Page 114

Rosana smiled and allowed the blond human to take her gloved hand. He led her onto the microscopic dance floor and set his hands on her hips, drawing her closer.

A growl scraped Adric’s throat. His claws slid out and he started to his feet.

No one touched Rosana but him.

“Easy now.” Zuri’s fingers clamped onto Adric’s wrist. He wasn’t just a good friend, but one of Adric’s lieutenants. “Don’t do anything you’ll regret.”

Adric snarled. Back off.

Zuri removed his hand but stared back steadily. Not challenging Adric, just reminding him of who and what he was.

He sank back onto his chair, aware people were turning to stare at him. His friend was right.

Rosana was a dolphin shifter, a river fada—and he was alpha of the Baltimore earth fada. Water and earth fada didn’t mix. And Rosana wasn’t just any river fada, she was the sister of Lord Dion, alpha of Adric’s clan’s biggest rival.

Which meant he could look but not touch.

Rosana did one of those evasive twists women do, forcing the human to release her, and danced away.

Adric’s claws retracted.

“Drink your beer,” Zuri prompted.

He picked up his bottle but didn’t bring it to his mouth.

The lieutenant fingered his soul patch. “You want me to boot her sexy ass out of here?”

“For what reason?”

“Disturbing the fucking peace.”

The Full Moon Saloon was technically a neutral space owned by a Brazilian river fada named Claudio. But Baltimore was Adric’s territory; if he gave the word, Rosana would be banned from the bar.

But then he wouldn’t get even these occasional glimpses of her. The Rock Run Clan’s base was an underground fortress protected by fae wards impossible for him to break. And he’d tried.

He brought the bottle to his lips. Swallowed. “Let her stay.”

Zuri leveled a look at him. “Maybe you should just take her,” he said in a voice pitched for Adric’s ears only. “She wants you. Even her brothers know it—that’s why they try to keep her up at Rock Run. Bang the woman already. Get her out of your system.”

Adric’s fingers tightened on the bottle. “I’ll handle my own damn love life, thank you.”

“But you haven’t been handling it. When’s the last time you had a good, hard—”

He sliced Zuri a look. “Enough.”

The other man moved a big shoulder in a shrug and shut up, thank all the gods.

Adric glanced around. In addition to Dina and Cara, there were five other unmated earth fada females in the bar, any of whom would be happy to take the alpha to bed for a night. And like with Cara, it would be no harm, no foul.

But he only wanted Rosana.

Who hadn’t even glanced his way since entering the bar.

The song ended. With a nod at the cocky blond, Rosana wended her way through the tables to the polished oak bar. The man followed, his gaze glued to her ass.

Fuck this.

Adric moved, cutting off the human and squeezing in next to Rosana.

“Hey!” The man’s fingers dug into Adric’s arm. “She’s with me.”

Adric turned. “No,” he said, letting his cat into his eyes. “She’s not.”

The man’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He released Adric and backed away. “Right. I—” He fled back to the safety of his wingmen.

Adric turned to Rosana. “Hello, love.” Her lips were a slick crimson the same shade as her jacket. “What’re you drinking?”

“Adric.” In her faint, sexy accent, his name came out as Ah-dreek instead of Aaa-dric. The two syllables shivered deliciously over his skin. He could almost ignore the way she inclined her head like she was a princess and he a slimy green frog.

So she was still pissed off at him. He supposed he deserved it. The gods knew, he’d been an ass the last time they’d met.

Her deep blue eyes flashed. “I can get my own drink, thank you.” She reached for her wallet.

He slapped a hand onto hers over the glove. “I asked,” he said between clenched teeth, “what are you drinking?”

“Fine.” She jerked her hand out from beneath his. “Buy me a Dos Equis.”

He raised two fingers at Sophie, the motherly Mediterranean Sea fada tending bar along with Claudio. “Two, please.”

While they waited for their beers, he put an elbow on the bar and angled his body toward Rosana.

She had the fresh, clean scent of a clear mountain pool.

Beneath his T-shirt, his quartz warmed, like it always did when she was near—seeking to complete their connection, as if they were two mated earth fada.

But Rosana wasn’t an earth fada, she was a river fada. And the two of them could never mate.

Inside, his cougar hissed in disagreement.

A corkscrew of black hair had fallen forward over her shoulder. He itched to finger it, see if it was as soft as he remembered. Instead, he fisted his hand and gave her a mocking smile.

“Didn’t expect to see you in Baltimore again so soon. Decided you want to tangle with a cat, huh?”

The last time they’d met, he’d told her to stay out of his city if she knew what was good for her. Said that if she wasn’t careful, “a big, bad cat would carry her off to his lair.”

Her long-lidded blue eyes narrowed. “You know what?” she asked sweetly. “Sometimes you can be a real cabr?o .”

A bastard , a motherfucker . That was one Portuguese word he knew. She wasn’t the first Rock Run fada who’d tossed it at him. But with Rosana, he deserved it.

His gaze slid from hers. “It was for your own good.”

“Oh, yeah?” Her look should’ve fried him where he stood. “Well, maybe I’m tired of other people deciding what’s good for me. Maybe I want to decide for myself.”

He raised his beer to her. “Then go for it.”

When she shot him an uncomprehending look, he shrugged. “Hey, I’m not your brother or even a member of your clan. You want something, go out and get it. Just don’t come to my city and try to mess in my business.”

She leaned closer, dropped her voice. “And if what I want is you?”

He gulped. Took a swig of beer. Replayed her question in his head. “ That’s why you’re here?”

A tiny nod. She looked out over the crowd, seemingly unconcerned, her slim frame was taut with tension. “I want to take you up on your offer.”

His heart slammed in his chest. Hard, disbelieving beats. “My offer?”

He’d practically begged her for one night, had even offered to meet her out of town so no one would know. But she’d turned him down.

He shifted closer and she turned her head to meet his eyes. The noisy bar faded away until it was just the two of them.

He swayed toward her, his gaze locked on her shiny red lips. He could already taste them beneath his, feel their softness. Hear her gasp as he took her deeper…

“Here you go, bibi .” Sophie’s cheerful voice wrenched him to his senses. She set the beers on the bar behind them.

He dragged in a breath, handed the bartender a ten. “Keep the change.”

“Thanks.” Her gaze flicked between Rosana and him, and then she chuckled before moving on to the next customer.

Adric picked up both bottles and handed one to Rosana.

The other fada in the bar—both river and earth—were eyeing them.

He smoothed out his expression and lowered his voice to subvocal tones. “Just to be clear, you’ll give me one night.”

She dipped her chin in assent.

He rubbed a thumb over the bottle’s two bright red X’s. “And you changed your mind—why?”

Why the fuck was he arguing? She’d said yes, hadn’t she? But he couldn’t help being suspicious.

He’d wanted—no, craved—this woman for six and a half years.

But it was like Romeo mooning over Juliet, and he wasn’t the idiot Romeo had been.

Besides, she’d been barely sixteen, too young and way too sweet for a cynical bastard like him.

He’d contented himself with a dance the few times their clans had socialized—and a searing kiss or two.

She was twenty-two now, and he was tired of pretending this thing between them didn’t exist.

But he’d made a move—twice—and both times, she’d shut him down.

Then, a few weeks ago she’d come looking for him, said she’d had a “hunch” that he was planning something against the night fae, and she wanted to help.

He’d told her no fucking way.

They’d argued, and then he’d taken her hand. She’d gone stick-straight, her irises darkening to an eerie black. That was when he’d realized she had the Sight.

“The Darktime isn’t over,” she’d said in a Seer’s toneless voice. “The prince will destroy your clan from the inside out.”

A chill had run over his skin. She was a Seer. He hadn’t known, and there wasn’t much he didn’t know about the do Rio family.

He’d shaken her, demanded to know what she’d Seen. There was a fraught silence, and then with a shudder, she’d come back to herself and whispered, “That’s insane. You can’t kill him. You’ll set off something you can’t stop.”

But maddeningly, that had been all she could tell him.

His spine had iced. Nobody knew what he was planning. Not even his sister.

And Rosana didn’t know. Not really. She’d Seen a possible future, that’s all. So he’d sent her on her way, told her to stay the fuck out of Baltimore.

Now her fine dark brows scrunched together. “If you’re not interested…”

He growled. “You know damn well I’m interested. I’m just wondering why now.”

A shrug. “Maybe I’m curious.”

Cat’s balls.

His dick twitched, his dark side picturing all the things he could teach a curious virgin, because he knew she hadn’t had another man. She was only twenty-two turns of the sun, and an alpha’s pampered baby sister.

Unashamed, he reached down and adjusted his pants.

Her eyes tracked his movement. The tip of her tongue darted out to moisten her full lower lip. He stifled a groan as his dick went from half-hard to full, aching attention.

But the alpha in him was still suspicious. “Does this have something to do with that vision you had?” He lowered his voice even more. “Because I told you, there’s no way I’m letting a river fada help in any way, shape, or form. Especially a Rock Run fada.”

She blew out a breath. “ Deus , Adric. I’m just looking for a little fun. But if you changed your mind, I get it.”

And without giving him a chance to reply, she took her beer and headed into the crowd. A few seconds later, she was dancing with another man, this one a river fada.

Adric’s nostrils flared. No. Hell no.

So Rosana wanted some fun? Then she’d damn well have it with him.

Still, he hadn’t become alpha of a murderous, warring clan by playing his cards for all to see. And the other river fada in the bar were glaring at him with fire in their eyes.

He lifted his beer to them in a mocking salute and headed to the back room and the poker game.

But when she left the bar, he was waiting.