All Kai could feel around him was swirling ocean water, the waves and current pushing and pulling him as he continued to pretend to hold his breath underwater.

Despite his time on land, this still felt like home. But now it was missing something.

Renee, he heard the dragon growl from the back of his mind.

Kai couldn’t help grinning at how impressed his mate was going to be once he came up. Surely she’d never seen a feat such as this. By his estimation, he was at almost three minutes, and he could keep going.

But more than anything, he wanted to show Renee that the water was safe. That at least as long as she was with him, she’d be safe in it.

Never before had anything been at odds with his love of the sea. But right now, Renee was what mattered most.

Kai thought he heard muffled sounds coming from the beach, but perhaps it was just the water sloshing around him. The last thing he wanted was to fail in achieving his goal of amazing his mate.

“Kai!”

He heard the word distinctly in Renee’s voice. It was so muted he could have missed it, but the alarm in the sound was enough to make his heart race.

Immediately, he sprang up out of the water. He was now chest deep, probably twenty or so feet from shore, the tide having pulled him farther away than he’d intended.

Ahead of him, on the beach, he saw Renee, standing a few feet from the water’s edge, worry in her expression clearer than day despite the saltwater still blurring his vision.

And surrounding her were three men, attention all turned on her, like sharks circling their prey.

“Kai, you’re safe!” he heard Renee call out in relief.

“Hey, did you hear what I said? You owe me another drink,” said a man with brown hair that had been buzzed short on the sides.

“Come on. We haven’t got all day,” another guy said, moving close enough that he bumped her shoulder.

Instantly, Kai’s blood began to boil so hot it felt it would make the cold water around him steam, and he pushed through the water toward the shore. Surprisingly, the men hadn’t even bothered to look into the waves. Otherwise, they would have seen a raging, angry dragon fast approaching.

In the back of his head, Diamond’s words from the book were boring into his mind like writing scrawled into the side of a rock wall.

A good mate should be able to take your light along with your darkness. If she brings out the monster in you, good. Use it to protect her. —Diamond

“Get away from me,” Renee said in frustration, turning around and shoving the man back a few steps. His friends laughed at the display, but the man she’d shoved only looked more irritated now. He angrily grabbed Renee’s hand and pulled her to the side, almost off her feet.

“I’ll teach you to—”

But before he could even finish his sentence, Kai was on the beach, his hand grabbing the man by the wrist and clamping down with a not-insubstantial amount of dragon strength.

Immediately, the guy yelped and let go of Renee, and she ducked back behind Kai as he twisted the guy’s wrist backward, forcing him to kneel on the ground.

“Ow. Ow. Ow,” the man cried in staccato noises as Kai’s grip twisted his wrist like a starfish prying open a clam.

But unlike starfish, which were generally agreeable creatures, there was nothing agreeable about an angry sea dragon.

“I’ll teach you to lay a hand on my mate,” Kai growled. If not for the collar’s restraint, he’d be breathing fire.

“Your what?” he choked out, his arm only a hair from snapping now.

“What the hell, bro? Let him go,” one of his compatriots implored, but all Kai could see was red.

They’d unwittingly brought out the monster.

“Let. Go,” the other said, charging at Kai from the side with a wide punch.

Not slackening his grip on the first aggressor, Kai whipped his fist out, connecting with the other guy’s nose with a loud crack. In shock and confusion, the man stumbled backward into the sand, blood streaming immediately from his nose.

Then, finally releasing his viselike hold, he threw the first backward onto the ground as he saw the third begin to mobilize, picking up a piece of driftwood next to him and raising it high above his head.

“You brought this on yourself,” the guy holding the log yelled as he rushed at Kai.

“No. You did,” Kai muttered as he strode forward a step.

The log came down in a quick swoosh, and Kai raised a hand to effortlessly block it. It broke into dozens of pieces, spreading shards of sun-bleached wood around him as he continued advancing.

Shocked and stupefied, the man just watched in horror as Kai threw a right hook into his cheek, making his skin ripple as the punch sent him flying backward onto the sand, unconscious.

Even without his dragon powers, Kai knew exactly how much stronger than these disgusting human men he was. And he was going to make sure they never threatened his mate or anyone else ever again.

Suddenly, the first guy came from behind, wrapping his arms around Kai and trying to restrain him.

Kai would have laughed at the display if he hadn’t been seething, and in rage, he grabbed the man’s collar and hefted him over his back, grabbing his midsection to hold him in the air for a moment before leaning forward and slamming him into the ground.

The sand jumped off the beach an inch around Kai’s victim from the force of his landing. Unsurprisingly, the frail human was out like a light, lying motionless in a tiny crater on the shore.

One left.

Kai turned to see the last one, standing to the side with one fist raised, the other holding his still-streaming nose.

Well, if he was going to keep fighting, Kai was willing to oblige.

With lightning speed, he lunged at the man, knocking him backward with a fist to the face so quick he didn’t even have time to raise his hands to shield himself. Limply, he rolled onto the sand, twitching once before going still.

The interlopers dispatched, Kai looked over his shoulder to see Renee kneeling on the ground, watching him agape.

There was explaining to be done. Badly.

But first, Kai needed to drop off the trash.

* * *

Renee stared at Kai as he proceeded to gather up the three men he’d beaten up, putting their hands together so he could pull them all at once, dragging them behind him toward the hotel.

One minute, her heart had been about to burst; she was so afraid he was drowning.

The next, he’d emerged like an angry sea creature and taken on three full-grown men as if they were nothing. Her heart didn’t really know how to react.

She was glad he was fine, but was he really fine? The odd, tense mood he’d had after lunch seemed even worse now. He was pent up, as if something were frustrating him, beyond the obvious.

She looked at the ocean, realizing his moment had been ruined. He’d been so happy to go out there with her, and then these guys had spoiled it.

He was an odd man, but then again, he was also odd in being a gentleman who jumped out of windows to hunt rapists and who was learning to be more polite.

She would cut him a break, especially since he’d just rescued her again. She wasn’t sure he would have had to if she hadn’t caused so much trouble with the men due to her panic over Kai.

Regardless, she was glad it was over and that he wasn’t hurt… and that the guys would probably recover.

As they reached the hotel, they were greeted by Steve, the manager, who jogged out, red and flustered. He stopped, hands on his knees, and looked up at them in exasperation. “What is it now, Kai?”

Kai jerked a finger in Renee’s direction. “They tried to hurt her. They aren’t dead. Take care of them.”

“Kai, you can’t just…”

But the man trailed off as he realized Kai had no intention of listening to him. Instead, Kai walked to Renee, scooped her up in his arms, and held her against his chest.

She would never get used to this feeling of being so light, so small against him. She liked it.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

His expression was stormy, so different from the one he’d worn when he was standing in the ocean, looking effervescently happy. “Apparently, I have to keep you this close to me if I don’t want anything to happen to you.” He shook his head. “Why is this world so evil? Why is everyone trying to take you from me?”

“I think we’ve just had some bad luck,” she said. “They weren’t that rude at first, but I was so worried about you that I sort of spilled their drinks and then slapped them.”

“They should have listened to you if you were worried. There is no excuse for them jerking you around like that. Laughing while you were distressed. Grabbing you.” His eyes darkened again, and she rested her head on his chest, trying to soothe him.

“It’s okay. I’m fine. I’m just glad you are.”

“Me? Why wouldn’t I be fine.”

“You were under the water for minutes! Humans aren’t supposed to do that!” she said, jabbing him.

“Any humans?” he asked as if he thought that was pathetic.

“I don’t know. Maybe some special divers or something.”

“Maybe I’m like them, then,” he said. “Or better.”

“I don’t know, Kai. But don’t scare me like that again.”

“I won’t,” he said firmly. “Besides, I can’t risk leaving you like that again. Surfacing and seeing men attacking you is something I never want to experience again.”

“I’m sorry,” she said. “I should have handled it better.”

“You are so hard on yourself,” he said. “Always blaming yourself when it’s not your fault.”

“It is my fault,” she said.

“It’s not,” he said. “It’s mine, for being single-minded and once again taking too many risks because I’m blind to what’s in front of me. You don’t like the water. You can’t be in it with me. It’s fine. I will have to adjust.”

She caught his face with one hand. “Is that what’s bothering you?”

He looked at her, expression cautious, as if she caught him dead on, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to be open about it.

She was just kind of flattered that he was serious enough about her that he was worried about their future together.

“I can try harder,” she said. “I mean, I was going to go in, but you freaked me out by going under. We just need to go a little slower.”

“So what happened today didn’t make you want to never give it another chance?” he asked. “You said I scared you.”

“You did,” she said. “But I will just come in with you next time. So I know you’re okay.”

He nodded, looking a little lighter now that she’d understood him and was meeting him halfway.

He set her down outside his room as he unlocked the door. “I’m going to take a quick shower. Don’t want to get seawater all over you.”

“Okay,” she said. “But don’t be long.”

He nodded, closing the door behind her and setting the deadbolt. She’d learned not to argue with him, and besides, she didn’t want to leave.

It was cute that was he was so protective he was paranoid. Though, now that she thought about it, it was a little odd. The guy from the party and then the guys who hit on her on the beach… it wasn’t usual.

Perhaps her new way of living was making her more attractive. Perhaps getting out of Liz’s way helped, too.

She wasn’t really sure. No one’s attention mattered but Kai’s at the moment. She had a truly hopeless crush on him. And it wasn’t just his looks or his height or what he did for her.

It was who he was. That odd mix of innocence and wariness. The way he missed the simplest of social cues but also pointed out things that she’d never realized were wrong with society.

He made her think, made her live, made her comfortable. Gave her passion.

It was time she gave him something in return. Remembering their conversation about his upbringing, she knew exactly what to do.

As she heard the shower turn on in the bathroom, she went to the hotel phone to make a call to the front desk.

Tonight, she’d be the one to surprise him.