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word from her. But it had been a long, tough year for her. So he didn ’ t begrudge her the time necessary to come around. And he understood Cate . She would come around. She loved him. If anyone grasped the concept of unconditional love, it had to be Cate .
    Given a second chance, he ’ d have explained, early on in their courtship, the one-in-five-hundred chance he still had of transitioning into a dragon. The change for most dragon mages occurred in childhood, before five years old. If the male didn ’ t change as a child, the odds were that he ’ d never change. He figured he ’ d only carry the gene to the next generation and the dragon shifter trait had skipped him.
    He ’ d planned to tell Cate before they decided to have any children, so she could make an informed decision. And although children were high on his list of priorities, he would have forgone them if Cate didn ’ t want to bear dragon children. He would have understood. It wasn ’ t a normal thing for a woman to consider. But t he change had come upon him unexpectedly in his thirty-eighth year, at the beginning of their third year of marriage before he could figure out a way to broach the subject of mythical dragons and their offspring .
    A loud knock sounded at the door. No one bothered him, except Michael. And he tolerated Michael only because he was building a case against the mongrel in order to put him behind bars for a very long time. He would exact justice for the crimes his old friend had committed. One way or another. And the weasel had lost no time in pointing fingers at Cate . Casting aspersions on her character. Hinting that she ’ d tried to kill him and she ’ d misappropriated her own money. God, did Michael think he was stupid? Certainly. He must, the slimy git .
    Someone pounded on the door again. This time harder. “ Hold your horses. ” Grayson yanked the door open, then stood dumbfounded for the span of several seconds. “ Good God, David? What are you doing here? ”
    Shock rocketed through him at the sight of the leader of the North American Dragon Mage Consortium on his front porch. Built like a bodyguard, David never ceased to amaze Grayson with his gentility and grace. This is what could happen if a dragon mage transitioned as a child. Calm confidence. Strength. Leashed control. A shot of envy left a glaring hole at his core.
    He shook the man ’ s hand, bumping opposite shoulders, and pounded on his back. “ It ’ s been, what? Four years? What brings you to Cornwall? ”
    David smiled at him. “ You do, old man. ” He slapped Grayson on the arm as he stepped around him into the foyer. “ Wanted to find out how you were handling Cate leaving you. ”
    Grayson closed the front door harder than he ’ d intended. Tension gripped him. He didn ’ t want a challenge from any of the mage leaders. Not now. Not before he won his wife back.
    Grayson scowled at David, hating the turn this whole situation could take if mage politics played a role.
    David turned to study him.
    The dragon mage leader stood over six feet tall. Broad and muscled.
    They faced off, eye-to-eye.
    David ’ s parents had sent him to England to attend the private boarding school that catered to the offspring of mages. They’d been allies for longer than Grayson could remember. And, yet, he’d always known David would be a formidable enemy if he ever found himself pitted against the younger mage who’d proven himself a scrappy fighter and a great strategist. Grayson had learned everything he’d needed to know about dragon lore and history and politics at the same school. Just not how to control a shift he’d never expected to hit him.
    How did the North American Consortium even know Cate had left him? He hadn ’ t notified the European Council yet. No one knew Cate had left. She ’ d certainly filed no divorce papers. Not that it would do any good. As far as anyone was concerned, she ’ d gone abroad to visit family.
    He sensed David waiting