Liam did his damnedest to bury his feelings deep. Usually, it was easy for him to ignore his emotions, but not right now. Maybe if he’d eased into telling Aisha the truth, things would have gone better. Goddess’s tits. Between her grandmother’s offhanded disclosure and all the crap he’d tossed her way, no wonder she was devastated.

She had to be running way past the overload point.

He’d prodded and cajoled enough nervous clients up places that scared the stuffing out of them, and he knew better than to spew truth at folks who were already sucking fumes.

“Who am I kidding,” he muttered. “She was already upset. If I’d pussyfooted around, titrated what I had to say, she’d have clawed my eyes out.”

Despair scoured him, inscribing a path from his belly outward. He didn’t give a good goddamn about Xara. He wanted Aisha with a single-mindedness that shocked him. He’d never been one to go all mushy over a woman. It was why he’d put off finding a mate.

“This is your fault,” he muttered, aiming the words at his bondmate.

A blast of steam filled the cab, fogging the windshield until Liam couldn’t see out of it. He pulled off to the side of the road and opened a window.

“I think not,” the dragon countered. “You picked her. You kissed her. You fondled her—”

“Your point?” Liam broke in.

“My point is I didn’t bite her until you were about to claim her with your semen. That’s part of the bond as well, or had you forgotten?”

“She still could have walked away—absent your bite.”

“Not easily.” The dragon paused for emphasis. “If you’re looking to blame someone, blame yourself. The question is, what are you going to do about it?”

“Nothing. There’s nothing I can do. You heard her. I disgust her. She ordered me out of her house. Her life. She—”

“You bloody, fucking coward,” the dragon snarled. “I’m ashamed to be mated to you. We’re dragons. Do you hear me? Dragons. We go after what we want. We don’t slink away, defeated. If we go down, we go down bugling after we’ve fought as hard as we can.”

“I can’t force her to love me,” Liam protested.

“You don’t have to. The mate bond has already done it for you.”

A crafty note lined the dragon’s message. Liam recognized it all too well. His dragon wouldn’t stop badgering him until he’d done more than drive away from the Colewright ranch.

“Out with it.”

“Out with what?” The dragon could have been the soul of innocence—if Liam didn’t know his bondmate so well.

“An idea is percolating in that scaly head of yours. I’m not in the mood for guessing games.”

His bondmate formed in his mind’s eye, copper-green scales flashing as the dragon folded its wings across its back. “Simple enough. The mate bond is in play, which links her to me as well. She’s a horsewoman. She loves to ride. I say we take my form, fly back there, and offer to take her flying.”

“That’s a horrible idea,” Liam sputtered.

“Why? Give me one reason,” the dragon persisted.

Liam winced. His bondmate was nothing if not stubborn. “It’s daylight. Someone might see us.”

“Not all the way out here. We’re past human habitation. Haven’t seen another car for at least a league.” The dragon paused for emphasis. “What’s your next excuse?”

“It wasn’t an excuse.” Liam bristled. “Do you want someone to take photos of us and plaster them all over the Internet?”

“Certainly. Good lesson for those pesky humans. If they weren’t such narrow-minded bastards—”

“Never mind,” Liam broke in, knowing the dragon was about to start whining about how they never got to fly. “Bad question.”

“If you don’t like my idea, come up with your own. Driving back to our hoard and feeling sorry for yourself isn’t an option. Neither is going climbing.”

Those were exactly what Liam had been contemplating, but his bondmate was privy to all his thoughts. He shuffled through possibilities like a riverboat gambler who’d drawn a bad hand. The dragon remained silent. Maybe it knew there weren’t many other choices.

He could drive back to the ranch, but he’d be lucky if Aisha would let him inside. He’d heard her twist the deadbolt lock once he started his truck. The biggest downside he saw with the dragon’s plan was the horses might panic. Maybe. They’d probably never smelled a dragon, so it wouldn’t be imprinted on their equine brains as something to fear or run from.

His chest felt hollow, empty. Would the unfulfilled mate bond hound him forever? Surely, he wouldn’t always feel this incomplete, like part of him was missing. He waited for a snarky comment from the dragon about how living with him would be a real pain in the arse, but the dragon, who was often into pithy lectures, didn’t offer one.

Maybe showing up in his full dragon-esque glory was the right move. The way he was feeling, he couldn’t sink much further. The worst thing that could happen would be someone might shoot at him, but his scales were impervious to bullets. He was past caring if his dual nature was outed. He could always leave town. Leave the country if need be. Go where no one knew him.

“You’re stalling,” the dragon observed.

He was. Liam slid the transmission back into gear and drove until he came to a side road full of potholes that looked as if no one had used it for years. He turned onto it and continued until the road petered out, maybe a couple of miles, and parked. Once out of the truck, he began removing his clothes, folding them neatly, and leaving them in the cab. He tucked the keys beneath a nearby pile of rocks.

Not that he was expecting anyone to bother the nondescript Chevy, but he was having second thoughts—third and fourth ones as well. What he was about to do was drastic. It would either work or blow up in his face. He gave the latter option maybe 70 percent, the former 30. If she cussed him out and chased him away a second time, he wouldn’t return. Mate bond or no.

Standing in the chill air of early morning, bare feet solid on the rocky ground, he threw his magic wide open, inviting his dragon form. He’d picked a path, and by everything sacred, he’d follow it to its end. The dragon was right about it being very undragonlike to skulk away from Aisha. He craved her with a single-mindedness that meant as much to him as his hoard.

Probably more, if he were honest.

His bones cracked, lengthened, and shifted form; his skin changed to a scaly hide. His vision altered from human to dragon. Done procrastinating, he spread his wings and took to the skies. Damn but it felt good to be airborne. The familiar joy he garnered from his dragon form filled him.

Maybe this would work out. He loved his dragon so much, how could Aisha resist its primitive, arcane beauty? Dragons had been among the first creatures. They’d had all the worlds to themselves for millennia.

He gained height, scanning the land below. No humans. No ranches. The odd herd of cattle grazed, but they never even looked up, which boded well for the horses not going ape-shit nuts at his baked clay and rosemary smell. His human body oozed the same scent, but not nearly this strong.

He pumped his wings harder; smoke and fire belched from his mouth. The ranch came into view. Horses milled about the outdoor corral; Aisha was nowhere in sight. He scented the air, worried she might have given him the slip, used magic to whisk herself elsewhere, but she was inside.

A relieved breath rattled through him. Aisha was home, and the horses weren’t bucking and squealing. It was the best he could hope for.

Should he bugle his presence?

Should he land?

What would maximize his chances of not angering her further?

He’d just opened his mouth to experiment with a short bugle when the front door flew open, and he felt like an idiot. She’d sensed him with her magic. Of course, she had.

Aisha shaded her eyes with a hand, staring skyward. An incredulous look twisted her face into an unreadable expression.

He started to ask her permission to land but thought better of it because he didn’t want to offer her a chance to tell him to fuck off. Circling, he picked a spot close—but not too close—and folded his wings, furling them at the last minute to cushion his impact. Her scent reached him, the new-mown-hay smell delighting his senses.

Would she come to him? Or would they remain with fifty feet separating them until she resisted the mate bond’s lure and shooed him away? He couldn’t let that happen.

He bugled softly.

The horses trotted as close as they could get to the corral fence and whinnied a greeting. If Liam had been human, he would have laughed. At least the Colewright horses accepted him. Could he carve enough of a chink in their mistress’s armor to allow the magnetism of the mate bond to grab her and draw her like a lodestone?

Right now, she was fighting it. If she gave in, she’d be lost—just like he was.

“Aisha.” He inclined his scaled head. Dragons bowed to no one, but he loved her.

“What are you doing back here?” she demanded.

“I know you’re angry—and you have every right to be—but would you like to go for a ride?”

Her mouth gaped open. “On you?”

“Who else?”

He wove a subtle thread of magic into her mind. It was delicate enough, he hoped she wouldn’t notice, but he had to know what she was thinking. Dragon possessiveness flowed, hot and compelling. It took all his self-control not to snatch her up and cradle her against his scaled chest.

If he did that, he’d never let her go.

“Bad idea,” she said, tilting her chin at a defiant angle. “This mind-reading gig goes both ways.”

“But you’re so beautiful, and I want you so much.” The words escaped before he could call them back.

Her stark expression softened, but not by much. “I understand why you came back, at least I think I do, but this will never work. Maybe there’s some way out of your mate bond thing? You figured out how to free Hector. Surely, this isn’t so very different.”

If he read her tone correctly, she didn’t sound hopeful he could break the enchantment so much as resigned she might be stuck with it. Her words broke his heart.

“I never wanted to hurt you.”

“Yeah, Grannie would probably say the same thing. Good intentions don’t go very far around here.”

He walked closer and lowered himself onto his belly, so he was on a level with her. Steam billowed from his mouth, surrounding her. “Why won’t this work?”

She ticked reasons off on her fingers. “One, I do not want to be a dragon shifter. Two, I have no intention of leaving Earth for Xara. Hell’s bells, now that you broke the enchantment and I don’t have to remain here, I have no idea what I want to do next.”

“Would staying because you want to, not because you have to make a difference?” He was genuinely curious.

Aisha nodded. “Of course. I do love my horses. They’re innocent bystanders in this whole magical mess.”

A chorus of whinnies rose from the corral as if they understood and agreed with her assessment of their virtue.

He blew out a gout of smoke, turning his head so he wouldn’t choke her. “The most important thing for me is being with you.” He picked his words carefully. “And you being happy. If you never want to be a dragon shifter—or visit Xara—it’s fine with me.”

Within him, his dragon shrieked imprecations. Liam scrambled upright just in time to divert the fire blasting from his mouth to a safe spot where it wouldn’t burn any buildings.

“You’re the one who sent me back here,” Liam reminded his bondmate.

“Aye, to make sure she fills her role as our bondmate,” the dragon shouted.

“All I hope is she’ll give the mate bond a chance to weave its magic,” Liam replied.

He focused his attention on Aisha, who’d no doubt heard the exchange. Before she could chase him and his overbearing bondmate away, he said, “I meant that. Nothing would make me happier than for you to give us a chance. If I never return to Xara, I can live with that. My kinsmen are a bunch of sanctimonious prigs a lot of the time.”

He stopped talking long enough for more fire to blast skyward.

She smiled softly. “They can’t be any worse than Grannie.”

“Victoria is a piker by comparison. How about that ride?”

“Is it safe? Your dragon’s pretty angry with me.”

“Nay, ’tis me he’s furious with for not acting like a sixteenth-century man and steamrolling over everything but my own needs.”

“Do you want to return to Xara?” Her smile vanished, replaced by a serious expression.

“I thought I did, but that was before I mated with you.”

She screwed her face into a frown. “Sounds like a politically correct reply if ever there was one.”

“Maybe so, but in this particular case, I mean it with all my heart.” He gathered his thoughts. “When the council banished me, it was a relief. They have a lot of rules, many of which are holdovers from medieval times. At first, I missed being with other dragon shifters, but that faded.”

“When is the hundred years up?”

“Roughly ten years from now, and I admit I was counting days and hours, ignoring the requirement I had to have a mate before I could return.” He shrugged amid clanking scales. “’Tis a strange thing to admit, but now that I have a mate, I’m not nearly as eager to go back to Xara.”

The dragon thrashed from side to side within him. Clearly, this wasn’t the outcome it envisioned, but at least it had stopped shoving fire out his gullet.

“We can make our lives whatever both of us want, Aisha. Emphasis on both of us. If we can’t agree, we’ll keep talking until we do. For now, just being with you is everything I’ve ever wished for.”

Longing streamed from her in bright waves. It gave him hope she’d give them a chance. Her face split into a shy smile. “I’ve always dreamed about flying, so I accept your offer.”

“All of it, or just the ride?” He probably should have kept his mouth shut, but he needed to know.

“Let’s begin with a ride.” Her smile widened. “We can build on whatever happens from there.”

It was good enough for him. His heart cracked wide open and overflowed with tenderness. Bending, he scooped her up with his forearms and hugged her before turning to deposit her on his broad back.

“Grab hold of the two horns at the base of my neck,” he instructed.

She laughed, and it made his soul light up with love. “I’ve broken lots of broncs,” she said. “I’m sure I can manage this.”

She was still laughing when he spread his wings, pumping hard until they were airborne. He dipped and banked, letting her get a feel for how to shift her weight to remain astride. Once he felt certain of her skill, he grew bold, climbing steeply, and then plummeting, only to pull out of the dive at the last minute.

“I love that,” she yelled into the slipstream. “Do it again.”

Liam snorted steam. There were a whole lot of activities where he wanted her to utter those three words. Joy swelled within him. She was giving them an opportunity for the seeds of love to grow and flourish.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” She wound her arms as far around his thick neck as she could reach, breasts pressing into his spine.

“Being you. Ready to land, lass?”

“Maybe.” She drew out the word. “Do you have something in mind that requires landing?”

“Indeed, I do. I want to take you to bed and not get up until both of us are good and ready.”

“We may never leave my bedroom.”

“Och, ’tis a fate worse than death, but you’ve twisted my arm.”

“I love it that you have a sense of humor.”

“And I love you.”

He circled, intent on landing. Anticipation of loving her thrummed through every cell. He glided to a stop in front of the ranch house and helped Aisha to the ground before calling shift magic. Once he’d shimmered back into his human form, he was a little embarrassed to see his cock jutting from his body.

Being ready was one thing, but at least if he’d had clothing on, it would have hidden some of the damning evidence of how hot she made him.

She threw her arms around his neck, and he hugged her tight. “Come on.” She disentangled herself and led the way inside, shucking clothing as soon as she got the door shut. “You’re ahead,” she said, sounding breathless. “You started out naked.”

“Nay, lassie, we’re both ahead because we have each other.” Lifting her half-dressed body into his arms, he carried her up the ladder. This would be their first coupling as a mated pair, and he couldn’t wait.

She wriggled out of his arms and sat cross-legged on the bed, her eyes liquid with desire. “You’re thinking. I feel the wheels turning.”

“About you, sweetheart. Together, we’re invincible. Dragons. Grandmothers. Demanding horses. We’ll tackle them as they happen.” He launched himself at her, tumbling her onto her back. Just before he kissed her, he added, “The only thing I want to tackle right now, though, is you.”

“I like a man with strong priorities, particularly when one of them is me.”

It was a good time to stop talking, so he crushed his mouth over hers.