Her breath hitched. As he brought her hand toward his mouth, her eyes came up to meet his. Holding her gaze, he traced his lips down the soft underside of her wrist.
Heat arced between them. Electric. Fiery. Speeding up his heart, making his whole being contract with longing. It had always been like this, from the moment he’d first seen her six years ago at Dion and Cleia’s mate-bonding celebration.
She moistened plump red lips and he stifled a groan.
“One night,” he said, low and rough. “We’ll go somewhere out of town. No one has to know.”
Her jaw set. “Answer the question. Will you let me help?”
He leaned closer so their mouths were almost touching. “No. Fucking. Way.”
She growled and tried to wrench her hand from his. Then suddenly, she froze, her fingers gripping his as her eyes went black.
“No,” she rasped.
His scalp prickled. “Rosana?”
“The Darktime isn’t over,” she said in an eerie toneless voice. “The prince will destroy your clan from the inside out.”
A chill ran 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. They must keep her Gift a secret from everyone, even the rest of the clan.
“What do you See?” He gave her a little shake. “Tell me.”
She didn’t seem to hear him. There was a fraught silence, and then with a shudder, she came back to herself. She snatched her hand from his and pressed it to her chest, face closed. Tiny tremors shook her slim body.
“Goddess,” she whispered. “That’s insane. You can’t kill him. You’ll set off something you can’t stop.”
“Yeah?” He raised a brow.
Tell her she’s the one who’s insane. That you have no fucking idea what she’s talking about.
But he couldn’t bring himself to prevaricate—not to Rosana. The woman his cat had decided was his mate, even if the man refused to accept it.
She grabbed his arm. He tensed, but this time, nothing happened.
“Promise me you won’t do it.”
He showed her his teeth. “I don’t have to promise you anything, love. We’re nothing to each other, right? Because that’s the way we both want it.”
She flinched and let him go.
“Go home to your big brother. It’s not safe for you to be alone down here at night.” He leered at her, hating himself, but he had to get her out of here—and out of his life. “A big, bad cat might snatch you and carry you back to his lair.”
She shoved her hands into her pockets, her pretty mouth set. “You don’t scare me, Lord Adric.”
He just stared back at her until she turned and stalked back the way she came.
He gave it a minute and then followed her. She headed around the harbor and he waited for her to shift to her dolphin, but she leaned against a scrubby little street tree and stared out at the black water.
He waited downwind until with a muttered curse, she walked the few feet to where a sleek purple sportbike waited. Slinging a leg over the seat, she flung him an unreadable look over her shoulder and then zoomed off, leaving him standing there, scowling and clenching his fists…and hollow inside.
Pre-order Adric’s Heart (Adric & Rosana’s story) at your favorite bookstore! Out March 2020.
* * *
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Adric’s Heart (excerpt)
The Darktime Trilogy
To save his clan, the bad boy Baltimore alpha sacrificed everything—even his honor. Will he be forced to give up his mate as well?
The explosive conclusion to the Darktime Trilogy...
Adric winced as a human female shrieked with laughter near his left ear.
The Full Moon Saloon was packed tighter than a can of sardines. Mainly with earth fada, but the mix included river fada as well as a handful of humans slumming with the shifters. The dank, poorly-lit saloon reeked of alcohol and lust, and the band had more enthusiasm than skill. The drummer seemed to be playing a different song than the bassist, and the guitar needed tuning.
What in Hades he was doing in this noisy, too-full bar? But it was Saturday night, and he had nothing better to do. Which was fucking sad.
He glowered at his beer bottle, forced his shoulders to relax.
One more drink, and he’d leave—or maybe check out the poker game in the back room. Because the only thing worse than this crowded bar was his solitary den.
The outer door opened, sending a blast of icy air down the short hall into the bar. A long-legged beauty strolled inside, her lush body poured into tight pants, a red leather jacket, and ankle boots the same scarlet as her jacket. Wavy hair the blue-black of a raven’s wings framed a heart-shaped face and curled over high, round breasts.
One wide smile and Benny, the hulking earth-fada bouncer who should’ve known better, fell over himself to wave her in.
Rosana do Rio. Adric's heart gave a hard knock.
What was she doing here?
And alone.
Inside, his cougar snapped to attention, eyeing her with a cat’s intentness.
She headed towards the bar without bothering to remove her jacket or gloves. The woman didn’t walk, she sauntered, hips swaying. All around the room, males pulled back their shoulders and puffed out their chests.
Next to him, his friend Zuri muttered a curse. Adric didn’t even glance at him, his gaze glued to Rosana.
She’d barely reached the long wooden bar at the back of the saloon when a human asked her to dance. A cocky blond college-type surrounded by three equally arrogant wingmen.
Adric’s back teeth clamped together. Not your business, he reminded himself.
Rosana smiled and allowed the blond human to take her gloved hand. He led her onto the tiny dance floor. The music was still loud and hard-driving. He set his hands on her hips, drawing her closer.
A growl rasped 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. Zuri was right. Adric was drawing attention, especially from the other fada.
Rosana was a dolphin shifter, a river fada—and he was the Baltimore earth fada alpha. Water and earth fada just didn’t mix. And Rosana wasn’t just any river fada, she was the sister of Lord Dion, the river fada alpha who was Adric’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 muttered in a low voice 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. Take the woman. Get her out of your system.”
Adric’s fingers tightened on the bottle. “I’ll handle my own 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 subsided.
Adric glanced around. In addition to Dina and Cara, there were five other earth fada females in the bar, all beautiful and unmated. Any one of them would be thrilled 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 music ended. With a nod at the blond male, Rosana wended her way through the tables to the long, polished-oak bar. The man followed right behind, his gaze glued to her ass.
Fuck this.
Adric moved with fada-fast speed, cutting off the human to squeeze in next to Rosana.
“Hey!” The man’s fingers dug into Adric’s arm. “She’s with me.”
Adric let his cat in his eyes. “No,” he replied, soft and dangerous. “She’s not.”
FIND OUT MORE.
Also by Rebecca Rivard
The Fada Shapeshifter Series
Stealing Ula: A Fada Shapeshifter Prequel (Book 0.5 ~ Nisio & Ula, set in Ireland)
The Rock Run River Fada
Seducing the Sun Fae (Book 1 ~ Dion & Cleia)
Claiming Valeria (Book 2 ~ Rui & Valeria)
Tempting the Dryad (Book 3 ~ Tiago & Alesia)
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The Baltimore Earth Fada (The Darktime Trilogy)
Saving Jace (Book 4 ~ Jace & Evie)
Charming Marjani (Book 5 ~ Marjani & Fane)
Adric’s Heart (Book 6 ~ Adric & Rosana)
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Fada Shapeshifter Short Reads
Lir’s Lady (#3.5—Lir & Isleen, set in Ireland)
Shifter’s Valentine (#3.6—Chico & Jenny)
Sea Dragon’s Hunger: BAD Alpha Dads (#4.5—Cassidy & Nic, set on a California sea island)
To find out more, go to: https://rebeccarivard.com/shapeshifters/
Vampire Blood Courtesans
Sexy vampire romance set in Michelle Fox’s Blood Courtesans World
Ensnared: Star (Star & Remy)
Compelled: Cerise (Cerise & Bard)
To find out more, go to: https://rebeccarivard.com/vampires/
Join Rebecca Rivard’s newsletter to stay informed and be eligible for giveaways and sneak peeks. As a thank you, Rebecca will gift you with “Lir’s Lady,” a steamy short story!
Sign up at rebeccarivard.com or go to this link: Rebecca’s newsletter
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author Rebecca Rivard read way too many romances as a teenager, little realizing she was actually preparing for a career. She now spends her days with dark shifters, sexy fae and other magical creatures—which has to be the best job ever. When she’s not writing, she walks, bikes and kayaks in the Chesapeake Bay area with her guitar-playing, storytelling husband.
The Fada Shapeshifter Series was voted Best Shifter Series of 2018 in the Paranormal Romance Guild Reviewer’s Choice Awards, and Saving Jace was chosen Best Shifter Book. Saving Jace also received the 2018 RONE silver medal for Long Paranormal.
Five of her books have received the coveted Crowned Heart Review from InD'Tale Magazine. Her stories have also been finalists for the EPIC Award (Seducing the Sun Fae), the RONE Award (Tempting the Dryad & Sea Dragon’s Hunger), the HOLT Medallion (Saving Jace), and the coveted PRISM Award given by RWA’s Fantasy, Futuristic & Paranormal Romance Writers (Stealing Ula).
Join Rebecca Rivard’s newsletter to stay informed and be eligible for giveaways and sneak peeks. As a thank you, Rebecca will gift you with a steamy short story!
Sign up at rebeccarivard.com or go to this link: Rebecca’s newsletter
Charming Marjani: A Fada Novel
The Fada Shapeshifter Series
Copyright ©2019 by Rebecca Rivard
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This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.
Cover design by Laura Gordon/The Book Cover Machine
Editing by Katherine Teel
All rights reserved.
The uploading, scanning, and distribution of this book in any form or by any means—including but not limited to electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the permission of the copyright holder is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized editions of this work, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
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