Page 35

I smoothed down the front of my dress for what must have been the hundredth time, nervously checking my reflection in the restaurant's gilt-framed mirror.

The black cocktail dress Aldaine had insisted on buying me "It's not every day you meet my clan, Rosie" hugged every curve of my body in a way that felt both empowering and slightly terrifying.

"Stop fidgeting," Aldaine murmured, his hand settling possessively at the small of my back. "You look ravishing."

"Easy for you to say," I whispered back. "You're not the human about to walk into a room full of demons."

His lips quirked into that half-smile that never failed to make my heart skip. "No, I'm just the demon bringing his human mate to meet the family. Believe me, I'm the one they'll judge more harshly."

I took a deep breath, drawing strength from his steady presence beside me. Through our bond, I could feel his confidence, his pride, and beneath it all, a thin current of nervousness that matched my own. Somehow, knowing that even he wasn't completely unflappable made me feel better.

"Okay," I nodded, squaring my shoulders. "Let's do this."

The private dining room of Cendrillon was exactly what you'd expect from a restaurant where the menu didn't list prices, because if you had to ask, you couldn't afford it.

Crystal chandeliers cast prismatic light over walls paneled in dark wood, while plush crimson carpet muffled our footsteps.

The long table dominating the center of the room gleamed like obsidian, set with china so delicate it looked like it might shatter if you breathed too hard.

I still couldn't wrap my head around how Aldaine had casually signed the check for a glass of sparkling water that probably cost more than my monthly grocery budget. Back before I'd lost my job, anyway.

The room fell silent as we entered, a dozen pairs of eyes swiveling to assess us. No, to assess me. I resisted the urge to hide behind Aldaine's broad shoulders.

"You're late," drawled a willowy blonde woman whose perfect features were almost painful to look at. Her eyes, an unnatural shade of violet, narrowed as they swept over me.

"Fashionably so," Aldaine replied smoothly, his hand never leaving my back. "Everyone, this is Rosie Thompson."

He paused, and I felt a ripple of power emanate from him, not the gentle warmth I was used to through our bond, but something ancient and dangerous that made the air in the room feel suddenly heavy.

"She is my mate," he continued, his voice dropping to a register that sent shivers down my spine. "Treat her with respect and I won't tear out your innards."

I blinked at the casual violence of the threat, but around the table, several beings actually nodded as if this was a perfectly reasonable introduction. The blonde rolled her eyes, but there was new wariness in her expression as she looked at me again.

"Charming as always, Aldaine," said a man, at least, I thought it was a man, with skin the color of burnished copper and eyes like liquid gold. "Perhaps introductions are in order for the lady's benefit as well?"

Aldaine inclined his head. "Of course. Rosie, let me tell you who's who."

He guided me around the table, pointing out each member of his "family" with brief explanations that left me reeling.

"Selene," he indicated the blonde, "has been with the clan for three centuries. She specializes in illusion magic and has a temper to match her power."

Selene's perfect lips curved into what might generously be called a smile. "Charmed."

"Vex," Aldaine continued, nodding toward a young-looking man with spiked blue hair and more piercings than I could count, "joined us in the 1980s. He's our technology expert and can manipulate electricity."

Vex flashed me a grin that was surprisingly warm. "The boss man never brings dates to these things. You must be special."

"More than you know," Aldaine replied, a possessive edge to his voice that made heat bloom in my cheeks.

We continued around the table, each introduction more fantastical than the last. Mal, the copper-skinned being with golden eyes, was apparently over five thousand years old and had once been worshipped as a minor deity in ancient Mesopotamia.

Twins Era and Era (both male, both answering to the same name) could manipulate shadows and had been assassins for various royal courts throughout history.

There was Lutha, who appeared human except for the iridescent scales that glimmered along her temples and down her neck; Dominic, whose eyes occasionally flashed to solid black when he laughed; and several others whose names and abilities blurred together in my overwhelmed mind.

"And this," Aldaine finally gestured to a petite woman with raven-black hair and eyes like polished onyx, "is Nyx. My third-in-command."

Nyx didn't smile, but her nod was respectful. "The bond is visible," she seemed impressed. "Strong."

"Yes," Aldaine agreed, his fingers intertwining with mine. "It is."

With introductions complete, everyone took their seats. I found myself between Aldaine and Vex, the blue-haired demon immediately launching into questions about how Aldaine and I had met.

"So he answered your summoning?" Vex grinned, looking positively delighted. "Classic. Old school. I love it."

"It wasn't exactly planned," I admitted, relaxing slightly at his friendly demeanor. "I was desperate, out of a job, and found this book.."

"And captured the heart of the most eligible bachelor in the supernatural world," interrupted a silky voice from across the table. It belonged to a striking man with features so perfect they seemed carved rather than born. "Impressive, for a human."

Something in his tone made my hackles rise, though his smile was pleasant enough.

"Rosie didn't capture anything," Aldaine answered mildly, though I could feel tension coiling through our bond. "The mating bond forms of its own accord, as you well know, Cassius."

Cassius's smile didn't waver, but his eyes, a startling shade of amber, flicked to me with renewed interest. "Indeed."

The conversation shifted as servers (human ones, I noted with relief) entered with the first course, something delicate involving seafood that I couldn't identify, but tasted divine. Aldaine kept his hand on my knee beneath the table, a comforting presence as talk turned to clan business.

I let my eyes wander, studying each being more carefully.

Now that the initial shock had worn off, I could see subtle signs of their inhuman nature—the way Litha's pupils contracted vertically when the light hit them a certain way, how the shadows around the twins Ira and Ira seemed deeper than they should be, the unnatural stillness with which Malachai held himself between movements.

And yet they bickered and bantered like any family gathering I'd ever attended.

Selene complained about a rival encroaching on her territory in Paris.

Vex detailed his plans to upgrade their communications network with technology that sounded decades ahead of anything commercially available.

The twins finished each other's sentences as they reported on some kind of surveillance operation.

It was surreal and strangely domestic all at once.

"You're taking it all rather well," murmured Nyx from across the table, her dark eyes assessing me. "Most humans would be incoherent with terror by now."

I swallowed a bite of whatever exquisite dish had been placed before me. "I'm dating, or mated, to a demon. I think my baseline for 'normal' has shifted significantly."

That earned me a chorus of appreciative chuckles from around the table.

"She has spirit," Mal observed, his voice like distant thunder. "The bond chose wisely."

"She does indeed," Aldaine agreed, his thumb tracing circles on my knee that were becoming increasingly distracting. Through our bond, I could feel a growing heat, a possessiveness that had little to do with the business discussion around us.

The meeting portion concluded after dessert with a cake involving chocolate and gold leaf that probably cost as much as a car payment. As waiters cleared the table, the demons broke into smaller conversational groups, drinks appearing as if by magic (and for all I knew, they might have been).

Vex cornered me first, eager to show me something on his phone. "I've been designing a security system for your new place," he explained enthusiastically. "Nothing on earth will be able to get within a hundred yards without Aldaine knowing about it."

"That's thoughtful," I managed, not sure whether to be touched or alarmed.

"Vex takes protection seriously," Aldaine appeared at my side with two crystal tumblers of amber liquid. He handed one to me. "As do I."

"The boss has never looked happier," Vex confided to me with a theatrical whisper. "It's freaking everyone out."

"Good," Aldaine replied, not bothering to lower his voice. "Perhaps they'll be so disconcerted they'll forget to argue with my directives."

Vex snorted. "Dream on, boss man."

Over the next hour, I was approached by nearly every member of the clan.

Mal told me stories of civilizations long forgotten, his golden eyes distant with memory.

The twins, who insisted I call them both Era, which was confusing as hell, demonstrated their shadow manipulation by creating intricate silhouettes on the wall.

Even Selene eventually sauntered over, examining me like a curious specimen before grudgingly admitting that "perhaps Aldaine's taste hasn't completely deserted him. "

Coming from her, Aldaine later assured me, this was practically a declaration of undying friendship.

Through it all, Aldaine remained close, his hand finding mine between greetings, his eyes tracking me across the room when we were separated.

I could feel his impatience building through our bond, a restless energy that matched the heat simmering in my own veins.

Every casual touch, every possessive glance stoked that fire higher.