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Faith clutched the heavy vase with damp hands as she walked up to the historic apartment building on Connecticut Avenue where Tala lived for the time being. The imposing nine-story structure rose up in front of her like a stoic sentinel, adding to the feeling of impending doom.

It was beyond her how Tala had managed to secure a place in such an exclusive community so fast. Apparently, the shifters really were well-connected—and they hadn’t spared any expense either.

This fake-dating scheme was clearly important to them, and that sped up Faith’s frenzied pulse even more.

Blood rushed in her ears, mingling with the babble of the fountain in front of the building, which shot three columns of water into the air.

Faith gazed up at the tan brick-and-limestone exterior.

Eagles were carved into the facade, two on the left and two on the right of the main entrance. One on each side glared fiercely at her, while the other faced away. Higher up, right below the pyramidal copper roof, two giant winged griffins adorned the tower.

Faith’s steps faltered.

Was it just a coincidence that the shifters had chosen to house Tala in a building guarded by mythological creatures—half lion, half eagle? Or was it a secret way to let other Wrasa know who lived here? Was maybe every tenant one of them?

Mouth dry, she passed beneath the gleaming aluminum marquee that stretched out over the front entrance.

A doorman opened the door for her, and she entered an opulent lobby.

It was like setting foot into a time capsule.

The blue, green, and golden stained glass over the entrance filled the lobby with a warm glow as the late-afternoon sunlight filtered through it. An enormous chandelier dangled from the ceiling, which was painted in golden tones. To the left and right, two ten-foot mirrors hung on the walls, while straight ahead, a majestic staircase led downstairs, where—according to a discreet sign—an indoor pool, a gym, and a hair salon were located. A round table presented a bouquet of colorful flowers even bigger than the one Faith clutched in her hands.

Why had the shifters put Tala in such a luxury apartment building instead of a more inconspicuous one? Maybe it was because people tended to expect the rich to be eccentric, so they wouldn’t think much of any weird quirks they might observe.

Sea-green carpet muffled Faith’s steps as she walked up to the front desk.

A young woman greeted her with a friendly smile.

“Hi,” Faith said. “I’m Faith MacAllister. I’m here to visit a…um…friend. Tala Peterson.”

The young woman’s brow crinkled as she studied the flowers Faith was clutching. Her nostrils flared, then her smile broadened.

Was she a shifter? Had she smelled the perfume and assumed Tala was her mate?

Faith glanced at the young woman’s neck. She was wearing a silver chain and one of the stainless-steel tags that identified her as a shape-shifter.

It resembled the ID tags members of the military wore, but instead of a rectangle with rounded edges, this one was a perfect circle.

Some humans called them dog tags . Every shape-shifter was required to wear one and keep it visible at all times.

This law had been the first one passed after the Wrasa had revealed their existence, and it was supposed to make it harder for shifters to fool humans and pretend they were one of them.

The Wrasa council had reluctantly agreed, hoping to ease human fears about shape-shifters living undetected among them.

Knowing the young woman was a shifter didn’t make Faith feel any more at ease, though. She tried not to squirm.

The woman looked at her tablet. “Yes. I have Ms.Peterson listed as expecting a visitor.” She pointed toward the rear of the lobby. “Take the elevator up to the top floor. Ms.Peterson’s apartment will be on your left once you get off.”

Top floor? The shape-shifters hadn’t just managed to get an apartment in this posh building at such short notice but one on the top floor! They had more influence than she had suspected. Another shiver ran through Faith. “Thanks so much.” She crossed the lobby on slightly unsteady legs.

The ride to the top floor passed in a blur.

Before she knew it, she stood before a beautiful apartment door inlaid with little golden triangles.

A trickle of moisture gathered between her shoulder blades as she clutched the vase to her chest with one hand, freeing the other so she could ring the doorbell.

Oh God. She’ll be able to smell my anxiety! She’ll know I’m up to something!

Faith focused on drawing air into her lungs. In. Out. Calm down.

If the mate scent perfume worked, Tala wouldn’t be able to sniff out her emotions. Faith had put on so much of it that her eyes had watered.

Even now, the strong aroma filled her nostrils every time she inhaled. It was bolder than her usual style and not a perfume she would have picked for herself, yet she found it surprisingly alluring. An earthy note with a hint of something spicy, like cedar, made her think of the forest. She had expected an aroma like that to make her anxious, but instead, it seemed to ground her.

As she breathed in again, she detected a softer, sweeter note that perfectly balanced the forest scents.

How did Tala, with her keener nose, experience the perfume? Did she like it or find it too overwhelming?

The door swung open, and Tala stood in front of her.

Both froze in place and stared at each other.

No. Tala wasn’t staring at her. Her focus was on the flowers Faith held out like a protective shield. Then, slowly, her gaze raked up to Faith’s face. Tala’s golden eyes locked onto hers, and the intensity of her attention made Faith’s skin prickle. She felt like a rabbit caught in a predator’s sight.

“Hi,” Faith said, just to interrupt the silence stretching between them. “Here. For you.” She thrust the vase toward Tala, who made no move to take it.

“You brought me flowers?” Tala’s eyebrows arched, and she glanced at the bouquet as if it were a live grenade.

Acid rose up Faith’s throat. Did Tala suspect that they were bugged? Faith had made up a reasonable-sounding excuse at home, but for a moment, her mind went blank, and she couldn’t remember a word. “Um, yeah, I… I thought it would make it look real. To anyone who might be watching,” she finally got out and jerked her head up and down the hallway, to the neighboring units. “And I wasn’t sure if you had a vase, so I brought one.”

“I see.” Finally, Tala reached out and took the vase.

Their fingers brushed.

A rush of energy zinged through Faith. She dropped the vase before Tala had fully grasped it.

With quick reflexes, Tala caught it. She tilted her head, and her nostrils flared as she studied Faith. “Why are you so jumpy?”

“Oh, you know. First date nerves.” Faith forced a laugh that sounded a tad too hysterical. “Plus I’ve never dated a shifter before.” She lowered her voice. “Or fake-dated one.”

“That much is obvious,” Tala muttered as if more to herself than to Faith. “If you had, you’d have brought a smoked ham instead of flowers.”

“Smoked…what?”

Tala sighed. “For future reference, just to make this”—she gestured back and forth between them—“look more convincing: Wrasa don’t bring flowers to a date.”

Ah. So that was why the young woman at the front desk had stared at the flowers in confusion. “Why not? You’re not allergic, are you?”

“Hardly. We don’t like cutting off plants from their life source and watching them wither away and die.”

“Oh.” Great, now Faith felt like a plant killer. Good thing this wasn’t a real date because it hadn’t gotten off to a good start.

“If you want to court one of us, you bring food,” Tala added.

And how on earth would she hide a listening device in a smoked ham? Not even James Bond’s Q could solve that problem. “I’ll try to remember that for next time.”

If there would be a next time. Hopefully, Tala would accept the flowers anyway, and the bug would pick up a conversation between Tala and another shifter and get them all the evidence they needed to convince the world that the Wrasa couldn’t be trusted. “But since I already bought the flowers, there’s no sense wasting them, right?”

Tala reluctantly nodded. “Be right back.” She whirled around and carried the flowers into her apartment.

Faith caught a glimpse of polished hardwood floors, a high ceiling, and a sofa curving around a bean-shaped coffee table. She wasn’t sure what she had expected a shifter’s home to look like, but it appeared entirely normal. Which wasn’t surprising since the shifters had learned to fit in centuries ago. Besides, the apartment had probably come fully furnished, so it didn’t reflect Tala’s personality.

Tala put the vase down on the coffee table.

Yes! That spot was perfect so the tiny microphone could pick up any sound in the apartment.

When Tala turned back around, Faith quickly schooled her features.

As they got into the elevator and then walked down the street to where Faith had parked, she kept glancing at Tala out of the corner of her eye.

Earlier, with the bugged vase in her hands, she had been too nervous to register what Tala was wearing, but now she took a moment to check out what shifters considered proper dating attire.

A cream-colored silk shirt clung to Tala’s lithe form. Its polo-style collar revealed a hint of her collarbone and a silver necklace—likely her ID tag, though it wasn’t visible enough for Faith to be certain. Tala’s coppery-red hair stood out against the shirt’s muted tone like a flame. She had chosen a pair of sleek, black pants that stretched over her athletic legs. Black leather boots with a subtle heel added several inches to her height.

Her style—a mix of casual chic and practicality—would have appealed to Faith…if Tala were human, of course.

Tala didn’t merely walk down the street, she prowled with her shoulders square, spine ramrod straight, and her gaze darting left and right, taking in every inch of her surroundings.

“What?” Tala growled as if sensing her attention.

Faith jumped, but she was determined not to let Tala intimidate her. “Nothing. Just…you don’t exactly look like someone heading out to a romantic dinner.”

Frowning, Tala peered down at her outfit. “Of course I do.”

“No. I mean, you look fine—”

“Fine?” Tala smoothed her hand over the collar of her shirt. “If that’s your idea of a compliment, you need practice. I look a lot better than fine .”

Her indignant sniff almost made Faith smile despite her nerves. “Okay, you look…” Under the weight of Tala’s warning glare, she finally added, “Really nice. Better?”

“Marginally. As long as you come up with a more enthusiastic description when someone is around.”

“Hey, it’s not like you complimented my outfit. Or don’t shifters do that?”

“We do. If it’s warranted.” Tala gave her a quick side-glance, taking in Faith’s lavender midi dress with an expression of complete indifference. “You look nice too.”

Faith forced herself not to react to it. After all, she didn’t care what Tala thought of her appearance, right? She hadn’t even meant to comment on Tala’s outfit. “What I actually wanted to say was that you look pretty nervous too.”

Tala huffed. “Please. I’m not nervous. I’m merely vigilant. We Wrasa have to be whenever we’re among humans.”

Oh, come on. Surely that was an exaggeration. Faith had never seen humans attack a shifter. Now, the other way around… She firmly shoved the image of her mother, lying on the bloodstained forest floor, away. “So what if you were nervous? You could admit it, you know? It’s only human after all.”

“I’m not,” Tala said.

“Nervous?”

“Human.”

It was only then that Faith realized what she’d said. Her cheeks heated. Fake-dating a shifter would take some getting used to.

Tala stopped at Faith’s blue Toyota RAV4.

Faith tensed. How had Tala known it was her car without her pointing it out? Had the shifters spied on Faith and found out what kind of vehicle she drove? Or could Tala identify it by Faith’s scent clinging to it? She wasn’t sure which option felt less threatening.

Then she remembered that Tala had walked her to her car after that meeting with Madsen at the gallery. Well, more like escorted her.

Faith blew out a breath. She really needed to calm down. This entire situation was making her paranoid.

“What?” Tala asked.

“Nothing.” Faith quickly unlocked the car and opened the passenger-side door for Tala as a faux romantic gesture before getting in on the driver’s side. “So, where exactly are we going for our fake date? Del Mar?” Their Spanish cured meats or the seafood tower for two might appeal to shifters and their ideas of courtship.

Tala clicked her seat belt into place. “No.”

“Mi Vida?” Faith asked as she started the car.

“No. We’re not going to a restaurant.”

Faith frowned, and she couldn’t keep her pulse from speeding up again. What was Tala up to? “But you said we’d be going out for dinner.”

“We will have dinner. Just not in a restaurant.”

Faith’s mind raced as she put together all the puzzle pieces. The Wharf. Dinner. Then she remembered Jeff Madsen asking whether she was prone to seasickness.

Oh no. Her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, and it took a moment before she could speak. “You got us tickets for a dinner cruise on the Potomac.”

“Yes,” Tala said, grinning like a dog who’d brought home a bone. “Checking out the cherry blossoms along the shore, watching the sun set from the observation deck… It will look very romantic to anyone who sees us.”

Faith didn’t need to be able to sniff out emotions to know she was lying. The romantic perks weren’t why the shifters had picked a ship as the location of their first date. Once it pulled away from the dock, no one could get on or off. They would have complete control.

She clamped her hands around the steering wheel to hide the tremor running through them.

No escape.

~ ~ ~

Tala had lived among humans all her life, but it still amazed her how noisy they could be.

Pier 4 bustled with activity. People waiting to board the ship chattered excitedly, footsteps echoed across the wooden planks, and someone shouted over to the ticket booth.

Out of habit, she scanned the crowd and inhaled the smells drifting on the breeze.

The strong aroma of the mate scent perfume coming from Faith instantly hit her nose, and she had to inhale again to detect anything else.

Most people in the crowd smelled human, but a few yards behind her, she could make out the carefully controlled scent of two Saru on duty.

Even without turning around to check, she knew they were her backup, which Madsen had sent along just in case.

She could practically feel their gazes on the back of her head.

Wait. That itchy feeling wasn’t coming from their direction. It also wasn’t caused by the paparazzo who had been tipped off by the council. He had been following them since they’d gotten out of the car. Every now and then, he snapped a discreet photo, but now he sat on a bollard and fiddled with his phone.

Pretending to tilt her face into the descending sun, she peeked over her shoulder.

A tall man in a suit and a woman in a sundress were leaning against the pier’s railing. They didn’t stand out from the crowd, but the way the guy quickly averted his gaze gave him away.

Amateurs. Tala would have bet the luxury apartment the council had put her in against the modest guest room in Rue and Kelsey’s house that they were members of HASS.

She wasn’t surprised that Peter MacAllister had sent his people to follow them. In fact, she would have been more baffled if he hadn’t. Surely Faith had told him about their date, and whether she had pretended it was real or told him it was fake, he wouldn’t just tell her to have fun. He would never trust a Wrasa with his only daughter.

Faith didn’t seem to notice they were being followed. She had glanced at the paparazzo every now and then after Tala had pointed him out to her earlier, but she hadn’t looked in the direction of the Saru or the HASS members even once, and her scent had stayed the same. Had her father not told her he would have his people follow them?

The throng of passengers ahead of them surged forward as boarding started. But there was a method to the chaos. Everyone had lined up in pairs, and now one couple after another strolled down the gangway hand in hand.

Tala looked around.

There were humans holding hands everywhere.

She leaned closer to Faith and whispered, “What’s this?” She gestured at the couples around them. “Why is everyone lining up like kindergartners at a school trip, clutching someone’s hand?”

Faith burst out laughing. “It has a Noah’s ark vibe, doesn’t it?”

“Noah’s ark?”

“It’s a reference from the Bible.” Faith sobered, maybe at the reminder that Tala didn’t share her religious beliefs—or her species. “Animals were lining up in pairs to board the ark.”

“Ah.” Tala had tried to read the Bible once, just out of curiosity, but had become bored within a few pages, probably because it was all about humans.

“Well,” Faith said, “it’s a romantic sunset cruise, so of course it’s going to appeal to couples. That’s why you booked it, right?”

“Right.” Actually, it had been one of the councilors’ aides who had booked it. If it had been up to her, they would have gone to a steakhouse or something. Being trapped on a ship with hundreds of humans wasn’t Tala’s idea of a pleasant evening. She tugged on her collar, making sure the metal tag that identified her as a Wrasa stayed hidden beneath her shirt. “Should we…do that too? Hold hands?”

“Um, sure,” Faith said but didn’t sound sure at all.

Tala hesitated. Great Hunter, they were both making this more complicated than it needed to be. It was a little hand-holding, not cunnilingus in public. She gave herself a mental kick, reached over, and took Faith’s hand.

Her skin was very soft, yet despite the pleasantly warm evening sun, her fingers were cold and clammy.

Tala knew humans had lower body temperature compared to her own kind. Still, it didn’t feel normal.

Even though the mate scent perfume mostly drowned out the odor of her emotions, Faith was clearly scared.

Scared of her.

That thought sat like a jagged rock in the pit of Tala’s stomach. While she didn’t like humans and didn’t trust Faith, she didn’t want to terrify her either—if for no other reason than that it would endanger her mission. If Faith was scared of her, she wouldn’t be able to play her smitten lover convincingly.

Tala loosened her grip on Faith’s hand, very aware of how much stronger she was, even though she might not look it. “Listen.” She lowered her voice and made an effort to soften it to what she hoped was a tone humans would find soothing. “I know your father made you think we’re monsters. But I don’t mean you any harm. All I want right now is to make sure I don’t disappoint my superiors.” She stopped herself from adding the word again . “Well, that and a huge plateful of whatever food they serve on board. That’s the entire evil agenda I have for tonight.”

Faith studied her intently, as if searching for the tiniest hint of deceit. Finally, her fingers curled around Tala’s, and the faintest of smiles darted across her face. “If that’s evil, I guess I’m going to hell too because, truth be told, I skipped lunch and feel like I could eat a horse.”

“Ooh, horse!” Tala made a show of licking her lips. “You think that’ll be on the menu?”

A horrified look crossed Faith’s face. Her hand jerked in Tala’s as if she was about to pull away. “You’re kidding…right?”

“Of course I am. We Wrasa do have a sense of humor, you know?”

“A weird one,” Faith muttered, but her hand relaxed.

Tala cursed herself inwardly. She really had to stop those jokes, especially since the peace between them was fragile, but for some reason, Faith seemed to bring out the urge to tease her. She wasn’t sure why, and before she could figure it out, the line moved forward and it was their turn to have their tickets scanned.

Tala held out her phone with the digital tickets to the uniformed crew member.

The scanner beeped, and he let them pass with a nod.

Side by side, they walked across the long gangway toward the sleek, glass-enclosed ship.

Right before they could climb on board, the gangway widened. A man with a professional camera stood on a little platform to the right and waved at them. “Would you like to have your picture taken? You can purchase them at the end of the cruise.”

Tala had never liked photos of herself, but several of the human couples had stopped for pictures, so maybe it was considered a romantic thing. Plus the paparazzo could take the opportunity to snap a photo of them too. “What do you think, hon?”

Faith gave her a look but gamely nodded. “Sure thing, babe. Let’s capture this special evening.”

“Great! If you’d step over here…” The photographer gestured at them to take up position behind a decorative life ring, adorned with the name of the ship, Odyssey .

Faith smoothed her fingers down her dress, letting go of Tala’s hand in the process.

The photographer lifted his camera and peered through the viewfinder but then paused and lowered it again. “Why don’t you put your arms around each other? Don’t be shy. You two are a couple, right?”

Tala bit back a “no, I grabbed the hand of the nearest stranger so I would be allowed onto Noah’s ark.” She had to be nice to the humans…and more convincing! If he had to ask to make sure they were together, they had been doing a shitty job.

Come on. You can do this. She had been pretending to be someone she wasn’t—a human—all her life. Faking to be Faith’s date should be as easy as stealing a bone from a pup in comparison.

They shuffled closer to each other.

Tala lifted her arm, carefully wrapped it around Faith’s waist, and pulled her against her side.

In return, Faith slipped her arm around Tala’s shoulders. Her hand came to rest against Tala’s arm. It wasn’t as cold as earlier, maybe because Tala had warmed up Faith’s fingers with her own or, hopefully, because she was no longer as scared.

This close, the mate scent perfume engulfed Tala. It mingled with Faith’s own scent, making it even more convincing. Incredible. The scientist would have been awarded the Nobel Prize if the Wrasa had something like it.

Tala found herself leaning in and tilting her head to breathe in the aroma.

The camera clicked. “Perfect,” the photographer called. “One more. Why don’t you face each other for this one and hold hands?”

They swiveled, and again, it was Tala who reached out and clasped Faith’s hands, this time both of them. As the photographer snapped away, they looked into each other’s eyes.

For the first time, Tala realized Faith’s eyes were brown. A shade darker than her chestnut hair, they appeared as calm as a tranquil forest lake at night, yet a subtle wariness lurked like ripples disturbing its surface.

“All done. I think they’ll come out great.” The photographer walked over and handed Tala his card.

She stuffed it into her pants pocket without checking it out, then gestured at Faith to step on board ahead of her.

The Odyssey was a long ship with just one level, built low so it could pass beneath the bridges across the Potomac. That was one of the reasons they had chosen this vessel for their first fake date—unlike other ships, there was only one dining room, so her Saru backup would have an easier time keeping an eye on them. Unfortunately, it also meant Peter MacAllister’s people could follow them more easily too.

“Welcome aboard.” A uniformed hostess greeted them. Tala instantly recognized her as another Saru.

She gritted her teeth. Why had Madsen sent so many Saru? Didn’t he trust her to handle this on her own? She would have to talk to him before the next fake date.

The hostess led them into a dining room with a glass roof, past a long bar, and to their table for two right next to the panoramic window.

Tala pulled out Faith’s chair for her.

Faith glanced up at her as she settled into her seat. “Thank you.” A note of surprise vibrated in her tone.

“What?” Tala asked as she sat too. “Don’t tell me the human guys you date don’t do that for you?”

Faith lifted her chin in a silent challenge and met her gaze. “Who says I date guys?”

Tala leaned against the back of her chair and regarded her. “You don’t?” Hadn’t the council said Faith had been married to a man?

“I date people.” Faith spoke calmly, yet there was an edge to her tone that revealed she was used to getting pushback on that topic.

She wouldn’t get it from Tala. “So you’re pansexual, then?”

“Technically, yes. But I use bisexual because it’s easier for my family to understand.”

If anyone could understand adjusting to fulfill family expectations, it was Tala. Although in her case, family meant a huge pack with siblings, aunts, uncles, and cousins, while for Faith, it was basically just her father since her mother was dead and she was an only child. Faith had conformed to Peter MacAllister’s norms. “Family can be complicated,” Tala finally said.

“Yes.” Faith directed her attention toward the glittering waters of the Potomac, a clear signal that her father wasn’t a topic she was willing to discuss with Tala. After a few moments, she turned her head back around to face her. “What about you?”

“No guys for me,” Tala said.

“What about humans?” Faith asked. “Have you dated one before? You’re clearly familiar with human dating customs.” She gestured at the chair Tala had pulled out for her.

“No, never.” Tala put one elbow on the table, leaning closer, and winked at her. “You’re the lucky first.”

Faith chuckled. “That winking thing… Just in case you’re trying to fit in, I’ve got to tell you, humans don’t do that.”

“What are you talking about? Of course they do.”

“No, they don’t.”

Tala fiercely shook her head. “I’ve studied humans. They wink all the time.”

“Studied them how?” Faith asked. “By reading romance novels?”

Tala kept a blank expression. No way would she admit that she had been reading human romances—just for research purposes, of course.

“Because that’s the only place where humans do that,” Faith added. “I can say with confidence that I haven’t winked even once in all my life.”

A black-clad waitress walked up to their table. She wasn’t wearing an ID tag, but she moved with a controlled power that unmistakably revealed her as a Puwar, even if the subtle tiger musk emanating from her hadn’t. Something about her stance indicated that she was a fellow Saru. “Good evening. My name is Erika. I’ll be your server tonight. Can I start you off with something to drink? Our bartender makes a great mimosa.” She addressed only Faith, since she knew no Wrasa would ever order alcohol.

“Just water is fine, thanks,” Faith replied.

Apparently, she was determined to remain sober and not let her guard down on this date. Tala couldn’t blame her.

She nodded, indicating that all she wanted was water too.

“But you could help me settle a little argument my, um, girlfriend and I are having, please,” Faith added.

The waitress looked up from where she was pouring their water. “Sure. What’s the argument?”

“How often do you see people…humans wink at someone?” Faith asked.

Erika peered at Tala, clearly trying to find out what answer she wanted her to give.

Tala shrugged in a “whatever” gesture.

Erika put the water jug down. “All the time.”

A triumphant grin tugged on Tala’s lips. “Ha! See? I was right!”

The waitress left them with the menu and prowled away.

Faith’s gaze followed her until Erika disappeared somewhere behind the bar. Slowly, she turned back around. The teasing smile from before was gone, replaced by a wary expression. “She’s one of you, isn’t she?”

“What?” Tala asked, mostly to buy herself some time to figure out how to respond. How in the Great Hunter’s name had Faith known? Erika had done a great job blending in, even adjusting the way she walked to appear human. “Why would you think that? Just because she said that humans are winking all the time?”

“That and she didn’t even blink when I called you my girlfriend. That seems to be common among shifters—they don’t seem to care whether someone’s gay or bi.”

Damn. Faith was observant and clever. Of course Erika hadn’t batted an eye—she had already known Tala and Faith were out on a fake date because the council had sent her. “So? Maybe she’s queer and has excellent gaydar. Or she’s just an ally. I think you’ve been spending too much time around Christians and homophobic conservatives.”

Faith picked up her water glass, but instead of drinking, she held it in her hand and studied the clear liquid. Finally, she looked back up. The tension had fled from her expression. “You might be right about that.” She took a sip of her water, then added, “But you’re still wrong about the winking thing, no matter what our waitress says.”

Tala laughed, trying not to let her relief leak into the sound. She made a mental note to talk to her superiors. That humans-don’t-wink phenomenon had to go into the training manual for Saru recruits!

~ ~ ~