfound attention surrounding her. In part, she was fascinated by the endless supply of house staff refilling her iced tea, fluffing her pillows, and standing by at her beck and call. As she took in the breathtaking view from her spot on the sofa, overlooking Gardiner’s Bay, she wondered if she wasn’t caught up in some never-ending dreamscape.

Or is this a nightmare?

It was hard to classify it as either, truthfully.

Her surroundings were beyond anything she could have imagined. No amount of novel reading or movie watching had accounted for the fairy tale feeling that enveloped her as she marinated in the guest house of Vander’s summer house.

The goddamn summer house has its own house.

That wasn’t all the ivy-covered estate boasted. There were two pools, one indoor, one out, a sauna, two hot tubs, and a jacuzzi in every bathroom. Vander didn’t believe in powder rooms, apparently. There were twelve bedrooms and two kitchens in the main house, three bedrooms in the guest house, and she had overheard a staff member claiming another cottage somewhere in an English maze.

Of course, Sawyer had little opportunity to explore, her swollen ankle keeping her from hobbling very far. She ventured from her spot on the cream-colored sofa to a lounge chair to a patio chair with the borrowed laptop Vander had given her to investigate what she could without arousing Anders’ suspicion.

What would he say if he found out I was investigating the whereabouts of dragons? she wondered. The man had more than enough on his mind without her adding to his stress, and she suspected that Vander purposely set her up in the guest house and him in the main house for that reason; she didn’t want their paths crossing any more than necessary.

That didn’t stop Anders from coming to see her at every opportunity, though, and more nights than not, he stayed entangled with her on the cool Egyptian cotton sheets, talking to her until the wee hours of the morning. Perhaps it was the fire that had solidified whatever strange bond had drawn them together, but from the time they got to the Hamptons with Vander, it was as if they had known one another for eons.

Sawyer felt no trace of the unease she had first felt when she and Vander had met Anders in the airport, nor did she feel out of place among the splendor of her location. Maybe it was because it was only the three of them, and no one was around to judge or comment on her improper upbringing or slightly crooked eyetooth.

She found herself telling Anders about the traumas of her childhood, and for some reason, after she said everything aloud, she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders, like she had been waiting for someone to actually listen for once in her life. Anders opened up to her about his busy life and inability to form long-lasting relationships because no one really understood the real him.

They shared a bond, unexplainable but deep. Whatever the reason for it, in the tranquility of the guest house, over the next week, their connection only seemed to grow. Some nights, after they had made love, she even considered telling him about the dragons.

“You better not mention it to him,” Vander warned her. “Anders Williams is a man of fact, not fantasy. If you start talking to him about dragons, he’ll think you’re insane.”

“Of course I’m not going to say anything to him!” Sawyer protested. “I know the rules of The Order!”

“You wouldn’t be the first person to break those rules, Sawyer, but I can tell you this: in the history of The Order, bringing outsiders in has only served to be detrimental.”

“All of us were outsiders once,” she reminded him, exasperated with his smug attitude. “And how do you know so much about the history of The Order?”

He stared at her, cocking his head slightly. “You haven’t figured it out, have you?”

“Figured what out?” She tried to keep the annoyance from her voice, Vander’s need for drama beginning to grate on her nerves. If it wasn’t for Anders needing to stay, she would have gone back to Nashville already, at least for a few days. She would never admit it to anyone, but she was starting to miss J.J.

“I started The Order over forty years ago.”

The revelation was surprising to hear, and Sawyer gaped at him slightly.

“Forty years ago?” she choked. “In forty years, you’ve caught one dragon. I’ve caught one dragon? Why didn’t you give up decades ago?”

A funny smile touched Vander’s pale lips, and he blinked before responding. “We didn’t start as an organization to hunt dragons,” he replied quietly. “We started working together to find them.”

It was Sawyer’s turn to blink. “What’s the difference?” she asked.

Vander cleared his throat and looked down. “Because in the beginning, my colleague and I started The Order to find his missing weyr.”

Sawyer’s mouth parted, but no sound immediately fell from her lips. “Y-y-you worked with a dragon?”

Vander nodded slowly. “He and I were very good friends,” he said, a glint in his eye telling Sawyer that whoever it was, he was more than just friends with his partner from before.

“What happened? What made you turn against him?”

“He turned on me,” Vander sighed. “Tried to kill me one night. Thankfully, my guards managed to fend him off, and he flew away. That was when I realized that they were dangerous and needed to be stopped, not friends who could live among us. You saw for yourself.”

Sawyer shuddered. “Why did he turn on you if you were lo— such good friends?” she asked curiously. “Did you have a fight?”

“I have no idea what happened. It was like a switch flipped in him. Honestly, I don’t think he can control it.”

“How many does he say are out there?”

Vander shrugged. “If he knew for certain, he never told me,” he sighed. “But Hemming had a way of secrecy about him. I suspect they all do. I know there were six in his weyr, but you killed one.”

“So there’s at least five more out there! Hemming and four more at minimum!” Sawyer cried. “Why haven’t you told the rest of The Order about them?”

“There are probably far more than that,” Vander murmured.

“How? Why do you say that?” Sawyer asked.

“What I am going to tell you now must stay between us. If it gets out, it will cause mass panic among the mortals.”

“What?” she demanded. “Tell me!”

“There is a sorceress named Cerys who can convert some mortals into dragons.”

Sawyer gaped at him, her jaw almost to her chest. Abruptly, she burst into laughter.

“Oh, come on!” she snapped. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you smoking opium or some shit?”

“I’m afraid not, Sawyer.”

“So you’re telling me there’s a witch who goes around tapping people with her magic wand and they become dragons?” The mere thought of it was ridiculous.

“Some people,” Vander corrected. “It doesn’t work for all people. They need to carry a very special gene.”

“And that would be the dragon gene? What number is that one? I keep forgetting from biology class.”

“You can mock me all you want, Sawyer, but you have to admit, two years ago, you wouldn’t have even believed that dragons existed. The gene is that of royalty, and that is why only certain people have ever become immortal. Have you ever stopped to think how they came to exist in the first place?”

“Of course I have,” Sawyer said. “I always assumed they were…” She stopped speaking, her face flushing as she realized how ridiculous her theory sounded when said aloud.

“What? That they were mutants of sorts?”

“No…”

“What then?”

“I thought they were from another planet.”

“Oh, I see,” Vander said. “So you think that being alien makes more sense than being cursed.”

“I can’t even believe we’re having this discussion.”

“What are you guys talking about?” Anders asked, strolling into the kitchen and grabbing for an apple.

“Nothing!” they chorused, spinning to part in opposite directions.

But that conversation had gotten Sawyer thinking, the wheels turning into her head about the origins of the dragons. If she could find out where they had come from, she could find out what they wanted and hopefully how many there were.

She was faced with two grueling tasks: trying to find the link between the arsons in New York City, and attempting to find out where the dragons had come from.

It’s a good thing I’ve got nothing but time on my hands, she thought.

“Are you on the computer again?” Anders asked teasingly. “You’re supposed to be out here enjoying the sun, not straining your eyes.”

“I’m just catching up on some classes while I have the chance,” Sawyer lied, closing her laptop to glance up at him through her dark sunglasses.

“I guess you’ll be heading back to Nashville soon,” he said, perching on the edge of the lounger to place his hands on her bare calves, his fingertips gently tracing the curves.

“Eventually,” she replied, trying to sound nonchalant, but the truth was, she wasn’t sure she ever wanted to leave New York again. Except to go get J.J. “Anyway, you’ll be back to jet-setting all over the world once this matter is settled with the police and fire inspectors.”

“That will take some time. In the interim, my partners are handling the influx.”

“Where are David and Connor and the rest of the house staff staying?” she asked, slipping the glasses off her face to peer at him speculatively. “I can’t believe I didn’t think to ask before.”

Anders chuckled. “I’m surprised you asked at all. Most women wouldn’t give a rat’s ass what happened to them. I’ve put them up in suites at the Mercer until we can find a new place to call home. I might bring them to my Connecticut house in the meantime, but I haven’t decided yet. I’m just waiting for things to settle a little bit.”

Sawyer tilted her head slightly, a coquettish smile on her lips.

“It’s not so bad here, is it?” she asked softly, leaning forward to taste his lips.

“Hm?” Anders hummed, teasing her mouth with his tongue. “I can’t hear you. My mouth is full.”

Sawyer laughed and then shrieked as he dove in to tackle her, bringing her to the deck on top of him. Her long hair blocking the sun from his face, she leaned over to place another kiss on his nose.

“I like you, Anders Williams,” she told him earnestly.

“I like me, too,” he replied, and she swatted him, causing him to howl. He seized her again, pushing her onto her back, his body propped over hers to run his finger over her face. “You really are not like other women,” Anders told her gruffly. “You care, no matter how much you act like a pain in the ass.”

“Do I act like a pain in the ass?” Sawyer asked, grinning wickedly.

“You know you do. That’s why I like you so much.”

Sawyer pulled his head down, their noses nuzzling, and they kissed again, losing themselves in each other’s eyes.

He’s different, too, she thought, parting her lips to allow his tongue to touch hers. And not just because he’s successful and gorgeous. There’s something fierce and protective in him, something elusive but powerful.

His mouth worked down her neck, his fingers skillfully undoing the buttons of her shirt as he moved, his lips traveling along her skin. She sighed and relaxed her head against the cool deck, a hot breeze picking up to taunt the flesh of her newly exposed nipples before Anders’ mouth clamped along the rigidness to flick and suck at them with his tongue.

“Where is Vander?” Sawyer murmured. “You know how jealous he gets when he sees us together.”

“I don’t care.” As if to prove his point, Anders roughly yanked down her loose-fitting shorts, and Sawyer giggled, her fingers entwining in his thick mane of hair.

“I love your mouth,” she sighed, savoring the feel of his stubble over the flat of her belly.

“Mm-hm?” he replied, palms splayed against the insides of her thighs. A shiver of desire coursed through her, and goosebumps prickled her skin even before his mouth reached her already damp center. “God, you taste delicious,” he groaned, and another chill of pleasure slid through Sawyer’s body as she raised her calves over his shoulders.

His palms encircled her buttocks, bringing her closer to his mouth, his nose buried in the folds of her wetness.

“My God,” she moaned. “You are so good at that.”

Her words only seemed to encourage him more, his movements growing more urgent and determined, the tips of his fingers prying her cheeks apart to play between her openings. Sawyer mewled, her back jerking, crotch pressing closer to him, and his tongue jutted out to tease her mercilessly.

“Oh, Anders!” she cried, her body tense, and suddenly, she felt a gush of heat flow through her body as he sent her over the precipice of desire.

Anders continued to lick evenly until her tremors subsided, at which point he latched onto her swollen button, sucking almost violently against the sensitive spot. Sawyer yelped, struggling to sit up, but his hand pushed her back, his blue eyes fixated on her. She could read the expression on his face. He wasn’t done with her yet.

One hand pressed firmly against her chest, weighing her down, while the other continued to play in the warmth of her center. The pressure from his tongue grew harder, and Sawyer cried out again, but she dared not move, a familiar tingle growing in her gut as his tongue worked furiously against her throbbing clit.

“Oh, my God!” she gasped, her fingers digging into the tile of the poolside as if it was the only thing keeping her from flying into space beyond. She screamed then, her body bucking upward, burying Anders’ face deeper into her crotch, and when she released, spots danced before her eyes. “Holy shit!” she choked, still clawing at the deck, quivering and sweating in her passion.

“I love feeling and watching you climax,” Anders said, finally lifting his head, his lips inching up the lines of her body.

“You do it well,” Sawyer replied, laughing shakily. Her body felt like jelly, and she reached eagerly for him, cupping his face with her hands as he slid up across her, their eyes locking again.

She was more than ready for him, his thick, hard member filling her in every available space. She wrapped her legs around his gleaming, muscular back and drove him closer, her tender clit burning and aching with every thrust of his shaft. It hurt so good.

“I want you to climax again,” Anders told her, but Sawyer wasn’t sure she would manage. He grabbed for her hands, pinning her to the ground, his barrel chest raised above her, and slowly, he made rhythmic circles, finishing each set with a full penetrating bump.

Sawyer whimpered.

“What?” he teased. “You don’t like it?” She tried to raise her head and kiss him, but he kept his distance, smiling beguilingly at her. “What?” Anders demanded again. “What do you want?”

“You know what I want,” she moaned.

“Tell me.”

“Take me.”

Anders smiled lazily, his eyes as shiny as his lips. “Hmm?”

“Please!” Sawyer begged him as his hip rounded her again in a painfully slow fashion. She was on fire, yearning to be finished, and Anders knew it. “Please,” she whimpered. “Please…”

“Well, you did say please…”

Anders plunged into her with such force, it took her breath away, his face falling into her neck as he reached beneath to cup her ass. Hard, furious, and grunting, he drove home her final orgasm, and when Sawyer screamed, she knew there was no way that Vander didn’t hear her, no matter what part of the mansion he was in.

Simultaneously, Anders released a long sigh, as he released inside of her. They remained in a comfortable pile of arms and legs, waiting to regain their breaths and senses.

“I’m surprised Vander isn’t down here giving us a reproving look already,” Anders breathed, laughing as he fell back to prop himself back up and look at Sawyer.

“He might be lurking in the bushes,” she reminded him.

“Shh!” he laughed, looking around. “He might hear you!”

“I don’t care if he does,” Sawyer replied honestly. “I’ve said worse to his face.”

Anders’ eyes widened, and he smiled appreciatively. “You really don’t care, do you?”

She shook her head, rising onto her elbows to study him. “I also don’t care that he warned me you were going to break my heart.”

Anders looked surprised. “He said that?”

“Not in so many words, but yes.”

“That man…”

“Is he wrong?” Sawyer asked pointedly.

Anders met her gaze and smiled softly. “Something tells me that you wouldn’t allow anyone to break anything of yours without returning the favor.”

That might be the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me. “I think that would be a fair assessment,” she told him instead.

He grinned. “I have no intention of getting on your bad side, Sawyer. Any other side but your bad one, okay?”

“I’ll hold you to that,” she replied.