Several nights later, Luna found herself sitting on her new couch with the television turned on. She wasn’t paying attention to whatever show was playing; all she knew was that it involved two women yammering at each other, and the truth was that she liked the company.

She missed Silver. Even though he’d been a reclusive sort of housemate for the few days they’d been in London together, she’d always known he’d be there. But now she was alone, and lonely. She’d been heading down to the club daily to help him sort through paperwork, and even tended bar once or twice to keep her mind occupied.

Silver didn’t want her walking out among the patrons, and for that she was grateful. Though with the help of the Dragons’ Guild, they’d managed to weed out some of the more undesirable Wolf shifters in town. To add to that, the Underground Club now had a very substantial bouncer in the form of a Grizzly shifter, who was all too happy to kick anyone to the curb if they so much as threatened to cause trouble.

But at the end of each day and evening spent at the club, Luna’s heart sank with the knowledge that she’d be heading to an empty flat. As beautiful as her place had become, it couldn’t make up for how much she missed her Dragon shifter. If only he’d said good-bye; if only she’d gotten to give him a last hug, to let him know how much she cared. She hated thinking of him off alone somewhere, with no one to put their head on his shoulder or to kiss his cheek. No one to let him know how much he mattered.

She closed her eyes and pictured his face, his green eyes so full warmth in her mind.

For a moment she smiled.

A soft knock sounded at her door, drawing her out of her reverie. It had to be Silver, coming to check in. He’d become very watchful since he’d come out of his shell, and she was grateful for his frequent visits.

She shut off the TV and strode over to the door, unlocking the deadbolt.

“Vigilant brother, you are…” she said as she pulled it open.

But it wasn’t her sibling who greeted her.

In the doorway stood a tall, broad-shouldered man with green eyes and brown hair. He was looking down at her, but not with the coldness that she’d seen in him so many times. Instead, his features radiated a warmth and affection that Luna could all but feel humming in the air between them.

“Hello, little Wolf,” he said quietly.

“My Dragon.” Her head swam, and for a moment she wondered if she’d fallen asleep. Surely this must be some pleasant dream.

She reached down and pinched herself. Nope. No dream.

She didn’t know what to do. Invite him in? Yell at him? Cry? Laugh?

“I didn’t expect to see you,” she said.

“I didn’t expect to be seen,” he replied, looking past her into the flat. “Nice place. May I come in?”

“Of course.” She backed away, allowing him room to pass. He slipped over to the armchair and seated himself even as she remained by the door, trying her best to calm her raging heart. “What are you doing here? Silver said you’d left London.”

“Close the door, Luna. Please.” He was staring at her, his eyes caressing her body. “I did leave. I had to. I told your brother I was a monster,” he said. “But the thing is, something he said stuck in my mind after I left town.”

“Oh?” she croaked. “What was that?”

“He told me you’d never seen me as a true monster, even after what you saw in the woods. He said that I was the only man you’d ever really cared about.”

“It’s true,” she said. “All of it. It broke my heart to think that you could be anything less than what I’d always imagined.”

She surrendered to her desire to be close to him and moved over to the couch to sit. Silently she stared at him, anticipating his words, but utterly puzzled as to what he might possibly say.

He placed his palms on his thighs and spoke slowly. “I’ve spent thirteen years telling myself that I don’t deserve love, because I’d failed my family. Telling myself that no one could ever care about me, even if I came out of the shadows and showed myself to the world. My anger clouded everything I felt.” He took in a hard breath before continuing. “I wanted to kill Ripper when I saw him standing over you in the park. I felt something overtake me; something greater, even, than the Dragon inside me. I wanted to tear him apart for hurting you, just as I’d wanted to do so many years ago when he hurt my family. It took all my strength not to tear his head off, and the only reason I held back was because I wanted to protect you.”

“That’s called primal rage,” said Luna. “We’ve all felt it, but shifters feel it more intensely. I should know. I’ve hated Ripper for years, even before I really knew why.”

“Shifters feel everything more intensely,” the Dragon shifter replied, nodding agreement. “Hatred. Anger. Resentment.” He stood up abruptly and pulled his gaze down to hers. “Love.”

Luna dared to draw her chin up and look him in the eye, despite her fear that he would turn cold and walk away from her again.

He’d never spoken the word love before. Surely he wasn’t teasing her with it; he wouldn’t be so cruel.

“What are you saying to me, Kirith?” she asked, fighting back the hope that was surging like a tidal wave inside her chest.

“I’m saying that for centuries, I protected others. I watched over them. I protected Viking lords; I looked after other shifters. Protection was my sole purpose in life, even when it came to my family. Never did it occur to me that anyone would care for me enough to look after me. But you have. More than anyone in this world.”

“Yes,” she said. “Well, I’ve tried.”

Kirith stepped away and walked over to the window, leaning on the sill as he stared out at the city. “I left this place and went north, back to where I’d spent the last thirteen years. I thought it was for the best, for you, for me. But as I sat in my awful hovel all alone, I was struck by a selfish impulse,” he said, turning back towards her. “Very selfish.”

“How selfish?” she asked quietly. Her heart was out of control now, trying to escape, to find its way to him, and there was nothing to be done. He already had her.

He strode towards her and reached a hand out. After the briefest hesitation Luna took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet.

“I realized that I care about you,” he said softly. “More than I ever thought I could care about anyone again in this life. But it’s not out of a sense of duty or obligation. It’s something else entirely. I wanted to come back to London and to find a new life. To start over with a clean slate.”

Luna stared at his lips as he spoke, wondering if she’d get to kiss them at long last.

But fear was a potent enemy. Fear held her back, its cold hands tightening her every muscle. She couldn’t take another rejection. Not from him.

“Are you going to leave?” she asked.

“Only if you want me to,” he replied, glancing towards the door.

“No, I mean—are you going to leave London? Because if you are, I need to know.”

He shook his head. “I’ve always hated this city. I thought I’d come to London only to seek revenge. My one purpose in this world was to rid myself of demons, to take out Ripper any way that I could. But I’ve come to realize that perhaps it was something far more important that brought me here. Oddly enough, this city has grown on me, just like a certain Wolf shifter has. So I will not be leaving London without you. If you ask me, I’ll stay forever.”

A lump formed in Luna’s throat, but she swallowed it down. “The Guild asked me to join,” she said. “I plan to say yes to them.”

“Good,” said Kirith, his lips curving up in the most gorgeous smile she’d ever seen. “I hear the Guild has many pairings of mates these days. Many children being born to happy parents. I’m not usually a follower of trends, but that sounds like one that I might enjoy.”

Luna nearly choked when she heard the words. Could he really mean…?

“Tell me clearly,” she said, pressing the hope back. “Tell me what your intentions are.”

Kirith let out a laugh that rumbled up from somewhere inside his massive chest. “You sound very old-fashioned,” he said. “And here I thought I was the ancient one.”

“I’m serious. Tell me what you want from me. My heart can’t take it if you lead me on and then walk away.”

He leaned down and positioned his face close to hers as though to prove his honesty. “Fine. I’ll tell you exactly what I want. I want you to be with me, Luna. I want to claim you. I want you to claim me. I want you to forget this…” he said, taking her hand and flipping it over, running a finger over the small tattoo that she’d nearly forgotten she had, “…and instead, I want you become a part of me. A part of us.”

“You really mean it? You’re not playing with me?”

Kirith straightened up and made a tsk sound with his tongue. “You should know by now that I never say anything I don’t mean.”

“If that’s true,” she said, stepping closer to him as she intertwined her fingers with his, “tell me, what am I to you?”

“What are you? Well, that’s easy: it turns out you’re everything,” he murmured back. “You’re beauty and light, and freedom from the shackles of my pain. You’ve released me from a life I thought I had to live. You’ve made me realize that I had a choice, Luna. For thirteen years I thought I had no choice but to suffer alone.”

“So kiss me then,” she said, “and set me free, too. Because I’ve been waiting for a long time to feel your lips on mine.”

Kirith stroked her cheek with his thumb, his eyes smiling down into hers with the deepest, most palpable affection.

When his lips crashed into hers, all the hunger in the universe was sated for the briefest, most perfect moment that had ever come to pass. Luna gave herself over to the feeling of tumbling down a long, steep hill, her head dizzy with the pleasure of it. When Kirith’s tongue pushed past her lips and found her own, when they tasted one another for what felt like the first time, she knew that this was what she’d waited for her whole life.

The wait, it turned out, had been worth it. Everything she’d ever felt for her Dragon shifter was surging inside her, a fire in her belly that she now knew would never be extinguished.

Kirith pulled away for a moment, looking into her eyes before pressing his lips gently to her forehead.

“Now tell me, little Wolf—what am I to you?” he asked, pushing her hair behind her ear with his fingers.

“Beautiful,” she said softly, smiling up into his eyes. “You’re my lover.” She lifted her head invitingly, and her lover swept a trail of kisses up her neck. “You’re my beautiful Dragon.”

Nothing in the world had ever felt as good as this moment. Nothing had filled her with such purpose, such happiness, as standing here in her tiny flat, breathing the possessive words aloud as Kirith’s lips peppered soft kisses along her flesh.

But Luna, greedy little Wolf that she was, wanted more. She wanted to feel her body meld with his own. She wanted this feeling of unwavering need to leave her at last, to be replaced with the peace that comes with knowing that she loved, and was loved in return.

As though he were reading her mind, Kirith’s hands moved to her back, slipping up under her t-shirt, hunting slowly, methodically, for the clasps on her bra. He found them easily, making quick work of them before tearing her shirt upwards in one quick gesture.

Luna let out a laugh when he’d yanked the garment off, dropping her hands in front of her to let the bra drop to the floor.

She revelled in the loud sigh that emerged from him as his fingers slipped over her skin, his vivid eyes fixed hungrily on her torso.

“You are the most perfect creature, aren’t you?” he growled low, slipping down to his knees. Teasing, he nuzzled her left nipple until it stood rock hard for him, then pursed his lips around it, flicking his tongue over the tip.

As he moved to the right nipple, he slyly undid her jeans and pulled them down to her ankles, followed close behind by the small red lace thong that she was wearing.

“I was thinking the same about you,” she said, “but I have to say, there seems to be an imbalance here.” She laughed as she looked down at her naked body standing in front of his fully-clothed one.

Kirith slipped the back of a knuckle over her left breast, pausing for a second when he’d found her pebbled nipple. He squeezed it gently between two fingers, stroking its tip with his thumb.

“What? Because I have you naked while I wear all my clothing?” he asked as he cupped her breast gently in his hand and gave her nipple a quick, arousing lick.

Luna nodded. “Because I want my mouth on you, and you’re all covered up,” she breathed, bending to slip a hand down the front of his jeans. She gasped when almost immediately, her fingertips met the swollen head of his very large cock. “Oh, my.”

“Surprise,” he said, smiling. “It seems that you’ve awoken the beast.”

“Surprise indeed,” she moaned as she slipped down to her knees and unbuttoned the jeans before sliding his fly downwards.

“I would love to fuck your mouth, my Wolf,” Kirith said. The words were crude but so, so arousing.

“So do it,” she said, flicking her tongue over his swollen tip.

But he reached for her hand and lifted her to her feet, shaking his head. “Plenty of time for that later,” he told her. “For now I have something else in mind.”

He led her towards the bedroom and lay her down on her back, reaching over to slip a hand over her sex. She let out a deep gasp at the sensation. He was too good. Could he really, truly be hers after all this time?

“This,” he said, slipping a finger inside her, “is what I’m after. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since that first time…”

“You mean you’ve been yearning for the elusive pussy?” she asked, flashing him the biggest smile of her life. Oh, but it felt good to have his fingers stroking her.

He nodded. “They say the best way to experience the elusive pussy,” he told her, slipping his jeans off quickly and dropping them to the floor, “is with one of these.”

Luna laughed as he gestured to his very hard cock. “Well,” she said, “I believe you have a wild cat to tame.”

“I believe you’re right.”

“But first, take off your shirt,” she commanded. “I need you naked for once.”

The Dragon shifter obliged, criss-crossing his arms over his torso and pulling the shirt upwards. A mountain range of ridged muscles met Luna’s eyes, drawing another gasp from her as she realized just how massive he really was, how incredible.

Scars crossed his torso, long faded, no doubt the marks of wars that had taken place centuries ago. They contrasted his youthful face, which had somehow made its way through the eras unmarred by the ravages of combat. A perfect face, it was, sitting atop a perfect body.

“I love you,” she said. Immediately she bit her lip, horrified that the words had slipped out so easily.

“I know,” he replied, sliding over her. He kissed her lips softly and pulled back, staring into her eyes. “I love you, Luna, my little Wolf.”

She sealed her eyes shut and smiled.

“You all right?” Kirith asked.

“So much better than all right,” she whispered in reply. “I’m perfect.”

When he pushed himself inside her, she let out a cry that would likely get her evicted, but she couldn’t have cared less.

Nothing mattered now.

Nothing but the fact that the world was a better place now than it had been in a long, long time.