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“Not this time, Dyl.” I reached over and ruffled his hair, and Dylan slumped down in his chair a little in relief. “But I do need you to hold down the fort here, okay?”

Dylan worried his lip between his teeth. “What do I need to do?”

“I’m going to leave Tank and Rome here on guard duty, but I need you to look out for your mom. It’s important that she stay safe while I’m gone, especially doing work like this.”

“I promise, Dad,” Dylan said, his face suddenly very serious. “I’ll make sure she’s safe. You can count on me.”

“I know I can.” Pride swelled inside me. My dragon could sense our son’s determination. He was young, but he was already proving himself to be a future leader. Just like his dad. “Let’s go inside and tell everyone the plan, shall we?”

Dylan stood up quickly, looking like a little soldier. As we entered the house, Cassidy and Harley looked up from where they were both lounging on the couch with paperbacks. “What were you two talking about?” Harley asked with a small furrow in her brow. She had some kind of sixth sense for when I was about to go out on business. Sometimes it was hard to believe she was human and not a dragon.

“I’m meeting Sean tonight,” I said.

Harley’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Seriously?”

“Hawk and Striker are coming with me. Tank and Rome will be here. And Dylan’s on guard duty, too.” I squeezed my son’s shoulder.

“Should I be worried?” Cassidy asked.

“Steph knows he can’t trust Sean,” Harley supplied before I could answer. “There’s a chance it’s a setup and he might try something funny while Steph’s away.”

“He wouldn’t.” Cassidy glanced between me and Harley. “Would he?”

“Honestly, I doubt it,” I said. “Even with me gone, he’s outnumbered here, and with the clubhouse close by, it’s even riskier.”

“Why are you meeting him?” Harley asked.

“Well…” I sighed. “I’m hoping he’ll challenge me.”

For a long moment, she said nothing, and I could feel the anxiety radiating off her. “I wish it didn’t have to be this way. I wish it could just be over.”

So did I. There was nothing I could say to soothe her. He had to challenge me—it was the only way out. I could only hope that getting in between Sean and his guns would be enough for him to issue one. I was prepared to meet up with him and push all his buttons. If I could get him to impulsively issue a challenge, I could end this tonight.

The guys arrived as the sun set. Striker didn’t look happy about leaving Cassidy, but I needed my most trusted enforcers at my back tonight. Dylan and Cassidy were playing video games in his room while my enforcers strapped up with guns. I didn’t need Dylan to see everyone like that. He was scared enough.

In the kitchen, Harley pulled me aside and stepped close. “Promise me you’ll be safe tonight.”

“I promise.”

She stood on her tiptoes and kissed me. “I trust you, but don’t do anything stupid.”

That made me laugh. “Depends on your definition of stupid.”

Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, and, as it often did, my gaze dropped to her neck. My dragon still wanted to claim her, but now, a new hesitation arose in me.

A claiming bite would tie our souls together. My connection to Harley would be stronger; my ability to sense her would be much sharper. More than that, she’d be able to sense me, eventhough she was a human. Right now, since we were fated mates but I was the only dragon, our connection was one-way. If, God forbid, something happened to Harley and I lost her, I’d feel our bond severing like a physical wound. If something happened tome, though, Harley would only suffer the familiar pain of grief. She wouldn’t experience the pain of the bond breaking apart.

But if Ididclaim her, the bond would go both ways. And if I failed, and Sean and his hired lackeys somehow managed to hurt me, or worse, kill me…

Harley would feel the pain of the bond severing.

As a human and newly bonded, the pain would be even worse than it would be for a dragon. It’d be incapacitating. A part of her would die with me.

As much as I wanted to claim her, I realized now that doing it would put her heart at risk. My dragon, the selfish bastard, was not deterred by that fact.

“What is it?” Harley asked. “What are you thinking about?”

I couldn’t hold back my smile. She could always read me like an open book. I leaned down and pressed my lips to her neck to appease my dragon’s desires a little. “Just about how beautiful you look. I’ll be back soon.”