Ross McCord will do anything to fulfill his mother's dying wish...protect family above all else. He does his best, keeping their sheep herd healthy and strong as he watches over his crippled father, Achaius, and his pretty but dim sister, Skena. When Chieftain Goth notices Skena's beauty, he demands to use her as a bride-price to complete an alliance with a neighboring clan. Attempting to keep his sister from being heartbroken, Ross embarks on a dangerous mission to earn a boon from Chieftain Goth. He heads north in search of a secret way for his chieftain's warriors to attack the clan who took in Goth's son, Ian. Much to Ross's distress, he's captured by the brawny redhead, Ziethman. He expects to be killed for trespassing, but Ziethman offers a much more pleasurable form of...interrogation. Experiencing sensations he's never imagined, Ross finds himself craving the other man's touch. When Ross learns that Ziethman is more than a man, and is in fact a dragon, can he accept the male's differences and the help he offers, or will it be too much, sending him running back to his clan to fulfill his mission?