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A dric tapped his quartz against the door to Jace Jones’ den.

He’d been up since dawn, too antsy to sleep. After making the reservation at the B a burly tiger named Sam; and Beau, a big, slow-talking bear.

Sneakers and motorcycle boots were jumbled by the front door beneath the leather jackets and hoodies hanging from pegs on the wall.

The couch was big and comfortable, and a sturdy coffee table held three empty beer bottles and a stack of cards.

In the fireplace, chunks of amber quartz glowed cozily.

It made Adric’s own den seem sterile. He frowned. Maybe he should invite someone to move into his sister’s old bedroom. His den was too quiet these days, the two bedrooms more space than an unmated man needed.

But he was alpha. No one but his lieutenants and a few close friends were trusted with his address.

And politics being what they were, he couldn’t invite someone to live with him without appearing to be favoring one faction over the other.

The cats would object if he invited a wolf, and the wolves would get pissed off if he invited a cat.

And that didn’t even take into account the dozen or so bears and deer. So for now, he lived alone.

The kitchen was large, welcoming. Jace had inherited the den from his parents, who’d always had an open door.

Stop by for a meal or a few days, it was all the same to them.

They’d never turned anyone away, even during the Darktime when they’d barely had enough food for their own small family.

The stout plank table could seat twelve people, and the counter was tiled in a light green ceramic that Adric remembered from when he was a cub.

A wood block held knives of various sizes, and pots and skillets hung over the elderly gas stove.

While he waited for Marjani, he boiled water for coffee.

She would’ve heard the front door open, recognized his footsteps.

Hell, she’d probably sensed him from a few blocks away.

The two of them had grown up together, survived the Darktime and his uncle.

She might be younger by a couple turns of the sun, but the two of them were more like twins, attuned to each other.

Which was the real reason he hadn’t invited anyone else to take her room. He still hoped she’d move back in, even if it meant Fane came, too.

Still, he understood why she’d moved out.

She was newly mated, and Adric and Fane weren’t exactly good friends.

The tall blond male was a little too slick, the kind of man who could charm your pants right off your ass.

For his sister’s sake, Adric had accepted Fane into the clan, but that didn’t mean he trusted him.

Adric took out the French press, filled it with ground coffee. As he plunged the press into the glass carafe, Marjani padded into the kitchen in an oversized T-shirt that hung loosely on her spare frame.

“Ric. Whassup?” She smothered a yawn and stepped in for a hug.

“Morning.” She’d gained weight, he noted with satisfaction, and stopped shaving her head. He gave her a hard squeeze and released her.

She really was better. He owed Fane for that.

Marjani got out two cups and he filled them with the coffee. She dosed both with half-and-half and handed one to him. “So. Why are you here?”

He took a gulp of coffee. It was perfect. Creamy, with a dark bite.

“I’m going to be out of town until late tomorrow.” Gods, he hated having to inform someone every time he made a fucking move, but he was alpha. He couldn’t just disappear for twenty-four hours.

“’Kay. Where?”

“Delaware. But unless the city catches fire, handle it. Anything else can wait until I get back.”

“So this isn’t business.”

“No.”

“You going to tell me what it’s about?”

“No.”

“Does it have anything to do with the little convo you and Rosana do Rio had at the Full Moon last night?”

He scowled. The clan grapevine had been working overtime. “And if it does?”

Marjani had told him straight up that this yen he had for the Rock Run alpha’s little sister was insane. Hellfire, he knew that himself. But he couldn’t let it go. His cougar insisted Rosana was his mate, but that was insane. Adric couldn’t think of one single earth/water fada mating, anywhere.

What would their cubs be, anyway? Catfish?

“Because.” Marjani set a hand on his arm. “If she’s your mate, maybe you need to stop fighting it.”

He almost choked on his coffee. He set down the cup. “Is this the same sister who’s always telling me to forget about Rosana? That it will only fuck things up for me and the clan?”

Her dark eyes flickered. “I know, I know. It’s the wrong thing for the clan, and we both know it. But Adric, this thing I have with Fane—I couldn’t turn away from it if I tried. If either of us rejected the other, it would literally kill us both.”

He wrapped his arms around her still-too-thin body. “That’s because you accepted the bond. I haven’t, and I never will. You know I can’t. I’m alpha, and there are still people who are unhappy with that. I can’t give them any more fuel for their fire.”

She looped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. “So you do feel the bond.”

He stiffened. “No. Just the…possibility. And that’s all it’ll ever be. I promise.”

“Oh, Ric. Don’t make promises like that. Because if something changes…” She shook her head against his shoulder. “I just want you to be happy. You deserve it, more than anybody.”

He pulled back and grinned. “Well, I intend to get very happy tonight.”

Marjani chuckled, like he’d meant her to—and the sound went straight to his heart. These last few years, there’d been times when he’d wondered if she’d ever laugh again.

“Good.” She gave him a squeeze and released him. “And don’t worry, I’ll cover for you. For the next twenty-four hours, forget you’re alpha. Just be Ric.”