1. The Kidnapping

1

Quinlan poured the last of the salt into his bucket, wincing. This wasn't enough.

Already, he'd raided the pantry and emptied all the salt shakers he could find. He needed sparkling kelp powder soon, but for now... They could go without.

"Let me stir it up," he told Annie.

Nine-month-old Annie squirmed eagerly in Quinlan's chest carrier, already reaching for the weak brine. "Wa wa!"

"All the salt's at the bottom," he said patiently. "Patience, young anchovy."

Annie kicked her chubby legs and squirmed harder.

She was adorable, with clear eyes the color of the ocean's depths. Her hair was a tuft of sand-brown, and she had the most innocent little smile that always melted Quinlan's grumpiness.

"All right," he said, giving in. "I guess you could stir it with your tail."

He eased her out of her carrier and clothes, gently lowering her into the large bucket.

The moment her legs touched water, they shimmered and melded together into a small tail, with opalescent pink scales and a wide, delicate fin at the end.

She looked so out of place in the orange bucket from the home improvement store.

And yet she beamed happily, splashing in the bucket that was barely large enough to fit her. Hell, she couldn't even stretch or swim in there.

Quinlan swallowed the feeling of being an inadequate dad. All his expensive supplies were back home, three states away. He'd only brought a few things with him because he and Wren had been in a hurry to find Joey, who'd gone missing.

Well, they'd found Joey knocked up by his dragon shifter. And now Quinlan had to get back home, because his rent was due last month, and he'd promised his landlord he would pay this week.

Right on cue, his phone buzzed.

Scrunched Face Landlord

Your rent is overdue. You have one last week to pay up or I'll throw your things out.

Quinlan's stomach clenched.

He didn't care about the apartment itself, but he had things there, expensive things that he couldn't afford to replace.

Like Annie's swimming tub. And her bath salts. All ten varieties that he'd spent a fortune on. And her special water outfits.

If his landlord trashed all of those... Quinlan might have a panic attack. The mere thought of it set his teeth on edge.

He sat back and breathed, trying not to let those thoughts get the better of him.

He couldn't escape his thoughts. So he stood and opened the bathroom door, poking his head out. "Wren?"

"Yeah?" Wren squeaked and hurried over, eternally mousy and shy even though they'd known each other for ten years.

"Did you happen to find any more money we could put toward rent?"

Wren's shoulders sagged. "None since the last time you asked. But we can ask Joey...? He's living in this huge mansion now. Blade seems to like him a lot. Maybe Blade might lend us some?"

Wren was nursing his own baby, so Quinlan nodded. "I'll ask. Don't worry about it."

He watched Annie splash around for a while longer, getting brine on her face and in her hair. Then he scooped her out, dried her off, and waited until her tail became legs again.

When he'd gotten her dressed, Quinlan clipped her into his carrier, heading for the mansion's back door.

It was nice to be out of the huge building. Quinlan wasn't used to a single house being this fast, considering that he'd grown up in cramped spaces with close to nothing.

"Quinnnlannn," something rumbled all thunder-like, from outside the mansion. "He is here?"

How did a rumbly-voiced thing know his name? Quinlan grimaced.

Maybe he should tuck Annie away somewhere safe, before investigating. But he remembered Blade and Joey heading into the backyard earlier. They'd help protect her.

So he stepped out of the mansion, looking around. "Someone said my name?"

"Quinlan." A sapphire-blue dragon stood a lot closer than he expected. The dragon craned his neck forward, red eyes with slit-like pupils fixed on him. Quinlan had a moment to grasp just how majestic the creature was. The dragon was twice as tall as him, three times as wide, with smoke wafting from his nostrils and a long tail curled lazily to one side. The beast padded forward, red gaze raking Quinlan from head to toe. "You can bear children."

Quinlan frowned suspiciously. "Yes. What's it to you?"

"I want a mate," the dragon purred. "You shall be my mate."

How arrogant was that?

Faster than Quinlan could react, the dragon reached forward, wrapping a scaly arm around his waist.

He snatched Quinlan off his feet. Against Quinlan's chest, Annie squealed.

"Hey!" Quinlan yelped and kicked, cradling Annie protectively. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I am bringing my mate home," the dragon announced proudly. "Mine."

"Griff," Blade said warningly to the side.

Blade was going to rescue Quinlan. He was a good guy.

Before anyone could move, twin leathery wings snapped open behind Griff. Then he beat them hard, and took off into the evening sky.

What the hell?

"Hey!" Quinlan struggled, trying to get the strong, scaly arms to loosen around him.

The dragon's arms did not budge. And the ground fell away beneath them, getting increasingly further. Until it was too far for Quinlan and Annie to survive a fall.

With growing horror, Quinlan realized that he didn't have the option of struggling anymore. The mansions were now the size of toy houses, and he couldn't risk the dragon accidentally letting go.

"Bring us back there!"

"Griff!" Blade roared from somewhere faraway. "That's kidnap!"

"Mine," Griff roared back.

He held on tight to Quinlan and kept flying.

"Let us go, you fucking oaf," Quinlan shouted. "Bring us back! You have no right to grab us!"

"You will be happy to be taken away," Griff rumbled as they flew over Cartfalls. "I will convince you to be my mate."

"I really doubt it," Quinlan snapped.

"I have filled my hoard with gifts for you," the dragon said, excitement growing in his voice. "I have a bed for you, and jewels for you—"

"Nope!"

"—I have all the clothes! I have ten cribs!"

"Why the hell would you have ten cribs?"

"For dragonets."

"Ten?" Quinlan squawked incredulously. "At the same time?"

The dragon arched his neck to look down at them. "Can you have ten at the same time?"

"No! It's too many! And I'm not having your babies."

"I will convince you with my gifts," Griff said. "I have filled my hoard with everything you can possibly want."

Quinlan shook his head. This dragon was insane. Besides, what Quinlan actually wanted was to get home, to rescue all of Annie's things.

Before he could open his mouth again, Griff hefted Quinlan and Annie higher.

Quinlan tried not to look down. Heights were not his thing. But night was falling fast, and hundreds of tiny lights had come on far below, twinkling at them.

"Bee wo oo," Annie said.

Quinlan sucked in a sharp breath when Griff continued to stare at her, his red eyes almost glowing in the fading light.

"Aww, aren't you a sweet lil dragonet?" Griff said, bumping his snout against Annie's cheek.

Before Quinlan could protest that she wasn't a dragon, Annie giggled and grabbed Griff by the snout.

"Annie," Quinlan squawked, prying her hands away before the dragon grew offended and hurt her.

Except Griff blew a gust of hot air into Annie's face, and Annie giggled.

This couldn't be happening. Why was his baby touching their kidnapper of her own free will? Griff wasn't even looking at the sky in front of them.

"Watch where you're going," Quinlan yelped. "Bring us back to Blade!"

"Blade doesn't need two mates." Griff narrowed his eyes. "He doesn't need two dragonets, either."

Quinlan wasn't going to tell him that Blade was already getting two dragonets—Joey was pregnant with a second one.

I'm twenty-four years old. I'm too young to be kidnapped by a dragon!

Griff nudged the back of his dangerously-sharp claw against Quinlan's cheek. It didn't scratch him. "Don't worry, fireheart. I will keep you safe. You too, baby flame."

Annie kicked her legs happily. Such a traitor.

"Annie and I need to go home," Quinlan said, trying to think of a way to make the dragon turn around. "You can't hold us hostage like this."

"I can bring you home."

"Really?" Quinlan asked, surprised.

"Yes. We're there!" Griff finally looked ahead.

And he folded his wings, taking a nosedive toward the ground.