** Previously published in the Bound By Heat anthology ** Rylin thought he’d lost everything when his mate left him to bond with another. Then in a surprising twist of fate he inherited the mantle of leadership. Now Rylin rules the Black Dracol but it’s a lonely life. With hopes of finding another mate, he attends a mating party and finds the fates aren’t done with him yet. An Earth woman captures his heart with one flash of her endearing smile and the open ability to laugh at herself. Not one single Dracol man had approached Dara Fletcher and the few she made eye contact with rushed away. About to count her time a total lost, Dara stumbles into a handsome Dracol who sweeps her off her feet. Literally.