Helen ran down the stairs, panicked by the thought that someone could have left on an oven or something with all the excitement that night. She threw on a coat over her pajamas and ran down the stairs and into the restaurant, where she gasped when she saw bright flames.

She saw someone bending over, holding some kind of gas can, and realized she was witnessing arson.

The flames were in front of the main entrance to the restaurant, and by the way he was still splashing gas around, she knew the fire was going to spread fast.

She didn’t know what to do, whether to save her restaurant or run back outside. While she was deciding, the man turned around and looked at her, and she recognized him immediately.

It was her ex. Darren.

He snarled as he dropped the can and walked toward her. She looked up at the ceiling, willing the sprinklers to turn on, and grabbed for the door handle behind her, trying to get out before Darren could reach her.

It was already getting smoky and hard to breathe in the building.

But Darren got there before she could run and grabbed her by her coat collar, jerking her forward to the center of the room, close enough to the flames that she could almost feel them burning.

“Glad you came down here,” Darren yelled over the crackling of the fire. “It saves me having to go up there and get you.”

“Are you crazy? Let me go! You’re going to destroy everything.” She tried to jerk free, but he only pulled her closer to him, moving slightly away from the fire.

“I need the money from this place, and I’ll take it from the insurance if I have to. I tried to scare you a week ago when we were gonna rob the place, but your stupid boy toy ruined it, and I realized you were never gonna give this place up. But with it burned down, I’ll be the only beneficiary.”

Her eyes went wide. “No, I’m the beneficiary.”

“Oh, my bad. I meant when you were found burned inside it. The life insurance payout will be a nice bonus as well.”

“You can’t do this.”

“Yes, I can. You finally chased that boy toy off with your terrible personality. No one could stay with someone who is that awful.”

And then she saw him clearly for the monster he was and knew she was right to let everything he said go. Everything he said was just to control her, to make her the monster so he could be blameless. To keep her feeling so much shame and guilt that she couldn’t defy him.

But she had defied him. She had divorced him, no matter how much he’d said no one would want her. She’d shown love for herself at least at that moment, and it had to have driven him crazy.

“You’re the one who’s terrible, and I’m not going to die in this fire.” She hauled back with her leg and brought it up to kick him right in the crotch. Then she turned to blindly run toward the kitchen and screamed when she slammed right into something solid and tall.

Arms closed around her, and she looked up into Chromium’s eyes. “You’re here.”

He kissed the top of her head, spinning her so he was between her and the slowly spreading flames. “Of course I am. I couldn’t leave you. I told you that. Dragon.” He pushed her toward the door. “You go. I’ll take care of this.”

“Did you hear him?”

He nodded. “A little, but I just got here. I was on the roof of the building across the street. We can talk about it more later. You get out, now.”

She shook her head stubbornly. “I’m not going without you.”

He looked at the ceiling. “The bastard probably disabled the sprinklers. I’m not sure I’ll be able to put this out.”

“I don’t care,” she said, holding on to his arm. “Just get us all out of here safely, and the rest can be rebuilt.”

“Stay here, then,” Chromium said, walking toward the smoking fire to where Darren was on the ground, clutching his balls. Chromium picked up the other man easily, then dragged him to the exit, pushing Helen ahead of him.

When they were all outside, Chromium threw Darren onto the concrete, then walked over to him and glared down. “You dare to put a hand on my mate? Threaten her? Try to burn her dreams to the ground? For money?”

Darren looked up at him blearily, then over at the restaurant where smoke was pouring out. “Ha-ha. Looks like I succeeded. Now if only I’d gotten the bitch as well.”

Chromium’s face went a deep shade of red, and then he stepped over Darren and punched him hard, once, right in the face. Darren immediately went limp, and Chromium just straightened up, cracking his neck before heading back to the restaurant.

“No,” Helen said, running toward him and wrapping her arms around his waist. “You can’t do that.”

He tried to extricate her. “But it’s your home. And I’ll be fine.”

She buried her head in his shirt and shook it emphatically. “No. You’re my home now. And I can’t even let you take a little risk. I love you, Chromium.”

That was enough to finally stop him, and as he looked down at her in wonder, a huge blue circle opened up in the air in front of him, and a whole group of dragons piled out.

Some kind of… portal?

“We’re here to help,” Cadmium said, brushing his knees off as he walked over to them. “Chromium called.”

“Yes,” Zinc said.

Cobalt, the one Chromium had introduced as his cousin but who had been very involved in his mate, nodded solemnly. “The Dragon Guard of Drakkaris can take it from here.”

And then before she could protest, they’d all headed into the restaurant, determined to save it from harm.

Chromium watched them go with a concerned expression, then turned back to her, pulled her close, and simply kept her safely in his arms, reassuring her that everything was going to be all right.

As long as she was with him, she knew she would be.

* * *

When the fire was out, the Drakkaris dragons stayed long enough to make sure everyone was safe and then insisted on Helen and Chromium coming back with them while the fire department checked everything out.

Of course, none of the dragons had been hurt in the fire, given the metal in their skin, but it still wasn’t fun knowing his friends were in a burning building. He knew it hadn’t been fun for Helen either.

He’d been touched when she’d stopped him from going, saying that he was her new home. Did that mean she’d forgiven him?

She’d said she loved him.

Hopefully, that wasn’t just the smoke inhalation talking.

They were currently in the back of one of the rented cars Cadmium had called in because the portal had closed while the dragons were fighting the fire.

Chromium was just so glad that he’d stayed behind to be there in time to stop Darren and call for backup.

He’d wanted to kill Darren but knew that would upset Helen, so he’d merely knocked him out. The police could take care of the rest.

They’d have to contact the restaurant staff and tell them they’d be closed for a bit, but he’d make sure their salaries were paid and do his best to quickly get people on the job there. It didn’t matter that Helen had said it was okay, that Chromium was her home now. He wanted her to have everything she wanted, everything she treasured, and her restaurant was a big part of that.

Besides, he wanted to go back to working there with her. Now that things were calming down in the shifter world, he and the rest of the dragons could find their own place here on Earth.

It was a good feeling.

When they pulled up at the mansion, he heard Helen gasp in awe.

“This is where you’ve been living? No wonder you thought my guest apartment was small.”

Cadmium smirked. “And before that, he was living in a palace.”

Helen looked at Chromium, wide-eyed. “Is that true?”

He nodded. “But I’ve changed my view on the apartment. It’s actually the best apartment in the world because it’s where I met you.”

She sighed as she rested against him. “I’d probably be dead if I hadn’t met you.”

Chromium considered that thoughtfully, remembering the words of the man who’d warned him. “I don’t think so. But I’m glad I was there.”

“You weren’t supposed to be.” She put an arm around his waist as they walked up to the mansion in the dark. “You were supposed to be here with your friends.”

“You’re right, but according to some people, I’m pretty stubborn.” He looked down at her finger. “You still have the ring.”

“I couldn’t bear to take it off. It’s from you.” When they reached the front door, Brittany, Lead’s mate, jumped forward into Lead’s arms, and they held each other as the other dragons walked through the door to find their mates as well.

Chromium took Helen’s hand and intertwined their fingers as he led her up the stairs and down the hallway to his room. When he opened the door, she walked inside quietly and took a moment to look around.

When she sat on the bed, hands folded in her lap, and let out a relaxed sigh, he shut the door behind him and came over to join her.

He leaned over her on the bed and checked her face for scratches, then her hands and arms. He made to lift her shirt, and she raised an eyebrow at him.

“I just want to make sure you aren’t hurt. I should have been faster.”

She pulled back. “Wait, so you were in a building nearby?”

“On the roof of the one across the street.”

“Were you freezing?”

“Dragon.” He shrugged. “I was fine. Missing my mate or knowing she was unprotected would have been worse.”

She fidgeted with her hands, and when she looked up at him, her blue eyes were slightly watery. “I’m sorry I overreacted. I mean, it is a big deal, but I do know it doesn’t change what we are. I do believe you.”

He took her hands in his, squeezing them reassuringly. “Thank you. That means a lot to me. I promise not to keep any secrets in the future. And if we visit here, my friends can remind me of anything I’ve left out.”

“You’re a dragon from space who is obsessed with me and only wants to be with me, even though anyone could save your life, is that it?”

“No,” he said, pulling her into his lap so he could hold her closer. “Not exactly. You see, the way our mates heal us is they complete us perfectly. They fill up our heart. They give us reason to live. It’s complicated, but it couldn’t be just anyone. It has to be the mate of our heart. The person we were always meant to be with. Our other half.”

She relaxed against his chest, putting a hand over his heart. “It’s a very romantic notion.”

“I suppose.”

They were quiet for a moment, just the sound of their breathing filling the room. Chromium wondered what she was thinking but decided not to invade her thoughts. He wanted his mate to trust him, to tell him what was on her mind.

He was already super proud of her for how she’d fought Darren—and her own insecurity—to help them be together again.

“Thank you for not killing Darren,” she said. “Even if he deserved it. Now justice can be done.”

“Of course,” he said. “All I cared about was you being okay. I’m sorry about the restaurant.”

“Well, thanks to your friends, it didn’t burn to the ground.” She shrugged her shoulders, and he realized she was still wearing a coat over pajamas. He gently slid it off of her and tossed it to the side.

It smelled like smoke.

“Ugh,” she said with a little shudder. “He was going to burn me.”

“I would never have let him.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’m never going to let you out of my sight.”

“What about going to the bathroom?”

He grunted. “Maybe. No more than ten feet away.”

“You’re being silly.”

He raised an eyebrow. “My mate was almost barbecued, and I’m being silly for being overprotective? I don’t think so. Not this dragon.”

She got out of his lap and put out a hand for him to join her. “Come on.”

He looked at her uncertainly. “What for? We can’t go back until the smoke is cleared and the fire department says your place is habitable.”

She just waved for him to join her, and when he stood in front of her, she pulled him in against her, holding on tightly. Then she kept their bodies pressed together and looked up into his eyes.

Her blond hair was unruly but beautiful, and he loved her full lips, small cheekbones, kind blue eyes. “How does mating work? How do we make it official?”

He looked to the side. “I mean, we have sex, without protection.”

She flushed. “Ah, didn’t we already do that? Because you said dragons didn’t have to…you know.”

“Yes, but that’s not all. You also have to agree to be my mate, with full knowledge of what that entails.”

She sat up slightly. “What does that entail?”

“Letting me love you forever.”

“I can do that.”

“Being my whole world.”

She thought for a moment, a playful expression on her face. “Okay.”

“And stay with me always. I love you, Helen. I can’t bear to not be by your side.”

She looked down at her ring, twisting it slowly, then gazed back up at him, love as clear in her expression as sunlight on a summer’s day. “I love you, Chromium. Of course I’ll mate you. Of course I’ll stay by your side.”

“Then you’ve made me the happiest dragon on this or any other planet,” he said, leaning down to kiss her.

It was the best kiss yet because there was nothing to hold back from her, and he knew she would be his for all time. He kissed her until they were both breathless, and then he pulled back and looked down into her eyes.

All was right with the world for a moment, and then reality settled in and they both got ready for bed, knowing they needed sleep to recover from what they’d been through.

Chromium was already excited to wake up the next morning with her right by his side.

Helen finished changing into one of his clean shirts and walked over to him, looking so sweet and curvy that he just wanted to take her right there. And would have, if they hadn’t been so tired.

But it was fine, because they had forever now. A million more moments to be together, to play and love and cook and eat and just have fun.

Whether they were here or at the restaurant, in bed or in the kitchen, they had the perfect recipe for happiness, because they had each other’s love.