“I… What about that time up in Seattle?”

  “You mean when you spent weeks cleaning up after that snafu with the precious metal dragons a couple years back? Please.”

  Olivia’s mind raced.

  Vacations were for people taking time off. To rest and relax.

  Not for people running from the past like she was.

  Troy’s expression calmed slightly, and he addressed her as a friend, not her boss. “Look, I get that you’re obsessed with helping protect the world. We all are. I mean, look at me,” he said honestly, and the stress lines beneath his eyes made his point for him.

  “Yeah, look at him,” Jack said with a warm smile.

  “Not helpful, Jack,” he replied with a harsh glare at his partner. “What I mean is I think some time off would be good for you. And for all my troubles with the Dragonclaw Ranch crew, they’re all trustworthy people. Besides, Jack and I will be… busy for a few days, so we won’t be able to have you at the mansion.”

  She looked over at Jack, who just shrugged.

  So they were doing another trial run with a dragon heart?

  Heaven help whoever the woman was that let Troy’s good looks fool her into thinking his personality matched his exterior.

  “Good for you guys,” she said, hating that she’d been backed into a corner like this but unable to argue with their logic.

  Besides, a small part inside her was more than a little curious to have more time with Ajax. To see if this was just a passing curiosity or maybe something more.

  “We’ll see how it goes,” Troy said doubtfully. “In the meantime, you give yourself some much-needed time off. You’ve earned it, in every way possible.”

  She gave him a halfhearted smile back, and Jack got up from his seat, picking his Stetson up off the table and setting it on his head as he and Troy went to the door. “We’ll keep you posted. Take care, Olivia.”

  “You too, Jack.”

  And as they left, she found herself avoiding Ajax’s fiery eyes, though she could feel them watching her as she made her way upstairs to go to sleep.

  Her better judgment told her to avoid Ajax at all costs. He was dangerous.

  She’d just focus on getting some rest and waiting for more information on the poison that could upend the balance in the world of shifters.

  And try not to think about the myriad ways she wanted to explore the tense heat between them while she stayed at Dragonclaw on her “forced” vacation.

  7

  Olivia suppressed a wave of chills as she stepped out onto the main porch of Dragonclaw.

  It was late in the evening, and the sun had just fallen beyond the horizon, but small hints of purple and pink could still be seen, sprinkled across the sky like splotches of watercolor paint.

  Even though it had only been a day since Troy and Jack had demanded she take some time off and stay here, Olivia could already feel her wanderlust beginning to set in.

  Dragonclaw was nice, and it was the first time in a long while that she had an unobstructed view of the horizon, and she slept better here than she did at her apartment in Dallas.

  Or really anywhere, to be honest.

  Still, that didn’t change the fact that there were far too many people around. She’d spent most of the day hanging out at the main house with Marian and Billie, who was Clancy’s mate.

  They were incredibly kind and welcoming to her, which only made her more uncomfortable.

  After all, Olivia didn’t intend to linger. When a job was finished, she moved on from one place to the next… and then to the one after that and so on and so forth.

  And soon she’d be moving on from here too, so it wouldn’t do to get too close to anyone, no matter how nice they were.

  Especially a certain red-eyed, handsome, albeit stubborn basilisk who seemed to massively enjoy following her around. Hence, the reason she had spent most of her time today with the women.

  Now everyone was outside by the barn, setting up several lines of chairs, campfires, and loads and loads of blankets for “movie night.” Apparently, once a week, they all got together to watch a movie by projecting it onto one of the barn walls.

  “You joining us?” Marian asked as she stepped past, holding an armful of blankets. “We have plenty of chairs, and we’re watching Titanic tonight.”

  Olivia blinked and followed her down the porch. “How’d you manage that?”

  “Manage what?”

  “I mean, how did you convince a bunch of dragon shifters to watch one of the greatest romantic tragedies of all time?” Olivia asked.

  Marian laughed and waved a hand. “Oh, that’s nothing. You should have seen them when we watched The Notebook. I’ve never seen so many men upset. I think I even saw Ajax shed a tear.”

  That would be something.

  Maybe the raging basilisk had a soft side.

  That would be the day, Olivia thought, laughing to herself as she followed Marian over to the barn where Harrison seemed to be yelling at Clark.

  “Get out of the back of my truck, jackass. Those seats are for me and my mate,” he was growling.

  Clark just stared down at Harrison and shook his head. “Nope, I’ve claimed this truck bed in the name of the crater dragon. Besides, it’s easier to see the movie from here.”

  Harrison rubbed his eyes, presumably praying for patience. “If you don’t get down right now, all that’s going to be left of you is a damn crater.”

  Hearing the threat in the cowboy dragon’s voice, Clark grabbed his fold-up chair and hopped down, muttering something about “revenge” and “seat stealing.”

  While Marian handed Harrison the blankets she was carrying and hopped up into the back of the truck, Olivia’s eyes were drawn to something she hadn’t noticed when she’d first gotten here.

  A shiny black and silver motorcycle.

  Intrigued, she walked over to get a closer look. One of her favorite things to do back in Dallas had been riding her motorcycle around the city at night. It always helped calm her mind. Not that she got to ride it often, with the almost twenty-four-seven schedule the double dragons kept.

  Plus, there was no way she would have brought it out here.

  Still, maybe she could commandeer this bike, just for a short ride. It would be nice to get away for a bit. It even looked like the keys were still in the ignition. All she would have to do was just…

  “Going somewhere?”

  The deep, familiar voice sent a shiver of awareness through her, and she jumped, turning around to find Ajax watching her carefully.

  Olivia cleared her throat. “Maybe. I don’t know. What’s it to you?”

  “That’s mine,” he said, glaring at her with those unnerving red eyes.

  There was a moment of awkward silence.

  “I would have brought it back,” she muttered.

  He just stared at her for a second, then narrowed his eyes. “Did something happen to make you want to leave?”

  “No, I just… don’t really do well with crowds,” Olivia said, shrugging. After all, there wasn’t really any reason to lie to him, but she didn’t need to tell him everything either.

  Ajax looked over at the group of couples—and Clark—who were all getting ready to start the movie and cocked an eyebrow. “You call that a crowd? There were at least double that many people at the operation yesterday.”

  “Well, that’s…” Olivia trailed off, unsure of what to say. Why did he have to make her so damn nervous? Why did he have to be so persistent and unnerving? And why did her eyes roam down to his impressive upper body nearly every chance they got?

  Dang it.

  “Tell you what,” Ajax said, the hint of a smile on his lips, “I’ll take you wherever you want to go. But I’ll drive.”

  “Absolutely not. Why should I let you drive?”

  He cocked his head. “It’s my motorcycle. I know how it handles. It’ll be a smooth ride.” One of his lips pulled up at the corners, and for a second, it was hard not to think of another kind of ride he could take her on.

  Stop it, Olivia!

  “Besides, it worked pretty well when I was in control yesterday, didn’t it?”

  She had to admit he had her there. Because of his impressive, albeit slightly headstrong, display, nobody had been hurt. Well, at least on their side, there hadn’t been.

  And she was supposed to relax while she was here, so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to sit back and relax, let someone else take the reins.

  Just for a little bit.

  He walked over and leaned against the bike, folding his arms and watching her expectantly, almost hungrily.

  His gaze always made her want to fidget, though why, she couldn’t quite pin down.

  He grunted. “I’m not a basilisk who will sit on the back of a bike. And I’m not a basilisk who would let you ride out alone either.”

  “Fine, if I really have no choice, then you better be as good a driver as you are a fighter.”

  He snorted and threw a leg casually over the seat, then nodded silently for her to join him. She did, lowering herself carefully onto the leather passenger seat, trying to keep a slight distance between them.

  But apparently, Ajax wasn’t having it. He reached back and grabbed her hands and gently positioned them directly around him. Olivia’s eyes widened, and a wave of heat went through her as she realized she could feel his rock-hard abs through the jacket.

  Good heavens, she was in trouble. It was so incredibly difficult to resist the urge to run her fingers up and down and over his muscles.

  “Where to?” he asked over his shoulder.

  She gulped. “Wherever, really. Preferably somewhere quiet.”

  Ajax paused, then nodded. “You got it. Hold on tight.”

  With the twist of his fingers, he brought the engine roaring to life, and the next moment, they were off, rocketing across the desert, the wind whipping by, crisp and sharp against her skin as she leaned closer against him for warmth.

  The Texas plains passed by in a blur, and when they came to a stop, Olivia found that they were at the top of a small mesa overlooking a valley. At the bottom, a river weaved its way gently down its path. Fast enough to be heard but slow enough that the starry night sky was reflected on its surface.

  It almost looked like there might be diamonds in the river’s depths.

  Ajax quieted the engine and stepped off, and Olivia followed suit, taking off the helmet he had given her earlier and setting it on the seat. Without saying a word, he stepped over and set a blanket a few feet from the edge of the rocky hill, then nodded for her to join him, which she did.

  Once they were both settled, he took a deep breath, then frowned. “I’m sorry about yesterday. I don’t regret what I did, but the way I did it, undermining your authority, I regret that,” he said.

  Olivia hadn’t expected that, and she shrugged, pulling out the pack of gum she kept with her and taking a piece. She offered some to him, but he shook his head, and she shoved the packet back in her pocket.

  She’d taken up gum-chewing as a habit after she’d given up smoking several years ago.

  “Nothing to apologize for. The mission was completed, and I can’t complain about none of our allies being hurt.” She cocked an eyebrow. “Is that how you always do things?”

  “Is what how I always do things?”

  “Alone?”

  His brows fell for a second, and then he laughed. “Mostly.”

  “‘Mostly?’” She leaned over and nudged him. “What does that mean? Come on, tell me more of your story, Ajax.”

  “My story?” He looked taken aback. “There’s not much to tell. For the last several hundred years, I was underground, protecting the earth while in basilisk form. I’ve only been on the surface in human form for a short while.” He shook his head. “Since then, I’ve been protecting humans.” He cocked an eyebrow at her. “Your turn.”

  “You want to hear about me?”

  Ajax nodded, and Olivia sighed, wondering what to tell him.

  She never stayed long enough on any mission or job to let people get close.

  But here, with Ajax, the stars twinkling high above them as the last shreds of twilight faded into the horizon, she didn’t feel like she needed to run right now.

  “Well, I’ve worked for the double dragons for a long time. Moving here and there for mission after mission. I love it, knowing I can help people, make a difference in the world, even if it’s just one person at a time.” While she was talking, she absentmindedly pulled back her sleeve and ran her palm over the long, jagged scar that ran up her forearm.

  He noticed and nodded down at it. “Where’d you get that?”

  Olivia laughed. “What, are we sharing war stories now too?”

  “Sure,” he said, unzipping his leather jacket and pulling up his shirt, revealing luscious abs and pecs, along with a remarkable collection of black tattoos and jagged scars. “I’ve got a whole chest of ‘stories’ if you want to hear mine, but the story is the same every time.”

  Almost instinctively, she reached out and ran her fingertips down his chest. Ajax froze, watching her. His skin was warm, and she could feel waves of electricity moving up her arm in shocks.

  What on earth?

  It was a few seconds before she realized what she’d done and pulled her hand back, looking away in embarrassment.

  She’d really just touched him, and she hadn’t even been able to stop it. And worse, she wanted more, wanted to know what it would feel like if he got closer.

  He lowered his shirt, then zipped his jacket back up. “Now yours.”

  “My scar?”

  He nodded. “And the rest of your story. Before the double dragons.”

  She looked down at the river below, unsure of where to start. “I never really had much of a childhood. My mom died just after I was born, and my dad was so busy trying to provide for my brother and me that he wasn’t around much. We moved around a lot, for his work.” She grimaced. “We never stayed in one place for more than a few months, so I never put down roots.”

  Ajax just listened.

  “My brother moved away once he was eighteen and got married. Made a new family with his in-laws back East. My dad died a few years later, just after I graduated high school.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Olivia shrugged. “It’s fine. I took a number of odd jobs before realizing I wanted to help keep people safe. So I got my first job as a security guard. It seems so far off now, remembering a time before I knew shifters existed…” She trailed off, the memories seeming so distant.

  “What happened?”

  “My partner and I were responding to a call in the building we worked for, a domestic abuse incident unfolding in the lobby. When we got up there, the man who was attacking his wife saw us.” She blinked in shock at the mere memory of it. “He shifted. That was the first time I saw it. He changed into a wolf, right there in front of my eyes. Then he leaped right at us. I still remember the size of his fangs.” She uncurled her tight fists because she hadn’t realized she was clenching them so hard the blood wasn’t getting in. “He killed my partner instantly. Then he went after me. He would have taken my arm all the way off if I hadn’t had my father’s knife on me. I buried it in the wolf’s eye socket. It kept him distracted long enough for help to arrive.”

  “That’s how you met the double dragons?”

  She nodded. “They got there just in time to save my life… and my arm. Shortly after that, I went to work for them, rather than having my memories erased so I could go back to living a normal life. After getting this scar—after failing my partner—I have to do everything I can to protect others. I can do that best with the dragons.”

  “You didn’t fail,” Ajax said.

  “What?” She blinked, not getting what he meant for a moment.

  “You didn’t fail your partner. There was nothing you could have done.”

  Olivia felt her chest squeeze, unsure if she’d ever even talked about this with anyone before. “You’re right. I know that… most of the time.” But it was good to be reminded.

  Ajax nodded. “Surviving such a fight, against an opponent with so much more power and malice, takes a great deal of strength. I already sensed you were strong, but now I’m amazed by you.”

  Her throat tightened, she was so taken aback at his sincere words. “Thank you.” She tried a smile, hoping to lighten the sudden tension. “Hey, are you really the same guy I just saw wipe out an entire facility of shifters on his own?”

  Ajax said nothing but moved a little closer. He was so big Olivia could almost feel the heat emanating off him. She was a tall woman and not used to feeling small, but next to Ajax…

  His eyes lowered, locking on hers and holding them captive in beautiful red. “I guess I’m full of surprises.” The air seemed to thicken as the tension grew taut once again.

  He was so close now, and his red eyes twinkled like rubies in the starlight. She snuck a look down at his lips, wondering what they would feel like against hers.

  She’d met so many shifters, many of them objectively very attractive, but she’d never felt a pull to them as she did to Ajax. Like her very skin was begging to get closer, to feel him and taste him and—

  “Olivia,” he said, moving in even closer, putting up a hand to her face and rubbing his thumb up and down her cheek, his touch light and gentle despite his huge size.

  How could he be such a contradiction?

  Then, just as he seemed about to move forward and finally break through the space between them, he suddenly pulled back, abruptly letting go of her face to do so.

  It felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room.

  “This… is a bad idea,” he said roughly, sitting back and then pushing himself up off the blanket to stand. He stood there awkwardly, then extended a hand to help her up.

  He was probably right, but she was still so shocked by the sudden change of mood that she couldn’t just let it go. “Why?”

  “Just trust me,” he said. “You don’t want to get involved with someone like me.”

  How was he coming to that conclusion? Still, staring up into his stubborn face, she could tell she wasn’t going to get more out of him.