He was reaching for the towel when Basil’s whole body went rigid, his ears swiveling forward. The cat launched from the counter to the windowsill, pressing his nose against the glass.
“What are you looking at?”
Sam moved to the window, peering into the darkness beyond his front garden. The street looked empty - just the amber glow of streetlights casting pools on the pavement. Mrs. Channing’s porch light was on across the way and above him, he could hear the rustling leaves of the oak tree that dropped acorns on his roof every autumn.
Nothing unusual, in other words. But Basil’s pupils had gone wide, and his tail puffed to twice its normal size.
“It’s probably just a raccoon.” Sam scratched behind the cat’s ears. “Or that stray tom that’s been coming around.”
The cat didn’t relax, tracking something Sam couldn’t see.
Down the street, hidden in shadows between streetlights, the Range Rover sat with its engine off. Three dragons debated in hushed voices - Rux wanted to knock on the door immediately, Mabon insisted they needed a strategy, and Urien suggested they were all losing their minds sitting in the car like stalkers.
But Sam saw none of that - just an empty street and darkness.
He gave up trying to spot whatever had Basil’s attention and headed to the bedroom, flipping off lights as he went. The cottage settled around him with familiar creaks and whispers - the radiator ticking, the wind against the windows, the soft padding of Basil’s paws following him down the hall. Whatever had attracted his cat’s attention at the window was clearly gone, or Basil had given up and decided bed sounded like a better idea.
Sam’s bedroom was exactly as he’d left it this morning. The bed was unmade because he’d been running late. The book was still on thenightstand - a paranormal romance he was halfway through, and the reading lamp casting warm light over the rumpled sheets.
He changed into his sleep shirt and crawled under the covers, the mattress dipping as Basil jumped up and circled three times before settling against Sam’s hip. The weight was comfortably familiar. At least the cat had chosen him, even if it was mostly because Sam operated the can opener.
Sam reached for his book, then paused. He’d read enough romance for one night - lived in enough fantasy worlds while his real one stayed stubbornly ordinary.
Ignoring the book he turned off the lamp instead. Basil’s purr rumbled against his leg as Sam closed his eyes. Tomorrow was another day of the same-old, same-old, and for that, Sam needed his sleep.
Chapter Four
Urien
“This is madness.” Urien dropped into the leather armchair nearest the fireplace, although there was no part of him that felt calm enough to stay sitting for long. “We followed him home like criminals.”
“We were discreet.” Mabon had his laptop balanced on his knees, fingers flying across the keyboard. The glow from the screen made his face look sharper as he focused on it. “No one saw us.”
“That’s not the point.”
Rux prowled the length of the library, six strides to the window, pivot, six strides back to the bookshelves. The same circuit he’d been walking for the past ten minutes. Urien could see Rux’s dragon pushing for control, demanding action, claiming, and immediate possession of what belonged to them.
Urien understood completely. His own dragon sang beneath his skin.Treasure, Treasure, finally found our Treasure.
The heart stone was warm against his chest, a constant reminder that Sam existed, breathed, lived just three miles away in a cottage with a ridiculous cat and curtains that didn’t quite block out the light. Urien had memorized every detail during those agonizing minutes parked outside - the blue door, the terracotta pots flanking the steps, the oak tree with branches draped over the roof.
Their mate lived in that house alone and unclaimed.
“How long?” Rux stopped pacing and rounded on Mabon. “How long do humans court before…”
“According to this, it could be weeks, sometimes months.” Mabon didn’t look up from his research. “There are stages. Meeting, casual conversation, asking for contact information, texting, asking on a date…”
“Months?” Rux’s voice climbed. “Our fated one is out there unprotected formonthswhile we exchange pleasantries and text messages?”
Urien scrubbed both hands through his hair, the long strands falling forward over his shoulders. Everything Rux said echoed his own thoughts and his dragon’s protests. But charging into Sam’s life and announcing he belonged to three dragons he’d never met would send their gentle human running. Or worse – frighten him.
“We can’t just claim him.” Urien forced the words out, hating each one. “He doesn’t know what we are. He wouldn’t understand the bond.”
“Then we can explain it.” Rux gestured sharply. “Show him the heart stones. He’ll understand once he sees…”
“Will he, though?” Mabon finally lifted his gaze from the screen. “Imagine it from his perspective. Three strange men approach you and insist you’re fated to belong to them. That golden stones appeared on their chests the moment they saw you, provingdestiny has bound you together forever.”
Rux’s jaw worked.
