When Leanne woke, she had the distinct feeling that the dungeon was warmer than usual. The covers around her were so silky and soft, and the mattress beneath her felt like an actual mattress.

She pushed herself up and blinked as she looked around the room, realizing quickly that she wasn’t in the dungeon anymore.

Images flashed through her mind, and she quickly remembered escaping with Zinc. Coming here.

Making love to Zinc in an impulsive plan she’d come up with to save his life.

She gasped and jumped back when she realized someone was sitting by her bedside, watching.

An older woman, who seemed vaguely familiar, a handsome face with deep lines, dark-gray hair with swirls of white, and a… Was that a crown on top?

Leanne backed against the headboard, holding the blankets tight. “Where am I?” She looked around. “Where’s Zinc?”

He had presumably brought her to this planet. Now he wasn’t even going to be around?

“He’s busy at the moment, but he wanted to make sure someone was here when you awoke.”

“And you are…?” Leanne didn’t mean to be rude, but she’d spent weeks in captivity and didn’t exactly trust strangers.

“His mother.”

“Oh,” Leanne said.

“It is good to meet his mate. I know he will make you happy.”

Leanne stayed silent, figuring if Zinc hadn’t told his mother that this was only a temporary arrangement, she shouldn’t rat him out.

“Here,” the woman said, handing her a plate with foreign-looking food on it. “We thought you might be hungry.”

Leanne stared at the plate, but didn’t take it. She knew this woman should be one she could trust, but at the same time…

The door to the room burst open, and Zinc walked in looking so handsome and regal she almost didn’t recognize him at first. He wore some kind of metal band on his head and was wearing long robes in metallic gray and purple. He swept forward, and she was relieved to see his face was at least the one she remembered.

Kind. Handsome. Sharp angles softened by long lashes and full lips.

“You can trust the food,” he said. “Though, I understand your reticence. However, our queen would never poison you.”

“Queen?” Leanne said, looking in shock at the woman tending her.

“Poison?” The queen put a hand on her chest as Leanne took the plate from her gratefully. “No, never.”

Leanne smiled. “Sorry. Ran into some bad shifters.”

“The situation between humans and shifters on Earth is quite complicated,” Zinc said, taking a chair and pulling it up to the bedside so he could sit close to Leanne.

The queen patted his shoulder. “If you two are all right, I should go to my husband. It was nice to meet you, Leanne.”

“Nice to meet you… Um…”

“You can call me Mother,” the queen said with a wink, and Leanne’s jaw dropped as the elegant woman almost seemed to float from the room.

“Wow,” Leanne said, staring after her. “So that’s your mom.” She looked at the plate in her lap. “Oh gosh, I need to call my mom. She’ll be worried.”

“Oh?” Zinc bit his full lower lip. “I hadn’t realized it would be a problem. The other dragon hearts we’ve met have had fairly few family ties.”

“Oh, no, I’m fairly close to my parents. I mean, they’re used to not seeing me since they’re retired and currently living in Florida, but I really should give them a call.” She let out a little sigh. “It would be good to hear their voice.”

“I will try and figure out how to get that done. I don’t want them to worry.”

She fidgeted. “Well, they won’t be. The stupid wolves who kidnapped me made up a pretty good cover story and made me call and give it to them. They made me quit my job as well, using the fire as an excuse. Everyone thinks I’m off on an internship overseas.”

Zinc’s jaw tightened. “None of this should have happened to you. Regardless, you’re safe here.”

“Right,” she said. “And so are you.” She let out a happy sigh. “You’re looking much better, and you’re not mated by an evil she-dragon. And you’re home. So now we just need to undo our mating and send me back to Earth where I belong.”

Zinc’s eyebrows drew together just as the door opened and a tall man came through.

He was even more exotic-looking than Zinc, if that was possible, with light-gray hair that seemed to almost give off a blue sheen and vivid blue eyes that seemed to glow even from here. He was muscular and broad shouldered, but had refined, intelligent features, a slim nose and jaw. Reading glasses were perched on his nose.

“Can I help, Your Majesty?”

“Call me Zinc, Cobalt.” Zinc stood and put a hand on the new visitor’s shoulder. “This is Cobalt, royal librarian and a very good friend. He is here to help you understand any of our customs and answer any questions.”

“That’s okay. I won’t need any questions answered. I’m just going to head back to Earth.”

“That’s not exactly safe,” Cobalt said, taking a chair next to Zinc and staring at her authoritatively. “Back on Earth, Hora and her wolves are certainly looking for you. You are safest right here.” He nudged a now-seated Zinc with his elbow. “And besides, it’s not too bad here, right? Who wouldn’t want to marry a king?”

Zinc glared at him. “We aren’t married.”

“That’s how humans would refer to it,” Cobalt said factually. “And you are mated, at least. To us, that is a big deal.”

Leanne frowned. Of course, Zinc was gorgeous, and anyone would be lucky to have him. But this was a different planet, and she just wanted to be home. “Um, there are other circumstances, and—”

“Stay at least a few days,” Cobalt said. “If you go back, you could be in danger. Your family could be in danger if you went back to them and led your enemies right to them.”

“I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Drakkaris is a wonderful planet. You’ll get to spend time with Zinc, and I can help you learn about it when he is busy with court duties.”

Zinc grinned, flashing perfect white teeth with slightly sharp canines. Being with him while he was feeling well was making her realize just how much of a stranger he was. “Cobalt loves to pass information along almost as much as he loves gathering it.”

“Speaking of which, if you two are going to copulate while you’re here, and you aren’t positive of maintaining the mating, you should make sure she is using some kind of human form of birth control.”

Zinc raised a dark-gray brow. “A what?”

“Humans do not always wish to have young. It is much more common on their planet, so they use different means to ensure it doesn’t happen unless they are ready.”

“Interesting,” Zinc said.

“I’m on the shot,” she said. “I had it before I was kidnapped, thank goodness. Should be good for another couple months.”

Zinc’s eyes narrowed instantly. “Why is it a good thing? Did someone attack you?”

“No,” she said, flushing as she remembered their night together. “But… um…”

“Right,” Zinc said, suddenly looking very awkward as well. “Well, you have nothing to worry about, then.”

“I already knew that, though. I knew shifters couldn’t pass STDs to humans… Um, I heard the wolves talking about it.”

Zinc looked like he wanted to melt into a pile of mortification, and she sort of felt the same.

Cobalt brushed off his hands matter-of-factly. “Good, then. We’re all on the same page. You two are free to canoodle as you like without consequences.”

Leanne put her hands over her face. “Don’t call it that.”

“It’s a human term,” Cobalt said, looking pleased with himself. “I know it’s colloquial, but—”

“Stop,” Zinc said. “I appreciate this info, Cobalt, but this isn’t your business.”

It was Cobalt’s turn to blush, a faint pinkness spreading over his cheeks. “My apologies, Your Highness—I mean Zinc. I did not mean to step out of line.”

“No, it’s fine. I—”

Zinc looked at her, and she had no idea what to say. Everything had changed so fast. He was still the handsome man she’d had a crush on in the dungeon, but things were so complicated now.

They hadn’t even really had a chance to talk since she had mated him.

He looked at some kind of device on his arm as it buzzed, and he sighed in exasperation. “He’s calling me again.” He looked at Leanne regretfully. “Are you okay with Cobalt showing you around? I trust him with my life.”

She looked at Cobalt and stifled a laugh. He looked so uptight, so awkward, but there was something friendly, almost innocent, about him, and she could tell he would be a good friend. “I’m fine.”

“Good,” Zinc said, taking her hand and giving it a squeeze, sending shockwaves through her. No man had ever made her feel such strong attraction, but perhaps it was just because he was so strong, so good-looking, so kind.

Perhaps there was no greater meaning to it, despite her heart kind of wanting it to be otherwise.

“I’ll see you tonight, for dinner,” he said.

“Looking forward to it,” she said as he released her hand and walked to the door, opening and closing it behind him softly.

Leaving her alone with his friend.

Cobalt twisted his hands in his lap. “I do apologize if I made you uncomfortable. I—”

“No, it’s fine,” she said, waving a hand. “Someone had to say something. Zinc has been so sick since I’ve known him that we haven’t really been able to discuss details.”

“What do you know about him?”

“That he’s a good person. That he cares about his friends. He used to talk about you all coming for him. And he used to beg not to die.”

Cobalt’s eyes grew glassy, and he turned away from her as he removed his glasses and seemed to be rubbing something away. When he turned back, he was composed. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, but I’m so grateful that you helped him.”

“I just… He didn’t want me to mate him.”

“I doubt that,” Cobalt said. He glared at the plate and then gently nudged it toward her. “You should eat so you don’t faint again. The people here won’t take very kindly to a weak queen.”

“But I’m not going to be a queen,” she protested.

“Eat.”

“Fine.” She picked up an odd piece of blue fruit and bit into it, smiling when it was pleasantly sweet. “That’s good.”

Cobalt grinned and explained what was on her plate and how things grew on Drakkaris. His familiarity with Earth helped him compare certain things.

“Why did you all go to Earth?” Leanne poked at the remnants of her food, feeling much better now.

“Zinc didn’t tell you?”

“I knew he was leader of a group that was helping rescue people, but I didn’t really know he’d come to Earth for it. Seems like he could have been doing that here.”

“We came to find mates.”

“Why not here?”

“There aren’t enough females that are compatible with dragons. We found out that the human race on Earth was able to mate successfully and decided to seek mates that way and help Earth in the process.”

“And why does mating save your lives?”

“In Zinc’s case, it was extra urgent, but all of us have a proportion of poison in our blood that must be carefully controlled. When we mate, for some reason, it is locked back and can’t hurt us, though we still have control of it. It’s hard to explain, but it is the only thing that has worked for eternity.”

“I see. Wait, and how long do you live?”

“It varies,” Cobalt said, looking to the side as though he was trying to dodge the question.

“How long?”

“Hundreds of years.”

“So if you mate a human, won’t they die?”

“When we mate, our lifespans are joined. We live and die together.”

“Ah, and what happens when a mating is reversed?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?”

“You know, like Zinc and me. We weren’t really supposed to mate. I did it to save him, and he said it could be reversed, so I assume that’s what will happen.”

Why did she feel a little sad at the thought?

That was silly. She had a world to get back to. Dreams to fulfill in the business world now that she planned to return and take it by storm. Start her own companies. Let nothing hold her back this time.

Cobalt watched her hesitantly. “I’m not sure how that works. You would have to talk to Zinc about that.”

Slight discomfort moved through her at that. “Oh.” But then again, perhaps it was something only he could do as king. He’d basically said as much when delirious.

“I’ll do that.”

“Good,” Cobalt said, standing expectantly. “Now, should I give you a tour of the room? We have quite a beautiful suite laid out for you, and I can also show you the dress and manners expected on Drakkaris so you can prepare for dinner.”

“I suppose.” She stretched and stepped out of the bed, glad to see she was wearing her modest, if dirty, clothing from the prison.

“In here is the bathroom,” Cobalt said, turning on a light and showing her a beautiful, large room with sparkling gray marble shot through with metallic streaks. In the middle was a bath large enough to be some people’s swimming pool. Spouts all along it had different-colored gemstones on the top.

“You will find anything to wash with in these taps,” Cobalt said, pointing to each one. “Shampoo, conditioner, body wash, as you humans would call it.”

“Awesome,” she said, walking past a huge, full-length mirror and two vanities. “I definitely think I can spend a few days here.”

“Good,” he said. “Now let me show you the closet. He walked out the other side of the bathroom to another huge room and turned on a light to reveal racks and racks of clothing and shoes. “The queen herself made sure you had everything you needed to make yourself at home. Though, some of this clothing will feel a little foreign.”

“It’s all so beautiful,” she said, running her hand along a row of silky dresses.

“As the future queen, you will be expected to dress and act a certain way.”

She turned to him. “Even if it isn’t permanent?”

There was that awkward look again. “No one here knows about that. Unless you plan to announce it, I would act as if.”

“That’s fine,” she said. “I can pretend if that’s easier for him. I do sort of owe him, too.”

“How?”

“He got me out of there. I didn’t really want to go to another planet, but that lady dragon was probably going to kill me. Even if I hadn’t saved Zinc, she wouldn’t have had good plans for me most likely.”

Cobalt nodded. “We don’t know exactly the purpose of capturing the dragon hearts yet. I’m not sure the wolves even know. But we do know it seems to be for no good.”

“True.”

“So shall I leave you to enjoy the facilities?”

“Yes, please,” she said. After the crappy little bathroom in her cell, she was so ready to have her way with that bathtub.

“Good-bye, then, Leanne. And please do call if you need me.”

“How?” Without her phone, she wasn’t sure how people communicated.

He pointed to a small metal object with buttons on it. “Simply press the blue one, and I’ll come right over.”

“What if I’m not in the room?”

He shook his head sternly. “You should never be outside the room without someone with you. Promise me?”

“I promise, but—”

“No buts,” he said, heading for the door. “Zinc will be by to pick you up for dinner. Until then, stay here where it is safe.”

“Fine.”

When he was satisfied, he left, closing the door, and Leanne looked around the empty room, trying to remind herself that limitations did not mean she was a prisoner.

Still, she would have to ask Zinc about the whole “not walking around alone” thing. She liked going about as she pleased. Liked being independent.

Just another reason to get back to her planet, she thought as she made sure the door was locked so she could strip down and head into the bathroom.