Early the next morning, Mike and Marina stood on the front entry steps to the palace. Mike kept his arm wrapped protectively around Marina. After last night, he knew that she belonged to him just as he belonged to her.

It was more than the lovemaking. Their connection had melded them on a level that he never realized was possible. It was as if the two of them had become one—thinking, feeling, and working in unison. He couldn’t help wondering if his mom and dad had felt this same kind of connection during their many years of marriage. It was strange how he could suddenly remember them finishing each other’s sentences, knowing when the other needed something, and the aching loneliness they felt when they were apart.

He briefly glanced at Orion and Jenny where they stood waiting, along with their two sons, Dolph and Juno. Orion had his arm wrapped around Jenny’s waist. After talking with Jenny and seeing how happy she was, he felt confident that whatever brought her here, whether it was the Sea Witch or fate, it was the right thing. Turning his gaze away, he looked around and frowned when he noticed everyone was looking up at the sky.

“Are you sure they’re coming?” Mike asked.

“They’ll come,” Orion replied with confidence.

“I hope they bring DJ and Stone,” Juno said, barely containing his excitement as he waited.

Mike leaned toward Marina so he could speak close to her ear. “Why do all the adults seem a bit tense?” he murmured.

“Each ruler is extremely powerful in their own way. Many years ago, there was a great war that divided our kingdoms and pitted one against the other. It was later learned that the war was instigated by the Sea Witch,” Marina explained.

Mike fought the urge to roll his eyes. “Why am I not surprised?” he muttered.

“You should not be surprised by anything my cousin does,” Orion stated. “She turned all of the dragons to stone.” He grimaced when he heard a loud, ground-shaking roar. “Except, of course, for Drago, the King of the Dragons. I don’t know why he insists on making a dramatic entrance every time they arrive,” Orion added with a shake of his head.

Mike’s eyes widened, and he took a step back. His hand pulled free of Marina’s, and he automatically began to reach for the gun under his jacket. Marina placed her hand on his arm and shook her head.

“I’ve only seen the King of the Dragons from afar at the palace when I was visiting Isha,” she breathed in awe.

The first thing Mike saw was a swarm of unusual white birds. They swept over the wall of the palace and through the front entrance. He watched as they wove through the guards before spiraling upward.

A moment later, a dark shadow appeared overhead. Mike’s eyes followed the huge dragon as it circled the courtyard. The creature’s midnight black scales shone brightly in the early morning light. The dragon snapped at a few of Orion’s guards as he swooped down. The guards ducked, but didn’t move until Kapian called out an order to give Drago more room.

“What is that on his back?” Mike asked, trying to make out the wiggling movements.

“Alright! They came!” Dolph exclaimed.

Mike watched as the two boys standing next to Jenny darted down to the bottom of the steps to wait in excitement. He looked back up at the sky. Drago circled once more before he landed in the center of the courtyard.

The large dragon turned in a tight circle, snapping and snarling at the guards closest to him before he stopped and lowered his right wing. The heads of two small dragon popped up from between his wings. Mike watched in awe as they slid down the wing to the ground and shifted into two boys slightly younger than Juno. All four boys laughed and ran toward each other.

The male dragon turned his gaze to the sky. Mike followed his gaze. A smaller dragon appeared, protected on all sides by the swarm of birds. She swept down over the wall, wobbling a little and barely missing the top. Two guards had to dive to the side to keep from being knocked off. Drago snorted and shook his head. Mike heard Orion chuckle.

“I see she hasn’t improved much,” Orion said.

“Orion,” Jenny chided. “Carly was never graceful when she walked. I can’t imagine how hard flying must be, especially carrying little Roo.”

It took a moment for Mike to remember what Jenny had told him about Carly being able to turn into a dragon. His gaze moved to the small dragon clutched against the dragon’s chest. This one was smaller than the first two who had been on Drago’s back. Even from where he was standing, Mike could see two pink bows attached to the pair of tiny horns on her head.

“Bows?” Mike chuckled, amazed by the sight.

“She is adorable!” Marina breathed out in delight.

Mike glanced at Marina’s grinning face before turning back to the dragon who was landing beside Drago. A swift shaft of desire to see Marina holding their child struck him hard. The image shook him.

Since when have I ever thought of having kids? he thought in surprise.

He took a quick breath when he saw the dragon shimmer before changing to a woman whose face he had only seen in photographs. He took a step forward, then another two, stopping three steps down when he was positive that the woman was really who he thought she was.

“Carly Tate!” he exclaimed.

Carly turned to look up at him in surprise when she heard her name. Unfortunately, so did the large male dragon. His head whipped around and he took a step toward Mike. The dragon bared his teeth and moved his body in front of Carly and the little dragon she was holding.

“Drago!” Orion warned, stepping down a step and positioning himself between Drago and Mike.

“Who is he, and how does he know my mate?” Drago demanded with a snarl.

“He is from Carly and Jenny’s world. He has been searching for them,” Orion said.

Drago’s lips curled and a long, rumbling growl of warning reverberated through the air. Mike’s fingers twitched. He’d feel a hell of a lot better if he had his gun out—though he wasn’t sure it would be very effective.

“Well, he found her. Now, he can return to his world. If he tries to take my Carly, I’ll kill him,” Drago ordered.

A small, strained chuckle escaped Mike at the familiar threat, and he shook his head. “That is a pretty common theme around here,” he commented, looking directly into Drago’s glowing eyes. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Orion. My job is to make sure that the missing women—in this case, Carly Tate and Jenny Ackerly—were found and are safe. If they want to return to our world, that is entirely up to them. I just need to know they are not being held against their will or need help.”

Drago shifted. Mike decided the tall, broad man with the long black hair and piercing golden eyes, which had the flicker of flames dancing in them, was just as much of a threat as the damn dragon! Staring unblinkingly back at the man, he waited for the man to respond.

“You’re the cop that Jenny told me about! I’m Carly,” the woman said, holding out the dragon in her arms to Drago as she passed him.

“Carly…,” Drago said in exasperation, taking his daughter.

“Detective…,” Mike corrected with a reassuring smile. “Ms. Tate, it is good to see that you are alive and—well, alive.”

Carly laughed. “I don’t know about that. Little Roo is teething. We thought she had a cold, but we discovered another tooth last night when she bit Drago. When Drago got the invitation to come, there was no way I was staying behind,” she said.

“I wouldn’t have left you alone anyway,” Drago replied. “Did you forget that you were supposed to stay behind me until I ensured everything was safe?”

Carly rolled her eyes at Drago. “Of course it’s safe! We’ve been here dozens of times, and do you see a lack of guards anywhere?” she demanded with a wave of her hand.

Drago started to growl, but the sound died when the little dragon in his arms grabbed his hand between her front claws and began chewing on his finger. The growl turned into a wince. He pulled his finger free and inspected it.

“No bite, Jen,” Drago said.

“Grrr. I no Jen, I Roo now,” the tiny dragon growled before showing off her shiny new tooth.

Carly shook her head. “We’ve been calling her by her middle name ever since I discovered Jenny was here. It saves us from the confusion, and she loves it,” she said.

Jenny laughed. “Why don’t we take the boys to the playroom. Dolph and Juno are thrilled that the boys are back, and Roo can play with Lucy after I feed her,” she offered.

“Food!” Roo demanded, suddenly shifting to a chubby little girl with wide golden eyes.

“We will wait for the others to arrive,” Orion said with a nod.

“Others? Is Uncle Ashure coming?” Stone asked with a hopeful look.

“He is not your uncle,” Drago began before Carly elbowed him, and he grunted. “Well, he isn’t. Ashure isn’t even a dragon.”

Mike pursed his lips together when he saw Drago grimace and a stubborn expression settled on his face. It appeared that Carly Tate was not in the least bit intimidated by the large man. Drago handed Roo to Carly when she held out her hands.

“He’s a pirate!” DJ, Drago’s oldest son, exclaimed, pulling a wooden sword from his side. “Attack, mates!”

“Come on, you scurvy dogs,” Carly ordered before she leaned up and brushed a kiss across Drago’s lips. “Be nice to Ashure.”

Mike turned and stepped aside to allow Carly, Roo, and the group of boys, who were now planning their creation of a pirate ship, into the playroom behind him. The excited chatter quickly died away as Jenny, Carly, and the children disappeared inside. Slowly walking up the steps to stand next to Marina, Mike once again felt like he had awakened in the matrix of a bizarre world.

“I don’t know why the boys think being a pirate is better than being a dragon,” Drago muttered.

“Dolph and Juno think the same thing,” Orion admitted.

“I could turn him into a burnt pirate with one breath,” Drago stated.

“Well, don’t. For some unknown reason, both Jenny and Carly like the man,” Orion said with a long sigh. “Speaking of which, he has arrived.”

Mike watched the arrival of a large carriage being pulled by a dozen horse-like creatures that would make a Clydesdale back home look like a Shetland pony. The creatures were blue with black strips. Their red eyes flashed as they tossed their heads. Ornate silver armor covered their foreheads and chests.

“Is that fire coming out of their nostrils?” Mike asked.

“Nali’s going to kill him,” Drago and Orion said at the exact same time.

“Nali?” Mike repeated.

Mike swallowed when he felt the hair on the back of his neck suddenly stand up. He swore he could feel the electricity in the air. The thought had no sooner flashed through his mind when he heard the rumbling of thunder. Looking up from the fire-breathing horses, he frowned when all he saw were blue skies.

“I’ve only heard about her and the mythical Thunderbirds that power her ships,” Marina murmured.

Mike could feel his jaw slowly open wide as a futuristic ship came into view. There were four massive birds on each corner of the ship. Threads of electricity ran through their wings, snapping and popping. On the bow, holding onto a long rope, a tall, dark-skinned woman wearing a blood-red blouse and black trousers rested one booted foot on the low railing and stared down at them.

“Holy shi…,” Mike started to say when she dove off the flying ship almost a hundred feet in the air.

Long wings suddenly appeared from her back, and she soared downward. She pulled up just before she reached the carriage and landed on the roof. The wings on her back folded and disappeared as she knelt on one knee and braced her hand against the carriage roof.

“I’m going to love watching this. I bet half a gold piece that Nali wins!” Drago said, rubbing his hands together.

“Who is that?” Marina asked, shielding her eyes and looking back up at the ship when a rope dropped down.

“Koorgan,”Orion replied.

“He’s a huge son-of-a-bitch,” Mike muttered.

“He should be. He’s the King of the Giants,” Drago replied.

“Only Nali could talk that hard-headed giant off his Isle,” Orion commented.

“He refused to help us when the Queen sent a missive,” Marina bitterly retorted.

Mike threaded his fingers through Marina’s and squeezed her hand in reassurance. The man looked down and waved his hand to a group of guards. Kapian turned and shouted out an order. The guards quickly retreated, clearing an area about the size of a basketball court.

“What’s he doing?” Mike asked.

Orion pursed his lips. “Ruining my courtyard,” he retorted.

Mike frowned at Orion and looked back up. His breath caught when the man casually stepped off the flying ship. A fall from that height would kill a normal man. The protest that started on his lips once again faded when the man began to grow and grow and grow and grow….

“Brace yourselves,” Orion said.

Mike wrapped his arm around Marina and pulled her tightly against his body. The tall man had grown into a giant that stood close to sixty feet tall. The man bent his knees as his feet finally touched the ground. Mike expected the impact to create a thunderous quake. The ground did tremble, but it was more of the rolling effect of a 3.0 quake instead of the catastrophe he was expecting.

Koorgan stood up and grinned. Nali rose to her feet on the roof of the carriage and placed her hands on her hips while another elegantly dressed man leaned out of the carriage and clapped his hands in applause.

“Bravo, Koorgan, bravo. Splendid entrance, my friend,” the man in the carriage called from the window.

Koorgan’s laugh sounded like thunder. The fire-breathing horses danced and nervously kicked their prancing hooves. Mike watched as Nali snapped her fingers, and the horses instantly settled down.

“Nali, my beautiful Empress. I can explain…,” the man warily began, twisting around to look up at the woman standing on the roof of his carriage.

“I swear Ashure, I should slit your thieving throat and be done with it,” Nali threatened.

“She won’t,” Orion assured Mike.

Drago glanced over his shoulder. “I’d almost pay a gold piece to see that,” he said, refocusing his attention on the scene in front of him.

“Would that be dragon’s gold or sea gold?” Ashure asked.

Mike shook his head while Marina giggled at the antics between the different rulers. He was too fascinated watching the giant Koorgan shrink down to a large man and Nali’s graceful flip off the roof to pay attention to anything else. Ashure grimaced and held out his hands when Nali pulled open the door to the carriage and shook her finger at him in a scolding manner.

“I was bringing them to you, Nali. I stole them off a ship heading to the edges of our world. The poor things were in dire condition, and I’ve…,” Ashure’s voice died when Nali pinned him to the side of his carriage with one hand.

“You are lucky that I love the brandy that you have, Ashure. Two cases—delivered within the week,” she demanded.

“Two bottles and a reward for saving your stallions from the clutches of scoundrels who would have harmed such magnificent beasts,” Ashure countered.

Nali gave Ashure a suspicious look before she released him. “One case and I won’t charge you for the use of my stallions,” she said, releasing him.

“Dapier,” Ashure called.

“Aye, your Majesty,” Dapier replied.

Mike could appreciate how Ashure casually adjusted the sleeves of his dark brown jacket. The man was cool and calm considering that a woman with wings had just held him up by the neck with one hand. Mike decided that he would have to be very cautious about who he pissed off here. If they didn’t burn you to a crisp or step on you, they could rip you apart with one hand.

“Please unload my luggage, return the carriage to my ship, and inform Captain LaBluff to have three bottles of my finest brandy delivered to….” He paused and raised an eyebrow at Nali.

“I’ll send several of my Cyclops to retrieve the stallions and the ‘case’ of brandy,” she said.

“You are killing me, Nali,” Ashure groaned.

“Aye, your Majesty. The stallions and a case of your finest brandy,” Dapier replied, climbing down.