Chapter 1

ONE

Samantha

The lab room is extra cold, which bothers me for reasons I don’t understand. I’m finding myself drawn more and more to the heat, even though I don’t know why. Maybe it’s a dragon thing. Or maybe it’s because another dragon has been spotted, which given my experiences so far can’t mean good things for me, and I’m kind of freaking out. The guys might think that we handed our enemies their asses during our last fight, but I think we barely got out, even with three dragons and a human to protect. I’m not sure we can do that again.

But I have to stay calm, or it’s going to be like throwing an estrogen bomb into a room full of testosterone. I have no idea how they’ll react, but it won’t be good.

Dr. Duncan clicks on the screen and pulls up an image of the blue dragon. He looks different from us. His body is smooth and sleek whereas ours have rougher edges and sharp lines. And the pale blue spines on his back look more like shards of ice rather than spines, like ours.

“Is he a different species of dragon?” I ask.

“He doesn’t quite look like us,” Aydan remarks, frowning.

Everyone is staring at the screen, wondering the same thing. What’s different about this dragon? And what does that mean to us?

Dr. Duncan strokes his long brown beard. “We honestly have no way of knowing unless we can get him into our lab.”

“Which isn’t going to happen,” I mumble.

Dr. Duncan sighs and collapses back into the chair by the screen, looking tired as he switches to another screen. Aydan, Granger, and Evander don’t seem to know what to do or say, but they don’t need to say anything. The blue dot on the map is saying everything for us. The new dragon is out there. That it's currently hanging about in the exact area we were just fighting with the brown and green dragons can't be a coincidence.

It has to mean something.

Granger leans forward, running a hand through his shaggy brown hair. “So, let’s go through everything we know. First, the brown and green dragons were in that area, but as far as we know they haven't been back. The data we've received from the satellites suggests the blue dragon arrived after them. Therefore, we can conclude that they didn’t meet, which means that the green dragon can’t have recruited the blue dragon in his plot to take Sam. That’s a good thing for us. Second, the blue dragon seems to be staying in the same area, rather than leaving like the other two, so we can suspect, for now, that it’s scented the other two Sleeping Dragons, maybe even Sam, and has decided to remain in that area.”

“Correct, although that’s just a hypothesis, since we don’t really know what dragons do and what’s normal for them. The only thing we can base this off is the Sleeping Dragons’ behaviors so far. When Sam’s scent is strong, they switch their direction, heading for us, but in general seem to just be flying around, perhaps taking in the changes in this new world.” Dr. Duncan says, his braided brown beard bouncing as he speaks.

Evander puts his arm on the side of the big couch we’re sitting on, making the gray dragon tattoo on his arm dance. “I say that Aydan and I go find the blue dragon and kill him before he can join up with the other two.”

“Agreed,” Aydan says, and they nod at each other.

Actually agreeing with one another. Like they’re bros. Which is definitely something. Maybe the first step to them not completely hating each other.

“Guys…” I begin, but the two men have those stubborn looks on their faces. The ones that say they’ve already decided this.

My gaze slides to Granger’s dark eyes. He gives me a reassuring look, then starts talking. “There’s nothing to say this dragon is going to be an enemy. For the first time, we have a dragon close enough, who appears to be newly awakened and isn’t near any other dragons. We have a chance to go and actually… talk to him.”

“ Talk to him? Are you insane?” Evander asks.

Aydan’s voice is a little more controlled, but his blue eyes are filled with disbelief. “So far from what we’ve seen, these dragons wake up and make a beeline for Sam. They don’t want anything else. They don’t care about anything else.”

“That’s what we’ve seen so far in a limited capacity , but the value of talking to one outweighs the risks.” Granger looks to me. “There are two of you to protect Sam now. If the blue dragon went for her, you could take it down. But if the blue dragon can be reasoned with, we can finally get the answers to all our questions about how dragons work and how we can actually keep Sam safe. It’s risk versus reward, and the reward makes the risk worth it.”

Dr. Duncan leans forward in his chair. His short legs barely reach the ground. “Granger has a point. I think trying to speak to the blue dragon, whether in human form or dragon form, would be worth it. From the way the green and brown dragons were working together, Sleeping Dragons are clearly intelligent creatures. There’s nothing to say that all dragons are a danger to Sam, but even if they are, you can keep her safe in this scenario.”

Granger adds in, “Especially since, given the information on the map right now, the brown and green dragons are closer to our current location than the ice area, so you wouldn’t have to worry about this being some kind of trap.”

He’s right. The map is blinking with the brown and green dots about four hours from our current location, and east instead of north. If there was a good time to go, it’d be now.

“So what? You're suggesting Sam would… come with us?” Aydan has his familiar overprotective tone that I don’t like.

“Yes, I would.”

He shakes his head of perfectly styled blond hair. “I don’t think so.”

The man had his mind set. Luckily, I know him well enough to get what I want. I just needed to handle this the right way.

I lift a brow, keeping my expression otherwise calm. “What? You don’t think the two of you can handle one measly dragon?”

“We can handle it,” Evander says, too quickly. “The question is whether we want to risk your life. And the thing is, we don’t.”

An overwhelming desire to smack the two of their heads together comes over me, but I try to remind myself the two idiots mean well. They just need to be reminded where they stand with me.

I shrug, trying to keep calm. “Unfortunately for you, I’m a human being who gets to make her own decisions, so I’ll be going, with or without you, so you don’t have to worry your pretty little head about anything. I’ve already made the decision about what I’m going to do for myself. You only need to discuss whether or not you’re coming with me.”

It’s a ploy. I would never be stupid enough to go face a strange male dragon on my own, knowing how much stronger they are than me and what they all seem to want from me, but they don’t need to know that.

Evander runs his hand over his buzzed hair in frustration, eyeing me with irritation. “You certainly like to make things harder.”

I flash a smile that feels like a warning. “I’ve been told that a time or two.”

All eyes are on me. Yeah, I meant harder like their dicks, but I just smile innocently. I know for a fact when I do that it pisses them off more.

“However this happens,” Granger says, drawing out the words, “it needs to happen quickly. If the blue dragon meets up with the brown and green dragons, it’ll be three on one. Sam will be in danger, and you guys won’t be powerful enough to stop her enemies.”

That seems to sober my guys right up. They exchange another look, holding a silent conversation before they come to some kind of conclusion. It’s weird to watch, like something deeper than we can see changed between them when we all fought together.

“Alright. We go together. But Sam keeps her distance from the blue dragon,” Aydan says.

I roll my eyes and give a salute. “Yes, sir!”

Dr. Duncan grins at me. “You’re a real fun one, aren’t you?”

“I am what I am,” I say with a grin.

Granger sighs. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m ready for dinner and bed.”

“That sounds amazing.” I climb off the couch and hiss as my wounds pull.

Hopefully, by morning all my injuries from the green dragon will have healed.

Granger leaps to his feet and groans in pain as he reaches out for me. “You okay?” His words sound torn from his lips as he grimaces.

Aydan and Evander are already on their feet watching me, but they don’t say anything. Maybe because they look like hell too. They can’t exactly fret about me when we all battled with those asshole dragons.

My heart aches a little as I look at Granger’s pained face. He’d further hurt himself just because he’d leapt to his feet to help me. “I’m okay. Are you okay?”

He nods, but he doesn’t look okay.

“You were caught by a dragon, dropped from high up, swam in a freezing ocean… anyone would be sore.”

“I’m fine,” he says, trying to sound casual, but there’s pain in his voice.

Evander suddenly grips his shoulder, and the expression on Granger’s face says he’s just tolerating Evander’s touch. “I meant to thank you for that. For pulling her out of the water and keeping her safe. I’ve known soldiers who would’ve hesitated to do something like that. You’re tougher than you look.”

“Gee, thanks,” he says, shrugging out from under his touch.

Evander doesn’t seem to get it, or if he does he carries on regardless. “Seriously, you’re only human, unlike the rest of us. You’re fragile. Anything you did could’ve ended in your death, but you did it anyway. That takes guts.”

Aydan wraps an arm around Granger’s shoulder, leading him toward the elevator. “You did good, man. You were a real hero today.”

This, finally, makes Granger smile.

We all climb into the elevator and get off on the floor with the cafeteria. There are several scientists sitting at tables, but their conversations die when we come in and I feel all eyes on us. It’s because Evander is here. Or because we’re dragon shifters. Or maybe because we all look like hell. Probably all the above.

Dinner is steak and potatoes that smell divine. I look at Evander. “Have I told you how much I appreciate the generous food budget you have here?”

Evander grins and leans down and kisses me. “Anything for you.”

Aydan doesn’t look pleased. He bumps Evander when he’s getting mashed potatoes, and the potatoes go partially off his tray. Evander gives Aydan a look, but Aydan is busy putting three steaks on his plate, all stacked up.

Our group of four loads up on steak, mashed potatoes, vegetables, and cherry pie. It takes several plates, and several trips to get it all on our table, but we all fall silent when we finally sit in our seats.

What follows next is a very impolite dinner, where we’re just a few steps up from wild animals. At one point, I think Granger is just going to pick up his steak with his hands and start eating, but we all manage to keep our knives and our forks in our hands. When we’re finished, we all leaning back in our chairs, content, our plates empty.

“Time for bed,” I say, followed by a yawn.

“I’ll walk you to your room,” Aydan says, instantly on his feet.

“Or, I can walk you,” Evander says, standing up.

I sigh. They’re not making this whole awkward situation very easy. How can they go from bros to foes when the topic of sex rises? It’s more than a little annoying. They both know I likely need to have sex tonight and tomorrow morning. Why can’t we just figure this out?

“How about Aydan walks me to my room right now? And Evander comes to hang out in a few hours, maybe around four or five in the morning?”

Neither of them look happy about that.

“I can stay all night,” Aydan says.

“Or he doesn’t have to come over at all,” Evander suggests, sounding angry.

I rub my temples, trying not to lose my temper. “Look, we’re all exhausted. I’m trying to figure out a way to make this work. So either we do it like this, or I sleep alone tonight.”

There’s a moment of silence.

“Alright, I’ll walk you to your room now,” Aydan says.

“And I’ll see you at four in the morning,” Evander grits out. “Alone.”

I tell Granger goodnight, give him a quick hug, and as I walk away, I look over my shoulder to see that Evander and Granger are sitting together. Will they talk? Maybe find a way to get along a little better? I hope so, because having both my best friends hate Evander isn’t making things any easier.

In the elevator, Aydan traps me against the wall, his arms above my head. His gaze is intense. “I was worried about you out there. When I heard you screaming in the water, it felt like I was dying right along with you.”

I touch his cheek. “I know. I’m sorry.”

He leans down and kisses me. Then kisses me again. His lips are soft and tender. His touch is everything I didn't know I needed right now. Somehow, I go from zero to a hundred with just a touch.

It’s a real problem, but not one I want to solve.

I grip his shirt. “I missed you.” We’ve been together this whole time, but I’ve missed him touching me. Missed him close to me.

“I missed you too,” he whispers, then kisses me again.

The elevator opens on our floor, and we walk together to my room. I’m exhausted, but my body is alive, practically buzzing in anticipation. My badge opens the door, and then we slide into the cool darkness.

Aydan spins me around and grins. “When I’m done with you, you’re not going to want anything to do with Evander.”

“Aydan!”

But then he goes for the buttons on his pants, and everything else fades away.