I trace the old debt on the ledger, and Patrick decides when it is paid. His hand covers mine in the vault doorway and I do not pull away. His iridescent scales and half-extended wings keep the rival dragoness at a distance.

My family vanished long ago, leaving me terrified of being abandoned again, yet his dominance promises I will belong here as his living treasure. The thought of his mating flight, of being claimed and bred within these shadowed stone vaults, should frighten me.

But as his first low command echoes in the sealed alcove, I know the bond threatens ancient laws, and losing my place in his hoard would mean losing the only safety I've ever known.