Pretend to be the mate to a hunk who thinks he's a dragon shifter? It's not exactly what Corporal Carla Giannone signed up for when she joined the military, hoping to help protect those who didn't have a voice. But his muscles and charm say yes, as does the forty-eight hours of leave that she just started. What could go wrong?

Awoken from his slumber and told that he's to be used as a weapon by the human military, Thorne is growing angry. He should be asked, not told; his power as a dragon must be respected and feared. With his own interests in mind he convinces a gorgeous woman to help him trick those in charge to sending him on his way. Only he never expected it to be more than just a joke…

Ripped away from the unit that had become her family and stuffed into a downtown apartment suite with the so-called dragon shifter, Carla doesn't know how to act. Especially when he comes to her and says that it wasn't a joke after all. She really is his mate. Caught between her desire to return to the military and her burgeoning feelings for the dragon, Carla knows there must be a way she can have both. But will she find the answer in time?