“Don’t go into the water without an adult,” he told her. “The ocean is too strong for you.”
“Okay,” she replied with a sunny smile. She pointed at the gold kelp strands that the storm had pushed through the tunnel. “I see something pretty.”
His mouth quirked. The little girl was a dragon through and through, with their animal’s love of bright, shiny objects. “That’s kelp. It’s gold here in the islands. Lots of animals live in it—fish, shellfish, even otters.”
Her mouth rounded.
Cassidy came up on Rianna’s other side, and he explained about the current. “Why don’t you take her to the pools?” he said.
“While you men plan this thing without me?” Cassidy set a hand on her hip. “I don’t think so. You need my input. Don’t forget, I’m the one who outran them for the past three weeks.”
Behind them, the other men busied themselves cleaning up, but he knew they were listening. Frankly, he was relieved Cassidy had gotten her spunk back. That exhausted, weepy female of yesterday wasn’t the woman he’d known in Ireland
“I know, and anything you can tell us would be helpful. But no way in hell you’re going out with us.” Rianna turned to look at them, so he lowered his voice to subvocal levels so she wouldn’t overhear. “Your job is to guard Rianna—if things go wrong, you can hide her in the tunnels. I’ll show you a couple of places.”
The little girl tugged on her mother’s arm. “Daddy said a bad word.”
Nic grimaced. “Sorry.”
Cassidy concealed a grin. “He’s an adult. He can use those words if he wants.”
She folded her arms over her small chest. “Why?”
“Because. He’s big and you’re not. Now, why don’t we go swimming?”
“But Daddy promised to take me to see the goats after breakfast.”
“I will,” Nic said. “I have to speak to my men first, and then we’ll go see the goats. Okay?”
Rianna’s lower lip pushed out in a pout.
Cassidy started to say something, but Marlin stepped up. “If he doesn’t, I will. Okay, princess?”
“I’m not a princess,” she said, but the pout disappeared.
Cassidy shook her head. “Someone’s going to be spoiled if we stay long.”
“She could use a little spoiling,” said Nic. “You both could.”
Cassidy ignored that to set her hands on her hips. “I want to know everything you decide, got it?”
“I will. That’s a promise.”
She searched his eyes and then gave a satisfied nod. “Don’t be forgetting about my tracking Gift. It’s like an early-warning system.”
He had forgotten. He made a mental note not to overlook it again. “Can you sense anything right now?”
“No—I would’ve told you. I have my Gift amped up, though. I’ll stay on it.”
“Good.” He watched as she and Rianna entered the center tunnel. Her limp had almost disappeared, and there was a sway to her hips that hadn’t been there yesterday. She might not want to admit it, but her animal was reacting to his.
Ben and Marlin gave him knowing smiles, while Joe just raised a single black brow.
“Better work on that groveling,” Marlin said.
He snarled. “When I need advice on how to handle my woman, I’ll ask for it.”
His friend just chuckled.
The four of them drew up stools by the firepit, the site of all their serious discussions. The embers still glowed from cooking breakfast. Nic stared into the flickering red-and-orange light, gathering his thoughts. Fire always settled him.
Around him, the other three sat in various positions: Ben relaxed and easy, big hands resting on his thighs, and Joe straight-backed, arms crossed over his chest. Marlin slouched, his right foot tapping a rapid rhythm on the cavern floor—the man couldn’t sit still to save his life.
“So,” Nic said, “this is what we’re up against—four fae of unknown origin. We don’t know what their Gifts are, or even if they’re all fae. They could have a fada tracker with them, for example. But at least one of them is powerful—that tracking device was created by someone with a strong Gift. And as we know, at least one of them is capable of making a fae ball.”
They nodded.
“When I left here, I intended to drop the device somewhere far out in the ocean where they could never retrieve it. But sooner or later, they’d realize it wasn’t in Cassidy anymore. And I want these S.O.B.s.” He gave them a toothy grin. “I vote we set a trap—on our own territory.”
Marlin gave him a thumbs up. “We’re with you, bro.”
“Thanks, but I want to hear from everyone.” He looked at Ben and Joe. “You’re welcome to leave. As my dragon, I’m immune to fae balls, but the rest of you…” He didn’t have to say more. They all knew a fae ball could incinerate a man.
“You have to ask?” Ben’s soft voice was dangerous. “You took an earth fada in when I had nowhere else to go. That makes you my brother. My cougar is itching to rip out their fucking throats.”
Joe had produced an iron dagger with an ivory handle from somewhere and was honing the already sharp blade against a whetstone. An iron blade to the heart was one of the few ways to kill a fae.
“I’m in.”
Nic’s chest warmed. He’d been a loner for more than a decade. It had been his own choice—his brother Dion had asked him to stay at Rock Run, but Nic knew he could never live under the rule of another man.
He’d thought he couldn’t trust anyone, but now he realized that he trusted all three men with his greatest treasure—Cassidy and Rianna. If something went wrong, they’d keep his family safe. Somehow, these men had become his friends, and he was grateful.
“Thank you,” he said gruffly. He took a charred stick from the fire and drew a rough map of the island on the floor. “The device is on the north side of the island about two hundred yards offshore.” He tapped the approximate spot.
“In that rocky section,” Marlin said.
“Exactly. I attached it to a spiny lobster twenty-five fathoms down.” Spiny lobsters preferred deep waters with hidden crevices where they could hide during the day. “You don’t need to know exactly where it is, just keep an eye on that area.”
Marlin guffawed. “Genius. The lobster will move around, so—”
“—they’ll think that it’s Cassidy underwater. It won’t fool them for long, but it will buy us some time once they arrive.”
Joe’s eyes were the unnerving coal-black of his shark. “I’ll take surveillance duty. I can patrol the area as my mako. They might be expecting a dolphin or even your sea dragon, but they won’t be expecting a shark. I can sleep with half an eye open. And other than you, I’m the fastest swimmer here. I can be back around the island in minutes to warn you.”
Nic nodded. He would’ve liked to take patrol himself, but he intended to stay close to Cassidy and Rianna in case the fae didn’t take the bait. And Joe was right. Sharks were rare in the fada world—a fae would never suspect that a solitary mako was actually a shapeshifter.
“I’ll send someone for a report every day at dusk,” Nic said.
“That works,” the shark replied.
“But,” said Marlin, “the real question is, what do we do once they’re here?”
Nic lifted the stick and with a short exhale, set it on fire. He tossed it into the firepit and bared his teeth in a predatory smile.
“They know the rules. If you can’t stand the heat, don’t fuck with a dragon.”
Chapter 14
“Mam! Watch me!” Rianna cannonballed off a ledge five feet above the pool to where Cassidy stood in waist-high water, drenching her in the process.
“That was fun!” Rianna popped up, beaming at Cassidy before heading back to the wall.
Cassidy laughed and swiped the water out of her eyes. She could bear almost anything—even the torment of being near Nic without touching or being touched—if it allowed her daughter to be happy and carefree.
A memory flashed: Cassidy licking her way down that sexy trail to Nic’s groin.
They’d swum up the Irish coast as their dolphins and then shifted to human after entering a sea cavern. His skin still held a hint of the Atlantic, salty and good. She pressed a lingering kiss to his navel before continuing her way to where his cock stood, iron-hard and gorgeous.
He groaned something in Portuguese and speared his fingers into her hair.
She gave a secret smile. She knew what he wanted—and she intended to give it to him. First, though, she’d tease him a bit…
But even though they’d pleasured each other, he hadn’t taken her that day, and when she’d asked why, he’d cupped her face and explained that he had to leave soon. “I’m sorry, querida. I never meant to stay this long.”
But he’d stayed another day, and then another, and she’d allowed herself to believe he would never leave…
Now, Nic’s eyes snagged hers and she had the uncomfortable feeling he knew exactly what effect he had on her. She inhaled and dragged her hands through her hair, but that raised her bare breasts.
His gaze zeroed in on her nipples, pink and wet from Rianna’s splashing, and the blasted things perked up. His green irises sparked a gold that seared her to her bones. Then he shuttered them just as quickly.
That was good, right? He was keeping things platonic like she’d asked. But she sank into the pool so the water covered her up to her neck.
“Hi, Daddy!” Rianna waved from the base of the wall.
“Hello, little one.” Nic watched as she scrambled like a crab up the wall. “Hold on.” He leapt to the ledge above her, graceful as a big cat, and lifted her the last few feet.
“Thanks, Daddy!” Rianna gave him a smacking kiss before jumping back into the water.
Nic’s expression was wry as he returned to the steps. “She didn’t need my help, did she?”
“No. She’s been up that wall ten times already this morning.”
He shook his head. “Reminds me of my sister Rosana as a pup—always moving.”
“Me, too. Mam used to threaten to tie a rope to my waist so she’d know where I was. She never did, though.”
They shared a smile before Cassidy jerked her gaze back to Rianna.
Nic expelled a breath. “I’m here to tell you what we planned.”
She nodded and left the pool to pull on her T-shirt and shorts. No way was she going to remain naked with Nic sending those hot looks at her. She could swear she felt his gaze on her ass, but when she glanced over her shoulder, he was looking at Rianna.
Cassidy zipped up the shorts and sat on the bottom step where she could keep an eye on her swimming daughter, and Nic dropped down next to her.
Above, the sun streamed through the slits in the ceiling, painting the aqua water with gold highlights. Cassidy trailed her toes in the pool at the base of the steps, her whole body throbbing with the awareness of Nic’s strong frame just six inches away, his spicy male aroma filling her head. Inside, her dolphin rubbed up against her skin, reminding Cassidy it had been a long time—almost four years, to be precise.
Her stomach did a funny little dance. Would it be as good as it had been back then?
Nic’s nostrils flared, and she knew he scented her arousal. But when she glanced at him, his gaze was on her injured calf. “It’s healing okay?”
“Yeah.” She rubbed the starburst. “It still itches some, but it’s much better.” The scab had healed and faded to a shiny pink. “You should be a healer.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “It’s a small, untrained Gift.”
“You didn’t train with anyone?” Cassidy pursed her mouth. That was almost unheard of. In the fada world, healers were highly respected and sought after. Even a healer with a small Gift could find work as an assistant to a more powerful healer.
He set his hands on his thighs. “I wouldn’t have been accepted. A healer is at the heart of the clan.”
She felt an unwilling tug of sympathy. “Because you’re a sea dragon? But I thought no one knew.”
He gave her a stark look. “Sooner or later, the dragon wants out. I can’t live like that, with no one knowing who I am at the core.”
“So that’s why you’re here on an island in the middle of nowhere? Don’t you miss your clan? Your family?” Me?
“Of course. But I visit my clan every few years, and my dragon loves the wide-open spaces here. I can swim for miles without seeing anyone except the fish and the dolphins and the seabirds.”
She nodded. Inside, her heart sank some more at the further evidence that Nic didn’t need her. His nature was to be a solitary, a fada without a clan. He’d made that clear enough four years ago. The fact that he’d apparently formed a small den with the other three men didn’t change his basic nature.
They watched Rianna move from pool to pool, exploring every nook and cranny. She dove beneath the surface of the saltwater pool to the right and came up waving a strand of gold kelp. “Mam, Daddy! Look what I found!” She hurtled around the rim of the pools to show them.
Cassidy was happy to turn her attention to Rianna. “That’s lovely,” she said a bit too enthusiastically.
“It’s a necklace.” She wrapped the strand around her neck and spun in a circle like a miniature fashion model.
“Beautiful,” Nic said.
“Stunning,” Cassidy agreed.
Rianna showed them all the ways she could wear the kelp, from a crown on her head to a bracelet wrapped around her upper arm. When she tired of the game, she set the kelp on a ledge and clapped a hand on each of their backs.
“Let’s play!” She gave them a winning smile.
“In a minute,” Cassidy replied. “First your daddy and I have to talk.”
Rianna tilted her head. “About the bad fae?”
“Yes.”
Her lower lip protruded. “I don’t like them. They’re mean.”
“I know, love. That’s why we have to make sure they won’t bother us anymore. Why don’t you go swim and we’ll join you in a minute?”
“Promise?” She waited until they both agreed before hopping back into the pool.
Nic leaned back, elbows propped on the step behind him.
“So?” Cassidy prompted. “What did you decide?”
She half-expected Nic to stonewall her—the man was alpha of this small den, his animal dominant to hers, and even in Ireland, he’d been closemouthed—but he kept his promise to share the plan.
“Joe volunteered to keep watch near the tracking device as his shark. The rest of us will stay with you and Rianna until they arrive. Joe will shoot back here and let us know, and then me, Joe, and Marlin will go to meet them. You and Rianna will stay here with Ben. His cougar is damn good protection, and besides, he wouldn’t be any good in a water fight.”
She turned sideways, her back to the stone wall so she could see his face. “But what will you do?”
“I’m a sea dragon.” A cold-eyed look from beneath hooded eyelids. “I’ll incinerate them. Or encase them in molten lava.”
She blinked. “I see.” She’d grown up with hard, ruthless men who stopped at nothing to protect their families and their clan, but she couldn’t help a shudder.
A reptilian chill infused his voice. “They’re threatening my daughter and mate. I don’t go looking for trouble, but if a man enters my territory hunting my family, then I’m not going to give him a fucking tap on the shoulder and send him on his way.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry.” She looked at the little girl splashing happily in the pools. “I just want Rianna to be safe.”
“It’s all I want, too—for both of you.” He exhaled. “They followed you this far. They’re not going to gi
ve up.”
“No.” She rubbed her upper arms. “They hunted us, Nic. Like bloody animals.”
His body went rigid. “Tell me everything. From Ireland to here—any details you remember.”
“All right.” She stared down at her hands. Part of her still couldn’t believe they’d made it to Nic. She’d been terrified for so long, sure the fae would find them first.
“That night, I packed whatever I could carry in my rucksack and left. The only people I told were Aunt Maire and Uncle Fergus. They didn’t like it, but when I told them I was going to you, they let me go.” She rubbed the scar on her calf. “They always thought I should tell you about Rianna.”
“They were right.”
She lifted her chin. “We did just fine on our own. My aunt and uncle and cousins all helped with the raising of her. And you were clear about not wanting anything permanent, weren’t you? Why was I to think you’d be overjoyed about hearing you were a father?”
His jaw tightened, and then he surprised her by apologizing. “I’m sorry. Even if you’d wanted to tell me, you would have had a hard time finding me. I rode the waves for the first year after I left Ireland.”
She acknowledged his apology with a curt nod. “I thought they’d be watching the main entrance, so I went out the back way. You recall the door that lets out on a cliff above the Shannon River?”
“Yes.”
“They were waiting for us—two of them, both fae. I don’t know if someone tipped them off or if they had people stationed at each entrance. It was like a game for them. They let me run, but stayed a hundred yards behind me.” She shuddered. “I was so sure they’d catch us. I still have nightmares.”
Nic’s hands fisted on his thighs. Then he cursed and wrapped an arm around her. “Let me hold you, Cassidy. As a friend. Por favor?”
She felt his anguish, so strong that all she could do was nod against his chest.
“Did you get a good look at them? You sure they didn’t have a fada with them?”
“I don’t know.” She pressed a fist to her mouth, stifling the sobs that wanted to tumble out behind it. She hadn’t let Rianna see her cry once the whole time they’d been on the road, and she didn’t intend to start now. “Like I told you yesterday, the bastards were using a glamour to hide their true forms.”
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