Malachite: I have a wonderful life. I have no room to complain; between my brothers and their new mates, this is the most alive our home has felt since my parents died. Unfortunately, all of them being mated is making me miserable. When it was just the four of us, it was us against the world. Now they're paired up and it's only me and my dragon, Kesia. Until I happen to walk into the Overlord's Lair and I see him: Quentin. Mine. Mate. As much as I want to win him over without telling him I'm a dragon rider and we're mates—which I know he'd love—I'm not sure I can. The minute I'm around him I act like an idiot.


Quentin: Every time the goofy guy walks into my store, he brightens my day, and I look forward to his daily visits. There's just something about him that draws me to him, to the point he leaves me pining after him the moment he's gone. But the thing is, I can tell he's hiding something, and my wild imagination is coming up with the craziest explanations of the secrets he's keeping. Maybe he's a vampire that's come to whisk me away—ridiculous, right? But a guy can dream. And I've definitely been dreaming of that big, muscular man wrapping me in his arms at night.



Contains mature themes.