Holden Reid glared at himself in the mirror. He was just so human. It had been one thing to take on this form back on Charok. It had served as a diplomatic common ground for all creatures who came to the Great Court to converse and work out political issues. It had kept things civil—at least for a time—since the natural powers of the inhabitants were all somewhat reduced when they were walking on two legs. But he wasn’t sure he would ever get used to the sleek cheekbones covered in rusty stubble, the waves of matching hair on his head that had replaced his spikes, or the haunting blue eyes that stared back at him in the mirror. He knew he could shift back into his dragon form whenever he wanted to, but there was rarely an opportunity on Earth.

“Quit staring at yourself.” Xander leaned in the bedroom doorway, his dark hair combed back perfectly. “It’s about time to go.”

“I was thinking maybe I should stay home and let the rest of you go out.” Holden turned away from the mirror and grabbed his shoes from the rack behind his door—awful things, but unfortunately, it wasn’t acceptable to go out in public with bare feet. “I’m sure Beau would rather go out than be stuck with the children again.”

Xander gave him a level look that meant business. “Don’t even try it. It’s Beau’s turn to stay with them, and we already have everything set up. We’re not changing things now just because you want to be a stubborn dragon.”

“Then couldn’t we at least find a different place to go? These human bars have such bad energy. Everyone there is either sad, angry, or both. Not to mention the rancid smell of old alcohol. I don’t see how this can ever work as a mating ritual.” Holden knew how important it was that they each find their mates. They were the last of their kind, and the younglings they had charged themselves with raising needed mothers as well as fathers. But he had his doubts that human women could ever fit the bill, and he hadn’t enjoyed their attempts at finding acceptable ones so far.

“Trust me. I’ve done a lot of reading on the subject, and this is how they do it here.” He adjusted his glasses on his nose. “Unless you want to try online dating again.”

“Fuck no!” Holden roared, spinning around to glare at his friend. At the bemused look on Xander’s face, he had to laugh himself. “I can’t say that went particularly well last time.” It had been an experiment for them, but not one that he was willing to conduct again. It seemed to draw out only the most desperate women, and they never looked the same in real life as they did in their pictures. He knew that physical attraction didn’t really matter, but it made Holden feel as though they had been lying to him.

The two men went out into the living room, where Beau and Julian were keeping the children entertained. A living room of four dragon younglings seemed very full. They were younger than they appeared, already toddling about on two legs like human babies did. Beau sat on the floor with them, already in his role as sitter for the night. He had doled out snacks and sippy cups and was watching patiently as they emptied a bin full of toys. It was almost humorous to see the big blonde man so tenderly taking care of such small children. Finn, the child that had hatched out of the egg Holden had claimed when they’d made their escape from Charok, grinned at him from across the room.

They had only been eggs when the War of Storms had broken out. The dragons had fought valiantly for the territory that had been theirs since the dawn of time, but the ogres had fought harder. The dragons still might have won if the wizards hadn’t teamed up with the ogres and cast a spell that had instantly poisoned a vast majority of the great reptiles. Unfortunately, that had included their Queen, leaving behind the nest of eggs she had laid only a few months before.

“Do you ever think it was a mistake coming to Earth?” Holden mumbled. Maybe they would have been alright if they had stayed on Charok. They could have escaped to the mountains and found the tunnels of their ancestors. It would have been a primitive lifestyle, but at least they would have known that the next generation was being raised on their home planet.

“Don’t get started on that again.” Julian rolled his eyes and picked up Kaylee, his charge. They were the pair that looked most like each other, with green eyes, dark hair, and olive skin. It had been sheer chance, but it had worked in their favor. Nobody would ever doubt that Julian was her father. “We did what we thought was best, and there’s no going back. That spell was hard, and it was a one-time deal. Besides, we would be questioning ourselves just as much if we hadn’t taken advantage of it.”

Holden nodded. It had been a risk, either way. And the rogue wizard who had agreed to help them get off their world and into a different one had been an old friend of Julian’s. “I just wish he had bothered to tell us about how this world worked beforehand. What do you think the Queen would say if she could see her children being raised as soft little fleshlings?”

“I think she would say we’re very lucky that our kind is able to shift at such a young age,” Xander volunteered. “It’s clear from my studies that human children who look different aren’t easily accepted by their own species. If the children had any indication of their true nature—dragon scales, claws, you name it—then this entire journey would have been a complete bust. We’d be hiding in the mountains of Earth, instead.”

“Are the three of you just going to stand around talking, or are you going to go out and find some mates?” Beau asked from the floor, where he was gently prying a small plastic toy out of Elliot’s mouth. “We could really use some help with these guys, if nothing else.”

“We’re going.” Holden reluctantly stuck his wallet in his pocket—since the humans seemed to favor little rectangles of plastic instead of the cold solidity of gold coins—and headed for the door.

The bar was just like all the other ones they had been to. It might have been laid out differently, and it might have sat in a different part of town, but it still smelled of liquor and tears. Even in human form, he found that the smell of Earth life was a noxious one anytime they were in the city. It was for that reason he had chosen a house out on the edge of town, where he had a massive back yard and plenty of fresh air. The other shifters often seemed to congregate there, and he could understand why.

“I’ll bet you six coins that you can’t even get a woman to look at you,” Julian said to Xander, punching him in the arm.

“I’ll double the wager and bet that every female you hit on busts out laughing,” Xander chided back.

It was innocent, foolish talk, and Holden would have taken part, but something hit him the moment he stepped into the bar. It was an energy, a field of vibrations that wrapped around his body and refused to let go. His vision blurred, and he fought to stay upright with only two feet to stand on. Instinctively, his body wanted to shift back to its dragon form. He needed the stability of his four sturdy legs under him, balanced by his expansive wings. He needed to know he had the security of his scaly armor and the fire in his lungs. “Not here, not here,” he whispered to himself as he felt beads of sweat form on his temples. The dragon inside was fighting fiercely to get out.

“What’s the matter?” Julian’s voice was distant, as though it were coming from the other side of the room, even though he was right beside him. “Are you alright?”

Holden gritted his teeth and forced himself to calm down. Whatever had happened was odd, but there was no choice but to control it. If he gave himself away, then it would be over for all of them, including their children. He curled his fingers into a fist and pressed his fingernails into his palm, forcing himself back to reality. “Yeah, I’m fine—or I will be. Let’s just sit down.”

He followed the other two men to a table on the right side of the bar, near the jukebox. It was noisy, but it meant they could talk without worrying too much about being overheard. They had found out quickly that it was hard to keep their conversation on normal Earth topics, even when they were out in public. Nobody needed to overhear them talking about spells, eggs, and life on another planet.

“What can I get for ya?” A waitress in a short skirt strutted up to their table, smacking her gum and openly admiring them. “We’ve got some great specials tonight.” She pointed at a chalkboard over the bar with several drinks scrawled onto it.

“Just a round of beers, please,” Julian said with a smile.

“What kind? We’ve got ten domestic beers on tap, and an entire list of imported bottles.” She pointed to a card stuck in a condiment rack in the middle of the table.

Holden, still reeling from the odd experience, pointed to the first one. “We’ll take those.” He didn’t even read it, and he didn’t need to. Humans seemed to put so much emphasis on their different alcoholic drinks, but he had yet to find one that truly appealed to him. The Earthling beers were palatable, but they were nothing like the ale back home.

“Sounds great. If you boys need anything else, you just let me know.” The waitress gave a little finger wave as she went behind the bar.

“I think you’re going to lose your bet already,” Julian scoffed, puffing his chest and grinning. “She was absolutely checking me out. And did you see those legs?”

“She was checking everyone out,” Xander replied, rolling his eyes and laughing. “It’s part of her job, because she thinks she’ll get better tips.”

“Oh, right. Tips. So weird.” Julian watched the waitress, where she was filling glasses behind the bar. “So, how exactly are we supposed to know when we’ve found the right one? I’ve had women flirt with me, and I think I’ve had several chances to mate. Some of them are beautiful, other ones seem nice, but I know we can’t pick just anyone to help us raise the children. I can’t say I would mind having that one in my bed, though.”

Xander pressed his lips together in thought. “I’m not sure, to be honest with you. No matter how many books I’ve read—and trust me, the humans like to study themselves just as much as I like to study them—nobody seems to know. Two humans might get married for monetary reasons without any consideration for love. Others might only count love, and still others seem to get married for no good reason at all. They spend their lives together, but they constantly fight. It doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.”

Julian crossed his arms and studied the wood grain of the table. “I remember older dragons talking back on Charok about finding their mates and the way it made them feel. They weren’t together for any artificial reasons; they just knew they were made for each other. I’m not sure how easy that’s going to be with humans thrown into the mix.

The waitress brought their beers, and Holden picked at the label on his bottle. “Sounds to me like we’d be better off alone. I’m not going to bring someone home to be a part of Finn’s life if she has half the qualities I’ve seen in humans so far. He doesn’t need a mother figure who might lie, cheat, steal, or be selfish. Let’s face it, there’s not a woman in this city—and maybe not even on this world—who has the kind of qualities we would have looked for in a female dragon.” He had known brave and noble female dragons back home, and it seemed doubtful that any of the Earthling women could compare.

“They might not have shining scales or sharp teeth, but I think I’ve seen a few I wouldn’t mind sinking my teeth into.” Julian’s eyes glittered as he cast a glance around the bar. “Who’s to say we couldn’t just experiment? We could mate without ever bringing them home.”

Xander slapped his hand on the table. “You sound like an Earthling already, and we’ve only been here a few months. Do what you want, but I can promise it won’t go well. I’ve read lots of articles about things called one-night stands and affairs, and they never seem to go well.”

Julian snorted. “That’s your problem. You never do anything but read. You should start looking around and seeing what humans are really like instead of just studying them from a distance.”

“But have you seen how much information the humans generate? It’s everywhere! They have articles all over the internet, and entire buildings full of books. I’m only just diving into this social media thing, but it’s clear there’s a lot to learn.” His dark eyes shone as he reflected on the work he had done so far. “They’re strange creatures, but they’re fascinating.”

Julian took a swig of his beer and shook his head. “I prefer my education to be hands-on.”

The repartee between the two men faded into the background as Holden took in his surroundings. He skimmed over the various men and women at the bar. Julian wasn’t the only one who wondered how they were supposed to know when they met the right one. Back on Charok, there was never a doubt when a male dragon found his mate. She possessed him with a spell that nobody could quite explain, but it made the male want to do absolutely everything for his intended female. Holden didn’t know if it would feel different with a human, or if it was even possible to find a human that could make him happy. Still, he was determined to try, even if it was only for Finn’s sake. He couldn’t let his doubts get in the way of his commitment.

But then his eyes landed on a woman on the other side of the bar. The layout of the pub made her seem small and distant, but he focused on her intently. Her dark hair, slightly curly, had been pulled back into a loose ponytail. She had thin brows that arched gracefully over her blue eyes, and her dark pink lips moved attractively as she spoke to the other women at her table. She was completely oblivious to him, but she had a power over him that he couldn’t quite explain.

Once again, he felt the urge to shift. He wanted to let go of this human shell he had been forced to wear around and let his scales surface. He wanted to feel the way his wings unfurled from his back and took to the air. More than anything, Holden wanted to let his claws come shooting out of the ends of his fingertips and feel them sink into something.

“Holden. Holden!”

Julian’s voice brought him back to the present. He’d been staring at the woman so intently that he had felt he’d been transported right across the bar until he was next to her and could smell the way her perfume wrapped around her body. He blinked. “What?”

“You might want to let go of the table.” Julian gestured at Holden’s hands.

Looking down, Holden saw what he meant. He had gripped the table in both of his hands with such force, he’d dug into the wood with his fingernails. They hadn’t done much damage, not compared to what would have happened if he really had unleashed his claws. Fortunately, the months of self-discipline he’d had to impose on himself had paid off. He’d done little more than scratch the finish.

Xander leaned forward, squinting at Holden through his glasses. “Are you sure you’re alright? You don’t seem yourself tonight.”

Holden didn’t know how to explain it. Maybe there was no good way of doing so. But there was either something about this bar or about that woman that had a hold on him. “I’m fine, it’s just one of those nights. Ignore me.”

The other men did as they were asked. Holden took a long sip of his beer, wishing it could affect him the way it did humans. Xander had theorized that there was something different about their metabolism, and that they weren’t completely human even when they appeared to be. But the physiology of it all didn’t intrigue him. He just knew that he had to find a way to talk to that woman.