She doesn’t understand.
The thought burned through his mind as memories of that night threatened to surface. “I lowered my defenses because I was focused on courtship instead of protection. That mistake cost lives.”
“Bad timing and a master manipulator cost lives,” she corrected, stepping close enough that he had to look down to meet her eyes.
Before he could formulate a response, she delivered the blow that sent his world tilting off its axis.
“I contacted Gerri Wilder to find your fated mate.”
The words hit him like a physical force. “You did what?”
“She called back this afternoon. She’s found her. The human woman’s name is Isla.” Evelina’s smile held the satisfaction of someone who’d just played a winning hand. “Isla will also be helping us open that bookstore the clan has been requesting for years. Two birds, one stone.”
No.
The rejection slammed through every cell in his body, his carefully constructed walls threatening to crumble under the weight of this unwanted revelation. “I don’t accept this. I won’t be forced into anything when I’m not ready.”
Despite his fury, he couldn’t bring himself to truly unleash his anger on the woman who’d stepped into his mother’s role when grief had nearly destroyed him. Evelina had meant well—she always did—but this felt like betrayal wrapped in good intentions.
“I would be perfectly content to remain alone forever.” The words came out as a growl, his control fraying at the edges.
But even as he spoke them, his dragon betrayed him. The beast that had been restless for years suddenly surged forward with desperate hunger, craving the connection Damon had spent a century denying.
Shut it down.
“When does she arrive?” The question escaped before he could stop it, curiosity warring with dread.
“Tomorrow.”
The timeline sent panic shooting through his veins. “That’s too soon.”
“Well, I told Gerri that you would meet her at the main territory building that will house the bookstore. The renovation is nearly complete, and she’ll want to see the space to give her input. She owns her own bookstore in Cape Cod.”
A human bookstore owner?
The information settled like lead in his stomach. He’d always imagined that if he ever considered mating again, it would be with someone who matched his strength—another dragon, perhaps, someone who understood power and the weight of leadership. Not some fragile human who probably spent her days surrounded by romance novels and fairy tale endings.
“This won’t work.” He turned away from Evelina’s knowing gaze, staring out at the ocean that had been his refuge for so many years. “She’ll be wasting her time if she expects anything to develop between us.”
But his dragon had other ideas entirely. The beast clawed at his consciousness, filled with anticipation and hunger that had been building for decades.
No. Stop it.
Damon wrestled his dragon back under control, muscle and will straining against instinct. This was exactly how disasters began—with the kind of distraction that made him vulnerable to threats against his people.
He couldn’t afford this. Not now, not ever.
He would resist this with every fiber of his being.
FIVE
ISLA
The morning had unfolded like pages from one of her beloved romance novels—a whirlwind of anticipation, nerves, and that electric feeling that life was about to shift dramatically. Isla had risen before dawn in her cozy Cape Cod cottage, her hands trembling slightly as she’d pulled on her white flowing skirt and teal camisole, choosing clothes that would match the island vibes perfectly.
But the familiar ritual of locking her front door had felt strangely final, as if she were closing one chapter of her life to begin another.
Then at the bookstore, Harper had wrapped her in a fierce hug that smelled of coffee and vanilla candles.
