skin
and cold light eyes, a trio of dryads with long brown hair and shy smiles, and others
whom Adric couldn’t name, including a group of slim, golden-skinned beings with
translucent wings and the air of being not quite of this earth.
A night fae in dark sunglasses strode by Adric. Power brushed
over his skin, cold and black. He had to force himself not to shudder. But he’d
vowed never again to bow down to anyone—especially a fae.
He looked back at the dancers. The river girl threw back her
head and laughed up at her partner. She glanced toward Adric. Her eyes were a rich
blue, startlingly beautiful against her light olive skin. Their gazes snagged
and she missed a step.
So she felt it too. He smiled at her, slow and dangerous.
She stared back, eyes wide. Then the sun fae spun her around
and she returned her attention to him.
“Who is she?” he asked Marjani. He kept files on the Rock Run
alpha and his top warriors, but he’d never seen the young river shifter before.
Marjani followed his gaze. “Christ, Ric,” she muttered. “You
do like to live on the edge, don’t you?”
He frowned. “Who?” he insisted.
“Rosana do Mar. The alpha’s only sister. His baby sister.”
“Ah.” His file needed to be updated. In the file photo she was
young, no more than thirteen turns of the sun, with a stick-straight body and gangly
arms and legs. But he’d been struck by the wide grin she was directing at the camera.
He blew out a breath. She’d certainly grown up in the past few
years.
Marjani elbowed him in the ribs. “Anyone but her, Ric. Lord Dion
won’t let you within ten miles of her.”
“It’s a party. We can at least have a dance. And Dion’s not even
here yet.”
“But his brother is.”
“So?” Adric flicked him a dismissive glance. The younger do Mar
was going to be powerful one day, but at the moment he wasn’t close to a match for
Adric.
“You want to start a war, that’s the way to do it.”
She was right. And while he was willing—no, eager—to engage the
Rock Run clan, this wasn’t the time or place.
Adric turned his back on the pretty little river girl. “Let’s
dance. I think I can still do the damn samba.”
His sister’s lips quirked. “Since you asked so nicely—”
“Shut it,” he muttered.
She chuckled, grabbed his hands and moved into an easy, fluid
salsa. But then, their Jamaican mother had had them both dancing from the time they
were toddlers.
As the dance ended, Cleia appeared with Dion, both of them wearing
shit-eating grins. The two of them were immediately surrounded by people offering
congratulations.
Dion caught sight of Adric and their gazes locked. The two of
them had disliked each other on sight—and now the other alpha knew that Adric had
engineered Cleia’s rescue, had been inside Rock Run with the sun fae.
A beat passed as neither of them would give ground. Tension rocketed
through Adric. Damn, he wanted to challenge Dion. If he won, he’d have the right
to take over the other alpha’s clan—and his territory. But this was a celebration
and the laws governing a gathering of this sort were rigid. Anyone who broke them
with an unprovoked attack would be punished severely.
Adric gritted his teeth and jerked his head. Acknowledging Dion
as the dominant—for now.
Cleia noticed him and smiled. He moved forward to offer his congratulations,
enjoying how Dion’s teeth clenched as she graciously accepted them and thanked him
in turn for the aid he’d rendered the sun fae.
“It was my pleasure.” He shot a carefully expressionless look
at Dion. “I trust you weren’t harmed, Lord Dion?”
Dion’s jaw hardened. The man didn’t like being reminded of the
humiliation of being captured naked—and in the act of taking an equally naked Cleia.
Adric kept his face blank, although inside he was grinning.
Cleia frowned and flicked her fingers as if shooing away an insect.
He blinked as a painful jolt of energy hit him. She gave him a
and cold light eyes, a trio of dryads with long brown hair and shy smiles, and others
whom Adric couldn’t name, including a group of slim, golden-skinned beings with
translucent wings and the air of being not quite of this earth.
A night fae in dark sunglasses strode by Adric. Power brushed
over his skin, cold and black. He had to force himself not to shudder. But he’d
vowed never again to bow down to anyone—especially a fae.
He looked back at the dancers. The river girl threw back her
head and laughed up at her partner. She glanced toward Adric. Her eyes were a rich
blue, startlingly beautiful against her light olive skin. Their gazes snagged
and she missed a step.
So she felt it too. He smiled at her, slow and dangerous.
She stared back, eyes wide. Then the sun fae spun her around
and she returned her attention to him.
“Who is she?” he asked Marjani. He kept files on the Rock Run
alpha and his top warriors, but he’d never seen the young river shifter before.
Marjani followed his gaze. “Christ, Ric,” she muttered. “You
do like to live on the edge, don’t you?”
He frowned. “Who?” he insisted.
“Rosana do Mar. The alpha’s only sister. His baby sister.”
“Ah.” His file needed to be updated. In the file photo she was
young, no more than thirteen turns of the sun, with a stick-straight body and gangly
arms and legs. But he’d been struck by the wide grin she was directing at the camera.
He blew out a breath. She’d certainly grown up in the past few
years.
Marjani elbowed him in the ribs. “Anyone but her, Ric. Lord Dion
won’t let you within ten miles of her.”
“It’s a party. We can at least have a dance. And Dion’s not even
here yet.”
“But his brother is.”
“So?” Adric flicked him a dismissive glance. The younger do Mar
was going to be powerful one day, but at the moment he wasn’t close to a match for
Adric.
“You want to start a war, that’s the way to do it.”
She was right. And while he was willing—no, eager—to engage the
Rock Run clan, this wasn’t the time or place.
Adric turned his back on the pretty little river girl. “Let’s
dance. I think I can still do the damn samba.”
His sister’s lips quirked. “Since you asked so nicely—”
“Shut it,” he muttered.
She chuckled, grabbed his hands and moved into an easy, fluid
salsa. But then, their Jamaican mother had had them both dancing from the time they
were toddlers.
As the dance ended, Cleia appeared with Dion, both of them wearing
shit-eating grins. The two of them were immediately surrounded by people offering
congratulations.
Dion caught sight of Adric and their gazes locked. The two of
them had disliked each other on sight—and now the other alpha knew that Adric had
engineered Cleia’s rescue, had been inside Rock Run with the sun fae.
A beat passed as neither of them would give ground. Tension rocketed
through Adric. Damn, he wanted to challenge Dion. If he won, he’d have the right
to take over the other alpha’s clan—and his territory. But this was a celebration
and the laws governing a gathering of this sort were rigid. Anyone who broke them
with an unprovoked attack would be punished severely.
Adric gritted his teeth and jerked his head. Acknowledging Dion
as the dominant—for now.
Cleia noticed him and smiled. He moved forward to offer his congratulations,
enjoying how Dion’s teeth clenched as she graciously accepted them and thanked him
in turn for the aid he’d rendered the sun fae.
“It was my pleasure.” He shot a carefully expressionless look
at Dion. “I trust you weren’t harmed, Lord Dion?”
Dion’s jaw hardened. The man didn’t like being reminded of the
humiliation of being captured naked—and in the act of taking an equally naked Cleia.
Adric kept his face blank, although inside he was grinning.
Cleia frowned and flicked her fingers as if shooing away an insect.
He blinked as a painful jolt of energy hit him. She gave him a
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