never flirt with a dragon

MATE MOUNTAIN

LOLA GLASS
 contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
Afterthoughts
Stay in Touch
All Series by Lola Glass
About the Author
 Copyright © 2024 Lola Glass
authorlolaglass.com
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner
whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations
in a book review.
Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names,
characters, and places are products of the author’s imagination.

Cover by Francesca Michelon

https://www.merrybookround.com/
 To another one of my sisters
I’m still not saying which one
 one
RANDA

ROMANTIC MUSIC ACCOMPANIED the couples swaying on the

outdoor dance floor at my best friend’s wedding. There were flowers
everywhere, and the twinkling lights made the place feel magical. The way
her new husband held the back of her dress so she wouldn’t trip made me
itch to pick up a pencil and sketch the two of them.
They were a gorgeous contrast to each other, which only added to my desire
to draw them. She was average height and size, with pale skin and thick,
black waves falling down her back. He towered over her, with golden skin
and hair, thick muscles, and pretty blue eyes. He was a dragon shifter, and
she was… whatever a dragon shifter’s mate was. Not human, anymore. Not
a dragon, though.
Not that she’d told me, at least.
I got the feeling she was keeping secrets. Dragons were always secretive, so
I figured they’d probably sworn her in or something.
Viola, my identical twin sister, had spent the whole evening arguing with
one of the groom’s brothers. Eli. They didn’t get along, but there was
chemistry beneath the disagreement. I kept waiting for them to hook up, but
it had yet to happen. She insisted that she despised him.
I got tired of listening to them fight, so when the dancing started, I slipped
off to an empty corner of the gorgeous field the wedding had taken place in.
It was on the edge of the forest, not far from the cabin Elodie and August,
the newly-married couple, lived in.
As I walked, I adjusted my short, dark green bridesmaid dress. The
annoying thing rode up every time I walked, which drove me crazy.
It was quiet on the edge of the field. The fairy lights overhead were woven
through the trees and draped across the open air, making the party feel alive.
And while the music played loud enough to hear, it wasn’t deafening.
I could still hear myself think.
And of course, my gaze went back to the couple on the dance floor.
Elodie and August.
I’d never been the kind of girl who ached for true love or searched for a
partner, but watching them made me curious.
What would it be like to have that?
To have someone to hold?
To exchange knowing smiles and inside jokes with the same person you
slept with every night?
I enjoyed sex, but there was something empty about it.
I’d wondered if there could be more. More than just the physical sensations,
but an emotional connection, too.
The wedding emotions were probably just getting to me.
And I’d always been fascinated with supernaturals, so that didn’t help any.
Besides August and his two brothers, there were a handful of demons at the
wedding. All of them were in mated pairs that practically sang of romantic
bliss.
The way their bodies seemed to gravitate toward each other made that slight
ache in my chest just a little worse.
A massive body crossed my vision, and my gaze followed the gorgeous,
golden figure.
It was August’s middle brother, Jasper.
I didn’t know anything about him, except his name. I’d seen Eli plenty, and
had hung out with August pretty often since he and Elodie became a pair,
but Jasper? He was a mystery.
Elodie had warned me that dragons tended to avoid human women
whenever possible, so I wouldn’t be offended if he turned me down. I’d
avoided him too, for his sake, after she told me that.
But there was something electric about him. I found my gaze drawn to him
constantly.
He looked just like August, but… harsher.
The edges of his face were sharper.
His expression was more closed-off.
He’d stayed away from everyone throughout the wedding and reception,
and hadn’t eaten anywhere near as much as the other supernatural guys.
…Maybe I’d been staring too much.
I was starting to feel like a stalker.
Yikes.
I needed a drink.
Shaking my head, I made my way across the field and grabbed another
glass of wine. No one was getting drunk at the wedding, but alcohol barely
affected supernaturals, so that didn’t surprise me.
And the wine was amazing, so it was fine.
I was tugging my dress down again, fighting another wave of annoyance at
the thing, when my sister called my name.
“Randa!”
I sighed inwardly.
She’d want me to solve some disagreement between her and Eli.
“This asshole insists I can’t make spaghetti that doesn’t taste like a last-
minute dinner,” Vi said, storming up to my side with Eli on her heels. She
looked frustrated, and he looked amused. Like usual. “Tell him.”
“She does make good spaghetti,” I said, reaching for another glass of wine.
“Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it.”
I flashed Vi a smile, then slipped away from them.
If they didn’t think I was headed for somewhere in particular, they’d
probably follow me.
I didn’t know where I was headed. But there weren’t many single people at
the wedding. Just me, Vi, August’s brothers, and one or two others who
kept to themselves.
So there weren’t many options as far as where to go.
But Vi and Eli hadn’t bugged Jasper yet, so…
Guess I was going to sit by him.
He probably wouldn’t want to talk to me, but that was fine. At least he
wouldn’t argue.
When I reached his table, he didn’t so much as glance at me. There was a
half-eaten piece of cake in front of him, which was a rarity considering he
was a supernatural guy. They all ate a ton, from what I knew. Given their
sizes, eating a lot seemed like a requirement.
Since he didn’t look at me, I didn’t bother asking if the seat next to him was
taken. No point in risking getting rejected. I knew he probably wouldn’t
want me there, but sitting by him would give me a break from the arguing.
I took the chair beside his so I could look out at the dance floor, then tugged
my dress down yet again. The other seats wouldn’t have come with a view.
“What are you doing?” Jasper asked.
The dragon’s words surprised me—and sent a shiver of something down my
spine. Something hot.
His voice was gorgeous.
Low, and rich. Deep, and gravelly.
Sexy as hell.
“Hiding from my sister and your brother.” I took a sip of my wine.
It really was delicious.
I looked up at Jasper, but he was staring straight ahead, watching the dance
floor too.
Or maybe just staring at the trees above it. I couldn’t say.
“They’ve been fighting all night,” I explained. “It’s driving me crazy. They
just need to hook up already to get it out of their system. He’s totally riling
her up on purpose, and Vi never backs down.”
Jasper grunted.
And didn’t otherwise reply.
Awkward.
“They seem like they’re leaving you alone, so I’m hiding here. Hope that’s
okay.”
“It’s fine.” He didn’t sound annoyed.
Then again, I was too busy shivering at the seductive tone of his voice to
consider whether or not he liked me.
“I grabbed an extra glass of wine when I made my escape, if you want it,” I
added.
I was being awkward too.
Cool.
I was severely introverted, but I could usually carry on a conversation
smoothly when I wanted to. And I wanted to with Jasper—but he didn’t.
So the weirdness set in.
Oh well.
It was fine. Only one more hour until I could go home.
Hopefully alone, while Vi went back to Eli’s place. That didn’t seem likely,
but it didn’t hurt to dream.
She was going to spend the long drive back to our apartment ranting about
how much she hated him. Yay.
“No thanks,” he said.
“Mmkay.” I took a long drink.
Maybe I needed to become the first drunk person at the wedding.
We sat in silence for a few minutes. He stared at the trees, and I watched my
best friend. She and August were sneaking out, which was kind of adorable.
I loved it.
“They’re going to the beach for their honeymoon. Elodie’s really excited,” I
told Jasper, as the discomfort set in a little more.
He grunted again.
“I’ve never liked the beach,” I admitted, setting my glass down and fiddling
with my hair. “Sand gets everywhere. It takes forever to scrub it out of my
hair. Drives me crazy. I grew up by the beach, and kept my hair cut to my
chin when I did. I loved it short. Not sure why I grew it out. I guess the
internet convinced me with all its overly-edited pictures and all the
extensions. Maybe I should chop it again.”
“I’ll take that glass of wine,” he said.
Sheesh.
He really didn’t like me.
That was fine, though. Whatever. I—
Jasper took the glass without looking at me or it.
My eyes widened when he grabbed my cup. Pink lipstick stain and all.
He lifted it to his mouth without noticing, and put his lips halfway over
where I’d been drinking.
His chest rumbled, and he paused before he tipped it back.
My forehead creased.
Why was he growling?
Jasper inhaled deeply.
It made his chest swell even bigger, somehow.
How were his shoulders so thick?
“Are you okay?” I checked.
He inhaled again.
Then he dragged his tongue slowly over the rim of the glass just where I
drank from it. He narrowly avoided the lipstick marks.
My eyes widened.
Jasper set the glass down on the table, and finally turned toward me.
His eyes were blue. So blue.
And the way he looked at me was intense.
A moment of silence passed.
Then another.
He hadn’t answered my question, but I didn’t bring it up again.
Finally, he set his hand on my knee.
My gaze jerked down to it as a wave of something painfully hot rolled over
my skin and into my leg.
I sucked in a breath.
The heat of it surged through my veins, burning through my entire body.
Jasper rumbled again, and my attention lifted back to his face.
When I saw his eyes, I gasped.
The blue was gone.
There was fire in its place.
And I knew what the fire meant…
It meant a tentative mate bond had started between us. Like the one
between August and Elodie all those months ago.
Jasper’s hand remained on my thigh as he pushed my leg to move it. I
didn’t know what he was doing, but didn’t fight him on it.
When my left leg collided with my right, I looked down and realized my
dress had ridden up yet again, and barely covered the lace panties I had on
beneath it.
Oops.
But… the mating thing.
He was still staring at me when I focused on him again.
And his eyes were still burning with fire.
“What do we do now?” I whispered.
His chest rumbled again, but he didn’t answer.
Apparently he wasn’t a man of many words.
He finally withdrew his hand from my skin.
The moment he did, a wave of warmth rolled through me. It felt like I’d
stepped outside on a hot summer day, and was just standing in the sun.
It was… uncomfortable.
Had Elodie mentioned that? I didn’t think she had.
Jasper rose to his feet.
What was I supposed to do? Just watch him leave? Let him go? He
obviously wasn’t interested in me, and I—
A shriek escaped me when he grabbed me by the waist and threw me over
his shoulder. The motion was smooth enough that it didn’t hurt at all, but it
scared the shit out of me.
He tugged my dress down my ass roughly, then held the fabric down over
my butt. Though his hand felt kind of nice there, and the summer-day
feeling vanished when he was touching me, I didn’t know what to think
Or what to do.
“What are you doing?” I called over his shoulder.
The man didn’t say a word as he carried me into the forest, away from the
music and lights.
Or as he set me down on my feet two minutes later, away from the rest of
the party.
My eyes widened as he stripped out of his suitcoat and tie.
Then unbuttoned his white shirt and dropped it on the dirt with the rest of
his clothes, exposing skin dripping in elegant, black-ink tattoos.
Then stepped out of his pants.
He didn’t seem keen on answering a single one of my questions, so I didn’t
ask what he was doing again.
I did hold up my hands and take a step back when I saw the massive
erection he was sporting, though.
Holy shit, Elodie wasn’t kidding when she said supernatural dicks were big.
But dragons were protectors.
They didn’t hurt people.
So I didn’t think he was going to attack me. But still…
My fears vanished when he rolled his shoulders back, and shifted.
My lips parted as a gigantic silver dragon replaced the attractive man. He
barely fit between the trees.
Without further ado, he grabbed me with his tail, lifted me into the air, and
carefully set me down on the place where his neck met his shoulders.
The position naturally leaned me forward a little, and I wrapped my arms
around his scaly neck.
A low voice filled my mind, making me shudder.
“You belong to me now, female.”
And with that, we launched into the sky.
 two
RANDA

MY HEART POUNDED WILDLY as Jasper carried me further and

further from the wedding reception. My arms were wrapped around his
neck so tight that my fingers were starting to tingle.
I didn’t dare loosen my grip.
I wasn’t even sure the dragon I was clinging to was sane.
Hell, I wasn’t even sure I was sane anymore.
I’d seen fire in Jasper’s eyes.
My body was strangely hot, too.
And I was getting horny even though the situation was absolutely not sexy
in the slightest.
Maybe I was dreaming?
It didn’t feel like a dream.
My phone started vibrating against my boob, and I recalled sticking it in my
bra so I wouldn’t lose it during the reception.
Jasper rumbled again.
“Who’s calling you?” He sounded angry.
It was my sister, probably. She was most-likely looking for me, so I could
declare how great her spaghetti was again.
I pressed my forehead against the back of Jasper’s neck and let out a long
breath. His scales were warm, but I felt warmer, somehow. That didn’t
make sense, but it was true.
“Tell me,” he commanded.
He didn’t sound anything like he had before his eyes started flaming. He
hadn’t wanted to talk to me at all, then. Now, he thought he deserved to
know who was calling me?
“Do you even know my name?” I whispered, trying to speak into his mind
like he had mine.
It must’ve worked, because he said, “Of course I do, Miranda.”
Maybe he hadn’t been as uninterested in me as he’d seemed?
Yeah, right.
The guy hadn’t even looked at me.
“I go by Randa.”
He ignored my statement. “Who’s calling you?”
“I don’t know, my phone’s in my bra. Probably Viola.”
“Answer it.”
“I’m not answering the phone when you could drop me!” My voice came
out a little shrill, even in my mind.
“I would never hurt you.” His growl was ferocious.
“I don’t know you well enough to believe that.”
He snarled, but gave up on arguing with me.
Since he was the one who had started talking to me, and seemed to want me
to trust him, I pressed for information.
“What happened back there? Where are you taking me?”
“You ignited heat.”
Heat?
What the hell was that?
“August’s eyes burned like this when he and Elodie had a tentative mate
bond.”
“Is that what he called it?”
“Yes?”
Jasper scoffed. “Then a tentative mate bond is created when a male dragon
sends his female into heat for the first time. My fire is in your veins right
now, and will burn hotter until we’ve either satisfied it by sealing the bond,
or fought it until it breaks.”
What?
“I’m so confused.”
“Nature is taking control of me. I can barely think right now. I need you to
call Elodie. Get August to meet us at Mate Mountain.”
“Mate Mountain? Is that where we’re going?”
“Yes. Call her. You’re safe on my back, always.”
With that, his wings cut through the air, propelling us forward faster.
I squeezed my eyes shut against the rush of wind.
After I took a few steadying breaths, I finally peeled one of my hands off
Jasper’s scales. It trembled as I worked my phone out of my bra. There was
sweat on the screen, but I ignored it as I held onto the thing for dear life.
Slowly, I typed the code with my thumb, hit the right button, and lifted it to
my ear. Jasper didn’t slow down, so the wind was insanely loud.
“Hey! What’s up? Did someone realize we snuck out?” Elodie’s voice was
cheerful. “Why does it sound like you’ve got a blow-drier on?”
Happy—she’d been so happy since she and August got together for good.
Were they mated? I couldn’t remember if I’d ever asked her that. I was
pretty sure they were, even though I was hazy on how they had sealed the
bond after it broke for a while.
“Jasper says he’s in heat. Or we’re in heat. He’s taking me to Mate
Mountain I think?” I had to yell into the phone, pretty sure she wouldn’t
hear me over the noise otherwise.
“What?” Elodie screeched.
“I don’t know!” I screeched back. “Help me!”
“Holy shit! HOLY SHIT! Okay, we’re heading to you now. Don’t panic. I’ll
cover for you with Vi if she calls. Love you!”
She hung up.
I shoved my phone back in my bra and pressed my face back to Jasper’s
scales.
At least that was over.

WE MUST’VE FLOWN for hours. The air was freezing, but it felt kind
of nice on my warm skin.
Jasper didn’t say anything else, though he snarled when my phone rang
once more.
I ignored it.
No way was I risking my life to pull it out again.

I RELAXED JUST a little as we flew. The scenery was pretty below us,
and while I couldn’t see well in the dark, the moon was shining brightly.
My attention was on the biggest mountain yet as we neared it. Jasper hadn’t
said anything, but he was flying straight toward it.
My stomach clenched when we flew closer.
Guess that was Mate Mountain.
I was tense and ready for a landing when he finally dove downward.
Though I squeezed my eyes shut, the arch was smooth, and there was no
jolt as we landed.
Jasper pulled me off his back with his tail, then shifted forms without
warning.
And I was once again front-and-center for the strip show.
Or maybe just the nude show?
Whatever it was, it was gorgeous.
He was gorgeous.
I’d never been asked to draw or paint a naked man during my many years of
art classes, but I had a sudden itch to do exactly that. The man may as well
have been a statue, every inch of his body covered in thick muscles that
looked chiseled from stone.
And that erection…
Whew.
I was sweating just looking at it.
…Or maybe that was the heat thing.
Who knows.
Instead of, you know, putting on clothes, he strode over to me.
And tugged the hem of my dress down.
I blinked.
Having a naked man trying to cover more of my body wasn’t exactly
something I’d experienced before.
But his eyes were still burning, and there was something wild in them. It
made me think he wasn’t all there, mentally.
He growled when the dress didn’t magically gain multiple inches of fabric.
Even at its longest, it was short.
But, he gave up on it after a minute.
Then he turned toward an open, doorway-shaped chunk cut out of the
mountain, tucked me behind his back, and walked forward.
My hands landed on his bare back. The warmth in my body faded a lot
when our skin was touching, which was nice.
But his bare ass was against my abdomen. And holy hell, it felt amazing. I
was at war with the urge to touch it, but luckily, I managed to keep my
hands pinned to the muscles on his back.
I couldn’t see over his shoulders, so I didn’t know where we were going.
Everything around me was dark, so I couldn’t have seen anything even if he
wasn’t blocking my view.
At one point, we halted, and he snarled at something or someone. The
sound was vicious, and animalistic.
Fear curled in my chest.
I heard a male voice curse, followed by the sound of a door shutting.
Then, we continued onward.
Faster.
My fear faded a little.
Whatever had happened seemed to be over.
Jasper may as well have been dragging me through the hallway, he was
moving so fast.
We went around multiple dark halls and up two flights of stairs before he
tugged a door open and pulled me inside. As soon as we were shut in the
room together, he released me and stalked around the space.
Still naked.
There was murder in his eyes as he studied everything.
I pressed my back to the door, waiting for him to stop investigating or
panicking, or whatever else he was doing. I could barely make out shapes in
the room, it was so dark, with only a tiny bit of moonlight streaming in
through a cutout in the wall that I supposed was a window.
After a few minutes, his fury finally subsided.
And then he prowled toward me.
“Shit,” I whispered.
He didn’t look entirely sane.
Maybe he didn’t look sane at all.
With everything dark like it was, he was a little terrifying.
His nostrils flared as he approached me, and his hands met the door on
either side of my head.
Part of me wanted to close my eyes and wait until he was done with
whatever he was doing.
The rest of me forced them to stay open, to watch.
He’d said he wouldn’t hurt me… and for some insane reason, I believed
him.
I guess it helped that he was my best friend’s husband’s brother. And
because I liked August enough to assume that his brothers, who were his
closest friends, were decent guys.
He stepped closer.
The tip of his erection pressed against my lower belly, and my entire body
tensed.
Not in a bad way, though.
Not at all.
Jasper didn’t even seem to notice that he was pressed against me like that.
He was too busy lowering his nose to my hair, and inhaling deeply.
His chest rumbled. Was it approval? Dislike? Satisfaction? I didn’t know.
He didn’t sound angry, though.
He lowered his nose to my lips, and one of his hands moved to my face, to
cup my skin lightly. With the gentle brush of his thumb, he parted my lips,
and breathed in again.
I was pretty sure all he’d smell was wine, but he rumbled again anyway.
Whatever that meant.
The man seemed like he might have actually turned into an animal.
Were dragons even animals?
Were they great big lizards?
This was the wrong time to let my mind wander.
Jasper tipped my head back a little, and my chin lifted as he lowered his
nose to my neck.
He was satisfied there, too. Or at least not angry.
His hands landed on my hips, and gripped me possessively.
I was so wet between my thighs, I could hardly think straight, and I didn’t
even know why the experience was turning me on.
Nor did I even think it was really sexy.
I was just horny, for no good reason.
Jasper’s nose trailed between my breasts.
I pressed my thighs together.
He slowly slid down my body, breathing me in as he sank down until he
was on his knees.
The sight of that gorgeous, massive man kneeling in front of me made me a
little dizzy.
I squeezed my legs tighter.
His hands dragged down the curves of my waist and over my ass before
they hooked around the backs of my thighs. When he pulled lightly, they
opened for him like a damn flower.
I couldn’t have stopped myself if I tried.
…And I didn’t try.
My dress rode up again as my legs parted.
Jasper leaned in without hesitation, inhaling deeply at the apex of my
thighs. My cheeks flushed in embarrassment—but the noise he made was so
thick with approval that it only turned me on more.
He pushed my dress up higher, then dragged the tip of his nose over the
front of me, breathing me in.
My panties were so drenched, he must’ve felt it on his skin.
His tongue followed his nose, and my body clenched as more heat pooled
there, responding just for him.
“Fucking delicious.” His growl made me suck in an unsteady breath.
I didn’t know why his animalistic thing was turning me on so much, but it
was. It really was.
The compliment didn’t hurt either.
He slid his nose down the inside of my thigh, stopping just a few inches
below my core.
His tongue dragged over the skin there slowly.
He rumbled again, and his fingers tightened on my legs, holding me
securely. It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t gentle.
I watched as Jasper nipped lightly where he’d just licked me—then bit
down.
My lips parted, but not in pain.
My hips arched toward his face, a cry of pleasure escaping me as an orgasm
hit me hard, out of nowhere. My knees buckled, and I would’ve fallen if the
dragon hadn’t already taken all my weight, holding me up effortlessly.
I’d never climaxed like that.
It was so intense—and so long.
As the pleasure faded, I already wanted more.
My chest was rising and falling rapidly as I leaned more of my weight
against the door behind me. I felt sort of different.
And there was a smell in the air.
A delicious smell.
One that definitely didn’t help dissipate any of the need I was currently
dealing with.
My vision was improving, too, as if someone had turned on the lights or put
a pair of glasses on my face. They hadn’t, of course. There were no lights to
turn on, as far as I could see. His bite must’ve done something to me.
Jasper’s grip on my legs loosened.
When I looked down at him, my eyes met his, and his expression was
different. It looked more like it had at the wedding. More neutral. Sharper.
Less beastly.
“Fuck,” he said, in that low, sexy voice.
I blinked.
He released my legs altogether, just slowly enough to make sure I didn’t
collapse.
Then he stood up.
I watched him warily, not sure what he would do next. I still didn’t even
know what was going on, yet he’d bitten me, and somehow made me
climax when he did.
It was insane.
Ridiculously, stupidly insane.
Without another word, he crossed the room.
Now that I could see, I looked around the space and took it in quickly. It
was built like an apartment, with a decent-sized kitchen and living room,
and a single bedroom. There was a bathroom in the living area, so I
assumed there was another one in the bedroom.
Jasper disappeared into the bedroom for a moment.
I could see his back from the doorway. My body remained flushed as I
watched him step into a pair of boxer-briefs, followed by a pair of jeans.
I bit my lip when I watched him from behind as he worked the zipper up.
It took much longer than it should’ve, thanks to his erection.
My body warmed at the thought.
Jasper rumbled from the bedroom, and growled, “Try not to let your desire
get out of hand. It smells too fucking good.”
I bit my lip harder, accidentally drawing blood.
The taste of it met my tongue, but I didn’t release my lip.
He didn’t want me so turned on.
I needed something else to focus on.
He disappeared for a moment, and came back out with a shirt on.
Suddenly, I was the one without enough clothes on.
My dress was tiny, and rolled up above the bottom hem of my panties. My
face flushed more at the realization, and I quickly tugged it down to cover
me.
It didn’t help a whole lot.
Anger twisted Jasper’s expression, and my eyes widened as he stormed
back to me.
His hands captured my face with surprising gentleness, and he eased my
bottom lip out from between my teeth, narrowing his eyes at the blood on it.
“Did I do that?”
The question caught me off guard.
“Miranda.” His voice was rough.
Right.
“No. I did.”
The anger in his eyes intensified.
“It was an accident,” I added quickly. “I’m just overwhelmed. Not sure
what to do here.”
He slowly dipped his head.
Then, he released my face. Something about the way he moved made me
think it was physically difficult for him to do so.
Finally, he took a step back.
As he did, there was a knock on the door.
 three
JASPER

“JASPER?” August demanded from the other side of the door.

“I’m here.” I didn’t take my eyes off Miranda.
I couldn’t take my eyes off of her.
Fuck me, I’d been staring at her all day.
During the rehearsal.
Through the wedding.
While she fought her irritation at Eli and Vi’s arguing.
When she smiled at anyone who wasn’t me.
It took everything I had to stay in my chair, away from her scent and touch,
but she found me anyway.
I’d wanted her so badly, I wasn’t even sure it had been an accident when I
lifted her glass to my mouth and tasted her.
She’d triggered my heat.
But I’d already realized what she was to me, and would’ve triggered it
myself if she’d so much as smiled at another unmated male at that party
other than Eli.
I didn’t want a mate.
But I couldn’t have watched her go home with another man.
“Are you sane?” August asked.
“For the moment.”
I didn’t know how long that moment would last, considering I’d almost
mouth-fucked my female a few heartbeats earlier.
“That doesn’t sound good,” Elodie murmured. “Are you okay in there,
Randa?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” my mate managed, still breathing fast. “You’re supposed
to be going on your honeymoon, though.”
“It can wait.”
Miranda squeezed her eyes shut.
The expression on her face was one of guilt.
“Open the door for the damn sanity check already,” August said.
I looked down at my mate.
Her dress was short, and tight.
I’d seen first-hand how high it could ride up.
My shirt went over my head—then over hers—before I had a moment to
consider what I was doing.
I guided her arms into the shirt, and tugged it down. It was longer than her
dress by a few inches. Better than nothing. And it covered her breasts better.
Those were mine to see.
Plus, she’d smell like me afterward.
I shouldn’t have cared about any of that shit, but I did. I’d blame it on heat.
August knocked one more time while I pulled the hem of the shirt lower on
those sexy little thighs.
Finally, I opened it.
My brother had his mate tucked against him, and neither of them looked
thrilled by the turn of events.
My arm went around Miranda of its own volition, and I found myself
pulling her against my chest, holding her there.
Was it just me, or did she lean in?
It had to just be me.
Elodie’s expression was wary as she looked between the two of us. “How
did this even happen?”
“We were just talking,” Miranda said. “Well, I was just talking. He was just
ignoring me for the most part.”
Trying not to tell her she was my fucking mate, not ignoring her.
It seemed pointless to voice that, though.
She glanced back, as if waiting for me to finish the story. Our gazes met,
and my cock throbbed against her. Her face reddened adorably, and she
jerked back toward my brother and her friend.
I couldn’t resist the urge to give her what she wanted, and finished the
explanation. “I tasted her, and it ignited heat.”
August coughed. Elodie bit her lip, looking up at the ceiling.
“It was not as dirty as he just made it sound,” Miranda threw out there,
flashing me a warning look.
I didn’t know what I was supposed to do with that look.
Shut up?
I’d go with that.
“He accidentally drank from my wine glass, and it started whatever this is.
Which you clearly lied about, by the way, because there is so much going
on in here that doesn’t make sense.” Miranda gestured vaguely to her body.
“And Jasper is pretty much useless as far as explanations go. I ask him
what’s happening, and he just tells me to call you.”
Elodie’s expression grew sheepish. “I was going to tell you guys the truth
about the mate stuff after August and I parted ways. Dragons are picky
about their secrets. But then this happened.” She lifted her left hand,
showing the ring.
“Not parting ways isn’t an excuse to lie to us,” Miranda said.
“It wasn’t completely a lie. Heat is a temporary mate bond. There’s just
more to it than that.” Elodie glanced at me before looking back at my
female. “Let’s go for a walk and I’ll tell you more.”
“No.” I didn’t so much as consider the possibility of letting her leave.
I was barely maintaining my hold on my sanity as it was. Watching her
walk away from me would immediately end that.
Miranda glowered at me over her shoulder.
“You said you were only sane for the moment,” August said, coming to my
aid.
“What?” Elodie looked at me.
Miranda looked at my brother and his mate, frowning.
“Male dragons are affected by heat to different degrees. Our beastly
instincts affect us all differently. Most of us retain the majority of our self-
control. Some don’t,” August said. “How is it treating you, Jas?”
“I have moments of sanity.” Biting her had helped tremendously, though I
could still feel my beastly instincts threatening to take over.
“Moments of sanity?” Elodie checked.
“It’s been like talking to a brick wall most of the time,” Miranda said. “An
extremely horny one.”
August snorted.
Elodie bit her lip again, fighting a grin.
“A wild animal in heat,” August suggested.
“I guess…” Miranda trailed off. “Wait, you’re telling me that’s what he is
when he gets all brick wall? A wild animal in mate mode?”
“Mate mode? Classic.” Elodie lifted her fingers in the okay symbol. “I love
it.”
“It’s a little more complicated than that, but basically,” August agreed.
Miranda’s nostrils flared. “How long does this last?”
“That’s the complicated part.” Elodie’s smile faded. “Is there a living room
or something in the mountain where we can sit? The dining hall, maybe?”
“No.” I spoke up again. Though I was fighting my instincts too much to
actively participate in most of the conversation, I couldn’t allow my female
to leave the room.
I’d lose my damn mind again, even more than I currently had.
“Anywhere that smells like anyone else will set him off,” August said,
studying me. “They stay right here.”
Miranda’s eyes widened. “Wait, what? I have to stay here?”
“Just until heat’s over,” Elodie said quickly.
“Which is…”
“Until you seal the bond, or ride out the pain,” Elodie said sheepishly. “If
you have sex, the bond becomes permanent, and you’re mated. Forever.
Which has pros, obviously.” She gestured between herself and August.
“Heat only lasts two weeks if you go that route, and it’s basically just a
marathon of life-altering sex that you’ll enjoy tremendously.”
“Two weeks?” Miranda demanded.
Elodie grimaced.
“What if we don’t seal it?”
“Then you’ve got four weeks of physical pain. It’s agony. I survived it, but
there were times I wished I didn’t. The pain got so bad, I was literally
begging August to take it away for days on end. If Jas isn’t totally sane, I
don’t know if you really have the option to go that route.” Her eyes flicked
to me, then to August.
“It’s unlikely,” August said. “You know I only resisted because your life
was at risk.”
Unlikely was an understatement.
“Holy shit.” Miranda dragged a hand through her hair, pulling it away from
her face and sending her scent through the air.
I drank it in like I’d been drowning.
“I can’t take four weeks off work, Elodie. I can’t even take two weeks off.”
She shook her head, visibly upset.
The rein I had on my instincts pulled tight as the beast in me threatened to
take over.
I lowered my nose to her hair and breathed her scent in again, slower.
Counting through it.
“The dragons have money,” Elodie said.
“It’s not about money. If I’m not on top of my work, the company will drop
me. You know how many other people want my job.”
“We’ll bring your iPad here,” Elodie said, not missing a beat. “Some of
your clothes, too, and whatever else you want. You won’t have to quit. You
might have to tell them the situation, but I’m sure they’ll understand.”
“But does Jasper even have a house in Scale Ridge?” Miranda asked.
Elodie grimaced. “He can get one.”
“He can, but he leads the thunder,” August said. “His life will never be in
Scale Ridge. They won’t accept it after I toed the line in his position for so
long.”
Elodie’s grimace deepened. “We’ll figure it out.”
“I can’t spend the rest of my life living away from Vi,” Miranda said. “If he
stays here, we can’t seal the bond.”
My instincts yanked against the tethers holding them again, and again.
My hold grew thinner, and thinner.
“That’s your choice to make,” Elodie agreed. “But it won’t be easy.”
“You need to get Jas inside and close the door,” August said. “He won’t be
sane for much longer. Even in his worst state, if you say no, he’ll accept
that the answer’s no. It’s impossible for him to hurt you.”
My control snapped.
Miranda stepped back, and August slammed the door between us.
All rational thoughts fled my mind.
I lowered my nose to my mate’s neck and inhaled.
She was with me, she was safe, but she smelled wrong.
Upset.
She was upset.
A growl vibrated my chest.
“We’ll be back with your stuff soon! Text me if you have more questions!”
Elodie yelled through the door. “And remember, you used to want to be
mated to a dragon.”
“Screw you,” Miranda yelled back.
Elodie laughed. “Screw him.”
Miranda snorted, and I breathed her scent in as her sadness and worry
eased.
She was okay.
And she was mine.
That was what mattered.
 four
RANDA

INSANE JASPER really wasn’t that bad. He sniffed me and touched me

a lot, but it took away the discomfort of heat. So I really couldn’t complain.
After August and Elodie left, he led me to his kitchen, sat me down on the
counter, and made pancakes for me.
Yes, pancakes.
One of his hands stayed on my leg almost constantly while he did, too.
I didn’t point out that it was probably after midnight at that point, if not
already the next morning. It was still dark outside, even though I could see
thanks to whatever Jasper had done when he bit me.
I was exhausted, but too overwhelmed by the situation I’d landed myself in
to really rest.
We ate pancakes in silence, and when we were done, Jasper dropped the
dishes in the sink.
Then he picked me up, and carried me to his bed.
“You need sleep,” he rumbled, brushing my hair from my eyes. The touch
was bizarrely gentle, given that I still didn’t feel like I knew him.
“Alright.” I let him tuck me into bed and pull my back to his front, so he
was spooning me from behind.
Admittedly, it felt nice.
Though I was still wearing my dress beneath his gigantic tee, I didn’t bring
that up. Taking it off would require stripping, and considering the way he’d
bitten the inside of my thigh, I didn’t think stripping was a good idea.
“Goodnight, Miranda.” His voice was low.
Sexy.
Sweet, too.
I had no idea what I was supposed to think or feel about it.
So I just whispered, “Goodnight, Jasper.”
I stared into the darkness for a few long minutes. His breathing evened out,
and his grip on me loosened.
He was sleeping.
Letting out a long breath, I carefully pulled my phone back out of my bra.
My boob was kind of sore after having the device stabbing into me for so
long, but I didn’t care about that.
Vi had called and texted me, but I bit my lip and ignored the messages.
I’d figure that out in the morning.
Instead, I pulled up my texts with Elodie and typed out a quick message.
ME
Is it normal for a dragon to bite you?

She answered immediately.

ELODIE
For a dragon to bite his mate, yes
It’s how they give us some of their magic. Improves our
senses, makes us stronger, etc.
 ME
So mated ladies don’t shift into dragons?
ELODIE
Nope
The relationship between mates is kind of complex, though
August explained it to me as a codependent one. After a
dragon meets his mate, he can’t fly without her on his back.
Flying is everything to dragons. They spend most of their lives
hiding away from human women just to avoid taking a mate.

My eyes widened.
Was she serious?
ME
So you’re saying I’m in bed with a beastly dragon who doesn’t
even really want me right now?
WTF?
I could’ve used a warning
I’m the one who went over and sat by him!
ELODIE
It’s not that simple
They don’t want mates, but when they’ve found their person,
it’s pretty much impossible for them to walk away
ME
So I’ve jailed him
This just gets better and better
ELODIE
Not JAILED
I’m sure he wants you now
ME
You are NOT helping
ELODIE
Back to the mating bit
Dragon guys can’t fly without their mate on their back
Their mate goes through heat every month, though
If the guy isn’t there to take care of you through it, it’s just as
painful as the original heat. Horrifically painful. If he’s there, it’s
fun.
ME
Do you know of any supernatural who can send me back in
time by chance?
ELODIE
LOL
No
I did tell you to stay away from him, for the record
ME
Vi and Eli were fighting all night. It drove me crazy. He looked
like the best way to get away from them, because they were
leaving him alone
If I could go back, I’d suffer in silence
ELODIE
Too late
ME
What am I supposed to do here?
ELODIE
Try to look on the bright side?
You’re in bed with a gigantic, gorgeous dragon shifter who
wants nothing more than to give you many, many orgasms over
the next few weeks
Mate Mountain is beautiful. Jasper can take you out to one of
the balconies in the morning
I’m picking up your work stuff as we speak, and I already told
Vi that you got yourself stuck in a temporary mating bond, so
you don’t have to figure out how to break the news
ME
You’re much more upbeat about this than I am
ELODIE
Meeting August was the best thing that ever happened to me,
Randa. Heat is shitty at first, but the bond is worth it
And if you don’t fight heat, there’s no pain. Just pleasure
ME
I think I need to go to bed. Feel like my brain’s going to explode
if I keep thinking about all of this stuff.
 ELODIE
Okay
I’ll leave your things outside your door
If you hear August grumping about carrying your bags while he
flies, ignore him
ME
I don’t want you guys to miss your honeymoon
ELODIE
Already called and pushed the reservation back a few weeks
We’re not missing anything
ME
Alright
Thank you
ELODIE
Of course. Love you

I sent her a heart emoji, then set my phone down on the bed and squeezed
my eyes shut.
A few minutes went by in silence.
I usually didn’t have a problem falling asleep.
But I was in a strange bed, with a strange man’s arms around me, in a place
I’d never been before.
And I was wearing a tight, uncomfortable dress under a gigantic t-shirt.
Usually, I slept naked.
It didn’t help that I had been sweating on and off, either.
Or that I was still uncomfortably wet between my thighs.

I WAITED a few more minutes before frustration defeated me.

I needed a shower.
It took some time to wrestle myself free from Jasper’s grasp, but eventually,
I managed. I had to pause a few times to make sure he didn’t wake up, but I
was officially invested in getting a few minutes to myself.
Padding across the room, I slipped into the bathroom and closed the door
behind me. I let out a long, shaky breath, and locked it.
It might piss insane Jasper off to find a locked door between us if he woke
up without me, but he’d survive.
I wanted some space.
The shower was a tub/shower combo, so I stared at it for a few long
moments before settling on a bath.
Baths were peaceful.
And I needed peace.
After turning on the water, I stripped out of the tee I had on. Getting the
zipper down on the back of my dress took some real wrestling, but I
managed that too.
The tub was half filled by the time I finally stepped in and sank down. It
wasn’t large, so I couldn’t imagine the gigantic dragon shifter had ever used
it. He probably wouldn’t fit.
My lips curved slightly at the mental image of Jasper trying to fit in the
small tub, and it eased my stress a little.
Just a little.
I closed my eyes and leaned back, taking in a deep breath.
I was okay.
Everything was going to work out.
I’d figure it out.
I had to believe that, didn’t I?
My mind went back to the wedding. To the way Elodie and August had
looked at each other. Laughed together. Held each other.
I’d wondered what that could be like.
Maybe heat was my chance to figure it out.
I couldn’t seal the bond, of course. I’d have to deal with the weeks of
intense pain. It would suck, but I’d make it work. And they said Jasper
would never demand more than I was willing to give him, so I’d be fine on
that front.
A few weeks of pain in exchange for a lifetime of freedom for both our
sakes wasn’t too much to ask. Jasper wasn’t sane enough to pursue the
independence he really wanted, so I would have to do it for both of us.
I’d figure that out too, though.
There wasn’t another option.
Tipping my head back, I closed my eyes and rested it against the edge of the
tub. The hot water I was in felt uncomfortable given the way my body kept
heating up, but I was alright.
My mind continued to move, and I let my thoughts do their thing.
Technically, there was no reason I couldn’t live in Mate Mountain forever.
Assuming worst came to worst, and we had to seal the bond, I would be
fine.
I worked creating art for a company that made hundreds of special edition
books every year. I’d signed a contract with them. There weren’t many jobs
like mine—and I absolutely loved what I did.
But I could do that from Mate Mountain, assuming they had Wi-Fi.
Considering my phone had service, it seemed like a safe assumption.
I would miss Viola like crazy if we lived apart, but if I was mated to Jasper,
he could fly me back to Scale Ridge whenever I wanted to see her. It was a
few hours away, but that wouldn’t be a big deal. August and Elodie were
there too, so he’d probably want to visit from time to time anyway. And he
had a sister there too—her name was Brynn. I’d met her twice, and she
seemed really sweet. Elodie loved her.
So even if I couldn’t survive heat without sealing the bond, I would be
okay. It would suck to live with a guy who didn’t want me for the rest of my
life, but I could pick up my vibrator on one of our trips back to Scale Ridge.
Maybe I could get my own room, too. We could be mates even if we didn’t
fall in love, if we had to be.
That knowledge made breathing a little easier. It relaxed my shoulders, too.
The tension in my chest finally started to fade, and I found my eyelids
getting heavier.
My muscles were starting to get sore, as well. And my body was more
flushed by the minute.
Maybe it was time to make my way back to Jasper.
I made myself wait two more minutes before I finally got out of the tub,
drying off and slipping into the t-shirt Jasper had loaned me. I didn’t like
the feel of it on my skin when I wanted to be naked, but I’d get over it.
Hopefully.
I couldn’t stand to put the wet panties back on, so I didn’t bother with
underwear.
The moment I stepped out of the bathroom, I paused just outside the
doorway.
Jasper was sprawled out on his back, shirtless, and still wearing the jeans
he’d put on earlier. His erection strained against the zipper of them, but his
expression was calm.
Peaceful.
What was he like when he wasn’t insane?
What would he be like if we were actually mates?
Was he the quiet, thoughtful type?
Or the brash, take-no-prisoners kind of guy?
Would we even be compatible?
I didn’t know.
And I doubted I’d ever find out, considering neither of us wanted the bond
we shared.
Shaking my head at the silliness of letting my thoughts get ahead of me, I
went back to the bed and tucked myself under the blankets.
Sheesh, his shirt was way too big.
I was all but wrestling the fabric as I tossed and turned in my attempt to get
comfortable.
Suddenly, a pair of warm arms were around my waist. Jasper pulled my
back to his chest, and I let out a long breath as heat’s symptoms faded away.
I was okay.
Everything really was going to work out.
In the warmth of his arms, sleep pulled me under quickly.

MY SLEEP WASN’T PEACEFUL.

As soon as I closed my eyes, I was hit with dreams.
Intense dreams.
Dreams where Jasper’s face was buried between my thighs.
His hands were, too.
And his cock.
I was sitting on him.
I was on my hands and knees.
Pressed between him and that door again.
When I finally managed to pull myself out of the dreams, I was wet
everywhere, and desperate for release.
A pair of hands slid slowly up the backs of my thighs.
A soft moan escaped me.
Maybe I hadn’t woken up after all.
My hips arched, grinding me against something perfectly hard.
The hands moved back down, and I groaned at the loss.
They slid up again, and I arched harder.
The hard thing against me was uncomfortably rough.
My hands found the button on a pair of jeans, and worked the zipper down
after tugging it free.
Whatever was beneath me growled as I wrapped my hand around the
hardness, and I paused for a moment.
I was still sleeping, wasn’t I?
The hands slid higher, stopping just below my bare ass and digging into my
skin roughly. Not hard enough to hurt—just hard enough to make me want
more.
I wrestled my eyes open.
They widened when I saw the gorgeous, massive dragon shifter below me.
His flaming gaze was crazy intense.
His fingers dug further into the backs of my thighs, making me arch more.
His cock throbbed in my hand.
I definitely wasn’t sleeping anymore.
And he was…
Oh, boy.
I could hardly breathe, I wanted him so badly.
“Is this because of heat?” I whispered.
He didn’t answer.
He clearly still wasn’t sane.
His hands slid up higher.
Over the curve of my ass.
There was a look in his eyes—a challenge.
Jasper was giving me time to tell him no.
The word was on the tip of my tongue, but I didn’t have the heart to say it.
I wanted more.
And I wanted it too much to turn him down.
He throbbed again in my hand. Harder.
I tucked his erection between my thighs, lowering myself over the length of
him until he was exactly where I wanted him. Without panties on, the thin
fabric of his boxer briefs was the only thing separating us.
It still felt like too much.
When I rocked lightly, he growled and squeezed my ass.
I moved again, and he snarled.
“This shouldn’t feel so good,” I said, a little breathless.
His grip tightened, pulling me against him harder.
He held me in place while he throbbed against me—and when he’d
regained control a little, he moved my hips the same way I had.
I sucked in a breath at the sensation.
He rocked me again, and a sharp cry escaped me as I lost control.
My hips jerked, pleasure rolling through me harder and faster than I’d ever
expected. Jasper’s flaming eyes were still hot when my climax faded.
It only took one look at his face to know he hadn’t shattered with me.
“You didn’t like that?” I panted.
His grip on my ass tightened, almost painfully. “It was the sexiest fucking
thing I’ve ever seen.”
Oh.
Well, that made me feel good.
The entire situation was insane, but I liked it. Maybe I even wanted more.
“Why didn’t you lose it, then?”
“This is about you.”
Okay, that was sweet.
It wasn’t what I wanted our… whatever we were… to be, though.
“If it’s about me, I want you to climax when I do.”
He closed his eyes for a moment.
A vein bulged in his forehead.
I rocked again, and he gritted out a curse.
He took control of my hips once more, moving me like he had before.
It should’ve taken a while for me to get back to the edge.
I should’ve needed a hell of a lot more than a little friction to set off another
orgasm after the intense one I’d just experienced.
But I didn’t.
And soon enough, I was crying out as I came all over his cock again. He
snarled, moving me harder. Rougher. Faster. Until his pleasure was all over
both my core and those damn boxer-briefs, in a way that made me both
sticky and a little proud.
At least I wasn’t the only one who lost control so fast, and with clothing
still between us.
Both of us were breathing hard as our climaxes ended.
His grip on my ass tightened before it slowly eased up, and he let go.
My eyes met his, and I watched as awareness set in again.
He let out a long, pained breath.
Shit.
He didn’t even want me.
My pride vanished, and I eased myself away from him.
The sane version of him let me go.
I slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom, panic making my chest
tight as I tried to stop myself from breaking into an outright run.
What the hell had I been thinking?
He didn’t want a mate!
He probably didn’t even want me in his bed.
I was horny, but he was insane, and I’d taken advantage of that.
Nausea turned my stomach, and I shut the door hard, locking it behind
myself as my shaking legs carried me to the toilet.
I sank down to my knees, gripping the edge of the seat. It wasn’t clean, but
I didn’t care.
What was wrong with me?
I’d—
“Miranda?” Jasper knocked on the door.
His voice was tight.
“Just a minute.”
There was a pause. “Are you okay?” he finally asked. “Did I… did you…”
He didn’t know how to finish the question.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
I was a monster.
A moment passed.
I didn’t hear him walk away.
“Your scent tells me you’re upset. Did I hurt you? Did I do something
wrong? My instincts are going to hell in a handbasket right now, and I can’t
fucking stop them if you don’t talk to me.” He sounded… worried.
“Of course you didn’t do anything wrong. You saw the way I climaxed. I’ve
never come twice like that in my life.”
I heard a long breath.
A long, relieved breath.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“I took advantage of you.”
More silence followed.
Longer silence.
“How do you figure that?” he finally asked.
“You weren’t even sane, Jas. And I just… used you. I feel sick about it. Do
you even remember what happens when you’re crazy like that? I didn’t
make sure you were on board, or—”
He cut me off. “Open the door, Miranda.”
It wasn’t a question, or a request.
It was a command.
I shook my head, though I knew full well he couldn’t see me.
“Open it, or I’ll break it down.” His voice was lower.
I didn’t think he was kidding.
“I want space, okay? Just give me a few minutes to—”
A loud cracking noise made me jump.
The door broke open, and Jasper came striding in.
His jeans were still unbuttoned, and his boxer-briefs were still damp with
our release.
My face flushed at the sight of him, and the evidence of what we’d done.
What I’d done.
I—
He kneeled beside me, placing his hands on either side of my face as he
turned it toward him. My body turned a bit too, so I was mostly facing him.
“I am not insane when I lose control of my instincts, and you can be damn
sure I know exactly what’s happening. We call it insanity because the
human concept of common sense goes out the window, not because we’re
actually out of our minds.”
Oh.
“I’m a dragon, Miranda. I’m as much beast as I am man. On a normal day, I
have full control of my animalistic side. During heat, I apparently have
almost none. It’s not possible for you to take advantage of me. I want you
so badly, I sent you into heat with me.”
Okay, that was…
A lot.
“And for the record, you can use me for your pleasure any fucking time you
want. Understand?” he asked.
A charged, intense moment passed before I finally said, “Okay. Maybe we
should set boundaries? So we know what we’re comfortable with?”
His lips curved upward just the tiniest bit. If I hadn’t been looking at him so
closely, I wouldn’t have been able to tell he was smiling at all, but it was
there. “I have no boundaries. Too old to care.”
“My boundary is that I don’t want to know exactly how old you are,” I said
quickly.
He laughed. It was short. Sharp. Intense, just like he was.
And I couldn’t bite back a smile of my own.
Supernaturals were immortal, and the way time passed for them was
different than it was for us. Age was, too. But the concept would still weird
me out.
His thumb brushed lightly over my cheekbone. “How much of you can I
touch while you’re asleep? Keeping my hands off you was a struggle. Your
ass is perfect.”
My face flushed. It wasn’t because of heat, though I was feeling a little
sweaty. “As much as you want. That’s pretty sexy.”
His chest rumbled. “I feel the same.”
“I usually sleep naked,” I added. “Is that… Are you…”
“Yes. Hell yes.” His voice was so hot, it killed me. “I assume you want me
clothed.”
“Shorts would be good, maybe? Or just the boxer-briefs?” I gestured to the
ones he had on again, my face flushing hotter.
I was going to overheat soon, I just knew it.
“You don’t want to seal the bond, right?” he asked.
The question snapped me out of it a little. “Right. You don’t either, though.
Do you? Elodie said dragons don’t want mates.”
He agreed. “But you should know that it’s nearly impossible to fight heat.
Only two couples have ever done so that we have on record. August and
Elodie are one of them. The other couple sealed the bond afterward, too.”
“Well those are shitty odds.”
His lips curved again, just a little. “Yup.”
“Was the other guy as beastly as you?”
“I have no idea, but it’s unlikely. The guys that lose their minds to heat
usually don’t last as long as the others.”
That didn’t sound good.
“So you’re saying I should brace myself for a mate bond?”
He dipped his head.
“I’m sorry,” I said.
He blinked.
His forehead furrowed. “Why?”
“This is my fault.” I gestured between us.
“How do you figure that?”
“I’m the one who walked over and sat beside you. I put my drink right by
you, too. If I’d just minded my own business, maybe we could’ve avoided
this. You didn’t even notice me before that.”
His eyes narrowed. “I was staring at you all afternoon and evening,
Miranda. Eye-fucking you for hours. I don’t know if I could’ve even
walked away from you at the end of the night. Heat didn’t start until I tasted
you on that glass, but you were mine the moment I caught your scent.”
I bit my lip.
What was I supposed to say to that?
Thanks?
I was eye-fucking you too and never caught you looking at me?
Do you have any actual evidence of that?
Yeah, I stayed silent.
He let out a deep breath and finally released my face. “I need to feed you
before these instincts take over again. Pancakes really are the only thing I
can cook, though.”
“I’m a shitty cook too. Vi always cooks for both of us.”
His lips did that tiny curve thing again. “Pancakes it is.”
With that, he stood up and led me out of the bathroom.
I only hesitated a moment before following.
 five
RANDA

I GRABBED my stuff from outside Jasper’s door while he started on the

pancakes. Elodie had left a note on top of my duffel bag that said:

Don’t forget to have fun! ;)

It was impossible to hide my smile as I dragged the bag inside.

“I could’ve grabbed that for you,” Jasper said from the kitchen.
“It’s just a bag.”
I started to open it—but he crossed the room and caught my hand before I
unzipped it.
His nostrils flared. “It reeks of Elodie and August.”
“They did carry it here.”
I started unzipping it, but he stopped me again. “I can’t have their scents in
here, Miranda.”
“I need to check in with the people I work for.”
“Just wait for me to find something to clean everything in here with.”
I sighed, but nodded.
He dragged the bag back outside and shut the door. Then, he returned to his
pancakes.
I wandered around the small living space while he cooked. It was
comfortable, and it wasn’t tiny, but I wasn’t looking forward to being
trapped inside it.
I almost never worked from home. The apartment I shared with Vi was
decent, but I needed to work somewhere I didn’t sleep. I’d tried turning
Elodie’s room into an office after she moved out, but I hated offices.
The public library had a chair that they may as well have put my name on.
My university’s library, too. Though I’d graduated a year or so earlier, I had
yet to be asked for an ID on my way in or out.
“Does Mate Mountain have its own library?” I called out, as I ran a hand
over the soft comforter on the bed we’d shared.
“No.”
Hmm.
I pulled one of the pillows off the bed and lifted it to my nose, inhaling
deeply.
Damn, Jasper smelled good.
“How long does your bite change my sense of smell for?”
“A few months, assuming I don’t bite you again.”
“Should I assume that?” I checked.
There was a beat of silence before he answered. “Probably not.”
I nodded, though he couldn’t see me.
It had felt insanely good when he bit me, so I really wasn’t opposed to a
repeat. And considering his typical beastliness, I was pretty sure his dragon
would want his teeth in me again.
“Did it hurt?” he asked, a few moments later. I was still in the bedroom,
with him in the kitchen, so he had to raise his voice. “When I bit you?”
Was he seriously asking me that?
He had seen me orgasm, hadn’t he?
Was he actually telling the truth about being sane while his animalistic side
had the helm?
“Definitely didn’t hurt, no.”
If he responded to that, I didn’t hear it.
After a few more minutes, I wandered back into the kitchen and sat down at
the table.
While the space was plenty big enough to live there, I doubted I’d be able
to get anything done. Work-wise, at least. I had to be comfortable to focus
on my art, and I hadn’t found anywhere that seemed like a decent option.
“I usually work in the library,” I told Jasper, who was still flipping
pancakes. “Do you have anything similar? I don’t think I can focus in here.
If we have to, we could go spend heat in Scale Ridge, maybe?”
I didn’t want to sound bitchy by suggesting that his living space wasn’t big
enough, but my brain was fickle. Creating art for money could be a mental
struggle sometimes.
“Scale Ridge won’t work for me. I don’t have a home established there, and
if I’m uncomfortable, my instincts will be harder to fight.” Jasper faced
away from me as he spoke. “We have a few meeting rooms. There aren’t
any books there, but there are a bunch of chairs. Some tables. We have a
dining room, too.”
He hesitated for a moment.
I waited.
“I won’t be able to handle having you in most of those areas,” he finally
said. “They smell too strongly of other males.”
My forehead creased as I frowned.
He wasn’t exactly throwing out other options.
“I’m comfortable here,” he finally said. “Our best chance at fighting heat is
to stay where I’m comfortable.”
“You’re barely sane,” I countered. “If we’re fighting it, I’m the one who’s
going to have to do the majority of that. My comfort should matter too.”
“Of course your comfort matters.” He nearly growled the words.
“Then come up with an alternative, because I can’t spend the next month of
my life trapped in this little apartment while I’m in pain.”
Jaspers fist clenched around the spatula he held at his side.
I watched him warily as he took a deep breath in, then another.
If he was about to get all beastly again, I’d be fighting the urge to throw
something at him.
Something hard.
And big.
…not like that.
That wasn’t a sex joke.
Urgh.
Something like a chair.
Yeah, a chair.
I’d throw a chair at him.
Okay, I wouldn’t. But I’d want to.
“Give me time to think about it,” he finally gritted out.
“Alright.” I ran a hand through my hair, tugging it out of my face. I needed
to wash the hairspray out from the day before. Needed to clean my face,
too.
I hadn’t even taken my makeup off in the tub the night before. Yikes. I
probably looked like a zombie.
Getting up again, I made my way to the bathroom.
Sure enough, I looked terrible. My makeup was a smeared mess, and my
hair looked like it had been through a tornado.
Jasper must have been lying when he said I was the sexiest thing he’d ever
seen.
If he was lying about that, and about how sane he was when he got all
beastly, what else was he lying about?
Uncertainty made my stomach tight while I scrubbed my face and tied my
hair up in a messy bun. It wasn’t my best look, but it was comfortable, and
better than the zombie thing.
Considering I was already sweaty and sore from heat, and getting worse by
the minute, there wasn’t a point in trying to look nice anyway.
I grabbed my phone and pulled up Elodie’s contact when I emerged again.
ME
How insane is insane when it applies to a dragon dude in heat?
ELODIE
…
I don’t know
It’s not really insanity
More like the guy turns into a bit of an animal for a while.
Which is less weird than it sounds
Sort of
It’s hard to explain

I studied her messages, not sure what to think.

Maybe he wasn’t lying about being sane?
I was lost.
ELODIE
Why?
 ME
It’s a long story

She sent a gif of a little kid waiting impatiently.

I sighed, but replied.
ME
I’m not sure if Jasper’s lying about how sane he is
ELODIE
Why would he need to lie about it?
ME
I don’t know. He said he was sane enough to remember
everything we did, but then he asked if it hurt when he bit me,
when it clearly didn’t hurt. If he was sane, he should’ve noticed
how much it didn’t hurt
ELODIE
Ah
Yeah, the guys aren’t experienced with sex
Not at all

I stared down at the screen for a long moment before replying.

ME
What do you mean?
ELODIE
Did you guys do anything sexual before he bit you?
ME
No
ELODIE
But you probably climaxed when he bit you, right? The first
bite’s reallyyyy good. They’re all good, but that first one is the
best. He’s never seen a woman orgasm before, so he probably
didn’t realize what happened
Especially since the bite would feel good for him too

I stared down at her messages again.

A minute passed, then another.
ME
What do you mean, he’s never seen a woman orgasm before?
ELODIE
Dragons don’t hook up with humans or other supernaturals
They don’t do anything to risk triggering heat
Their independence is literally everything to them
ME
So he’s a virgin?
ELODIE
Mmhm
ME
So he wasn’t lying about being insane. He just honestly didn’t
realize biting was so good for me
ELODIE
Yep
Dragons do know that biting is pleasurable for both parties, but
I think it’s one of those things you have to experience to get the
full picture of
August tried to explain to me how it feels to him once, but it
was a lot different for him, too. More about the possession and
whatnot. Dragons are super possessive
ME
I’m realizing that
He wants me to spend all month trapped in this little apartment
here
ELODIE
Yikes
Have you asked about flying yet? Flying with him could chill
him out a bit
ME
No
I hope to never fly with him again after last night
ELODIE
Better resist heat, then
Dragons live for the sky
ME
FML
 ELODIE
I still remember you saying you wanted me to set you up with a
dragon guy
Consider it done ;P
ME
Don’t remind me
I should never have flirted with him
ELODIE
It’s too late for regrets
Might as well embrace the present
Have some fun before the pain gets too bad
ME
Bye
ELODIE
Hahaha text me if you have more questions, you know I’m here
for you
ME
I know
You talked to Vi?
ELODIE
Yeah
ME
Thank you!
What can I tell her about heat?
ELODIE
Only the stuff August told you guys
ME
You know I can’t lie to her
ELODIE
It’s not entirely untrue
Heat is basically a potential mate bond

Jasper put a plate down in front of me, and my head jerked upward.
My eyes met his.
He looked… beastly.
Not entirely, but borderline.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Fine.” He gritted the word out.
Definitely not lost to his instincts yet.
“Don’t lie to me.” The words slipped out before I could rethink them.
I cut into my pancakes, which were already bathing in the butter and syrup
he’d covered them with. They had chocolate chips in them that time—yum.
He sat down across from me with his own plate and worked his jaw a few
times.
I took a bite of my food, hoping it would ease my pain or lower my
temperature. It didn’t, but it did taste good.
Maybe he’d tell me the truth, and maybe he wouldn’t. I really had no
control over it.
“Who are you texting?” He finally ground out. “Are you dating someone?
Is it another guy?”
I blinked at him once.
Then again.
And a third time.
Finally, I said, “If I was dating someone, I wouldn’t have gone to the
wedding alone. Third-wheeling with Vi and Eli is miserable.”
A tense moment passed between us, and I realized I hadn’t answered his
question.
“I’m texting Elodie.”
My phone buzzed with a message from her, and I turned the screen toward
him so he could see that I’d told the truth.
Jasper’s face twisted in a snarl, and I turned the screen back to me so I
could read the message.
 ELODIE
Telling her the truth is against dragon laws. They’re all about
keeping their secrets. They could put you in prison for it, and
that place is a shitshow. You’d die fast

“They’d have to rip you from my cold, dead arms to get you anywhere near
my prison,” Jasper said, his voice rough and animalistic.
He was going to lose control of his instincts and get all beastly again.
Fabulous.
I took a bite of my pancake and put my phone down. “Do you have a
girlfriend?”
The question caught him so off-guard that his anger vanished.
He stared at me for a long time, as if the question was so insane that he
didn’t even know how to respond to it.
But I wanted to hear what Elodie had told me from him. To see what he said
and learn what was really true.
“I’ve never had a girlfriend,” he finally said, cutting into his own food.
“Dragons don’t… date. Or sleep around. Heat can ignite any time, even
with someone you’ve seen a thousand times before. Any interactions with
humans would put us at risk, so we don’t interact unless there’s no other
choice.”
“So you’ve never had sex before?”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed.
My gaze followed the motion.
“No. And as far as I’m concerned, you haven’t either.”
I rolled my eyes.
His bare foot brushed mine under the table, and my entire body relaxed at
the sudden relief of heat’s symptoms. “You aren’t surprised by my answer.”
“I’ve been texting Elodie for a while. She told me. I just wanted to hear it
from you too.”
His forehead creased. “You didn’t believe her?”
“I don’t know what to believe in this situation, Jas.” The shortened version
of his name slipped out. I didn’t try to stop it, either. “All I know is that I’m
trapped in a little apartment inside a mountain, with a guy who may or may
not be sane, who happens to turn into a scaly monster from time to time.”
His jaw clenched.
I braced myself for his anger.
A moment passed before he finally let out a slow breath. “I have a solution
for the space problem. There’s a large living area a few floors above us. It
belongs to the head of the thunder, which is me. It has a large balcony.
Multiple spare rooms, too. We could make one of them a library.”
I frowned. “You have a large living space and don’t use it?”
“It belonged to my parents. They were the last to live in it.”
I didn’t know a whole lot about his parents, but I did know that they’d died
when his younger sister was born, somewhere around thirty years earlier.
Jasper and his brothers had all raised Brynn in Scale Ridge.
“If it will bring back difficult memories or emotions for you, I don’t want to
stay there,” I said.
“No, it…” he shook his head, struggling to get the words out. “My mother
would’ve wanted us to live there. She loved it tremendously. If she was
here, she would tell you to redecorate and make it yours. It can be hard to
be the only woman in the mountain. That was her sanctuary—it should be
yours too.”
“Just for the month,” I said, reminding him that we weren’t permanent.
He jerked his head in a nod.
It wasn’t entirely convincing, but I knew I was the one who’d have to fight
heat for the most part anyway.
“We’ll walk around it after we eat, and you can decide what you want to do
with it. I’ll send my dragons into Scale Ridge for whatever you want.”
“Alright. Thank you.” I took another bite.
His foot remained against mine as we ate in silence. Though it was still a
little awkward, I actually kind of enjoyed it.

AFTER WE WERE DONE EATING, Jasper changed. Then, he tucked

me against his chest and led me back through the hallway.
Now that I could see in the dark, I could actually make out the lines and
curves of the halls. They were nice and wide, though there were absolutely
no decorations of any kind. It made the whole place feel dark and gloomy.
We climbed a few sets of stairs before we made it to the living area he’d
mentioned.
“This is the top of Mate Mountain,” he said, as he opened an unlocked door
and gestured me inside.
I stepped into the room and looked around.
Unlike the rest of the hallways and the single room I’d seen, the space had
life. There were rugs and decorations. A few fake plants, too. And the walls
had landscape paintings on them. None of it was my style, and everything
was old-fashioned, but it was infinitely better than anything else I’d seen in
the mountain.
I looked back at Jasper, and found him looking at everything with a distant
expression.
The space had to be full of memories for him, if he’d grown up there.
“We really don’t have to stay here if it’s going to be difficult for you,” I
said.
His gaze lowered to mine. “It’s not difficult. The memories it brings back
are good. It’s just… strange. Redecorating would help. If you don’t want to
handle it, I’ll send Brynn a few pictures and have her figure it out.”
Brynn was the one who had decorated August and Elodie’s house, which
was gorgeous.
And he was offering…
“If you give me her number, I can send her a few pictures and we can do it
together.”
Jasper nodded. “She’d like that.”
“Perfect.”
We walked around, and I took pictures of all of the rooms. Because Brynn
wasn’t a dragon, she wasn’t allowed in Mate Mountain any more than any
other human. She’d actually become a demon when she mated with one,
which really barred her from the dragons’ sanctuary.
“Why did you guys name this place Mate Mountain to begin with?” I asked,
as we walked around. The space was the size of a large house, at least three
thousand square feet, maybe four. There was a lot to see, and it was all
spacious and cozy.
It was almost too much space.
But too much was better than not enough, considering I was going to be
trapped there for an entire month.
“We didn’t. Its actual name is Main Mountain. The living space is inside the
top half, and the prison is in the bottom half. When humans heard about it
and started saying we lived in Mate Mountain, we didn’t correct them, and
started using the name ourselves. It sounds separate from the prison, which
is ideal. We don’t want word spreading that we live on top of our convicts.”
“When you put it like that, it’s a little creepy.”
“The first of the prisoners are about a mile beneath us, and the entire
mountain is woven through with ancient dragon magic. It’s a maze down
there. Even if they managed to escape, they wouldn’t be able to find their
way out. Anyone without a dragon’s magic would find themselves suddenly
lost if they were to try to leave.”
My eyes widened. “So I could get trapped in there?”
“No, Miranda. You have my magic in your veins. You could always find
your way out.” He tapped the same part of his thigh where he’d bitten me
on mine, and my face flushed at the reminder.
Considering I hadn’t been able to sleep because I’d been so lost in sexual
fantasies, it didn’t take much encouragement to get me going again.
“Even if you couldn’t, I’ll never be so far from you that you could get lost,”
he said, then crossed the living room as we made it back in.
I followed him to the only door we hadn’t stepped through. It was set
against the same wall that was covered in open-air windows, so I was fairly
confident I knew what it was.
Sure enough, I stepped out onto a balcony.
It was a massive balcony, though. Wide, and long, with nothing above it but
air.
“This is one of the only living spaces in the mountain that has its own
landing pad. There are about eight of them, all of which are empty right
now,” Jasper said, his eyes on me while mine moved over the scenery.
It was breathtaking.
Mate Mountain towered over all of the others around it, so I could see the
mountain range beyond us clearly. The only thing blocking my view was
the occasional cloud.
“How often do you go flying?” I asked him.
“Every chance I get.” There was something in his voice that I couldn’t quite
define.
Not reverence.
Not passion.
Something… more.
And if we sealed the bond, I would be taking that away from him.
“We need to put some chairs out here,” I said, changing the subject before I
apologized again. He hadn’t seemed to appreciate my apology. “This would
be a perfect place to work.”
Jasper nodded once.
And with that, we turned around and made our way back to his apartment.
 six
RANDA

I TEXTED Brynn while Jasper showered. The bathroom door was wide
open, and I could’ve looked over to see him naked if I tried, but I didn’t.
I obviously didn’t need any help in the horny department.
And considering the ache in my muscles and the sweat that had his t-shirt
clinging to me in extremely unpleasant ways, I didn’t need any more
temptation to run to his side.
ME
Hey, this is Miranda. I’m not sure if you heard, but Jasper and I
are going through heat together

It sounded awkward, but I wasn’t sure how else to put it.

She answered immediately.
BRYNN
Yes, Elodie called me a few hours ago! I’m so excited for you
guys!

I bit my lip.
Her excitement was misplaced, since we wouldn’t be sealing the bond, but I
couldn’t exactly say that.
 ME
Thanks!
Jasper wants me to redecorate our living space and told me
you’re the person to go to
BRYNN
YES!
I’ll need pictures of Mate Mountain as payment, though. My
brothers have never showed me anything

I sent the pictures over, making sure to include the picture of our landing
pad. I decided to think of it as a big balcony, to avoid considering the fact
that Jasper would want me to fly with him again at some point.
BRYNN
Hot damn, that’s a view
ME
Right? I think I want to work out there. We need some really
cozy chairs or something
BRYNN
We can make this place gorgeous!
Send me pics of the style you like, and I’ll make it happen! I’d
let you pick everything yourself, but it would be difficult from all
the way in the mountains
ME
Hahaha yeah
Give me a few minutes

She sent a thumbs-up, and I scrolled through Pinterest for a bit until I had a
dozen pictures for her. Jasper got out of the shower and started making food
again while I did—I was pretty sure he was making more pancakes.
As much as I liked pancakes, I was really hoping he had another recipe or
two somewhere. Otherwise, I was going to have to ask Vi for a few of her
easiest recipes.
Which would mean talking to her.
And hearing her freak out about the mate situation.
Considering I was still freaking out myself, I wasn’t looking forward to
that.
So I’d put it off a bit longer.
I sent the pictures over to Brynn.
BRYNN
Ohhh I love these
We can totally do something like this
Give me an hour to talk to my favorite furniture store
I’ll call Jas and get some dragons out here to pick everything
up ASAP afterward!
ME
Thank youuuu!
BRYNN
Of course, this is what sisters are for!

She sent me a kiss-blowing emoji, and I bit my lip again.

We were only going to be in each other’s lives temporarily, because I wasn’t
sealing the bond.
But Viola…
I finally opened the text she’d sent the night before.
VI
I just got off the phone with Elodie
I’m freaking out
Call me when you can
I love you

Biting down harder on my lip, I closed my eyes for a long moment.

My natural instinct was to hide.
To wait until she called me and forced me to talk to her.
But Vi was the one person I couldn’t let myself do that with.
“I’m going to talk to my sister. I need some privacy,” I told Jasper, as I
stood up. The bedroom was the best place for that.
“Just leave the door unlocked. It’s difficult to be away from you,” he said.
I agreed.
A minute later, I was arranging the wild blankets on the bed. The room
smelled like sex in a way that made my sweat more annoying and the
slickness between my thighs more pronounced.
Heat was going to drive me literally insane.
I rearranged the blankets half a dozen times, trying to make myself
comfortable, before I finally gave up and forced myself to hit the button to
video-call Viola.
She answered immediately.
There were dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was much messier than
usual, hanging around her face instead of up in its usual ponytail.
“You’re okay?” she demanded.
“I’m fine.” I managed a small smile.
Emotions were welling in my throat and eyes, but I fought them as hard as I
could.
She let out a long breath.
Then, she dragged her hand through her hair, pulling it out of her face.
“A temporary mate bond, huh?”
“Yeah.” I closed my eyes for a second, still fighting the tears. I wasn’t even
sure why I was trying not to cry. The emotions of everything had just hit me
all at once, I guess. Being flown away from my home, trapped in a new
place, stuck in heat…
And the severe ache in every muscle I had didn’t help either.
“How do you feel about it?” Her voice was cautious.
I’d joked around about wanting a supernatural mate before. Too many
times. It had come back to bite me in the ass, but she probably thought I
was thrilled.
“I don’t know. Jasper seems like a decent guy, but he lives permanently at
Mate Mountain. He’s sort of the alpha here. If we… if the bond seals… I’ll
be stuck living here with him too.”
Her eyes widened. “What?”
“I’m really hoping to avoid that,” I said, biting my lip again.
Harder.
“August and Elodie’s didn’t seal on its own. You can still make it through
this without tying yourself to him.” Vi sounded unsteady.
She was never unsteady. Not visibly, at least.
She was the strong one of the two of us. Always had been.
“That’s really rare, though,” I said quietly. “Most of them end up sealed.”
“Not yours, Randa.”
I nodded.
I didn’t know if it was even possible, but I’d do my damndest to fight it.
As much as I needed Vi, she needed me more. We were opposites, and we
disagreed on a hell of a lot, but we were as close as we could possibly be.
I would survive living away from her. I’d be sad, and I’d miss her, but I’d
survive. I wasn’t sure she’d be okay without me, though. Vi always felt like
she had to be strong for everyone around her—I was the only one she let
her guard down with.
“Don’t screw him,” Vi warned. “There’s no going back from there. You saw
how attached Elodie got.”
I bit my lip harder.
I mean, we hadn’t technically…
But basically, yeah, we had.
She groaned when she saw my face. “Already?”
“Being really horny is part of the temporary bond thing,” I protested
weakly.
“Just don’t get attached,” Vi said, dragging her hair out of her face again.
She was more frazzled than I’d seen her in a long, long time. Probably since
she broke up with her long-term boyfriend.
“I won’t.”
She nodded, more to herself than to me. “Did you try convincing him to
bring you back to Scale Ridge?”
“Yeah, it’s a no-go. He’s crazy possessive because of the bond thing.”
Mentioning his frequent lack of sanity seemed unwise, so I stayed quiet
about it.
“Can I come there to check in with you?”
I shook my head. “They don’t really let humans here.”
“Figures.” Vi sighed. “Can he cook, at least?”
“He makes pancakes.”
She gave me a dead-panned look. “Please tell me that’s not the only thing
he can make.”
“If he can make anything else, I don’t know about it. We’ve had pancakes
twice already, and he’s making them again, so I’m thinking the answer’s
no.”
She groaned. “Text me his phone number. I’ll send him a few easy recipes.
Heaven knows you should never be allowed into a kitchen. You’ll forget to
start a timer and burn Mate Mountain to the ground.”
I laughed, and sent her his number.
The conversation shifted back to the mate bond, and whether I was going to
keep up with my work. Vi had always been the realistic, get-stuff-done
twin, so it was good to run through the important things with her. That
would help me make sure I wasn’t forgetting something.
Before we hung up, she promised to text me a list of things to get on top of
before I got lost to the sexiness of the bond. I thanked her, and we finally
said goodbye.
As soon as the call ended, Jasper was striding into the room with another
plate of pancakes. They smelled different, so I inhaled.
“They’re pumpkin,” he said, setting the plate down on my lap.
“Thanks.” I bit my lip.
A moment of tense, awkward silence stretched between us.
He finally started to leave the bedroom, and I blurted, “I gave Viola your
number. I hope you don’t mind. It’ll make her feel better to be able to
contact you. She’s worried about me.”
“That’s fine.” His voice was neutral.
I was still worried.
“She might send you recipes. Don’t be offended. She usually cooks for both
of us, and she thinks I’ll burn the place down if I try to do it.”
“Will you burn it down?” He looked over his shoulder at me, his gaze
almost curious.
“Probably not.”
He didn’t look convinced.
I didn’t feel convinced.
“I’ve only burnt a few things before,” I finally said, in my defense. “I get
distracted and forget to start timers sometimes. I’ve never started a fire or
anything.”
Though I had burned bacon so badly once that the entire building had filled
with smoke. The fire department had been called.
That had been embarrassing.
Jasper’s lips curved upward in that hint of a smile he’d given me before.
Mine did too.

I SHOWERED while Jasper cleaned August and Elodie’s scent off my

work things. After I was dressed in another one of his t-shirts, he led me
down the hallway until we found a community laundry room. It was empty,
like everywhere else we’d gone in the mountain thus far.
Except that one hallway when we first arrived.
“Did you warn everyone to stay away from us or something?” I asked him,
as he closed the laundry room’s door behind us. My phone was in my hand,
and I had a t-shirt on, but I was otherwise unoccupied.
“No. August probably did, though. Or Josh, after I almost killed him last
night. I’m sure word has spread that we’re in heat, and that I’m not in
control of my instincts. Everyone will give us space until it’s over.”
That was probably a good thing, though it was weird that the mountain
seemed so empty.
“How many people are in your thunder? And living here?”
“About a hundred unmated males living here. More than that in the thunder
overall. I don’t know the exact number off the top of my head, but probably
around two or three hundred. Our mated pairs live wherever they want, and
only fly in when we ask them to. Which we rarely do.”
“So if we seal the bond, we really will be the only mated couple living
here?”
“Yes. If any others wanted to stay, they’d be welcome to any of the larger
living spaces.”
“Does anyone ever do that?”
“Not since the war ended over a hundred years ago. Before the war, more
couples preferred to stay here, so they didn’t have to hide what they were
from the humans. Now that supernaturals are safe in your society, we
haven’t had any couples choose to live here.”
Huh.
“And humans aren’t allowed, right?”
“No.”
Not even a maybe.
“What if that human was my twin sister?” I prodded.
“Still no. The only way a female gets into Mate Mountain is if she’s
attached to a male dragon or being locked in our prison. Brynn’s never even
been here.”
I knew that.
I’d just figured it was worth asking anyway.
Jasper started rummaging through my bag, throwing my clothes in the
washer and piling the other essentials on top of the dryer. There were a few
familiar things—shoes, hair ties, my razor, my makeup—but there was also
a bottle of lotion I didn’t recognize, and a set of shampoo and conditioner
that weren’t mine.
I started to reach for them, but Jasper stepped between me and the bottles.
I heaved a sigh.
“The only scents I want on your skin are mine and yours,” he said.
“I’ve noticed.”
He finished going through the bag, then pushed the bag itself into the
washer.
Great.
I looked back at the toiletries, and realized I was missing something pretty
vital. Since Jasper wasn’t really saying much, I unlocked my phone again
and texted Elodie instead of asking him about it.
ME
I’m going to need tampons in a few days
Pads too
 ELODIE
Oh
Your period won’t come

I blinked down at the phone.

ELODIE
Women mated to dragons don’t have periods
Just heat
Heat’s the only time you can get pregnant, too
But I’d recommend staying on birth control until you’re ready
for a tiny dragon, cause that shit’s intense
No way you’ll make it through without getting knocked up if
you’re going with condoms

I blinked again.
ME
Maybe being mated to a dragon wouldn’t be so bad after all
ELODIE
LOL
That’s the spirit
ME
The shampoo you sent isn’t mine
ELODIE
The lotion isn’t either
I have a whole stash, just grabbed some for you
Dragons are really sensitive to smells. If you use your normal
shampoo and conditioner, it’ll make him grumpy
Have you had the talk about the sense of smell yet?
ME
Not that I know of
ELODIE
Have the talk
ME
Can’t you give it to me?
ELODIE
No
 I’m starting to think you’re using me to avoid having
conversations with Jasper. He’s not still beastly, is he?
ME
Not at the moment
But he doesn’t want to talk to me
It’s super awkward
ELODIE
Hahaha
Have the conversation
He has nothing against you, Jasper is just a quiet guy

I sent her a gif of a dirty look.

She sent one back of someone blowing a kiss.
With a sigh, I hit the button to turn off my phone. It was almost dead,
anyway.
“What’s wrong?” Jasper asked.
“Nothing.”
He shot me a dirty look.
He clearly realized I was lying.
“Elodie doesn’t want to answer my questions about dragons anymore.
That’s all,” I said.
His forehead wrinkled. “You don’t have to ask her. I’m right here.”
“That’s basically what she said.”
The wrinkle in his forehead deepened, but he grabbed my stuff and led me
out of the room. I followed him back to his apartment, and neither of us said
anything.
“What do you want to know?” he asked me, as he dumped all of my stuff
into the kitchen sink. Everything was about to get washed with dish soap,
apparently.
“What don’t I want to know would be a better question.”
He started washing a bottle of shampoo.
My hair was still in its bun from the day before, because I hadn’t seen any
conditioner in his bathroom. Hairspray was preferable to dry, crunchy hair,
so yesterday’s hairspray had stayed.
“What didn’t she want to tell you?”
“I don’t know. She asked if we’d had the talk about your sense of smell yet.
I said no, and asked her to give it to me. She refused.”
He scrubbed the bottle of shampoo far more violently than he should’ve
needed to.
I took a seat at the kitchen table.
When he finally set the bottle on a towel, he said in a low voice, “Dragons
aren’t like humans.”
“I hadn’t realized,” I drawled.
He grimaced, not looking over at me. “There’s this thing in the roof of our
mouths. It’s similar to a lizard’s.”
I frowned.
“It heightens our sense of smell, but only as it applies to our mate. It’s
dormant until we meet her. You. As I get acquainted with your scent, I’ll be
able to pick up on the slightest changes. Taste them, even.”
“What kind of changes?”
“Emotions. Desire. Pain. Interest.” He lifted a shoulder. “Everything.”
“Well, that’s intense.”
“Yeah. The beast in me is still trying to adjust to your scent. Anything that
disturbs it feels wrong. You belong to me—so it’s my job to understand
you. My instincts believe so, anyway.”
“Well, that sucks for you. I don’t even think I understand me sometimes.”
He chuckled. “I can think of worse problems to have.”
Like being trapped in a mountain with a stranger, maybe?
I couldn’t say that aloud, though.
And ultimately, he had just called me a problem.
“Does that ability just vanish when we make it through heat without sealing
the bond?”
His amusement disappeared. “I don’t know. I can ask August.”
“That would be good to find out, so we can be prepared.”
He dipped his head, but didn’t say anything else.
 seven
RANDA

WE SAT in silence for a few minutes, before I finally went over to the
couch and picked up my laptop. It could be either a tablet or computer,
which I loved.
Opening it up, I went to my emails and started going through the messages
I’d received for work.
Jasper continued cleaning my things while I typed up an email explaining
the temporary mating process I’d gotten myself roped into. I emphasized
that I had no control over anything but would do my best to get my work
done early just in case. I didn’t know how the woman who owned the
company would respond, but I couldn’t not send the email.
I forced myself to sketch out the start of my next art piece when I finished
that. My entire body hurt, and I was sweating so badly I could see it on my
borrowed gray tee, but I needed to get something done.
The response email came in faster than I expected—and surprised the hell
out of me.
It was a text from the woman who owned the company, Sue.
SUE
We’re already ahead, four weeks won’t kill us. If you can’t get
anything done until then, we’ll figure something out
 But I’m going to need photographic evidence of this potential
mate bond
Since there’s a dragon shifter involved.

I stared down at it.

Was she serious?
She had to be serious.
She was obsessed with books; that was why she’d started the company in
the first place. So I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised by her message.
Our conversations were always casual, but she was still my boss.
ME
How many pictures?
SUE
How pretty is he?

I looked up at him for a moment, still doing the dishes.

ME
Fucking gorgeous
SUE
Two, then
One just of him and one of you two together
I’ll only circulate the second one

I bit my lip, and almost laughed.

I’d been worried about losing my job, but my boss just wanted to see a
picture of a sexy dragon shifter.
Readers.
That was going to be an awkward thing to relate to said dragon shifter,
though.
“Jasper?” I asked.
He turned his head.
“I have a weird request.”
He waited.
“My boss loves fantasy books. She says it’s fine if I end up not getting
anything done until heat’s over… but I told her you’re a dragon shifter, so
she wants a picture. One of you, and one of both of us together.”
He blinked.
An awkward moment passed.
“Is that even legal?” he finally asked.
“Probably not, but weird shit happens when you’re a professional artist.”
He blinked again, then dried his hands and turned toward me. “Go ahead.”
Oh.
That was easier than I’d expected.
I took a quick picture of him, then crossed the space between us and stood
beside him without touching him. Though I held my arm out to try to
position the camera, I couldn’t get both of us in the picture.
“Your arms are too short,” he said, taking the phone from me. “Is she
sending this to anyone else?”
“Probably. I wouldn’t be surprised if she posts it on her social media, too.
Readers love stuff like this.”
“Then we can’t look like we don’t know each other.” His free arm went
around my waist, his hand catching my hip.
He eased me to his bare chest, and when my cheek met his skin a moan tore
through me.
My eyes closed.
Bliss.
Touching him was bliss.
The temperature of my body dropped in a heartbeat, cooling me off
instantly.
The pain vanished.
I all but melted into him, turning my face to his skin and pressing myself
against him more completely.
“You were in pain?” His voice was tight.
“Yeah,” I mumbled against him.
His fingers dug into my hip. “You didn’t say anything.”
“I handled it.”
“I don’t want you to handle it, Miranda. You’re my mate.”
“Temporarily.”
“I don’t care how long it lasts—right now, you’re mine. I don’t want you in
pain.”
“I have to fight heat on my own.” I finally peeled my face off his chest.
“You can’t help me, remember? You get all beastly. If we want to avoid
sealing the bond, I have to deal with it myself.”
His expression grew darker with every word I said.
His lips twisted in a snarl when I finished.
His body shuddered, and I could tell he was fighting his instincts again.
“No one gets through heat without a bond when one person shoulders the
responsibility,” he said, through gritted teeth. “Ask Elodie. She and August
got through it because they became a team.”
“Becoming a team made them fall in love, Jasper. You seem like a good
guy, but I don’t want to fall in love with you.”
He shuddered again, harder.
I saw it in his eyes when he lost control, his entire body tensing as he did.
“You belong to me.” His lips crashed into mine, and he kissed me.
It was harsh.
Rough.
Delicious.
His tongue parted my lips, and he dragged me closer, until his erection was
pressed against my abdomen.
He tasted even better than he smelled.
I didn’t try to stop myself from kissing him back, just as brutally as he
kissed me.
Or from wrapping my legs around his hips, positioning his erection exactly
where I wanted it, and putting his hands on my ass.
When my back hit a wall, I used the hard surface to arch against him harder.
Our mouths warred.
Our tongues battled.
His hands slid closer and closer to my core.
And I loved every second of it.
I was absolutely soaked when his fingers finally dragged down my back
entrance, finding my center.
I gasped into his mouth when his thick finger teased my slit.
And moaned when he slowly filled me with it.
“My mate, so fucking wet for me.” His lips moved against my mouth.
I couldn’t disagree.
Didn’t want to, either.
“Give me more,” I breathed into his mouth.
He pulled out and added another finger before he slid them both inside me.
“Needy little thing.”
“Apparently.” My laugh was shallow.
I was too occupied with the way his hand felt inside me, his erection against
my clit.
It was amazing… but I still needed more.
“How close can we get without sealing the bond?”
“How close do you want to get?” He bit my bottom lip lightly, dragging his
teeth down it before he let it pop free.
“Close.”
“If you let me inside you, we seal the bond.”
Dammit.
I’d been hoping we could just avoid finishing while he was in me or
something, because shit, I wanted him.
He captured my lips again, kissing me until I pulled away, panting.
“I still need more, Jas.”
He pulled out long enough to add a third finger—and when he slid them
inside me, I couldn’t help but groan.
“Oh, that feels good.”
“My cock would feel better.” His growl was low.
Sexy.
I arched my hips against him, and he kissed me harder.
Rougher.
“You taste amazing.” I rocked my hips until he hit me just where I wanted
him.
The pressure was intense—so intense, I lost control.
My hips jerked as pleasure rolled through me hard and fast.
He kissed me through it—and I didn’t know if he realized what had
happened.
He hadn’t recognized it when he bit me.
“I got off,” I moaned into his mouth. “That was me climaxing. Get used to
the feel of it. I came when you bit me, too.”
His fingers hooked inside my core, and I nearly screamed as he found a
place inside me that no one else ever had before.
The pleasure hit so intensely, I forgot to breathe. He roared as he came with
me, and that only made me hotter.
“Inhale, Miranda,” he snarled.
I sucked in a breath, his mouth still against mine. My core was wet with his
pleasure as much as my own.
His sanity returned as we caught our breath together, and there was
something in his eyes I couldn’t read.
I eased my feet back to the floor one at a time.
“I’m going to shower,” I said, my voice shaking a little. “Need to wash my
hair.”
Jasper watched me, his gaze intense as I made my way slowly into the
kitchen. I was wobbly—really wobbly.
After I grabbed the shampoo and conditioner Elodie had sent, I walked to
the bathroom, ignoring him even though I could feel him watching every
single step I took.
My mind returned to the conversation we’d been having before he kissed
me.
The one where he told me we needed to be a team, and I told him no.
My lips turned down in a grimace.
We were a mess… and I didn’t even know if I wanted to try to fix that.
What I did want was a nap. Hopefully one not plagued by heat’s filthy
dreams.
I just needed to text Sue back first. The one picture of Jasper would have to
be enough.
After I started the water, I pulled up my photos, and my heart nearly
stopped.
The most recent picture was of the two of us.
My cheek was against his bare chest, my eyes closed, and my face blissed-
out. He was staring at me, a look in his eyes so intense I almost wanted to
call it hungry.
My face flushed.
I couldn’t send the sexy picture… but I couldn’t ask him to take another
one, and I couldn’t not send one.
So I let out a long breath and texted both pictures to Sue, followed by a
quick message.
ME
GTG for a bit. Phone will be off until tomorrow

As soon as it sent, I shut the device off and set it on the counter, climbing
into the tub.
Another bath sounded heavenly.
 eight
JASPER

I CAME in my pants like a fucking teenager. Twice.

If I wasn’t so fucking attracted to my female, I would’ve been embarrassed.
But I was attracted to her.
Painfully so.
And I had to fight like hell to resist wrapping my fist around my cock and
jerking off to the memory of the way she’d felt around my fingers.
My hands dug into the counter as I leaned against it, gritting my teeth
against the need.
I wanted her.
Needed her.
But she was determined not to be mine.
She’d asked me to call August, so when I’d steadied myself enough, I went
looking for the device. It took a few minutes, but I finally found it in a
drawer. Ignoring the missed calls and messages from everyone else, I called
him back.
“Hello?” He sounded much calmer than I felt, for once in our damn lives.
I wanted to get back to the time when I was the laid-back one.
“Hey.” I gritted my teeth against a surge of need to check on my mate.
She wanted space, clearly.
“You okay?”
“Peachy,” I ground out. “Miranda wants to know if your sense of smell
went back to normal after your bond broke.”
There was a beat of silence. “No. Elodie’s scent was still everything to me. I
could smell her emotions on my clothes when I was in prison.”
“Great.”
August gave me another moment of quiet.
I closed my eyes and let out a long breath before opening them again.
“How’s it going over there?” he finally asked.
“Badly.”
He waited.
I didn’t offer more information.
“Care to elaborate?” he finally asked.
“She’s hiding from me in the bathroom right now, if that tells you
anything.”
August chuckled. “Yeah, that happens on day one.”
“It’s not day one.”
“Heat started less than twenty-four hours ago. You’re still in day one, Jas.
Don’t sweat it; you’re supposed to be a mess on day one.”
“I suggested being a team. She thinks she has to muscle through all four
weeks on her own,” I said. “What am I supposed to say to that? She thinks
I’m a fucking problem. I solve problems. This is—it’s just—” I fought a
snarl. “What am I supposed to do with her?”
“This isn’t what you want to hear, but she needs time. She’s not going to
adjust to this in a day any more than you have.”
“We don’t have time, August.”
“Is she in the room?”
I hadn’t taken my eyes off the bathroom door, so I didn’t have to think
about it. “No.”
“Then listen. No one survives heat without a mate bond. I survived it—and
the connection between us was still too strong to walk away. This woman is
your mate, Jasper. She just hasn’t accepted it yet. Give her time and space
to accept it for a few days.”
“I can barely think straight. How am I supposed to stop myself from
touching her?”
“You can’t stop yourself from touching her. Quit fighting it. She’ll be
stubborn about it at first, but she needs your touch or she’s going to be in
constant pain. Fighting heat is useless. If you want to resist it at all, you
have to work with it.”
“I tried explaining that to her, but she won’t have it.”
“Elodie says she’ll explain it to Randa the next time they talk. For now, stop
beating yourself up over losing control. No one is entirely sane during heat.
Give it a few days and she’ll be just as crazy as you are.”
“Fine.”
There was a pause. “Elodie wants to know if she survived the dreams last
night.”
“What dreams?”
“The demons in the prison give unmated humans in Mate Mountain sex
dreams. I told you that.”
Shit.
I hadn’t even thought about it.
I hadn’t even been sane enough to think about it.
“She survived them. I’ll talk to her about it when she stops hiding from
me.”
“There’s a good chance she won’t be able to sleep there,” August warned.
“You might have to bring her back to Scale Ridge.”
The beast in me reared my head at the thought.
Not a chance in hell was I taking her back.
“I’ll figure something out.”
“Go easy on yourself, Jas.”
“Thanks.” I hung up before he could lecture me any more, then opened my
messages.
There were a dozen from a number I didn’t recognize, but when I saw a
recipe in the message, I knew exactly who it was from.
Scrolling through the messages revealed more recipes, and a text at the top.
VI
DON’T LET MY SISTER STARVE, ASSHOLE

A harsh breath escaped me.

If we couldn’t fight heat, which seemed pretty damn likely, I was going to
have to figure out a way to win over my mate’s twin sister.
Even though she happened to hate my younger brother.
Maybe we could find a way to bond over that.
Who was I kidding? I was the guy you called to fix the broken shit, not to
make new friends.
I didn’t have the energy to learn new recipes at the moment, so I didn’t
respond to Viola’s messages.
Then I started pacing the living room.
Staying sane with a door separating me from my female was nearly
impossible.
I continued pacing until my instincts took over and had me storming toward
the bathroom.
I couldn’t be away from her any longer.
 nine
RANDA

MY PEACEFUL BATH was over almost as soon as it started. Jasper

barged through the door, his flaming eyes dark as he looked around the
bathroom for threats.
I clamped my legs together and covered my tits with my arms
automatically, but he hadn’t noticed my nudity yet.
His body position told me his mind was probably in dragon mode again. So
common sense and logic were not steering the ship.
“I’d like privacy when I’m bathing,” I said. My voice was calm, though my
heartbeat was erratic.
“No.” Jasper didn’t even consider it.
I sighed.
His expression remained stony.
Considering the way he’d touched me earlier, I really shouldn’t have been
self-conscious of my bare body, either.
But… I still was. Just a little.
He’d never seen me naked before, and he hadn’t reacted to the sight of me.
So, that was awkward.
His phone started ringing in his pocket, but he made no move to grab it.
Or answer it.
His gaze was fixed on me, and it was intense.
Maybe he was reacting after all.
He never talked a whole lot when he was really beastly, so I guess I
shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions so quickly.
His phone stopped ringing.
After a moment of silence, it started up again.
He still made no move to answer it.
And he was still staring at me like I held the answer to all of life’s
questions.
“Whoever’s calling you must have something important to say,” I said.
He didn’t reply.
His fingers slowly curled into fists, and his erection throbbed against his
damp jeans.
My face flushed.
My body already ached again, and I was sweating, too. Even the lukewarm
bath water was no match for heat’s warmth.
His phone stopped ringing again.
Then started yet again.
Jasper really wasn’t going to answer it.
So I bit my lip, then eased one arm away from my breasts. One was enough
to keep me covered. I was average-sized, and didn’t have anything
impressive in the curve department.
His gaze grew molten, though.
His bulge was massive enough to pull the jeans tight, making it clear that
his phone wasn’t in either of his front pockets. Leaning over the ledge, I
stretched my arm around to the back of him.
Jasper stepped closer, giving me better access.
I tucked my hand into his back pocket, and struggled to get it over his tight,
toned ass. My hand was wet, which didn’t help with that.
But even with the fabric separating our skin, I could feel how strong he
was.
I bit my lip against the urge to grab his butt without anything between us.
Just skin on skin.
His phone wasn’t in that pocket, so I reached into the next one. I had to
bend my legs a little to reach far enough around him with my free arm, and
his chest rumbled as they parted a little.
“I need to taste you,” he said, though his phone was still ringing as I tugged
it free of his pocket.
August’s name was on the screen, so I answered it. My voice was a little
high with the lust I was feeling, but I tried to ignore it.
“Hello?”
“Randa? It’s Elodie.” My best friend’s voice put me more on-edge instead
of relaxing me.
Why had she needed to call Jasper three times in a row?
She was with August, and—
“Your phone’s off. I’ve been trying to call you,” Elodie said. “Are you
okay?”
Oh.
That eased the unpleasant, intense feelings that had been building.
“I’m fine. Just didn’t want to be accessible. Is everything okay with you?”
“Yep. Jas just talked to August a few minutes ago, and Auggie asked me to
clarify a few things for you.”
“Okay…”
I didn’t take my eyes off Jasper as I eased back into a sitting position,
closing my legs again and tightening the arm around my chest.
“Did you have sex dreams last night?” she asked. “Extremely intense,
realistic ones?”
The question snapped me out of whatever trance the dragon had held me in.
“Maybe. Is that part of heat?”
“No. The demons in the prison below you are starving, and their magic
seems to ignite your lust automatically in your dreams when they’re hungry.
It only affects unmated humans.”
“I thought we’re mated right now.”
“Nope. Not until you do the deed and seal it for good.”
“Don’t say that like it’s inevitable,” I warned.
“Sorry. I’m explaining this because you need to know, you’re not going to
be able to sleep there without having the dreams. They’ll turn you on, and
wake you up constantly. I only made it a few days there as a human before
August dragged me back to Scale Ridge because I couldn’t sleep. Seeing
you not getting rest will make Jasper’s instincts harder to fight, too.”
Well, that sounded like a whole problem of its own.
She paused, and I heard a man’s low voice on the other end of the line.
August was talking to her. “I’m supposed to talk to you about how to best
survive heat without giving in, now.”
“Tell me you’re not trying to sell what Jasper just said, Elodie.”
She laughed softly. “I’m not sporting Girl Scout Cookies, Randa.”
“Girl Scout Cookies would be preferable in this situation.”
“A box of cookies doesn’t last long, but a mate bond can be forever,” she
countered.
I sighed.
“Sorry, sorry. You know I’m biased in favor of the dragons at this point.
Anyway, the dragons have been trying to fight heat when it begins for
centuries. Since the beginning of time, from what I know. Though August is
now telling me that the truly ancient dragons have an entirely different
culture—but that doesn’t matter. They fight heat with everything they have,
right?”
“Sure.”
“Well, fighting it tooth-and-nail doesn’t work. They’ve proved it time and
time again. Gritting your teeth and deciding not to give in isn’t a solution.
Heat is too strong. You’ll be literally begging Jas to take your pain away in
two or three weeks, no matter how strong you decide to be now.”
“How did you fight it, then?” My voice grew softer.
Less sure.
The whole situation threw me off-balance, made me feel uneasy.
“We sort of teamed up. Jasper probably told you that.”
“He did.”
“Well, you could do it without teaming up, theoretically. At the most basic
level, all we really did was give heat everything it wanted for as long as we
could. It was only really difficult during the final stretch, when the pain was
bad. And even then, August only resisted giving me what I wanted because
he knew I could be killed in the supernatural prison, which was where he
was going after heat ended.”
My head spun. “He was going to prison?”
“It’s a long story, but yeah. Anyway, I don’t know if it’s even possible for a
woman to make it through the last part of heat without giving in. She would
have to be a hell of a lot more stubborn than I am, with a much higher pain
tolerance, because painkillers don’t do anything for us during heat.”
And Elodie was much more stubborn than me.
Which didn’t exactly bode well for my future independence. Or Jasper’s.
So if I was going to survive it, I’d have to figure that part out on my own,
and find a way to get much more stubborn.
“But you made it through the first part with minimal pain?” I asked.
“Yeah, it’s pretty easy to do, too. At first, the bond just wants you touching
at all times. If you’re physically touching Jasper, there should be minimal
pain and heat. That will slowly increase until heat pushes him to bite you to
ease the pain.”
She didn’t mention that he’d already bitten me.
I didn’t either.
“After that, sex will be the only thing that can relieve the increasing pain,
and that relief will be very, very temporary.”
“Wow, you’re really selling this,” I murmured.
My eyes were still locked with Jasper’s. I was starting to wonder if I could
even look away if I tried.
She laughed softly. “I think shitty truths are better than happy lies in this
case, don’t you?”
“Unfortunately, yes.”
“So what would you do in my situation?” I asked her. Though I knew I
didn’t want the bond, I was starting to think there might not be a way
around it. And I wanted to hear her answer.
She considered it for a moment before admitting, “I would probably brace
myself for a mate bond. When you look at all the facts, there doesn’t seem
to be another option. Jas can’t leave Mate Mountain without losing his mind
even more. You can’t sleep there without sealing the bond with him. Heat is
so painful that I couldn’t handle it, and you’re softer than me. I mean that in
a good way, too. Of the three of us, you’re the nice one. Vi’s the hard-ass,
and I can go either way depending on the day.”
My lips curved upward just the tiniest bit. “I hate being an artist sometimes.
It’s so consuming. I’d be tougher if I wasn’t.”
“But you wouldn’t be you, then. And you’re pretty damn great, Randa.”
“Thanks.” I closed my eyes. “What all is there to a mate bond again? No
periods? Heat repeated a few days every month? A horrifying amount of
flying?”
“The scent thing, too. And the mental bond.”
“Mental bond?”
“Oh, I haven’t mentioned that?”
“No.”
Elodie explained, “The mate bond connects a pair’s minds. We hear each
other’s loudest thoughts, and we can speak to each other mentally at any
given time, no matter how far apart we are.”
“Wow. So in your opinion, my best bet right now is to try to wrap my mind
around the fact that I’m going to be Jasper’s mate. And to touch him
constantly, so I don’t have to deal with heat.”
“Right,” she agreed. “Heat is actually fun, when you give in to it. The best
sex of your life, over and over again.”
My face warmed.
I opened my eyes, and found Jasper on his knees next to the tub. His hands
were braced on the ledge, far enough from my skin that we weren’t
touching.
His gaze was molten.
“Anything else I need to know?” I whispered.
“I think that’s everything. If you do decide to give in to heat, try to
remember to text me so August doesn’t have to show up there and nearly
get himself killed for knocking on your door.”
“Okay. Thanks.”
We both hung up, and I set Jasper’s phone down on the ledge of the tub.
 ten
RANDA

BITING MY LIP, I studied him.

He was still the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen.
Strong, and sexy.
Rough, but still gentle.
Intense, but a little awkward too.
There was something complicated about him that I didn’t have words to
describe. Complicated, and beautiful.
Not for the first time, I itched to sketch him.
Couldn’t do that in the tub, though.
And we needed to talk.
“I need you sane so we can have a rational, human discussion,” I said.
His jaw clenched.
A tremor rolled through his body.
He was still trying to fight his instincts. But I was pretty sure that he would
have already conquered them, if they were something he could fight.
And the only way I knew how to make him sane was…
I bit my lip harder.
How was I still horny?
That, at least, had to be heat’s doing.
“The water hides your scent from me,” Jasper said, his voice low. “The shit
in your hair, too.”
He was talking about my hairspray.
“I can wash it out, but I’d like some privacy,” I said.
He didn’t budge.
I sighed.
He was gorgeous—but a gorgeous pain in my ass was still a pain in my ass.
“Just turn around,” I said.
A moment passed, and he finally, stiffly, turned himself away from me.
Our eyes met in the mirror as soon as he did. Only the top of my head
showed in it, so I didn’t mind that.
Knowing I probably hadn’t bought myself much time, I scrubbed clean
quickly, without bothering to shave anything. Jasper didn’t know the
difference, so he wouldn’t care if I was a little hairy. Or at least, I didn’t
think he would.
His eyes took my body in hungrily when I stepped out of the tub and
wrapped myself in a towel. “How do dragons feel about body hair?”
He rumbled.
I didn’t think he’d done it on purpose.
“Intensifies your scent,” he said.
That didn’t sound like a good thing to me, but he seemed to think it was, so
I tried not to make a face.
Maybe I’d take the time to shave everything if we did decide to seal the
bond.
It was difficult to wrap my mind around the fact that I was actually
considering it, but Elodie’s little talk had worked. As much as I wanted to
be the independent woman who could grit her teeth through weeks of
hellish pain, that wasn’t me. I was the girl who smiled when the barista
gave me the wrong coffee order, and put an extra tip in the jar to make her
day better. When someone bumped into me, I apologized to them.
I loved who I was… but I also knew who I wasn’t.
And unfortunately for me, that didn’t bode well for my situation.
I padded out into the bedroom with my towel still wrapped around me, and
Jasper followed me to the closet. He caught the door before I could close it
all the way, but turned his back when I gestured for him to do so.
Since my clothes were still in the wash, I put on yet another of his shirts.
I was going to sweat through everything he owned at the rate I was using
them.
Maybe that was going to change, though.
I wouldn’t really know until I talked to Jasper.
…But I couldn’t talk to Jasper unless I dragged him back to sanity.
And there was only one way I knew to bring him back to sanity. After what
we’d already done, it didn’t make me nervous to consider it. Just warmer.
Much warmer.
I walked back to the couch in his shirt, and he followed behind me without
touching me.
As soon as he was sitting down beside me, I lifted one of my legs over his
lap, opening my legs up. The shirt still covered me, but Jasper growled all
the same.
“Do you mind if I touch myself?” I asked. It felt like my entire body was
blushing, but I didn’t let myself reconsider my plan.
I had to make him sane, after all.
And being with him like that was fun, honestly. The way he looked at me
and touched me always took my breath away.
“No.” He pulled the hem of my t-shirt up higher, but managed to stop
himself before he exposed me.
I slipped my hand between my thighs. My touch felt good, but it was
nowhere near as amazing as the feel of his rough fingers had been.
Dragging a circle around my clit, I let my breath hitch. “Do you want to
watch, Jas?”
He growled. “Fuck, yes.”
I tugged the shirt upward with my free hand, baring my lower half to him.
He pulled it higher, exposing more of my abdomen and dragging his hand
over the soft flesh there. He left it over my pelvis, watching with hot eyes as
I teased my clit.
Jasper had never had sex before, and I wasn’t sure how much he did or
didn’t know about my anatomy. He was so beastly that I didn’t think he’d
mind a lesson, even if he didn’t really need it.
“This is my clit,” I said, circling it again, slower. “I don’t like it fast here,
but pressure is good.”
His nostrils flared.
His eyes burned.
His hand slid closer to my core.
“You like watching me?” I asked.
“You have no idea.”
“Can I touch you too?”
He clenched his jaw, and jerked his head.
I struggled with the button on his jeans with my free hand, and he popped it
open for me. Then dragged the zipper down too, for good measure.
“Thanks, Jas.”
“Thank me by letting me touch you.” His voice was nearly feral.
“Alright.”
“Show me.”
I took his hand and guided it between my thighs, pressing one of his thick
fingers to my clit before I moved it in a slow circle. “Like this.”
My breath hitched as he kept his finger moving.
He caught on quick.
“I can smell how much you like that, baby.” My body clenched at the sound
of the classic nickname in that low, sexy voice of his.
I’d never been called baby before. Or even babe. Probably because I’d
never had a steady boyfriend.
I liked it, though.
I liked it a lot.
My hips arched as he pressed a little harder. I freed his cock, and wrapped
my hand around him.
His finger dug into my clit for a moment, and we both hissed together.
“That shouldn’t feel so good,” I managed.
“Not the first time you’ve said that,” he growled.
It wasn’t.
Probably wouldn’t be the last, either.
I dragged my hand up his silky length.
He swore.
His hips did the same thing mine had.
When I repeated the motion, he pressed my clit harder.
I nearly lost control just like that.
“Easy,” I panted.
The pressure lightened instantly. “Was that too—fucking hell, Miranda.”
The words were snarled as I pumped my hand once again.
The start of his pleasure was already all over my hand, and still leaking.
He was fighting hard not to lose control.
I wanted to watch him get off, though. Wanted to see that I could make him
feel good. That I had the same power over him that he had over me.
I worked him again, using his slickness to glide over his cock, and twisted
my hand at his tip.
He came with a roar, his release soaking my hand and his balls. Some got
on the couch too, but that only made everything hotter.
I’d made the strong, sexy man come undone.
I’d brought him to climax, something no one else had ever had the privilege
of doing.
And even as he regained control of his instincts, he was staring at me with a
hunger in his eyes that was so intense, I wanted to climb on top of him and
never get off.
Never get off of him, that is.
There would be a hell of a lot of getting off in that fantasy.
Despite the control he’d regained, his first motion was to change the
position of my leg on his lap.
To open me up wider.
His gaze was hot on my core as he took me in, and resumed touching me
slowly.
I took in an unsteady breath, my hips moving lightly.
With his free hand, he slid my fingers off his erection and dragged my slick
palm to my center.
Heat rolled through me when I realized what he was doing.
Putting his release on me.
Marking me in that way.
I laughed breathlessly. “Biting me wasn’t enough?”
“I could bite you every fucking day and it still wouldn’t be enough. My
scent needs to be inside you.”
My body clenched.
He pulled my hand away from my core and started teasing my clit again, a
little harder than before. His hand moved lower as he did, and he slid three
fingers inside me without warning.
I choked on my breath.
On the feel of it.
On my pleasure.
“No soft and easy with you, huh?” I choked out.
“Not my style, Sweetheart.”
“Thought you were going with Baby.”
“Still deciding.” He dragged his knuckles over my g-spot, pressing harder
on my clit. “Squeeze my fingers when you come. I want to feel every inch
of you.”
My cries filled the air as my body jerked for him, my channel tightening
with every wave of my pleasure.
“Fuck, Miranda.”
“Back to Miranda?” I panted. “I told you no one calls me that.”
“No one but me.”
He moved his knuckles over me lightly.
Slowly.
And my breath hitched as my pleasure swelled again.
“We need to talk,” I said.
“About?”
“The bond, baby.” I hit him with the nickname he’d thrown at me.
His lips curved upward, his gaze still hot. “Then talk.”
“Not while your fingers are inside me.”
“It’s my fingers or my cock at this point.”
I groaned, and tightened around him even more somehow. “Jas.”
“Miranda.”
“Fingers out,” I managed.
He grumbled, but slowly eased his fingers out of me. The slow, sensual
motion nearly set off another climax for me, but left me panting instead.
And still needy, somehow.
Jasper left his slick hand on the top of my thigh, but I pulled his shirt down
to cover me at least. He made no move to put his cock away, and I couldn’t
stop myself from staring at it for a minute before I jerked my attention back
to the man.
His gaze was even hotter when I looked at him.
“I think we need some space,” I said, still breathing quickly.
“We don’t need space to talk about our mate bond. Talk, and I’ll listen.”
I filled my cheeks with air and let out a long breath, forcing my mind away
from the hot moments we’d just shared. “Alright. Elodie doesn’t think
there’s any way we’re making it through heat without sealing the bond. Her
reasoning was sound. And considering I was just minutes away from
climbing on your cock myself, I’m inclined to agree with her.”
His cock jerked at the mention of it.
I had to clench my fists to stop myself from taking it in my hand again.
“You don’t want a mate bond.” His voice was strained.
“Neither do you, but here we are. I don’t think there’s a way out. Do you?”
He gave a sharp shake of his head. “I’m already struggling to hold back.
When I can smell your pain on your skin, it’s going to be much, much
harder.”
“Right. And if we’re not going to make it, my thought is, what’s the point
of suffering? Or even just dragging it out?”
Jasper stared at me for a long, long moment.
I stared back.
“You want to seal it now?” he finally asked, his voice still straining.
“Maybe not right this second, but soon. After we’re moved in to the new
place, maybe. So we can be more comfortable, and I can adjust to the
change while we’re lost to heat or whatever.”
His hand tightened on my upper thigh with my words.
“Does that sound alright to you?” I checked.
“Yes.”
Good.
That was good.
I mean, it was insane, but it was probably the best call.
“We’re moving in tonight.”
My toes curled.
There was heat in the words.
“Then I guess we’re sealing the bond tonight.”
I’d let myself freak out about it and figure everything out later.
After heat was over and there was no turning back.
Maybe that was a little bit insane, but it seemed like the easiest option.
“Agreed. Let’s switch the laundry and start packing my things.”
I nodded, and we were off.

A FEW HOURS LATER, I was dressed in my own clothes, and our

massive balcony was loaded with the old furniture and decorations that had
filled Jasper’s parents’ living space. Dragons flew it all over to another
landing pad, where it would be dispersed or stored, from what I understood.
Almost as soon as they were done, more arrived with the new furniture.
Jasper had asked me to stay inside and out of sight while the dragons were
coming and going. Though Vi’s immediate reaction would have been an
urge to flip him off and walk out there with everyone, I knew it was better
to keep the peace. I didn’t want to cause a fight in his thunder. Especially if
we really were going to be mated.
I still hadn’t wrapped my mind around that, and wasn’t really trying to.
It would take time. More time than I had in the moment.
So I settled for peeking out the edge of the window while a handful of
dragons set massive pallets of boxed furniture and decorations down. The
dragons came in all different colors, and were stunning.
That didn’t make me want to get on Jasper’s back again, of course.
As beautiful as his silvery scales were, the thought of flying with him once
more made me shudder.
I’d probably have to wrap my mind around that too at some point, but it
was tomorrow’s problem.
Or next week’s problem.
Maybe next month’s problem?
I would put it off as long as possible, truthfully.
When the last dragon put his pallet down, he shifted forms.
Jasper’s gaze jerked toward me, and I quickly stepped to the side, cutting
off my view before I saw the other guy naked. I understood heat enough to
be pretty damn sure that getting a frontal view of some other dude’s junk
would send Jas into his beast mode again.
“Thanks for your help,” Jasper said, his voice neutral.
“Sure. Best way to send my condolences,” the other shifter drawled.
My chest tightened painfully.
That was just what I wanted—another reminder that Jasper didn’t want me.
Or at least didn’t want to be mated to me. Which, considering our situation,
seemed like the same thing.
Jasper chuckled. “Go home, asshole.”
The other dragon laughed, and I heard his wings flap when he took to the
sky again a moment later.
 eleven
RANDA

STEPPING BACK UP to the window, I watched as Jasper’s fingers

shifted to claws, and he started cutting the bands holding everything on the
first pallet together. When all the boxes were open and accessible, he
moved to the next.
And the next.
And the next.
I didn’t bother going out to offer my help. He would only refuse if I did.
When Jasper had single-handedly moved every piece of furniture and every
decoration out to the balcony earlier, he’d made it very clear that he didn’t
want me taking any part in it. It frustrated me that he saw me as so weak
and useless, but arguing in my defense hadn’t seemed to change the way he
saw me.
So, I stopped trying.
Instead, I pulled up the digitalized photos Brynn had sent me earlier, to
show where everything was supposed to go.
When Jasper carried the first mattress in, I pointed him to the right
bedroom. Thanks to his size and strength, he didn’t struggle with any of the
furniture, at least.
He moved quickly as we worked through everything on the balcony, and
didn’t complain once when I had him reposition something. He actually
started looking to me with every new piece of furniture he brought in,
which made me feel good.
I didn’t follow Brynn’s pictures exactly. As we put things in, I asked Jasper
to move other things around, making them flow better.
His lack of frustration or complaints made me feel like he was silently
pissed at me, so my cheeks warmed as we continued. I was sweaty enough
from heat that I didn’t think Jasper would realize what exactly I was feeling,
thankfully.

A FEW HOURS LATER, everything was in its place.

Or at least its temporary place. I’d probably move some of it around again.
Possibly all of it.
But I liked it for the moment.
Hell, I loved it for the moment.
It was cozy and comfortable, with light colors, fun colors, and some darks
thrown in there too for good measure. The place looked like a dream. Some
of the pictures were in the wrong positions, because we’d used the hooks
and nails already in the walls, but I didn’t care. That would make me feel
less guilty when it came time to move everything around again.
When we were done, Jasper went outside to pile up the boxes and packing
material, and I made my way to the new couch.
It was a gorgeous, gigantic sectional that fit the wide, open space perfectly.
The fabric was soft, and the deep blue color stood out just enough without
looking odd.
I wanted to video call Elodie or Viola, to show them how gorgeous it
looked, but it was the middle of the night. Vi wouldn’t want to hear my
excitement about Jasper’s home, either. And Elodie would overthink what it
meant.
A text came through almost as soon as I took a seat. The cushions were a
little more firm than I wanted, but I was pretty sure that always happened
with new furniture. It would probably loosen up.
BRYNN
Well are you done yet?
How did it turn out?
I need pictures! Videos! Something!
I’m dying over here, and my mate keeps trying to drag my
excited ass to bed!
Not in a sexy way…
Maybe
Okay, fine, the sexiness already happened
I should’ve stopped a while ago, sorry, TMI

I couldn’t hold back my snort as the barrage of messages came through.

ME
Are you dressed enough for a video call?
BRYNN
I CAN BE
ONE SEC

A minute later, she called me.

Her blue eyes were bright and her blonde hair was a mess when I answered,
but she was in fact clothed. Or at least wearing a t-shirt. Her mate wasn’t in
the video, and I wasn’t going to ask if he was dressed.
“Hey!” Her grin was so huge, I couldn’t help but grin back. “You totally
made my day. Right, Bash?”
“Mmhm.” A tired male voice rumbled.
“Who are you talking to?” Jasper’s growl rolled through the room a
heartbeat later, and goosebumps broke out on my skin.
“Brynn.” I held the phone up, tilting it toward the doorway, where I knew
he was walking toward me.
“That was Bash’s voice, Jas. She doesn’t have a secret lover.” There was a
pause. “Do you?”
Jasper snarled.
I rolled my eyes, pulling the camera back to myself. “No, there’s no secret
lover. Like I already told him, I wouldn’t have gone to that wedding alone if
I was with someone.”
“Sweet. Okay, show me the goods,” Brynn demanded.
I laughed, but flipped the camera around and made my way off the couch.
She oohed and ahhed as I walked through the living space, showing her
everything. My smile grew, and my enthusiasm did too as she gushed over
how gorgeous it was alongside me.
By the time we hung up, my mood had lifted completely, and I was
feeling… excited, honestly.
Not about the mate thing.
But the house? It wasn’t really a house, per say, but I’d go with that
anyway.
And the house was beautiful.
The room we’d turned into my library-slash-workspace had giant windows
that looked out over the mountains, making it feel like I was outside.
I would be able to focus and feel inspiration in my own home, without
having to leave. That alone would be a huge change for the better.
“Your sister is awesome,” I told Jasper, when I finally turned the phone off.
He was making more pancakes—and I was looking forward to them,
despite the repeated meal.
He made a noise of agreement.
My excitement faded slightly as I padded to the new kitchen table. It was
stunning, and I dragged my fingers slowly over the ashy brown wood as I
took a seat.
After a few minutes of slightly awkward silence, I spoke again. “I’m sorry I
made you move so many things. I know it was probably frustrating, and I
appreciate that you didn’t lose your temper. I like to move my furniture
around a few times a year to make everything feel fresh and new, so I’d like
to say I won’t ask you to move anything again, but I probably will.”
“It wasn’t frustrating. Moving things around isn’t a big deal. It certainly
isn’t something I’d ever lose my temper over.”
“I don’t know, you seem to get angry fairly easily…” I regretted the words
as soon as they were out, and bit my lip. Hard.
“That’s heat’s doing. And the anger originates from the possibility of losing
you; it’s never been directed at you.”
Was that true?
I tried to think back to the times he’d been angry…
Maybe they all had been when another guy or scent was added to the mix.
He really hadn’t gotten mad at me before.
“So your personality will change after the bond is sealed?”
“When I’m no longer driven by my instincts, yes, I’ll be myself again.”
That was bizarre to think about.
He was so controlled by his dragon side that he didn’t even feel like
himself.
It sounded shitty.
He asked me something, but I was so lost in my thoughts, I barely heard the
question.
“Miranda?” he repeated.
“Hmm?”
“Are you in pain?”
My body ached badly, and I was basically a pool of sweat. “Not really.”
It was a lie.
I wasn’t going to tell him I was hurting; he’d freak out.
Jasper growled. “I can smell your dishonesty.”
Crap.
“My life’s going to get harder the more you get to know my scent, isn’t it?”
He made a noise of frustration, but didn’t disagree.
When he flipped the pancakes onto a plate, he did so more roughly than
usual.
“I think I want the bedroom across from my library, after we seal the bond.
Assuming you still want to do that.”
His shoulders tensed, but he jerked his head in something that almost
resembled a nod.
“Now who’s being dishonest?”
He raked a hand through his hair, still looking away from me. “It’s not
dishonest. Sealing the bond still seems inevitable, so doing it now will
simplify things.”
“Just tell me the truth—you don’t want the bond,” I said.
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“I don’t think it is. I heard your friend offer you his condolences on the
balcony.”
“He shouldn’t have said that.”
“Why not? What’s the point in dancing around the truth?”
“Being considerate isn’t dancing around the truth. He should have
considered your feelings.” Jasper’s voice was lowering and getting more
gravelly as the conversation went on.
“He didn’t know I was listening.”
“He should’ve considered my feelings, then. I don’t need his condolences.”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want a mate bond, but I do want you. The thought of
watching you walk away from me, or into another man’s arms, makes me
lose control.”
“That’s because of the bond.”
“It’s because you’re mine. And you were mine before heat ever started.”
He’d brought it up again.
The thing about watching me during the wedding.
Though part of me wanted to shut up and let it go, I was too frustrated by
the knowledge that he was probably lying to me about it. I wasn’t one for
starting fights, but I could stand up for myself when there was no other
option. Growing up with a twin sister as strong-willed as Vi had forced me
to learn that.
“I never caught you staring at me, and I looked at you pretty frequently. If
you were really attracted to me before heat started, I would’ve noticed.”
He finally turned toward me, abandoning his pancakes though his spatula
was still in his hand. “You don’t believe me?”
“Not really.”
“I don’t lie, Miranda.”
I didn’t know him well enough to believe that.
He must’ve seen it in his expression, because his jaw clenched. He worked
it back and forth before he finally turned his back to me.
A moment of silence passed before he said, “You tripped when you stepped
up beside Vi during the ceremony. She caught you, and you laughed quietly
together. Everyone else was staring at Elodie; I was watching you.”
I swallowed roughly.
He and his brothers had been standing across from us, seeing as they were
the groomsmen. He could’ve noticed that from the corner of his eye.
“You had four glasses of wine. Made five trips to the food table. Liked the
vanilla macarons more than any other flavors. I tried them, by the way, and
wasn’t impressed.”
“They were amazing,” I protested weakly.
I’d eaten at least a dozen of them. Eating had kept me from having to
participate in Vi and Eli’s disagreements.
“You ate twenty-three of them. I saw nearly every bite.”
Shit.
“You danced twice. Talked with Elodie’s family for a few minutes. Hugged
her parents. It took a lot of effort to stay in my seat when her dad’s arms
were around you, though it only lasted a few seconds.”
My face flushed.
Maybe I believed him.
“You left your bag with Eli both times you went to the bathroom. There
were a few drops of water on the abdomen of your dress when you came
back the second time. I assumed the sink splashed you.”
Holy hell.
“Alright, you win. You watched me.”
“I wanted you. Still do. Always will.”
“We haven’t even had sex yet. How can you possibly know that?”
“I’m a dragon, Miranda. You’ve heard the legends about us. Our mates are
the treasure we hoard. When a dragon chooses a female, he doesn’t let go.
Period.”
Well, that was intense.
I bit my lip, not sure what to say.
“We avoid bonds because of what they cost us, but when we have them,
they become the center of our existence. There is no turning back for me
now. I belong to you. I don’t want you across from your library—I want
you in my bed, in our bed, where you belong.”
Hot damn.
I stared at his back while he plated the pancakes. They smelled a little
burnt, but I barely noticed.
“Has anyone ever told you you’re unfairly attractive?” I finally asked.
“The way you stared at me during the wedding did that plenty.” He handed
me a fork, and the nearly-empty bottle of syrup we’d basically pounded
since we got to Mate Mountain. “You’re going to hate pancakes by the time
heat’s over.”
I couldn’t help but crack a smile. “Not possible.”
“We’ll see.” His bare foot found mine beneath the table, and my body
relaxed in response to his touch.
He felt too good.
And maybe I was starting to hope he always would.

THE TENSION between us relaxed slightly as we ate. He’d made it clear

what he wanted and where he stood.
I hadn’t, though.
And honestly?
I didn’t know either of those things.
I didn’t want a mate bond, but I kind of wanted him.
I didn’t want to stay in Mate Mountain, but I did like the way our living
space looked.
So where did that leave me? What did I want to happen?
I didn’t know.
And without knowing that, it was pretty much impossible to say where I
stood.
“What do you do for fun?” Jasper asked me, as we finished up with our
food.
“Draw.” I shrugged. “Read. Eat whatever Vi cooks. Listen to her rant about
her coworkers. She’s the head chef at a restaurant in Scale Ridge, and she
hates it.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Why does she hate it?”
“A bunch of reasons. Mainly, she’s always felt about cooking the way I feel
about art—that she should be able to do whatever she wants with it. The
need for money forced us both into careers that are as closely related to
what we love as possible. But while I mostly enjoy my job, she hates hers.
Restaurants don’t exactly let their chefs take liberties with their recipes.”
“Hmm.”
“Yeah. I hope she’ll eventually quit and find a job that gives her more
freedom. She wouldn’t let our parents pay for her school, so she’ll probably
stay at the restaurant until her loans are paid off, though.”
“What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Do you have student loans?”
A money chat.
Lovely.
I supposed that was unavoidable, given we were being forced to enter a
serious relationship.
“I did at first. My parents didn’t like that I was majoring in art. They
eventually came around to it, and offered to pay the loans off. They’ve got a
shitload of money, so I agreed.”
“What’s your plan as far as your work, then?”
I shrugged. “Keep this job as long as possible. The pay isn’t fantastic, but I
love it too much to leave. When it’s over, I’ll probably be screwed and have
to start a business from scratch somehow. I do have fairly large followings
on social media, thanks to the publicity from my job, but I’m not sure
whether or not it will translate into work when everything is said and done.
Fingers crossed.”
I lifted them, and his lips curved upward slightly. “We’ll merge our
accounts as soon as we’re through with heat.”
My forehead creased. “I don’t remember having that conversation.”
His face reddened, just slightly.
I couldn’t help the amusement that welled within me.
He was embarrassed about bringing it up without a conversation.
“I have money,” he said. “Plenty. The governments pay us to run the prison,
and always have. When we’re mated, everything that’s mine is yours.”
“I don’t need your money, Jas.”
“Mates are partners in everything. It has nothing to do with need, and
everything to do with equality.”
Huh.
I supposed I could see his point. My parents had always shared money, and
while that didn’t work for some couples, I’d expected to do the same if I
ever found a partner.
I’d just never expected to find a partner.
But that reminded me…
“You’re going to have to meet my parents,” I warned.
“I’ll survive.”
“They’re not the kind of people who love everyone they meet,” I added.
“They don’t have to love me, they just have to accept that you’re mine.”
I bit my lip.
I’d always imagined that if I did bring someone home, it would be someone
who fit well in my family. Someone determined to make a place for
themselves.
Jasper not caring about that was going to be a problem at some point.
But, like most of the others, it was tomorrow’s problem.
Or next month’s problem.
For the moment, there was something bigger to deal with.
Heat.
 twelve
RANDA

WE CLEANED UP DINNER TOGETHER, then migrated to the

couch. Neither of us had brought up sealing the bond again. Despite Jasper
being insanely attractive, he was actually pretty awkward about stuff like
that when his instincts weren’t in control.
Which I honestly thought was a little adorable, though I couldn’t admit that
to him.
Jasper handed me the remote after sitting down with a few cushions
between us. I turned on a new chick-flick, then snuggled up with a new
blanket.
My nose wrinkled at the unfamiliar smell on it. It wasn’t bad, really. It just
wasn’t good. The only thing that smelled good anymore was Jasper. Even
the way my leggings and oversized sweatshirt smelled clean was annoying
me.
He didn’t mention sitting together, so I didn’t either. The couch was
comfortable enough, and I was getting used to the sweaty, achiness of heat.
Or at least trying to convince myself that I was getting used to it.
The movie began, and motion caught my eye. When I looked over, I found
Jasper’s fists clenched as he clearly warred with himself in an attempt to
keep his eyes on the screen.
I assumed he wanted to touch me, either because of heat or just because.
The clenching was his attempt at keeping his hands to himself.
I bit my lip.
He was stubborn.
Really, really stubborn.
Maybe more stubborn than my sister, even.
Stubborn enough not to simply tell me that he wanted to touch me, or ask
my permission.
The kind part of me wanted to offer my hand or scoot closer… but the part
of me that had been sisters and best friends with someone so stubborn for
my entire life knew better.
If I offered, he’d wait for me to do it again, and he’d have the same war
within himself if I didn’t.
If I waited for him to ask me on his own, he would learn that I wasn’t
opposed to it, and ask without hesitation the next time. Or he’d just realize
he didn’t need to ask.
So, I stayed quiet.
Fifteen minutes went by before he finally broke the comfortable, if slightly
tense, silence.
“Can I put my arm around you?”
I looked over at him, as if I was surprised by the question. “Sure.” I scooted
across the couch until we were touching.
Jasper draped an arm over my shoulder, and I leaned against his side.
Both of us relaxed with the contact.
I migrated slowly onto his lap as the movie played.
His arms slid lower, until one of his hands was resting on the top of my
thigh, over my leggings. The other arm was around my waist, holding me
securely against him. The thick fabric of my oversized sweatshirt didn’t
sway him, though it kept his hand a solid distance away from my bare skin.
The couple on the screen started making out, and Jasper’s hand slid lower.
I bit my lip to stop myself from telling him to touch me already.
The man had called me his. I was just waiting for him to act like it.
His hand slid lower as they intense scene continued on the screen. “Can
I—”
“Yes.” I blurted the word before he could even finish. “You don’t need to
ask anymore.”
His chest rumbled in satisfaction, and his fingers slid over my core. Despite
the fabric between us, my hips arched a little at the pleasure. “You’re
wearing too many clothes.”
“You have hands.”
He chuckled, and those hands hooked in the waistband of my leggings,
peeling them down. I had to lift my hips again to help him strip them off,
but watching him strip me was hot.
He dragged his hands up my bare legs, letting his fingers slide over the
front of my tiny, bright pink lace panties. “You’re a dream, Miranda.”
The movie was still playing, but neither of us was watching it.
I grabbed the remote and shut it off, so it wouldn’t distract me. His hands
were hot, and the way he touched my skin made me feel like he was
worshipping me.
My back was still to his chest, my legs sprawled out over his on the couch.
My sweater was so big, it prevented me from watching his thick fingers as
they touched me. So, I tugged it over my head, revealing the matching bra
I’d put on.
I had to wear my sexiest underwear when it came time to seal the deal, after
all.
His free hand moved up my abdomen, finding my breasts and working them
through the fabric. “I need to taste these.”
“What’s stopping you?”
He chuckled.
A heartbeat later, he had me on my back, and was positioned over the top of
me. Excitement rolled through my body, and my hips arched as he
continued working my clit slowly, his hand between my thighs.
He lowered his face to my breasts and inhaled deeply.
Then he dragged his tongue over my nipple, through the sheer lace of my
bra.
I sucked in a breath, arching harder.
His free hand slid up my abdomen until it found the center of my chest. I
felt the light drag of something sharp, and looked down in time to see his
claws snap the thin band of my bra.
The fabric fell open, my breasts coming free, and he growled his
appreciation. “You’re gorgeous, Sweetheart.”
I gasped when he dragged his tongue around one of my nipples before
taking it between his lips.
He licked.
Sucked.
Tasted.
Put his thigh between my legs, angling me upward so there was pressure on
my clit while he took my other breast in his hand and worked it too, playing
with my nipple like there was nothing he would’ve rather been doing.
“I’m starting to think you’re a boob guy,” I moaned, my hips rocking as he
dragged his teeth lightly over my sensitive flesh.
“I am.” He bit my nipple, and I swore, hips arching hard. “Don’t hide them
from me again.”
“Is that a threat?”
“Fuck, yes. During heat, every piece of fabric you cover these tits with will
go the same way as that sexy little bra. Understand?”
“Mmhm.” I reached my hand between my thighs, but Jasper pinned it to the
front of my panties before I could really touch myself.
“This cunt is mine, Miranda. You don’t get to bring yourself pleasure
anymore. That’s my job.” His voice was low.
Authoritative.
Hot.
And the way his lips teased my nipple while he spoke made me writhe.
“Got it?” he asked.
“Yes.”
His mouth finally left my breasts, and he slid down my body.
My eyes widened as he lowered his nose to my core and inhaled deeply.
His chest rumbled ferociously.
His eyes dilated.
And his claws tore through my panties in the blink of an eye.
His mouth was on me so fast, my head spun.
My body arched.
My cries flooded the room.
One of his hands was on my breasts, the other on my ass, as he ate me out.
Feasted on me.
It was so, so intense, that I came harder and faster than I expected. So much
harder and faster.
His fingers filled me, and he ate me through my climax without pause.
I panted and moaned, my body moving of its own volition as he continued
tasting me.
The second orgasm took longer—but felt just as amazing. And somehow, it
still didn’t feel like enough. My body wanted more.
His mouth finally eased away from my core as the pleasure faded, his eyes
burning intensely hot as they met mine. “You’re going to take my cock now,
Sweetheart.”
A new wave of heat rolled through my body, and I moaned in response.
That was exactly what I needed.
He was exactly what I needed.
My eyes were on his body as he stood and unbuttoned his jeans, dragging
my attention to the gorgeous muscles on his abdomen.
My gaze followed his hands down as he freed his erection—and tracked his
cock as he stepped out of his pants.
His hands slid up the back of my thighs, opening me wider as he lowered
himself to me. “I don’t have much control right now. Tell me if I hurt you.”
“I can handle a little pain.” I reached down, lining his head up with my slit.
His nostrils flared. “Not while I’m here.”
“Fuck me already, Jas.”
A growl tore through him, and he thrust inside me. I was already slick with
my pleasure and his saliva, so there was no resistance.
My breath caught in my throat as he filled me.
His cock was thick—so insanely thick—I ceased functioning entirely for a
moment.
He groaned, and the sound was almost tortured. “You’re so fucking tight
and wet, baby.”
“Better than you imagined?” I breathed.
“You’ve got no idea.” He pulled out a little, and thrust in again.
Harder.
I choked on the fullness.
The pleasure.
The feel of him, hot and huge inside me.
It was like nothing I’d ever experienced before… and it was so much better.
I moaned, my hands moving down his arms. Over his chest. Along as much
of his skin as I could possibly touch.
He parted me wider, and I felt his thumbs drag slowly over the hot,
sensitive flesh where we were connected.
“You like the way you fill me?” I managed.
“So much that I’ll see it every time I close my eyes.” He thrust in again, and
I cried out. “That feel good, Sweetheart?”
“You went back to baby for a minute.”
“Answer the question.” He thrust harder.
The motion put me over the edge.
A scream tore through me as the pleasure consumed me. Jasper snarled,
slamming into me as he filled me with his relief.
Though the climax was amazing, it quickly morphed into something bigger.
Something stronger.
Something magical.
A connection bloomed between us, flooding my soul with Jasper. His
warmth. His steadiness. His presence.
His emotions melded with mine—his feral need and hot, wicked pleasure.
Our bodies moved together, dragging each other back to the edge and over
it repeatedly.
Again, and again.
Until exhaustion finally led us to crash in each other’s arms, in the same
place on the couch that we’d started.
Though we hadn’t physically changed locations, everything was different.

THERE WERE no sex dreams that night, but I still woke up feeling hot
and needy.
Jasper was still buried inside me, so we didn’t waste any time sating the
need.
Twice.
When we finally got off the couch and stumbled into the bathroom, I was so
exhausted, I thought my legs might give out. I crashed down in the bathtub,
and Jas turned on the water before disappearing.
He came back five minutes later—with a mountain of leftover pancakes,
and a huge glass of milk. He didn’t waste any time; just picked me up and
folded both of us into the bathtub together. Luckily, it was much bigger than
the one in his apartment.
I was feeling even sweatier than I had the day before, so we devoured them
together while the tub filled with lukewarm water. I let him feed me, and
enjoyed the possessive heat in his gaze with every bite I took.
The food was gone soon enough, and I was relaxing in his arms, in the full
tub.
His hands were on my breasts, playing with them lightly while we sat. The
room was silent, but it wasn’t an awkward kind of quiet. It was just
peaceful.
“So the bond is sealed,” I said softly, ignoring the need that was growing in
my abdomen again as Jasper continued touching me.
“Mmhm.” His lips brushed my throat lightly.
“What do we do now?”
“Sate the lust when it hits and enjoy it as much as possible. Two weeks
from now, we’ll be ourselves again.”
My happiness faded a little.
The sex had been so, so good… but there was no saying what it would be
like when heat was over.
Or if there would be anything between us at all, other than the magic.
“Your scent changed.” His voice was low. He didn’t know my emotions
well enough to pinpoint what it was, thankfully.
“I’m just thinking.”
“About?”
“The future, I guess.”
“We’ll deal with it when we get there. For now, I just want to keep you out
of pain.” Jasper nipped at my neck again, lightly.
I didn’t want my future to be something we dealt with when we got there,
but what alternative was there? Heat’s lust was so overwhelming, I could
barely think about anything else. Jasper had made it clear that he wasn’t his
normal self because of it, too. So it wasn’t like I could figure anything out
with him.
Which left me… avoiding the truth, I supposed.
Avoiding the truth while having outrageously good sex, at least.
“Do you want to figure out how the mental communication works right
now?” Jasper asked me, sucking lightly on my throat.
I closed my eyes, focusing on the sensations. “No. Let’s deal with it when
we get there, too.”
He chuckled, and sucked harder as he repositioned my hips.
He was inside me and making me scream so fast that it was easy to let go of
everything I’d been worried about.
…for the moment, at least.
 thirteen
RANDA

I LEFT my phone off during those two weeks.

Jasper did too.
We let ourselves be consumed by heat, and it was glorious.
But of course, the end of it eventually arrived.

I COLLAPSED on my back on the mattress, panting as my pleasure

faded. The fire in my veins was disappearing with it, finally.
Jasper’s fingers were still tangled in my hair, one of his hands gripping my
thigh loosely.
He rarely let go of me for more than the amount of time it took to use the
facilities. Or make pancakes.
Even with the pancakes, we usually made them together.
Neither of us had brought up anything serious since that day in the bathtub.
There was so much to say… but we hadn’t said any of it.
Slowly, my body relaxed and cooled as heat came to an end.
Fear started to clench in my middle anyway.
Jasper had made it clear that he wasn’t himself while the magic consumed
us, and I had no idea what that meant for me.
“Your scent changed.” He didn’t sound worried about it, just curious.
“Heat ended.”
“That doesn’t change the way you smell. What are you feeling?”
“Tired.” I closed my eyes.
It wasn’t a lie.
I was tired. It had been a long two weeks.
“You don’t smell tired, Miranda.” Suspicion was creeping into his voice.
Crap.
“I’m feeling unsure,” I finally admitted. “I don’t know what we do from
here. There’s no plan. And I’m not really a plan person, but with something
as important as where and how I’m going to live, a plan would be ideal.”
“You’re living here, with me.” His voice lowered. I didn’t know if he’d
realized I was even considering leaving.
But it was an option.
I could make him take me back to Scale Ridge.
I could make his life hell.
I wasn’t going to, but it wasn’t something entirely out of the realm of
possibilities.
“That didn’t sound like a request, Jasper.”
“It wasn’t a request.” He rolled onto his side, so he was facing me. His eyes
were narrow, his body tense. “You’re my mate. You stay with me. I can’t fly
without you anymore.”
“Now you’re sounding like a caveman.”
“I’ll be a fucking caveman if I have to.”
“I didn’t say I was thinking about leaving you. I said I was thinking about
where we were going to live, and how we were going to live. We’re stuck
together, so that should be a decision we make together.”
His nostrils flared. “You knew we’d be staying here when we fucked.”
“I knew you wanted me to stay here, and that there was no way we were
making it through heat without sealing the bond,” I corrected. “I never said
I wanted to. There aren’t even any women here. My twin sister, who I’ve
spent my entire life with, isn’t here and isn’t allowed here. Don’t you think
asking me to leave her behind is a little unfair?”
Jasper closed his eyes.
His body shuddered.
“I’m sorry, but if you want to have a rational conversation, I have to shift.”
His voice was strained. “It’s been far too long.”
My chest tightened.
I didn’t want to fly again.
Not yet.
“I’m hungry. I’ll make—” I started.
“I’ll handle it.”
Okay, then.
“I’m going to shower.”
He rolled out of bed, and I forced myself not to stare at his ass while he
crossed the room and grabbed clothes.
Instead, I followed him off the mattress and headed to the bathroom.
It felt strange to be alone as I turned on the water and scrubbed the
remnants of heat off my skin. Spending two entire weeks with Jasper had
been sort of intimate.
Maybe not sort of intimate.
Maybe a lot intimate.
But only physically. Because we hadn’t talked about anything serious or
important, looking back on the time just made me feel vulnerable.
And I didn’t like feeling vulnerable.
But I’d pretend I was fine until I actually started to believe it.
When I was clean, I still didn’t want to get out and face the music. So, I
closed my eyes and tipped my head back, letting the water run down my
skin. My thoughts continued to flow, and I didn’t try to stop them.
The future was overwhelming.
Jasper wanted me to give up everything for the mate bond.
My home. My sister. My family. My friends.
Not my job, but—
“I don’t want that.” His voice rolled through my mind, and I literally
jumped. It scared the shit out of me.
“Stay out of my head, Jas.”
“The bond sends me your strongest thoughts. It always will.”
Lovely.
I could add that to the list of problems. Somehow, it just kept growing.
“I haven’t asked you to give up your family, your friends, or your sister. Yes,
I brought you to Mate Mountain, and I want us to live here. But not because
of what it costs you; because you can work from here, and I can’t do my job
from Scale Ridge.”
“You already said you don’t care if my family likes you,” I protested. “And
living here, I can’t see them. I’m trapped.”
“I have wings,” he growled. “You’re never going to be trapped anywhere
again. If you want to see your family, we’ll go see your family. And for the
record, I didn’t mean that I don’t want them to like me. Of course I want my
mate’s family to like me. I just won’t walk away from you if they don’t.”
Shaking my head, I ran my hand down my face.
I was frustrated, overwhelmed, and scared.
Really, really scared.
But there wasn’t much I could do about it.
Jasper was right—I wasn’t trapped. He couldn’t fly without me, so I
effectively had my own wings. And had stolen his in the process.
I’d had to give up some of my freedom, but so did he.
I wasn’t the only one being forced to sacrifice for the mate bond.
Maybe that shouldn’t have satisfied me a little, but it did.
And maybe I was being a pain in the ass, and needed a break from
everything mate related so I could look at my life from a more reasonable
point of view afterward.
A break like… drawing something.
Anything.
The itch hit me hard, so I finally turned the water off. Stepping out, I
wrapped myself in a towel and twisted my hair up with a second one.
I got fully dressed for the first time in ages, then squeezed the water out of
my hair and tugged a comb through it. The pancakes were done when I
made it to the kitchen table, and Jasper was cutting into his stiffly.
“I’m out of my element with this mate stuff,” I told him, wrapping an arm
around my middle with my free hand while I stabbed a bit of pancake with
the other. “I’ve never even been in a relationship before. The closest I’ve
ever been was going out with some guy three times in a row.”
Jasper grumbled, “Don’t tell me about him. I’ll want to track him down and
kill him.”
“It was three dates. You and I spent fourteen days in bed together,” I
pointed out. “And shared an incredible number of pancakes.”
Jasper cut his food violently. “You’re mine.”
“I think we’ve been over that.”
We ate in tense silence.
He’d claimed he would be back to his normal self after heat was over, but
he still seemed just as possessive.
I’d start a conversation about that later. After I’d had a few hours to get
away from everything and focus on my art. I’d have to turn my phone back
on then, too.
But all of it could wait.
I let Jasper take my plate when I was finished, and silently crossed the
living space. Shutting the door to my library, I leaned up against the wood.
My chest kind of hurt.
Breathing was a little difficult.
I squeezed my eyes shut, and waited for the anxiety to fade.
It didn’t.
So I finally crossed the room and picked up my tablet.
Drawing would be a distraction from my panic, at the very least.

I DIDN’T BOTHER with attempting the art I was supposed to work on

for my job after I folded myself into my chair. It would have to come later,
when I’d settled down.
I usually sketched whatever was in my line of sight when I needed a
distraction, so I lifted my gaze to the horizon and began. The mountains
were breathtaking, so it wasn’t painful at all to focus on them.
My anxiety faded slightly as I tried to get lost in the art, but it wasn’t
working the way it usually did. I supposed a lot had changed for me, and I
hadn’t really faced any of it.
That didn’t make me want to face it, though.
It just made me want to disappear deeper into my artwork.
An image came to my mind—one of Jasper sleeping peacefully, a sheet
draped over his lower half while his gorgeous, bare chest was on display.
The same image that had lingered in my mind ever since that first night
together.
Though I bit my lip, and my cheeks flushed, it was what I wanted to draw.
So, I erased the mountains and began.
Sure enough, I managed to forget all of my problems for a few minutes, and
focus on properly portraying the most gorgeous man I’d ever seen.
 fourteen
JASPER

I PACED the kitchen for twenty minutes before I finally forced myself to
admit that I was entirely clueless about what to do.
Then, I called my brother.
He was probably sick of giving me advice, but what other option was there?
August answered on the second ring. “The bond is sealed?”
“Yeah.” I closed my eyes.
My throat bobbed.
I could still taste Miranda on my tongue. Feel her wrapped around my cock.
Smell her pleasure on the—
“Congrats, then.” August’s voice was neutral. He was probably wondering
why I’d called instead of just texted.
“Did Elodie like flying right away?” I asked, unable to keep up the
pretenses any longer. Not that I’d been keeping them up for long. Or very
well.
There was a beat of silence.
I heard Elodie’s muffled voice on his end of the call before he replied.
“The first few minutes were rough, but she warmed up to it by the time we
started gliding. She loves it as much as I do now. Why?”
I didn’t answer right away.
Couldn’t get the damn words out.
My jaw was clenched, my body tight and wound-up.
I needed release—but not the sexual kind.
The kind only flying could give.
“Does Randa not like flying?” Elodie asked a moment later. They must’ve
put me on speaker.
“No,” I gritted out.
There wasn’t much about me she did like, though.
Which was a real fucking shitshow, considering we were going to be
sharing the rest of our lives.
“She’ll come around,” Elodie said. She sounded much more confident
about that than I felt. “Randa is… well, cautious. Vi never lets her drive
anywhere, because she goes so damn slow. She doesn’t ever really hurry.
We joke that if you give Randa a task, she’ll find the least-effective way to
do it, then get distracted halfway through. That sounds mean, but she makes
those jokes with us. It’s just the way she is, and she’s accepted it. She likes
to take her time, to follow her inspiration, to ease into things. Nothing about
heat is easing. She hasn’t turned her phone back on from what I can tell, so
she’s probably avoiding facing reality. I’m sure she’s scared out of her
mind.”
My chest tightened with Elodie’s words.
My female didn’t seem scared.
Overwhelmed, maybe?
Sure.
I would’ve gone with furious, after our conversation when she was in the
shower, but overwhelmed did seem to fit better.
“I need to fly before I lose my fucking mind,” I gritted out.
“What’s she doing now?”
“I don’t know. She disappeared into her office.”
“Drawing, then. She does that when she needs a distraction sometimes.”
Elodie paused for a moment. “Randa grew up with Vi bossing her around
and taking charge when things got difficult or tense. She’s used to people
who rip the Band-Aid off, so to speak. If I were you, I’d give her twenty
minutes to hide away, then bring her a snack and tell her straight-up what
you need. Don’t beat around the bush. When she feels strongly about
something, she’ll stand up to you. She’s used to that too.”
I had already told her I needed to fly, but I supposed I could add an “in the
very near future” to that.
And feeding her more would settle me slightly.
“Alright. Thanks.”
“Of course. Try to get her on the phone afterward, if you can. Vi’s been
freaking out since the radio silence began.”
Shit.
I’d noticed missed messages and calls from her on my phone, too. She was
going to be pissed at me, and Miranda wanted me on her family’s good
side.
I raked a hand through my hair, agreed to do so, and hung up.
Despite my tension, which I couldn’t fix, I’d been given problems to deal
with. And problems, I could handle.
I texted Viola back.
 ME
Heat just ended. Randa is drawing to decompress right now,
but I’ll get her on the phone with you when I can. Might be a
few hours.

She answered immediately.

VI
I NEED PROOF OF LIFE
NOW

I let out a long breath and looked down the hallway, at the door my mate
had disappeared into. She’d closed it loudly behind her.
She wanted space.
But I did have to give her sister proof of life. That much was reasonable.
So I trudged down the hallway and quietly eased the door open. I expected
Miranda to throw something at me, or yell, but she didn’t do either of those
things.
She didn’t even glance up from the tablet she was curled up with. Her hand
dragged a digital pencil over the screen with smooth expertise that could
only be learned over time. Her damp hair was tucked behind her back, as if
she’d just wanted it out of the way.
She was beautiful.
I took a three second video, and sent it to Vi before I stepped back out of
the room and silently closed the door again.
VI
That’ll do for now
But if I don’t hear from her in a few hours, I’m going to break
down Eli’s door and send him after you
ME
I’d expect nothing less
What’s her favorite snack?

Dots appeared on the screen.

A moment later, a recipe came through for something called Muddy
Buddies. My forehead creased at the name, and I scanned the instructions.
They were fairly simple, and I was pretty sure the ingredients on the list
were among the assload of groceries Brynn had delivered along with the
furniture two weeks earlier. It looked like more of a treat than a snack, but
maybe my female had a sweet tooth.
So, I got to work.
It was easier than expected, and after I let the treat cool in the freezer for a
few minutes, I dumped it in a bowl and carried it to her library.
She didn’t look up when I opened the door again, so I rapped my fist
against it.
Her head jerked toward me, though her gaze was preoccupied.
“I brought you a snack.” I lifted the bowl.
Her forehead creased. “That doesn’t look like pancakes.”
“I tried something new.”
After a moment of hesitation, she nodded.
I stepped inside, crossing the room and taking a seat in one of the chairs
beside hers. There was too much space between us, but I didn’t say that.
Not when she’d put that space there on purpose.
Her lips curved upward when I gave her the bowl. “Muddy Buddies? You
talked to Vi?”
I nodded.
She popped one in her mouth, and her eyes lit up. “They don’t even taste
like pancakes.”
I chuckled, and she smiled.
“Thanks, Jas.”
The way she said my name eased my tension a little.
I didn’t want to watch her smile disappear when I brought up flying, so I
nodded toward her tablet. “What are you drawing?”
A flush broke out on her face. It was so damn adorable. “Nothing.”
“Your cheeks wouldn’t be that pink if it was nothing, Sweetheart.”
The color intensified. “You never call me that.”
My forehead creased. “Sure I do.”
“Only when we’re in bed together.”
“We’ve been in bed together for two weeks.”
“Yeah, but when we’re making pancakes or showering, it’s always
Miranda. Even my mother doesn’t call me that. It’s so… stiff.” She ate
more of her snack, pointedly looking away from me, attempting to change
the subject. “How’s Vi?”
“She’s fine. I didn’t realize it bothered you so much when I used your full
name. I felt like Miranda fit you better.”
“You can call me whatever you want, okay?”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my thighs. “I don’t have any
experience with relationships either. You were talking about that earlier—
that you don’t know what to do. Neither do I. I live in a mountain without
any women around. Most of my time with Brynn was nights and mornings,
because I was the one who kept shit running here while August and Eli
raised her. I flew back and forth between Scale Ridge and the mountain
again and again, because there was no alternative.”
I dragged a hand through my hair. “This place would’ve imploded two
decades ago if not for me. I manage the guys, I communicate with the
politicians, and I’m here when someone needs me—but I’m shit with
relationships. I need you to tell me bluntly what you want, when you want
it, because I’m fucking clueless here.”
She bit her lip. “You talk with your hands when you get passionate. It’s kind
of sexy.”
A gruff laugh escaped me. “Is it?”
“Way too sexy, actually.” She let out a long breath, then finally handed me
her tablet. I accepted it, and looked down at the screen.
We were both silent for a long moment as I studied the image.
It was me.
Sleeping, and naked, with a blanket thrown over my junk. My thighs and
chest were on display, and my hair was messy, but my expression was
calmer than I’d ever seen it.
I finally looked up, meeting her eyes again. Her face was flushed once
more, and I fucking loved it. “Damn. You’re good.”
“Thanks.”
I handed the device back, and she set it down on the coffee table beside her
chair. “So you don’t want me to call you Miranda.”
She gave me a small shake of her head. “Randa is better. Or Sweetheart. Or
Baby. I like both of those.”
“Alright, now we’re getting somewhere. Do you hate pancakes yet?”
She smiled. “No, actually. I’m tired of them, but I do still like them. I think
I’ll always associate them with really good sex after the last two weeks, so
they’ll probably stay a favorite.”
“Really good? I think we did better than that.”
Her face flushed so bright, it turned red. “Fine, I associate them with mind-
blowing sex.”
“World-rocking sex, maybe?” I drawled.
“Life-altering, really.” A strand of hair slipped over her shoulder, and she
tucked it behind her ear again. “I’m not very good with change,” she
admitted. “I like to take things slowly. I moved to college with one suitcase,
because I wasn’t going to bring the last three until I knew for sure that I
wanted to stay. Vi hid them under her stuff in the back, which I learned after
we got there. If I meet a guy, I don’t usually answer his texts for at least
three or four days. I don’t want to make him think I’m interested in
commitment, because I’m not.”
“Yet here we are, bonded for life,” I said.
She nodded. “It’s… a lot. Everything is changing. I shouldn’t have gotten
frustrated with you earlier, and I’m sorry. I’m just struggling, I guess. Doing
things slowly gives me time to wrap my mind around them, but there’s no
time with this. We’re here, and we’re mated, so there’s no going back. And
for some reason, I find myself upset that you don’t really want a mate bond,
even though I didn’t really want one in the first place. I’ve just read so
many books and articles online that made it sound so romantic, and—”
I set my hand on her knee, and she cut herself off. “This is new for both of
us,” I said. “But we’re in it together, and we’ll figure it out.”
Emotion welled in her eyes.
Followed by tears.
Panic started to blossom in my chest, but before it solidified, she left her
chair and threw her arms around me, sitting down on my lap. Mine wrapped
around her too, slowly, pulling her closer.
“Thank you,” she whispered into my ear.
Goosebumps broke out on my skin as her lips brushed my throat. We’d
spent weeks in bed together, but somehow, her hug felt just as intimate as
sex. Maybe even more.
“I don’t want to figure out problems when they arise,” she added softly. “I
want us to figure everything out now, before I lose my mind.”
“We can do that.”
She tightened her arms around me. “I don’t like flying.”
“I know you don’t. I flew too fast on our way here, and I’m sorry for that. I
wasn’t in my right mind. It won’t be like that next time.”
“I thought I was going to die,” she said against my neck.
A quiet chuckle escaped me. “Our lives are tied together, Sweetheart.
Letting you die would effectively end me, and I have no desire to leave this
world.”
Miranda sighed. “That’s actually a valid point.”
“Give me a chance to prove that flying can be fun. If I can’t convince you,
we’ll only do it when we need to get somewhere.”
It’d kill me a little, but I’d figure it out if I had to.
First, I’d do my damndest to prove to my female that she could enjoy it.
“Alright, fine. How about tonight?”
“How about now?”
She sighed. “Okay. After I finish my snack.”
My lips curved upward.
I was figuring her out.
 fifteen
RANDA

JASPER SAT NEXT to me and stared out at the horizon while I ate way
too much of the treat he’d made me and started adding color to my sketch.
As much as I’d wanted to hold my ground on the no-flying thing, I wasn’t
stupid. I couldn’t get back to Scale Ridge without a ride on his back. And
he was a dragon, so it wasn’t like I was going to be able to convince him to
never fly again. That would be like trying to convince any other guy not to
walk anymore.
So, I’d decided to let him attempt to convince me that I could like flying.
It probably wouldn’t work, but I’d feign comfort and eventually learn not to
hate it so much.
It was a necessary evil.
I stared down at my drawing for a moment, trying to pinpoint what I’d
gotten wrong. The colors I’d started adding were fine for the moment, but
something about his face…
Hmm.
I felt his eyes on me, and glanced up at him. He looked curious.
“Can you tilt the top of your head that way?” I gestured with my digital
pencil.
He tilted.
“Good. Now tip your head back?”
He tipped.
“Perfect.” My gaze flicked between the line of his jaw and my depiction of
it as I carefully reshaped the left edge. “Damn, you’re pretty.”
He snorted.
I couldn’t suppress a smile.
“What do Muddy Buddies taste like?” he asked.
My forehead creased. “You made them but didn’t taste them?”
“They were for you.”
I rolled my eyes, but held out the bowl. “Jas, I have a twin sister. I’m used
to sharing everything. You can even borrow my deodorant and toothbrush. I
don’t care.”
He chuckled, taking a handful of the treat and popping one in his mouth.
“Mmm. Pretty good.”
“I can’t believe you haven’t had these. These are basically my childhood.” I
continued adding and tweaking the colors while snacking. “Our nanny
would make them secretly, and we’d have to eat the whole bag before our
parents were home from work.
“My childhood was a long time ago.”
“We’re not discussing your age, remember?”
He laughed, and my smile returned. “Did your parents keep you on a
healthy diet like mine did?”
“Nah. Growing shifters are like bottomless pits. We ate anything and
everything. Can I move my head yet?”
“Hmm?” I glanced up, and realized he was still holding the pose. “Oh,
yeah. Like five minutes ago. Sorry.”
“I’m having flashbacks to the time you told me you burn food a lot.”
“Not a lot. Just sometimes. Timers need to learn how to set themselves
when I’m cooking. And for the record, you totally burned those pancakes
that one time.”
“That’s the first time I’ve ever burned food on accident.”
“On accident?” My voice raised, though I didn’t look up from my drawing.
“I always leave popcorn in the microwave for an extra thirty seconds, so it
gets just a little burnt.”
“Wow, you really like to live on the edge.”
“Mmhm.”
I looked up at him, narrowing my eyes as I tried to adjust the way the light
hit him in my drawing. “Lean forward a bit, and turn your head that way?” I
pointed in the opposite direction from before.
He leaned, and turned.
“You’re a good model. Ever thought about posing for a book cover?
Authors pay way too much money for exclusive pictures of guys as
gorgeous as you. You could probably make a thousand bucks a picture.
More, if you found the right photographer.”
“If I ever find myself lacking money, I’ll consider it, but the government
pays way too much money for exclusive dragon prison guards.”
I grinned, and he met mine with his own, his head still at that weird angle.
“You never told me you were this much fun when we were going through
heat. This is a major selling point, Jas.”
“I told you I wasn’t myself. I could barely think straight. I’ll feel more
normal after we fly, too.”
“Let’s not talk about that.”
He snorted again. “Can I put my head back?”
“Nope, I haven’t fixed the lighting. Give me a sec.” I went back to the
colors, and fixed that right up. I honestly could’ve done it without his
positioning, and it probably would’ve turned out the same, but I’d been
curious.
“Now?”
“Shit. Yes. Two minutes ago.”
Another laugh escaped him. “You’re terrible with time.”
“I know. It’s a problem I’m not trying to fix. Unfortunately, you’re stuck
with me.”
“There’s nothing unfortunate about it, Sweetheart. I just spent two weeks
watching you climax.”
That dang flush warmed my face again. “You were doing a lot more than
watching, Jas.”
“Good point.” He set his hand on my thigh. “Ready to fly?”
I looked down at my bowl, hoping there was enough of my treat left to use
it as an excuse.
There was only one.
So, no excuse.
I sighed, but popped the last bite in my mouth and nodded.
He took my hand as we walked to the balcony.
The touch messed with my head a little. Made me feel like I was important
to him. I liked that tremendously, though I was still a little uncertain about
it.
There was no real reason for my uncertainty, though.
I just hadn’t wrapped my mind around what it meant to be mates. And I had
no idea how long it would take to wrap my mind around that.
When we made it to the balcony, Jasper released my hand and took two
steps away from me. His eyes met mine when he unbuttoned his jeans, and
stepped out of them.
I didn’t stop my gaze from lowering to his abdomen and erection.
There was one pro to flying, at least:
Jasper’s nudity.
He inhaled, and without further ado, his body shifted. A gorgeous silver
dragon replaced the man. Curiosity colored my view of him, rather than the
fear or shock of the last time I’d seen him in his scaly form.
He reached his head toward me, tipping it down and closing his eyes. I
knew he wanted me to touch him. Because I wanted that too, I lifted my
hand to his scales and pressed it against them lightly.
His chest rumbled, and my lips curved upward.
Maybe his dragon form wasn’t that different from his man form. He
would’ve rumbled if I touched his skin, too.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmured, and he blew a puff of hot air in my face.
My smile widened.
“Ready?” His voice was in my mind again, but I was coming around to the
intimacy of it.
“I guess.”
“Lift your arms.”
I did as he instructed, and his tail came around to the front of me slowly,
tucking beneath my arms. In a smooth motion, he lifted me off the balcony
and set me on his back. It was the same place he’d put me the last time I
flew with him, but his gigantic body was much calmer.
I hadn’t realized what a big difference the lack of tension would make. I
could relax against his neck much more comfortably, with the way he was
positioned.
“You comfortable?” he asked.
“Surprisingly, yes.” I wrapped my arms around his neck, leaning against
him.
“Alright, hold on.” His body tensed for a moment, and he took off.
My stomach was tight as I closed my eyes and held on to him for dear life,
waiting for the discomfort I remembered from the last flight.
It never came.
Instead, after a few minutes, I opened my eyes.
We were gliding over the mountains.
The air whipped my damp hair around behind me, the sound of it like
white-noise that sort of comforted me.
It was… peaceful.
Nothing like I’d expected after our first flight.
The air smelled fresh and felt nice on my skin, if a bit chilly.
Jasper’s body kept me warm.
The scenery beneath us and around us was stunning, full of mountains and
valleys covered in lush trees. Clouds floated below and above us, making
me feel like we were on top of the world.
“Is it more bearable this time?” Jasper asked me, after a few minutes went
by.
“Definitely.”
He rumbled below me, and I felt more than heard it.
“Is it hard to fly this smoothly?” I asked, wondering if the peace was going
to last.
“Only when I’m under heat’s influence. This is how I normally fly.”
That was fair.
Heat had been difficult on both of us.
I pressed my cheek against his scales a little harder, my eyes still moving
over the scenery. “Is it helping you feel better?”
“Much. I’ve always thought better in the sky.”
“I can see why. It’s calming up here.”
His responding thought was so loud, I heard it in my mind. “Thank fuck.”
A laugh escaped me. “It may be hard to believe, but I feel the same way.”
“It’s not hard to believe. Flying will be as much a part of your life now as it
is mine. It’ll be a lot better for both of us if you enjoy it.”
I couldn’t disagree with that any more than I could stop myself from asking,
“What’s our life together going to look like, Jas?”
“That depends on you.”
“How do you figure that?”
“The way I see it, we have two options. We can try to make you more
comfortable by easing into the bond, or we can jump into our new reality
and figure it out as we go.”
My forehead creased. “How would we ease into it?”
“Move you into the bedroom you wanted. Try to establish a solid friendship
before adding our bond to it. Build habits together and get used to each
other as we do so.”
Oh.
“I don’t like that option, for the record, but I’m willing to attempt it if it’s
what you want,” he said.
“What’s the alternative?”
“We continue as we are. You keep living in our shared bedroom with me. I
introduce you to the thunder as my mate. We figure everything out together,
as it arises.”
“There are pros and cons to both options.” I stared out at the mountains,
my body still pressed to Jasper’s. “Lots of pros and cons to both.”
He made a sound of agreement.
“Do I have to decide now?”
“No. Soon, though.”
That made sense. We did have to figure out the living situation pretty
quickly.
“Maybe we can fly back to Scale Ridge to pick up the rest of my stuff first?
So I can see Vi? I don’t want to tell her everything over the phone. We need
to have a conversation in person. If you’re up for it, we could go talk to my
parents, too. They’re probably panicking by now.”
“Let’s do it,” he agreed. “We can pack a bag and head out now.”
With that, he carried me back to the mountain.

SINCE MOST OF my stuff was still at home, I didn’t bother packing

anything except the unscented shampoo and conditioner I used for Jasper’s
sake.
He threw a few changes of clothes in a backpack with my shower stuff, then
tightened the straps and slipped it over my shoulders before we headed out.

THE FLIGHT WAS a few hours long, but it was relaxing. My body was
pressed against Jasper’s warm, scaly neck the whole time, and the breeze
around us was peaceful. I dozed off a few times, but he flew so steadily that
it didn’t matter.
By the time we reached Scale Ridge, the sun was starting to set, so I figured
Vi would be at work. My keys were in our bag, thanks to Elodie, so I
unlocked the apartment’s door without knocking.
When I stepped inside, I halted.
The living room was as tidy as usual, but the kitchen was a wreck.
There was a tower of dirty dishes to my left.
A stack of glass casserole pans with lids on them to the left of that.
Multiple trays of something to the left of that.
Pop music played from the radio so loudly that Vi hadn’t even heard the
door open, and was facing the stove while she stirred something and shook
her hips.
Jasper’s hands landed on my waist, and his mind brushed mine. “Want me
to give you two some space?”
“That would be good,” I agreed, biting my lip.
The situation was abnormal.
Very, very abnormal.
Jasper’s lips brushed my cheek. “I’ll head over to Eli’s place. Let me know
when you want me back here.”
“Thank you.”
“Of course.” He kissed the back of my neck, too, then finally stepped out
and closed the door behind him.
Vi heard it that time, and her head jerked as she looked over her shoulder.
Her eyes lit up when she saw me.
“Randa!” She abandoned the pan on the stove and booked it across the
room, throwing her arms around me. I hugged her back, though I was still
confused.
“What happened?”
“I quit my job.” She squeezed me tighter, then finally released me and
rushed back to the stove.
“You what?”
“I quit. You know I hated it—everyone knew I hated it. And you were off at
Mate Mountain having hot dragon sex, and Elodie was off on her
honeymoon having equally hot dragon sex, and I just—I quit.” She dragged
her hand through her hair.
It looked like she’d been doing that a lot.
I padded into the kitchen, taking in the pans and dishes full of baked goods.
“So what are you doing now?”
“Oh. That.” She glanced at the dishes and grimaced, then looked back to
her saucepan. “I found a new job.”
I waited.
“Elodie found out I quit and gave me her sister-in-law’s phone number.
She’s your sister-in-law now too, so I figure that kind of makes us sisters,
right? Anyway, she owns that coffee shop we always used to go to, and they
sell candy too, right? But they want to expand into cake and stuff, and the
girl who makes up their candy recipes is busy, so she doesn’t want to be in
charge of that. So, they offered to pay me salary if I agreed to handle the
bakery’s recipes. And here I am. Making cake.” She gestured to the dishes.
“And decorating it. The recipes can’t just be good. They have to be
perfect.”
I looked closer at the pans and casserole dishes, which I could now see were
full of layered cake, cupcakes, and who knew what else.
“Wow,” I finally said.
“I know.” She ran her hand through her hair again. “It’s insane, right?”
“Kind of. But are you having fun?”
“I don’t know. Maybe?”
My lips curved upward slightly. “You know, it wouldn’t be bad if you got a
job that’s not related to food, Vi. If you don’t like cooking professionally,
that’s fine.”
“It’s not the cooking I don’t like. It’s the people. If this is the way I can
make my own recipes without having to deal with customers, this is the best
job for me. I think. Here, try one of these.” She grabbed a frosted cupcake
off a cooling rack and put it in my hands.
The frosting was perfectly swirled, with hot pink, bright yellow, and a bit of
orange. There was an embellishment on the top that looked like a bit of
candied lemon or something. “It looks professional.”
“I know! I’m getting better.”
I peeled the wrapper off and took a bite, groaning at the taste. “Oh, wow,” I
said around a mouthful. “That’s amazing. Strawberry and lemon?”
“Yep. I think that recipe is done,” she agreed. “It’s going to be the first one
we bring out. I’m nervous. And excited. But mostly nervous. If this doesn’t
pan out, I’m screwed. Especially now that I’m paying the rent on my own.”
“I’m not abandoning you,” I said around the cake. “I’ll pay rent until you
can handle it yourself. Apparently Jasper’s loaded.”
“Where is he, by the way?”
“Headed out to give us privacy.” I took another bite.
“Damn. I was going to make him try these too.”
“So you don’t hate his guts?”
She sighed. “Of course not. You guys are a packaged deal now, right? I’m
pissed that you’re moving out, and I wish you didn’t have a dragon mate.
I’m going to miss you like crazy. But Elodie told me a lot about him, and it
sounds like he’ll make you happy. Does he?”
“I think so. It’s still pretty early. He told me I can choose whether we ease
into the bond by starting as friends, or jump right in. So… I think so. I like
his personality, at least. And like you said, the hot dragon sex is a plus.” I
took another bite of the cupcake.
“He offered to just be your friend?” Vi asked, her voice incredulous. She
was still stirring whatever was on the stove.
“Mmhm.”
“Shit, he really is perfect for you.”
I smiled.
“Sit here, eat cupcakes, and tell me everything,” she ordered, gesturing to a
tiny sliver of the countertop that wasn’t covered in baking stuff. I scooted
everything else over, lifted myself up, and launched into the story.
When I was done, Vi caught me up on all the tiny details of everything I’d
missed from her life.
While it was different than it had been two weeks earlier, it was also the
same. And I loved that.
 sixteen
RANDA

THREE HOURS and at least six cupcakes later, I reached out to Jasper
mentally. “What are you up to?”
“Hanging out at Brynn’s place. You ready for me to head back there? She
keeps trying to get details about heat out of me.”
“How about we meet at a restaurant or something? I’m hungry, and there’s
no space to make food here, considering all the dishes. And cupcakes.”
“We can do that. Or you and Vi can come to Brynn’s, if you prefer. She’s
been pestering me to bring you over, and it sounds like her and Vi are
friends already.”
I couldn’t hold back a small smile. “Let me see if she’s up for it.”
I asked Vi, and got an immediate, relived agreement. Apparently she had
been dreading finding something to make for dinner.
“We’ll head over in a few. Sounds like Vi’s been there before, so she
probably has the address.”
“Alright. Drive safely.”
“We will.” The conversation ended, and Vi looked at me suspiciously.
“Can you communicate mentally with him or something?”
I blinked.
Oops.
Guess I hadn’t been very secretive about that.
“Maybe?”
She shook her head. “Damn dragons.”
“Want me to introduce you to a few of them? Maybe you can find a mate
too,” I teased.
She made a face. “Not in this lifetime. As shitty as it will be to grow old
while you stay young, I have no intention of ever landing myself in a
serious relationship again. I enjoy my freedom too much.”
My stomach clenched at the thought of watching my sister age while I was
immortal.
That was a problem to worry about another day.
“Having a mate wouldn’t take away your freedom,” I said.
“You just checked in with him about dinner, Randa. The mate thing might
be cool in some ways, but it definitely doesn’t make your life simpler.”
She wasn’t wrong.
I just didn’t necessarily think the extra complications were a bad thing.
Sure, I wasn’t entirely sold on moving to Mate Mountain and being a
dragon’s mate, but sharing meals didn’t bother me. It was nice to have
someone who wanted to cook with me, and for me. Figuring out where we
would share those meals wasn’t a big deal.
We packed a bunch of cupcakes into a plastic case with a lid that she’d
bought, then headed out. The ride was long, but we chatted the way we
always did. I described Mate Mountain for her, without spilling the beans
on the prison thing. When we stopped at traffic lights and stop signs, I
turned on my phone, ignoring all the missed calls and messages. Instead, I
showed her pictures of the view from our balcony, as well as the new décor
we’d put in.
It was honestly a blast.
And though I’d been worried about her reaction, Vi didn’t say a single
negative thing about it. It made me feel really, really good.
Jasper and Eli were sitting on the front porch of Brynn’s verifiable mansion
when we arrived. Eli lifted a hand in greeting, but Jasper strode off the
porch, coming over to open my door.
“He’s hotter than I remember,” Vi whispered, before he pulled it open.
“He looks even better naked,” I whispered back.
She snorted, and I couldn’t help but laugh as I unbuckled my seatbelt.
“Hey baby,” I teased, as he took my hand and helped me out.
His lips curved upward. “Hey.” He tucked his arm around my waist, pulling
me in close, and brushed a kiss to my forehead.
I inhaled his scent, my body relaxing with his presence. I hadn’t even
realized I was tense.
“It’s nice to see you again, Vi,” Jasper called out.
“You too. My sister seems happy, so I think we can be friends,” she replied.
He chuckled. “I look forward to it.” We started toward the door, and he
murmured into my mind, “You smell sweeter than usual.”
“I ate so many cupcakes I’m sick. I need real food, stat.”
He grinned.
We headed in.
Eli greeted me with a massive hug that made Jasper grumble.
I laughed at his noise of complaint, and Eli winked at me when he pulled
away. “Welcome to the family.”
“Thanks.” I meant it.
Brynn came out of the kitchen and threw her arms around me, too. Her
mate greeted me with a quick hug as well, before Elodie and August
finished off the round of greetings and welcomes.
Vi got nearly as many hugs as me, though she looked less thrilled about it
than I did. Eli, at least, knew better than to try hugging her
We all gathered in the open kitchen and dining room, carrying the food to
the table and taking our seats around it. Jasper sat on one side of me, and Vi
on the other. She was pointedly avoiding looking at Eli, considering how
poorly the two of them got along.
There were enough of us that her avoidance wasn’t awkward, luckily. Even
if it was, something told me everyone would’ve played it off.
The food was good, and the company was great. By the time Jasper and I
got in the car with Vi, I was more convinced that I’d like having a mate.
The way Brynn and Bash, and August and Elodie, had been together was
really sweet. And things between me and Jasper really weren’t that far from
them. We just didn’t know each other well enough to have that same
comfort level.
Jasper sat in the back while Vi drove us home, and he asked questions about
her new job. She’d been smiling a lot since everyone devoured her
cupcakes.
She gave him the rundown I’d already gotten, and I found myself staring at
the mountains, looking out my window.
I’d found them beautiful since I moved to Scale Ridge, but after flying
through them, I felt that even more. As scared as I’d been on my way to
Mate Mountain, the view from our balcony was addictive.
I itched to pick up my tablet and draw the horizon, but it was at the
apartment, in our backpack.
So, there would be no drawing.
I’d just have to live in the moment, I supposed.
Jasper’s hand brushed my arm lightly as he continued talking to Vi, but was
unable to resist touching me. I set my hand over his, holding it against me,
and it remained there through the rest of the drive.

WHEN WE GOT HOME, all three of us tackled the mess in the kitchen.
Vi thanked us a dozen times, and told us we didn’t have to help, but neither
of us listened to the second bit.
Jasper washed dishes, I dried, and Vi scooted around us to clean the
countertops.
It was a solid hour before we finally finished up and called it a night.
Jasper stepped into my bedroom while Vi pulled me into her arms and gave
me a tight hug.
“That bastard just did my dishes for an hour without complaining,” she
whispered.
I laughed. “He’s a good guy.”
“Seriously. And you’re already tied down, so it’s not like he’s trying to woo
you or convince you to stay.”
“Maybe I need to find you a shifter to mate with so he can do your dishes
when I’m not here,” I whispered back.
She snorted. “Yeah, right.”
I flashed her a knowing smile. “Hot dragon sex and free dish cleaning, Vi.
It’s a win-win situation.”
She rolled her eyes, but couldn’t hide her smile. “Keep dreaming, Randa.”
“I will.” I gave her another hug before wishing her goodnight and slipping
into my room after Jasper.
He was standing up, leaning against the wall and studying the room. It was
simple. I had a queen-sized bed, a small dresser, and a desk that I only used
to hold clean clothes. Sure enough, there was a laundry mountain on it.
There were clothes on the floor too. And a towel hung over the back of the
desk chair.
“I’m messy,” I said sheepishly.
Jasper’s lips were curved upward. “I’ve noticed. You leave your clothes on
the floor every time we shower.”
“I know. It’s a problem I actually am trying to fix. Without much success,
though. I’m not exactly a catch.”
“I don’t mind picking up after you.” He pulled me to his chest and tipped
my chin back with a knuckle, then lowered his mouth to mine.
He kissed me gently.
Feather-lightly.
I went up on my tiptoes, burying my fingers in his hair as I deepened the
kiss.
Our mouths and tongues moved together, but his hands didn’t slide down to
my ass or up to my breasts. He seemed content just to kiss me.
And that made me feel good.
Really, really good.
Eventually, he pulled away. I tucked my head beneath his chin, leaning
against him, and he held me close.
“I had fun tonight,” I admitted in his mind. “Your family is great. And it
was really good to catch up with Vi. She loves you, by the way. I might have
to trick your dragons into meeting her so she can find a mate.”
He chuckled. “Considering how well she gets along with Eli, I’m not sure
any of my men can handle her.”
“She’s a big marshmallow on the inside. Just needs someone determined
enough to break through her shell.”
“I’m sure someone will come along.”
“I hope so. But after her past experiences with men, it’s not likely.”
“It’ll work out eventually.”
I made a noise of agreement. “I really am sorry about the mess.”
“I could do worse than a sexy artist who piles dirty clothes on her desk,
Sweetheart.”
A laugh escaped me. “They’re actually clean. I never fold laundry—I just
leave the clean stuff on the desk. It’s terrible.”
Jasper chuckled. “Not terrible. Effective.”
“That’s what I keep saying, but the whole universe seems to disagree.”
“Then the whole universe is missing out on having a desk full of clean
clothes.”
“Exactly.”
Jasper pulled me closer. “So, what do you want to do about the sleeping
arrangements?”
I made a face against his chest. “Don’t ask me hard questions, Jas.”
“The simplest answer is to snuggle up in this tiny bed.”
“It’s a queen,” I protested. “It’s not tiny. Just not as big as your super-
king.”
“My feet will hang off the edge, Sweetheart. It’s tiny. But that means you’ll
have no choice but to snuggle with me.”
“Or we can go to a hotel,” I pointed out. “Or sleep at Brynn’s house or
something.”
Considering it was kind of a long drive, and we’d just gotten back, that last
one sounded like a pain.
“Do you want me to let you make the decision, or do you want me to handle
it?” he asked.
“Damn, I like that question.”
Jasper chuckled. “I’ll remember that.”
“Can you just decide?”
“Let’s sleep here tonight and pack your things in the morning. When we’re
done, we’ll head to your parents’ place. If Vi wants to go with us, we’ll
drive there. If not, we can fly.”
“Good plan. Deal,” I said aloud. “I don’t like making decisions sometimes.
Most of the time.”
“I’m realizing that.”
Jasper’s arm slipped beneath my knees, and he lifted me off my feet. The
side of my face met his shoulder, and he carried me to the bed.
He set me down on the mattress and peeled off his shirt before he folded his
body up next to mine, pulling me close. I draped half my body over his, and
he tugged me tighter against him. His erection pressed against me when he
did.
“Is your family always like that?” I asked him, my voice barely above a
whisper.
“Like what?”
“Like… friends. I didn’t think it would be like that with so many of you,
and Brynn’s mate, and Elodie. Everyone even treated Vi like she was part of
it. It meant a lot to me.”
“It wasn’t always like that. You know I helped my brothers raise Brynn.
Things were more tense, then. In the years that followed, there were a lot of
struggles with the thunder. August tried to hold it all together, but he hated
it. Everyone else did too. So I stepped in, and handled it. I might be shitty at
relationships, but I know how to fix problems. And running the thunder
basically revolves around that.”
My lips curved upward. “You’re not shitty at relationships. Just new.”
“Is that so?”
“It is. You made Muddy Buddies for me. And you made a decision for me,
to save me from indecisive panic. And you’re really good in bed.”
“Really good is the best I get?”
“Stupendous. You’re stupendous in bed.”
He chuckled. “I’ll take it.”
“This is when you tell me I’m also stupendous in bed, Jas.”
“Ah. Sorry. Well, you’re incredible. It’s pretty obvious how much I
appreciate that.” His hands cradled the backs of my thighs, and he rocked
me against his erection, emphasizing the hardness.
I smiled. “I still want to hear it.”
“I’ll work on that.” He squeezed me. “What’s your family like?”
“My parents are really career-oriented. Dad’s a doctor, mom’s a lawyer. Me
and Vi are their only kids, after years of fertility struggles, so they were
always really protective. I’m sure you can imagine their dismay when one
of their daughters decided to go to culinary school and the other got a
degree in graphic arts.” I couldn’t hold back my smile.
“Damn.”
“Yeah. It was rocky for a few years, but they didn’t give up on us. When Vi
got that head chef job, they finally agreed that our life choices were our
own, and decided to do their best to be proud of us even if they didn’t
understand our decisions. They come to visit and eat at Vi’s restaurant every
month, and my mom always comments on posts of my art. My dad even
buys the special edition books we all know neither of them will ever read,
just because my art’s on the cover or inside the book.”
“They’re good parents, then.”
“The best,” I admitted. “They’re not good with change, though, so they
probably won’t take to you right away. Don’t be offended.”
“I won’t be.” He kissed the top of my head. “When we get home, I want
you to show me all of your art. And connect me to these social media pages,
so I can see your posts.”
My face warmed. “You really don’t have to.”
“I want to, Sweetheart.”
I just about melted.
Maybe being mated wasn’t so bad.
Maybe it was a little bit perfect.
 seventeen
RANDA

WE STAYED up most of the night talking.

Laughing, too.
And snuggling the whole time.
It was pure bliss.
Vi was already two dozen cupcakes into the day when I finally trudged out
of bed, leaving Jasper in the shower. Though I’d wanted to join him, I
wouldn’t do anything to make Vi feel uncomfortable. We’d had an
agreement not to bring any guys home for years, and I wasn’t going to
break it without a conversation first.
Plus, we were leaving soon enough that I didn’t think we even needed to
have that conversation.
I hugged her from behind when I found her adding flour to her stand mixer.
She laughed, and after she finished, turned around to hug me back. “Sleep
good?” she teased.
“For the one hour I slept, yes. Jas and I were up most of the night talking.”
“I’m sure it was worth the sacrifice.”
“It was. Every day, I start to feel a little better about the whole mate thing.”
“Good. You should. He seems to make you happy, and he did promise me
he’s going to try all of the recipes I sent him. You’ll have an obligation to
tell him it tastes better when I make them, of course.”
“Of course.”
She grinned, and hugged me tightly again. “You have to call or text me
every day.”
“Deal,” I said into her hair before she released me and turned back to her
stand mixer.
“What’s your plan? How long are you staying in town?”
I lifted myself up on the countertop and explained that we were going to see
our parents, so they could meet Jasper. Vi thought it would go about as well
as I thought it would go—which wasn’t well.
But she agreed she would go with us and spend the day there.
Jasper came out in a pair of fresh clothes a few minutes later, and caught me
eating more cupcakes for breakfast.
He took a few for himself, and we enjoyed a sugary start to our day together
before we launched into packing. When Vi finished what she was doing,
she joined us too, though we were almost done at that point.
I really didn’t have that much stuff.
Of course, I did have a few more boxes at my parents’ house. But that was a
problem for another day.
After we loaded everything into the back of my car, Jasper and I hit the
road, with Vi right behind us. We’d be leaving my car at my parents’ place
until we decided whether or not we were buying a house in Scale Ridge.
Jasper wanted to, but it seemed excessive to buy an extra house just to visit
every now and then. I hadn’t decided what we should do, and I hadn’t asked
him to choose yet.
Considering I still hadn’t figured out whether I wanted to ease into mating
or jump right in, the Scale Ridge house thing wasn’t a priority.
The ride was only a few hours, but I didn’t like to drive fast, so I happily
claimed the passenger seat and let Jasper take the wheel.
We turned on music—both of us agreed on laid-back pop, which was a
pleasant surprise—and quickly fell back into another conversation. He
asked how I’d learned to draw, and if it had always been a passion. I had no
problem talking about that. I’d been obsessed with art since I was a kid.

THE HOURS WENT BY FAST, and soon enough, we pulled up to my

parents’ house. Worry had me biting my lip, staying in my seat and staring
at the place I’d grown up.
It was a beautiful home, though so large it wasn’t very cozy.
And my parents were…
Well, I loved them.
I loved them a lot.
And they loved me, too.
But they weren’t the easiest people to get along with. Hence my go-with-
the-flow personality, and Vi’s tendency toward intense independence and
stubbornness.
Jasper opened my door and studied me.
I looked at him without moving. “Are you going to hate me if they’re rude
to you?”
His lips curved upward in a hint of a smile.
“He’s your mate, Randa. He’s not allowed to hate you,” Vi called out.
“She’s not wrong. Even if she was, I’m used to dealing with difficult
people. Won’t faze me,” he said.
His voice was low, and calm. Confident, but not annoyingly so.
I nodded.
Then I let out a long breath.
“I’m going inside,” Vi hollered.
I groaned.
Jasper bent down, tucking his gorgeous torso into my little car far enough to
unbuckle my seatbelt. When he eased back out, he captured my hand and
towed me to my feet. “I run a group of ancient assholes who guard a prison
for a living, Sweetheart. Stop worrying about me.”
I sighed anyway.
He chuckled, slipping his fingers between mine and leading me into the
house. “I’ll come back for our bags.”
The gigantic front door was open when we reached it. I leaned against his
side, and he tugged me closer, so it didn’t look like I was basically being
dragged.
I hated confrontation, and I had a strong feeling there would be
Confrontation, with a capital C.
Or maybe entirely capital.
CONFRONTATION, confrontation.
I’d wanted Jasper to like and get along with my family before we got there.
But since arriving, I was just nervous. Very, very nervous.
“It’ll be fine,” he murmured into my mind.
Though sweet, the words didn’t settle me.
Vi and our mom were hugging at the bottom of the massive staircase when
we stepped in.
“It’s so good to see you!” my mom exclaimed when they parted. “How’s
the restaurant? It’s been too long since we’ve been in.”
It hadn’t even been a month, but I was glad they cared.
Even though her words meant Vi hadn’t told her about quitting her old job.
Yikes.
More CONFRONTATION was on the horizon.
Red alert.
“You haven’t met Jasper yet,” Vi said, stepping back and gesturing to me.
“And I’m sure Randa is glad to see you too.”
My mom’s gaze jerked upward, her eyes narrowing when they landed on
the man beside me.
My grip on his hand tightened.
He squeezed lightly, then led me forward. “Hi, Mrs. Taylor. My name is
Jasper Sky. I’m the lucky bastard fate paired with one of your daughters.”
“I’m aware.”
I groaned inwardly.
Loudly.
His lips twitched. He must’ve heard my groan.
“You’re a dragon shifter,” she said.
It wasn’t a question. It was a statement, and not a happy one.
I tried not to shrink backward.
Vi had totally dodged the question about her job and pinned the tense
conversation on me and Jas. It would’ve been rude, if she hadn’t taken the
heat off me over and over throughout our lives.
I guess she figured Jasper could handle it.
And he had claimed he could.
“I am. I lead the group of dragons that run the supernatural prison outside
Scale Ridge.”
His words seemed to surprise her. Or maybe his confidence did. “How long
have you led it for?”
“Officially, around a year. I spent the last three decades in the position
behind the scenes, so the role isn’t new. Just the title.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “There’s a large age gap between you two, then.”
“Immortality changes the way you see age.”
Her eyebrows lifted higher. “And you’ll stay young, while Randa ages?”
“No. As my mate, her life is tied to mine. She’s just as immortal as I am.”
He didn’t seem bothered by her questions, or her obvious unhappiness.
And hey, no one was yelling.
It still felt like confrontation, but with a lowercase c. Anything was better
than CONFRONTATION, so I’d take it.
“So you’re telling me you’ve not only magically married yourself to my
daughter, but you’ve also extended her lifetime and changed her
physically?”
“Not physically, but everything else is correct. Fate paired us together, and
I’m glad it did.”
His words made me warm, but her gaze landed on me.
I tried not to shrink.
The CONFRONTATION was coming.
“And you’re okay with this, Randa?”
“I…” I began, but trailed off because I had no clue what I could say that
wouldn’t make her more worried.
Vi snorted. “It’s still new for both of them. It’ll take her time to decide how
she feels about it. Jasper treats her well, though.”
I nodded quickly. “He does.”
“That seemed defensive,” mom said.
My face flushed. “I’m worried you’re going to scare him off.”
Jasper squeezed my hip lightly.
Vi snorted again.
My mom’s face softened just slightly. “I’d like to speak to my girls alone,
Jasper. My husband is in his office, down this hall.”
She didn’t ask him to go speak with my dad, but the request was implied.
Or maybe the command was implied.
Jasper didn’t protest, though.
He kissed my cheek and murmured into my mind, “Let me know if you need
me out here. I’ll come back, whether she likes it or not.”
“She won’t like it.”
“Then it’s a good thing I don’t follow commands unless they’ve come from
your lips.”
“You’d follow my commands?”
“In an instant, Sweetheart.”
An image flashed into my mind of me giving him a command in bed—
which had definitely never happened before.
His chuckle filled my mind as he finally released me and walked down the
hall my mom had gestured to. “I’m not opposed to that.”
My face heated further.
“Why is she blushing?” my mom asked Viola.
“They can communicate mentally. It’s weird, but kind of adorable. She
always gets really flustered.”
“Not always,” I protested.
A door closed down the hall.
Jasper must’ve made it to my dad’s office.
Yikes.
Obviously, my dad couldn’t hurt him. He wouldn’t have, even if he
could’ve. But Jasper was ginormous. And my dad was… not. He was
average height, but all human guys were small next to supernaturals.
Plus he was a doctor. A surgeon. So despite his temper, he’d never hurt
anyone unless it was a necessary part of the process to heal them.
“Come on.” My mom turned on her heels—literally, she was wearing heels
—and strode through the house. Her tailored slacks swayed with the
motion, and her expensive but simple top remained in place.
We followed her to the kitchen, which I knew without checking was
stocked with ready-to-heat meals left by her chef, and healthy snacks that
had been carefully planned for both of them by a dietician.
When we were kids, there had never been freedom in what we ate. Part of
me thought that was why Vi decided to go to culinary school.
I’d dealt with it by consuming copious amounts of candy whenever I had
the chance.
Vi sat down on one of the stools in front of the island, and I sat beside her.
Mom walked around to the other side of it, like she always had when we
were kids.
“Tell me how this happened,” she said.
I looked at Vi.
She shrugged.
So, I launched into the human-approved version of the story.
Sitting down by Jasper, and accidentally giving him my drink after talking
his ear off. The way he’d flown me to Mate Mountain (minus the heat bit).
Living together while we “waited for the bond to seal or break”.
After making fancy stovetop popcorn to further enhance her enjoyment of
my retelling, Vi added the insanely good sex to the story. I wasn’t about to
give my mom details about that, so I barely acknowledged it.
When I finally got to the part about our bond sealing and us flying back to
Scale Ridge immediately, she looked slightly less concerned.
Only slightly.
“This is absolutely ridiculous,” my mom said, when I stopped talking.
“She knows that,” Vi said, tossing a few more pieces of popcorn in her
mouth.
“I do,” I agreed, taking some for myself too. I also needed a drink, but that
would require getting up, and getting up could propel me closer to
Confrontation.
So, no water.
“How do we get you out of the situation?” she demanded. “There has to be
a way to break this mate bond. We can at least separate you from him,
and—”
“It’s not possible to break a mate bond,” I said. “And even if it was… I
don’t want to.” I bit my lip after the admission.
It wasn’t something I’d ever admitted before. Not even to myself.
But when it came down to it, did I want to go back to the apartment I shared
with Vi? To the life that consisted of drawing in my old college’s library
long after my graduation, and spending my nights alone on my couch while
my sister worked?
No.
Not even a little.
Not when the other choice was the life I’d sort of started to build with
Jasper.
Yeah, the sex had been great, but it wasn’t about that. It was about having a
companion. A friend.
Someone to make pancakes with because we were shitty at cooking.
Someone who would learn how to make Muddy Buddies for me when I was
having a hard day.
Someone to take the wheel so I didn’t have to drive.
Someone steady, in ways I never had been and probably never would be.
Jasper was that person.
And even though we’d only just started figuring our shit out, I wasn’t going
to back out or change my mind.
Our mate bond was permanent, and I wanted it to be.
“You can’t be serious,” my mom argued.
“She is. Elodie told us mate bonds with dragons are permanent way before
Randa hooked up with Jas,” Vi said.
“No, she can’t be serious about not wanting to break the bond.”
“Sure she can. When has Randa ever had a guy look at her like Jasper
does?”
I bit down harder on my lip.
Never.
I never had.
Hell, I had never even let that become a possibility.
“That kind of attraction, devotion, or whatever it is can’t last,” mom argued.
“We saw dozens of supernatural couples who proved that wasn’t true at
Elodie’s wedding alone,” Vi pointed out. “And you and dad are still
together.”
“Not looking at each other like that. We’re still together because we’re
friends, Viola. There’s no romance.”
“Romance is bullshit anyway,” Vi said.
I didn’t disagree.
I didn’t agree either, though.
I didn’t know what to think, honestly.
I just knew I didn’t want to walk away from Jasper. That wasn’t technically
a huge development, since it wasn’t an option to begin with. But if felt like
one.
Footsteps sounded on the tile behind me, so I turned around. For whatever
reason—probably a magical one—my body relaxed immediately when I
saw Jasper walking next to my dad, neither of them bleeding or sporting
bruises.
His gaze slid over me. “You okay?” he asked me mentally.
“I should be asking you that question.”
He chuckled into my mind. “I’m fine, Sweetheart. I’ll tell you about the
conversation later.”
“See, they’re doing it again. She’s totally flustered,” Vi said, giving our
mom a knowing look.
“I am not,” I protested, slipping off my chair and turning to face the men.
“You are,” Jasper said, his lips curving in a small smile as I crossed the
distance between us and gave my dad a quick hug. When I stepped back
into place beside him, Jasper’s hand found my lower back.
I couldn’t stop myself from leaning against him just a little, though I said,
“You’re supposed to be on my side.”
“I am. I just like it when you blush.”
My face heated further, and Vi laughed.
My dad gave me a grudging smile.
And my stomach rumbled, loudly.
The popcorn hadn’t cut it.
“I can put tonight’s dinner in the oven,” my mom said, though her
expression was still tight.
She hadn’t accepted our mate bond yet, but there hadn’t been anywhere
near as much confrontation as I expected. That alone felt like a victory.
“I think tonight warrants a celebratory dinner, don’t you?” Dad asked,
looking at mom.
She grimaced, but nodded.
And after everyone took a few minutes to freshen up, we got back in the car
and headed to a restaurant we’d frequented when Vi and I were kids.
It felt a little bizarre, but not in a bad way.
Not at all.
 eighteen
RANDA

DINNER WAS awkward for the first five minutes, but when Jasper asked
my mom a few questions about her job, she finally started to relax.
The woman loved her job. Always had, and probably always would. I was
fairly confident she’d work in some capacity until the day she died or the
people she worked with forced her out.
The conversation shifted smoothly from there, and the time passed quickly
with good food. Jasper’s hand was on my thigh for almost the entire meal,
so he was either left-handed, ambidextrous, or just incredibly skilled at
eating with both hands.
I loved it.
Absolutely loved it.
The constant touch made me feel important.
Treasured, maybe.
As cheesy as it sounded, it did.
We stayed at the restaurant for a few drinks after dinner, and while I didn’t
feel a thing from the alcohol, it was still fun. Maybe it was even more fun,
seeing the way everyone else loosened up as they drank.
Though it wasn’t late when we made it back to my parents’ place, everyone
turned in. Vi headed to our old room, my parents went to the one they
shared, and I led Jasper to the guest bedroom I always claimed when I
stayed there.
Though there was plenty of space for me and Vi to have our own rooms
growing up, and our parents had tried to talk us into it repeatedly, we’d
always insisted on sharing until we moved to Scale Ridge.
He carried our stuff into the room, and I closed the door behind us. Leaning
my back against it, I watched as he set our bags on the desk beside the bed.
The way he moved… damn.
And I didn’t want to walk away from him.
That particular realization was still at the front of my mind, and I was
starting to wonder if it would ever leave again.
“You’ve been quiet,” he said, leaning up against the desk after he turned to
face me.
“I’m always quiet with my family. They’re all loud.”
“I noticed.” He studied me, like I had him. “What have you been thinking
about?”
“You get along with them really well. My mom’s still grumpy about it, but I
can tell she’s coming around. I didn’t think it would happen this fast.”
He nodded.
“What did you talk to my dad about?”
“Get in bed with me, and I’ll tell you.”
My gaze flicked to the bed. When I looked back at him, he was already
peeling his shirt over his head, on his way there.
Yummm.
My attention lingered on his muscular back and abdomen.
He unbuttoned his pants and pushed them down his thighs before stepping
out of them, and sliding into bed.
My body warmed.
I bit my lip.
His eyes slid down my figure slowly. “You coming?”
“Yes.” I finally eased away from the door and pulled my own shirt over my
head. It joined Jasper’s on the floor while I closed the gap between us. My
leggings were on the ground soon enough, too, and he pulled the blankets
up long enough for me to slip in with him.
My bra wasn’t comfortable, but I wasn’t sure I was ready to jump his bones
again, so I was going to leave it on until I made up my mind.
He pulled me to his chest, and my entire body warmed further at the feel of
his hot, bare skin.
“You’re basically my personal heater,” I mumbled against him.
“Happy to be. I work best when you’re naked, though.”
I laughed, and felt his lips brush my forehead for a kiss.
His hands settled on my back when I relaxed against him. “Your dad was
friendlier than your mom. Said he’s had a few mated pairs in his operating
room at different times. He asked me about the thunder, and if I intended to
marry you the human way.”
Curiosity had my forehead creasing. “What did you say?”
“That I already had a ring, and was just waiting for the right moment.”
My eyes widened. “You can’t lie to him, Jas.”
“It wasn’t a lie.”
I ripped my head off my chest, my body arching slightly against his as I did.
“When did you get a ring?”
“After I left you with Vi.”
“How did you know I’d want a wedding?”
“I told you, I watched you at August and Elodie’s. You kept staring at them.
I couldn’t tell what you were thinking, but you definitely didn’t look upset
by what you saw.”
“I was wondering what it would feel like to have what they do,” I admitted.
“A companion. Someone to live my life with.”
“And?”
“And when I was talking to my mom, I realized I have that now. And I
don’t want to walk away from that. From you.”
Jasper’s chest rumbled against me. “Good. I can’t let you walk away now
even if you want to.”
“Because you wouldn’t be able to fly anymore.”
“Because I’d lose my mind, Sweetheart. You’re mine, whether you like it or
not, and I’m not letting you go.”
“That’s kind of hot.”
“Is it?”
“Mmhm. It’d be hotter if you said that while you were inside me, though.”
“We can make that happen.” His hands slid up to the clasp of my bra, and
slowly undid it before peeling it off my body, freeing my breasts. He
rumbled again at the sight of me. “Fuck, you’re gorgeous.”
“I feel the same way about you.” I pressed my thigh against his erection,
making him growl. “We have to be quiet in here. Think you can handle it?”
“You should be asking yourself that question.”
I scowled. “You don’t think you’ll have a hard time with being quiet?”
His lips curved wickedly. “Nah.”
That was a challenge, if I’d ever heard one.
And my mind immediately went back to his words earlier, about following
my commands.
“Prove it,” I said, and slid down his body.
His eyes narrowed as he watched me move toward his feet, stopping when
my mouth was level with his cock. I silently dared him to tell me to stop,
but we both knew he wouldn’t.
I’d never given him a blowjob before, which meant he’d never had one
before.
And considering his obsession with going down on me, he had to be
interested in it.
When he didn’t say a word, I freed his cock from his boxer-briefs.
The thick length of him sprang up, pointing toward me.
My eyes remained on his as I wrapped my fingers around his silky hardness
and slowly lowered my lips to his tip.
His jaw clenched.
His cock throbbed.
His desire leaked onto my hand.
When I finally took him between my lips, a low, tortured groan rolled
through my mind.
He couldn’t stop the rumble in his chest, but it was quiet enough not to stop
me.
I bobbed on his length, taking him deeper in my mouth, and he buried his
fingers in my hair. His grip was tight, but not painful.
The taste of him filled my senses as I dragged my tongue across the
underside of his cock, and his hips jerked. He didn’t taste unpleasant, like
some of the guys I’d been with—he tasted like fresh air felt in my lungs.
Natural.
Right.
Maybe even a little addictive.
He groaned again, more animalistic.
“You like that?” I asked him silently.
“Fucking love it.” His voice strained. “How do I taste?”
“Amazing.” I bobbed again, harder, and he snarled quietly.
“I’m going to lose it if you keep doing that.”
“That’s the point, Jas” I teased.
“You going to let me fuck you after you swallow my pleasure?”
“Hell yes.”
“Good.” His grip tightened in my hair, and I moved my hand as I bobbed
over him again, working his whole length. He swore into my mind as I
repeated the motion once, and again, pushing him over the edge.
He was breathing hard, his eyes hot and intense as he watched me swallow
his pleasure. I dragged my tongue over his tip to lick him clean as I released
my lips from his erection, and he throbbed in my fist.
In the blink of an eye, he had me on my back, my legs hanging over the
edge of the bed. He had my panties on the ground and his mouth on my
core before I could ask what he was doing.
A loud gasp escaped me when his teeth caught my clit lightly, his hands
landing on my breasts.
“Stay quiet, baby,” he growled into my mind, as he dragged his tongue
around my clit.
“Mmhm,” I moaned into his mind.
He licked me.
Bit me.
Soothed it with his fingers before he recaptured my breasts, dragging his
thumbs over my nipples.
His teeth left my core for a moment, and I had to bite back a cry at the loss
of his touch.
They landed on the inside of my thigh—and I had to stifle my groan with
my hand as his teeth sank into my skin, sending intense waves of pleasure
through me.
I climaxed quickly with the sensations, but he didn’t stop.
He released my thigh and recaptured my clit, dragging me back to the edge
so fast it made my head spin.
“You still with me, baby?” his growl rolled through my mind, intensifying
the intimacy of the moment.
“Think so,” I breathed.
“You ready for my cock?”
“You tell me.”
The response earned me a wicked chuckle, and he gave my clit one last love
bite before he rose to his feet, taking off his boxer-briefs as he stepped up to
my core. “You’re so fucking sexy.” His voice was low and gravelly in my
mind.
“Ditto.”
He laughed, using his grip on my knees to open me up wider and lift my ass
off the bed. The head of his cock met my center, and my hips arched a little,
pressing him to my opening. “How do you want it today?”
“Slow and rough, Jas.” That was our specialty.
He rumbled in approval, and pulled me closer as he thrust into me slowly.
My breathing grew shallow as he bottomed out inside me, rocking a few
times in a way that made me moan.
“Quiet,” he warned.
“You feel way too good to be quiet.”
“Feel free to scream into my mind.”
He pulled out and thrust again, and I forced myself to keep my mouth shut,
crying in pleasure mentally.
His thumb dragged over my clit while he repeated the motion, giving me
exactly what I wanted.
“I’m close, Jas,” I moaned.
He pressed harder on my clit, just like I wanted.
Needed.
And as he bottomed out again, I lost control.
I screamed into his mind, my entire body jerking as the climax tore through
me. He thrust into me harder and faster, dragging out my pleasure while he
filled me with his.
“We’re good at that,” I panted, my voice barely above a whisper.
“If we were any better, we’d never be able to leave our bed.”
I laughed softly, and he lowered himself over me until his chest was
pressing against mine. Though he held most of his weight off of me, the
light pressure of his body against mine felt incredible.
He brushed a few strands of hair out of my eyes. “Have you made up your
mind about easing into it?”
I made a face. “You know how I feel about decisions, Jas.”
He chuckled. “I know. Just figured I’d ask.”
It was a good question.
And an important one.
If we were going to ease into it as just friends, we’d have to stop having
sex. I’d need to put distance between us. There couldn’t be any more
staying up all night talking. Or any sneaking around in my parents’ house.
That would be a damn shame.
I didn’t want space between us. I didn’t want anything to change at all,
unless it was going to get even better.
“Maybe I did make up my mind,” I said. “At least on one thing.”
He raised his eyebrows, and waited.
“I don’t want my own room. I like living with you. I don’t know if I want to
jump in to the mate bond… but I don’t want us to be apart. We’re good
together.”
“Thank fuck.” He lowered his forehead to mine and let out a slow breath.
“Don’t know if I could’ve followed through with that offer.”
My lips curved upward. “You would’ve followed through.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
My smile widened. “I do.”
One of his hands slipped into my hair, and he tilted my head back as his lips
met mine. The kiss was slow, soft, and deliciously sweet. When he pulled
away, I immediately craved more. “I think I’m falling in love with you,
Baby.”
My throat swelled. “I think I’m falling in love with you too.”
He kissed me again, harder.
Hotter.
His grip on my hair tightened, and his free hand slid down to my breast,
taking it in his palm and squeezing roughly. “You’ve been wearing too
damn many bras.”
“One bra is hardly—” I gasped when his mouth moved down my throat
until it captured my nipple.
He throbbed inside me, and my legs hooked around his ass.
“Too many,” I breathed.
His teeth dragged over my nipple, and I jerked my hips, taking him deeper.
“When you have tits this perfect, one is too many.”
“Would you rather I go everywhere topless? Because I’m pretty sure you’d
have an issue with me flash—ohhh.” I moaned when he bit my nipple
lightly.
“If having you home and naked at all times was an option, it’s one I’d take
in a heartbeat.” He released his grip on my hair so he could take my other
breast too, and toyed with it. “How long do you want to stay here?”
“Long enough to show my parents you’re here to stay.”
“One week? Two?”
“I’m not sure. Probably something like that.”
“That’s a lot of bras.”
I laughed.
“There’s got to be some way to avoid wearing one.”
“Yeah, it’s called pointy nipples.”
He grunted. “Only for me.”
“They make sheer bras. We could go shopping while we’re here. I’m sure
my parents will both be working on and off, so we’ll have plenty of time.”
“Sheer, huh?”
“Yep. Completely see-through.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“I figured.”
He dragged his teeth over my nipple, and I sucked in a breath at the
sensation. My hips arched, and I rocked over him.
“Fuck, you feel good, Baby,” he said.
“So do you.”
“I should’ve walked up to you at that damn wedding and told you that you
belonged to me.” He thrust again.
“That would’ve been hot. I would’ve totally panicked though.”
“I probably would’ve still ended up scaring the shit out of you while I
hauled you off to Mate Mountain.”
“Probably,” I agreed. “But I’m glad you did.”
“Never thought I’d hear that.” His voice was a little playful. He nipped at
me again, and my hips arched more.
“Get used to it. I’m not going anywhere.”
He thrust into me again.
“Now, fuck me hard.” The command felt foreign on my lips, but not in a
bad way.
He chuckled, the sound low and sexy. “Yes ma’am.”
We got lost in each other’s bodies until we spiraled together again, then fell
asleep in each other’s arms, our bodies still intertwined.
It was one of the most beautiful and hopeful nights of my life.
 nineteen
RANDA

WE ONLY STAYED AT MY PARENTS’ house for a few days before I

started to miss Mate Mountain. I hadn’t expected that to happen—missing
the mountain—but it did. Our house there was cozy, and the view from our
balcony was stunning.
And there was privacy.
Beautiful privacy.
So, four days after we arrived, we hugged my parents goodbye and headed
out. Eli met us there to help carry my bags back, which was sweet of him.
The flight back was quiet and calm. It was hard to believe I’d ever been
terrified of flying when the wind was blowing through my hair.
After we landed and showered, Jasper introduced me to everyone in the
thunder. It was a little awkward, but most of them were polite. I pretended
not to notice the ones who weren’t.
It would take time for me to get used to them, and for them to get used to
me, but I appreciated the guys who were friendly right off the bat.
When we were done with the introductions, he showed me the staircase into
the prison and led me down to the cells, so he could teach me how to get in
and out in case I ever needed to. Which was unlikely, but seemed like a
reasonable thing to learn.
After that, we finally made our way back to our place. I was tired, but not
tired enough to sleep, so I tucked myself into bed with my drawing tablet.
Jasper joined me, a book in his hands.
“I didn’t know you were a reader,” I remarked.
“Yep.” He held up the book, showing me a fantasy book I’d read a dozen
times through junior high and high school.
“You like fantasy romance? Have you read Soul of the Pack?”
“I have. It was pretty good.”
“That’s my favorite book of all time. Tell me all of your thoughts and
feelings about it,” I demanded.
He chuckled, and set his book down.
We proceeded to spend the next few hours discussing books. By the time
we went to sleep, it was well past midnight, and I was feeling insanely
lucky.
To be mated to a dragon shifter was pretty insane… but to be mated to a
dragon shifter who seemed like he really could become my best friend?
That was way, way better.

WE FELL into a rhythm quickly after that.

Jasper worked in the prison or with his thunder for a few hours a day, then
handled all of his paperwork and whatnot in our place, with me. I got
caught up with my work, and only provided my boss with one more picture
of us together, to sate her demands for information.
Though she posted it along with the others celebrating the fact that one of
her employees was with a dragon, she really did seem happy for us. And I
appreciated that tremendously.
Every night, we made food together, trying Vi’s recipes (Jas was in charge
of making sure nothing burned), and ate together too.
When we were done with that, we’d snuggle up for a movie, read books,
make dessert together, or I’d draw Jasper (preferably in the nude).
Most of which eventually led to sex.
But, also included a hell of a lot of talking and laughter.
It was perfect.

A FEW WEEKS passed that way before one night, Jasper led me out onto
our balcony for a sunset dinner of pancakes. It was like the good old times
during heat, but so damn much better.
We chatted while we ate, with Jasper telling me about an argument between
two of the more dramatic members of the thunder. I laughed at their antics,
and his lips were curved in one of those small half-smiles I loved as he told
the whole story.
We finished eating, and I snuggled up against his side to watch the sun
finish setting over the mountains. He pulled me close, holding me at his
side.
“Remember when I mentioned that ring?” he asked me, catching me off
guard with the question.
“Yes…” I hadn’t thought much about it, assuming he’d give it a few months
before we got to that point. “Did you change your mind or something?”
“Of course not. I was just making sure you hadn’t forgotten.”
“Jas, you can’t mention proposal to a woman and then—oh. OH.” I cut
myself off, my eyes widening as Jasper pulled away from me enough to
kneel on one knee.
“Randa,” he said, his voice low but warm. “I’m in love with you. Will you
marry me?”
There were no dramatics. No elaborate plan or staging, either.
It was so very Jasper.
And I loved that.
I couldn’t help it—I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him
fiercely.
Passionately.
With everything I had.
He kissed me back for a moment before he pulled away. “Is that a yes?”
“Of course it is!”
He laughed. “Good.”
And he kissed me again.
I pulled away when I realized I hadn’t responded to his statement. “I love
you too!”
“I know.”
He recaptured my lips, and the kiss went on for ages.
Life with him was everything I’d never realized I wanted… and thanks to
the magic between us, it would never have to end.
 epilogue
JASPER—ABOUT A YEAR LATER

THE LIGHTS TWINKLED around the massive ballroom Randa’s

parents had rented out. The place was so packed, she and I had been joking
mentally that our wedding was the event of the century.
But neither of us cared how many people were there.
Or how fancy the décor was.
We were tying our lives together in the human way. That was what
mattered.
The wedding went off without a hitch, and we were almost through the
reception. Though we’d spent much of the night making small talk with
people Randa’s parents had invited, I’d noticed my mate watching her sister
every chance she got.
“You’re staring at Vi and Eli again,” I murmured into her mind, as we
walked to the next couple waiting to meet us.
I hoped to never see another stranger for the next year after the wedding
was over.
“I keep waiting for them to start ripping each other’s heads off,” Randa
admitted. “Or clothes. Did I tell you about her spaghetti plan? I totally did.
I’m just nervous for her.”
Vi’s spaghetti plan involved her making a bowl of spaghetti for Eli and
bringing it to the wedding as a peace offering. We hadn’t heard from either
of them about how it went, but it seemed promising.
Ideally, our siblings could learn to avoid murdering each other or making
out verbally when they ended up in the same room.
“Seems like it went well,” I said.
“I hope so.”
Someone announced our first dance through the microphone, so I tucked
Randa against my side and led her across the room.
Our gazes met as I pulled her into my arms.
Her lips curved upward, those gorgeous eyes bright and happy as she asked,
“Ready, Jas?”
“Always, Sweetheart.”
Her smile stretched into a grin, and I swept her across the dance floor like
I’d been taught to.
I’d spent so many years worried about what I’d lose if I ended up with a
mate bond, but I’d never considered what I’d gain.
And what I’d gained?
It was everything.
She was everything.
I’d spend the rest of my life proving exactly that.
 afterthoughts

Life is hard sometimes.

Books are too.
And this book really sent me for a loop. I always have a hard time with the
peaceful, chill couples. I don’t know why. But this time, I don’t know if it
was really the characters’ fault.
Like I said, life is just hard sometimes. And I’ve really felt that these last
couple weeks.
Trying to get pregnant after a miscarriage just… well, it sucks. Period.
And I just made a joke that wasn’t a sex joke. Wow. What a day!
Anyway, jokes aside, I’m tired. And maybe a little bit sad. But happy, too,
because life is good even when it sucks.
I think a big reason I’m so obsessed with romance is because of how much I
love the way couples can laugh together even when things get difficult. I’m
passionate about that. About the moments when the pain and tears are
overwhelming, but my husband tells me a funny joke and hugs me. About
the times when everything feels wrong, but that one thing is always right.
I’ve probably written this before, but when I was in college, I had a
professor who said, “When life gets hard, marriage doesn’t have to,” and I
think about that a lot. I’m grateful for it a lot, too.
Maybe that’s the reason I’m so passionate about romance.
Or maybe it’s the sex jokes.
The world will never know.
Anyway, I’ve probably rambled here enough. As difficult as this book was
to write at times, I do love Jasper and Miranda. I love gentle romance, and
awkward people, even if they’re harder for me to write sometimes.
And I hope you do too!
The next book will be Vi’s, titled, Never Feed a Dragon, and I’m absolutely
excited to jump into it. Will it contain spaghetti? Yes, yes it will. Will there
be any sexy spaghetti moments?
That has yet to be decided.
We shall see.
Thank you so much for reading! If you’re looking for more series like this
one, my Deceit & Devotion and Wildwood books are set in the same world.
Until next time!
All the love,
Lola Glass <3
 stay in touch

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 all series by lola glass
Check out Lola’s website for a guide to which of her series are connected!
https://www.authorlolaglass.com/where-do-i-start

Standalones:
Mate Mountain
Wildwood
Deceit & Devotion
Claimed by the Wolf
Forbidden Mates
Wild Hunt
Kings of Disaster
Night's Curse
Outcast Pack
Feral Pack
Mate Hunt

Series:
Burning Kingdom
Sacrificed to the Fae King
Shifter Queen
Wolfsbane
Shifter City
Supernatural Underworld
Moon of the Monsters
Rejected Mate Refuge
 about the author

Lola is a book-lover with a *slight* romance obsession and a passion for love—real love. Not the
flowers-and-chocolates kind of love, but the kind where two people build a relationship strong
enough to last. That’s the kind of relationship she loves to read about, and the kind she tries to
portray in her books.

Even though they're fun stories about sassy women and huge, growly magical men ;)