It was far away on a beautiful, alien planet.
But she had no way to get to Zinc, and besides, she didn’t really know what to say. She’d felt bad for running from him, but for once, she’d had to do something for herself. Had to get away from his feelings so she could be familiar with her own.
Now she just wanted him back.
But a part of her knew she had to be patient. She checked in with the oracle to be assured he was safe, but other than that, she had no idea what he was up to.
But he’d said she was his heart. Would he come for her, or would he be too busy with things on Drakkaris?
She understood better now. He was born to it. They were his family. If it was what he wanted, she would go back with him.
Before she’d been captured, this life pursuing her dreams had been everything she wanted.
Now everything had changed, and it was simply a consolation prize that paled in comparison to a life with her dragon.
That’s right. He was hers. She’d do this one last meeting and then get in touch with the oracle and tell her she wanted to see him.
Even if she had to go to Drakkaris.
She pushed the button on the elevator to take it to the third floor and frowned when a light went off, saying it was over the weight limit.
Cursing stupid, broken equipment, she headed for the stairs, glad it was only a few stories.
She was wearing a stuffy, tailored suit that concealed her curves and made her miss the comfy clothing on Drakkaris, along with tall heels and a businesslike bun. When the elevator opened, she saw glass doors, behind which was a desk with a secretary seated behind it.
“Who are you here to see?” The woman eyed Leanne narrowly.
“Mr. Blaine.”
“One second.” The secretary pressed a button that made a buzzing sound, and the door to her right opened. “He’s ready to see you.”
“Okay.” She walked into the room and saw a man who looked much like the others she’d spoken to. Middle aged. Balding. Tailored suit, boring features. Full of himself, barely listening as she went into her spiel about ideas for her business.
Her ideas that had seemed so awesome in business school now just felt self-indulgent. Like ways to prove to herself and the world that she was worth something. But her adventure in the shifter world had already proven that.
She was brave, self-sacrificing, and could stand up for herself when she needed to.
Plus, she had found someone to love, and all the trappings of the world couldn’t compare to that.
“Well, Miss Ryer, I’ll be considering your proposal. In the meantime…”
The same answer she was used to. She was almost relieved it was already over as she started to gather things back into her briefcase.
She reached for the prospectus she’d left on his desk and let out a gasp of surprise when she looked up to see him leaning forward, hand reaching toward her.
His fingers grazed over hers, and an odd light reached his eyes. “Of course, if you have anything else you want to share with me while I’m considering—”
He didn’t get to finish his thought as a flower pot came flying from behind her and shattered on his head just as a huge book flew from the side, whacking him simultaneously.
He went down on the desk with a loud thud, instantly unconscious, and she let out a little scream as she stepped back, nearly knocking over her chair as she jumped away from him.
Strong arms caught her, and she was pulled against a warm, familiar chest just as her nose became aware of a very familiar fragrance.
Cool, fragrant breezes.
Drakkaris.
She whipped around to see Zinc looking down at her with repentant eyes as he steadied her back on her feet. His attention turned to something behind her.
“Chromium, what were you waiting for?”
She gasped and jumped back again as she saw an odd man standing on the other side of the desk. He had long, white hair pulled back in a low ponytail and a tall, masculine build and handsome face. His skin was almost as pale as his hair, and his eyes were a striking shade of light, creamy jade.
Chromium…
A light bulb went off. Was this the warrior cousin Cobalt had been talking about?
“I was trying to find something that wouldn’t kill him,” Chromium said. “Or hit him too hard. You ruined that.”
“I can help.” She turned in time to see a third figure materialize next to Chromium.
“Cobalt!”
“Good to see you, Princess.”
She wrinkled her nose, but couldn’t help smiling at him. “Don’t call me that.”
“Only I can call her that,” Zinc said, wrapping his arms around her possessively.
She had to resist the urge to close her eyes and lean back against him just to soak it all in. She looked up at him. “It’s good to see you.”
“Is it? I was waiting to come see you. I wanted to give you time to think.”
“I appreciate that,” she said.
Cobalt was walking around the desk to place a hand on Mr. Blaine’s neck, checking his pulse. He checked him over and then nodded. “He’s going to be okay. But I’ll heal him a bit just in case.”
“Wow, going invisible, healing. What else can you do?”
“Turn into dragons,” Chromium said flatly. Cobalt was right, he didn’t seem to talk a lot.
Zinc released her reluctantly. “Leanne, this is Chromium, Cobalt’s cousin and a very good friend.”
She gave him a little bow, and he just raised an eyebrow, then returned the bow awkwardly.
“He’s been guarding you,” Zinc explained. “We had to make sure you were safe.”
She swallowed. “What do you mean guarding?”
“Oh, don’t worry. He wasn’t in your room. Just in the area to go with you when you went out.” Zinc narrowed his eyes angrily at the still-unconscious man slumped over the desk. “In case of things like this.”
She giggled, unable to suppress her racing heart. It just felt so good to see him. She wanted to throw her arms around him, kiss him senseless, but she knew there was still a lot to talk about.
And not in front of his friends.
“You two can go back,” Zinc told Cobalt and Chromium.
“We’ll clean up a bit in here so no one suspects anything. Oh, and sorry about the elevator,” Cobalt said. “We shouldn’t all have piled in like that. We sort of weigh more than normal due to our metal content.”
She laughed. “It’s okay.” For some reason, her heart just felt light around these people. These dragons. It sort of felt as though she had found a new home.
“We’ll talk back at the mansion,” Zinc said, as his two friends disappeared into thin air, leaving them together. “Let’s go outside. We can talk there.”
She tried to calm herself as she followed him out of the office and over to the elevator.
When they were inside and the doors closed, she felt herself suddenly pressed against the wall, Zinc pinning her there, his mouth rapidly closing over hers.
She moaned and threaded her hands in his hair, pulling him close to her.
It had been two weeks without him, and her body was desperate for him, even if they had things to deal with.
She needed at least a taste, and so had he, apparently.
His tongue swept inside, quenching a thirst she hadn’t even been aware of, an aching need that she knew would never go unanswered again.
He pulled back, resting their foreheads together. “I missed you, mate.”
She looked up at him, pushing his hair off his forehead. “I missed you, too.” She scanned down over him and realized he was wearing a stiff, tailored gray suit that looked perfect on him.
Still, even though his buff, trim figure looked amazing in all those hard angles, she sort of missed the clothing he’d worn on Drakkaris.
But honestly, as long as he was here, either way was fine.
Then she realized he was holding a briefcase.
>
The elevator doors opened, and he led the way out of the building, leading her over to a bench next to the wall that was covered by shade.
They sat there for a second, both of them resting their briefcases on their laps. It felt a little unreal, knowing everything else they’d been through. Had they really made love on another planet?
A breeze blew by, smelling like a fresh-cut grass and a nearby hot dog cart. Zinc wrinkled his nose.
“Earth smells interesting, but I think I can get used to it.”
She laughed, then realized what he said. “What do you mean?”
He handed her the briefcase. “I heard what you said before. About wanting to start businesses. I know you’ve had some trouble finding an investor. I wanted you to know I’m here to invest in you.” He opened the case to reveal stacks and stacks of money, all in high bills.
Her jaw dropped.
Zinc watched his mate nervously, hoping her shock wasn’t a negative response. He’d prepared so carefully for this moment, trying to show her who he was.
That he would truly be beside her, support her no matter what, the way no one else had in her life.
He took a deep breath. “Whatever you want, I’m here to give it to you. Whatever you want to do, I’m here to do with you. I recruited new guards on Drakkaris, and if we don’t want to return, they will figure it out. I’m sorry I was selfish, Leanne. Both in wanting you for myself and being too afraid to tell you the truth in case you left me. But I promise to do better from now on.”
There was a frozen moment when he worried his heart would explode from the sheer worry he was feeling, and then she threw her arms around his neck, and everything was suddenly all right.
Their embrace knocked the briefcase to the side, sending money flying everywhere. He felt tears hit his neck where her face was and pulled back to wipe them away. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, you big, silly dragon. I’ve just been wanting to see you. So badly. And this…” She looked at his suit, the briefcase. “It means a lot to me.” She stroked his face and leaned in against him with a sigh. “We can live on Drakkaris. We can live anywhere. I just want to be with you.”
His heart felt lighter than it ever had, and he leaned back with her in sheer relief. He’d felt some amazing things in his life, but none compared to knowing she wanted to stay by his side.
“I love you, Zinc,” she said simply.
He was speechless for a moment from the sheer power of her words, and then he smiled softly. “I love you, too, Princess.”
“I can get used to that,” she murmured. “As long as you’re the prince.”
He smiled and closed his arms around her, and they stayed like that for a long moment. Then he pulled her in for a kiss. It was unlike any of their other kisses, soft and urgent at the same time, lips pressed gently together as they held each other’s faces, desperate to communicate their love.
When they pulled apart, she gave a little sigh as she noticed the money. “We should probably clean that up before we cause a riot.”
“You don’t want it?”
She shook her head, placing her hand on his chest. “This is the only investment I want.”
He smiled then cocked his head. “So what should we do with it?”
“Take it to a shelter? Donate it to charity?”
He gathered up the money and closed it back in the case. “Whatever you want. There’s more where that came from.” He set the closed case beneath the bench and leaned back, pulling her into his lap.
“Zinc.” She struggled slightly to get off of him, but he simply kept his arms around her tightly. “We can’t just do this in broad daylight. Grown women just don’t sit on men’s laps.”
“Right. They sit on dragon laps.”
She snorted. “You’re incorrigible.”
“You’re all I’ve been thinking of for two weeks. I’m not letting go for a good while,” he retorted.
“Good, don’t ever.” She rested her head against his chest.
It still felt so unreal. He’d been preparing for this for weeks, thought of all his arguments, determined not to leave without her saying yes.
And then she’d just made it all so easy.
“So what made you change your mind?” He looked down at her curiously. “You were so angry with me. You had every reason to be.”
“Coming back here. Realizing that all those things I wanted when I was imprisoned didn’t matter anymore. That I’d changed.” She rubbed his chest and shoulder, and his dragon loved every bit of it. “You changed everything the moment you came down into the basement.”
He stroked her hair aside. “You changed everything for me as well. You made me start to think my dreams were possible. So much so that I got ahead of myself trying to do too much at once.”
“It’s okay,” she said, running a finger wonderingly over her lips. It was like they were both trying to reassure themselves that the other was there.
“Don’t ever leave me again.”
“I won’t.”
He kept his arm around her and sat back, enjoying the breeze a bit while she cuddled against him. “So. Long term, we can live wherever you want to. We can stay on Earth or go to Drakkaris. But short term, the oracle would like us back at the mansion with the other dragons. Today, if possible, so the guard can protect us.”
“Right. You said your guard was here on Earth.”
“And some have human mates. I think you’ll like the mansion, and as I said, long term, we have options.”
“It’s fine,” she said frankly. “As long as I’m with you, we can go anywhere.”
He smiled, feeling warmer than the sun on Drakkaris as he stood, helping her up with him and then reaching down to get the brief case as well.
They walked hand in hand down the street, turning down and empty side road where Zinc had planned to contact the oracle.
But before doing so, he couldn’t resist pulling his mate in for one last kiss. One last moment of peace before dragon-infested chaos broke loose.
But he knew no matter what the future held for him, as long as he could stay by her side and protect her, he would always feel like a king.
Epilogue
A couple weeks later, Leanne was adjusting to life at the mansion and really enjoying the company of her new friends.
Cobalt and Arsenic were standing at the back doors, looking out at the hot tub, which currently had a handwritten sign on it.
Royal use only.
Leanne stifled a laugh as she walked up behind them, bathrobe tied tightly around her.
“He can’t do this. The hot tub is for all of us,” Arsenic muttered darkly, running a hand through his dark hair.
“I don’t think the king intends to actually keep it for his use permanently,” Cobalt said, turning around to see Leanne. He gave her a bright smile. “How are you doing this morning, Your Majesty?”
Leanne returned his smile. “Pretty good, as usual.”
Arsenic raised an eyebrow. “So you’re okay with that name now? Zinc told us to be careful with it when you first showed up.”
She nodded. “It’s fine. I don’t really think of myself that way, but if that’s what it takes to be with Zinc, I’m fine with it. We’ll go wherever he needs to go.”
Cobalt eyed her carefully. “What about you?”
“My plans are a little more… flexible. Besides, running a business isn’t nearly as fun as playing around with a royal dragon every day.” She looked over to the stairs and saw Zinc descending, a towel over his arm, blue swim trunks on his powerful body.
He laughed at something Lead said and then looked up, and his eyes met hers.
She bit her lip as heat moved through her. Just a glance shared between them could be so warm and intense.
Zinc said something to Lead, putting a hand on his shoulder, and walked over to where she stood.
Arsenic faced the king, cocking an eyebrow. “So when did you decide you could commandeer the hot
tub?”
“It’s a joke,” Zinc said, a smile twitching at the corners of his lips.
“Not funny,” Arsenic said. “We all must have use of it for the cuddling of mates.”
“I hear that,” Cadmium said, walking into the room and sidling up to stand next to him. His long, blond hair swished over his shoulders, and he gave Leanne a dazzling smile. “So I assume you two have plans out there?”
She looked at Zinc, flushing. “I suppose so.”
Cadmium threw up his hands. “I guess Zinc is finally acting like a real king, then. Total tyrant, imposing his will on the peasants below him.”
Zinc sent him a glare. “Oh, yes. Very oppressive.”
Cadmium shrugged. “Using your powers against us, even though we’ve always been so very loyal in serving you.”
“You did let me get kidnapped,” Zinc said, stepping forward with his arms folded, looking powerful.
Cadmium snorted. “I don’t know if I like this new Zinc or not. He’s too… truthful and blunt now that he’s not feeling too sick to fight us.”
Zinc smirked in response and put an arm around Leanne’s shoulder. “True. Not sick anymore. Something you should remember.”
Leanne knew Zinc was truly grateful for everything his friends had done for them, but he also enjoyed returning Cadmium’s frequent teasing now that he had the energy to do so.
“Where are the other mates?” Zinc asked.
Leanne looked to Arsenic and Cobalt for an answer.
Arsenic frowned. “Farrah has taken to watching reality TV with the other mates and Chromium.”
“Ah, true,” Cadmium said. “Chromium has taken to watching that show where people compete for a chance at love, thinking it will give him some sort of edge on finding a mate. Someone should probably tell him it doesn’t count as research.”
“Reality TV is about the least real thing on human TV,” Cobalt said with a sage nod. “I will talk to him, though I do think he just enjoys the entertainment aspect of it. And the girls seem to enjoy his company.”
Arsenic cracked his knuckles. “I’m headed down there now.” He said it as though he were ready to make the ultimate sacrifice in facing human giggles if it meant spending some time with his mate.
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