Shadow’s Edge

“If that is what you require, Jenna, you shall have it.”

A fraction of the tension she held in her body disappeared. She even smiled, small and tight. “Well then,” she said, a little brighter. “When do we leave?”

10

“....and the beluga,” Morgan said between mouthfuls of the glistening white caviar, “is exceptional. You really should try it.”

Jenna wrinkled her nose at the mound of gelatinous fish roe and looked back out the rain-streaked pane. They were descending. Vast swaths of emerald forest interspersed with fields of rolling green hills and low stone walls rose up to meet them. Thunderclouds heavy with rain boiled overhead in the dark sky, and off in the distance, a lone spike of lightning scorched the air with a fleeting, electric brilliance.

“I thought caviar was supposed to be black,” Jenna said to the window, wondering if the lightning was a bad omen. “Or red.”

“The cheap stuff is,” Morgan replied with a shrug that rustled the black taffeta stretched over her shoulders. The blouse was low cut, tight, fronted with a row of delicate pearl buttons. It showed off more than a hint of decolletage, while her miniscule skirt showed off what seemed like ten miles of tanned, bare leg. With a set of carved cheekbones, a fall of shiny, sable hair rippling over one shoulder, and a cherry-red pout, she was intimidatingly beautiful.

“The older the sturgeon, the lighter the caviar is in color, the more exquisite the taste. This is Almas, from the Caviar House & Prunier in London. It’s the best money can buy.”

She swallowed another bite spread thick on a lightly buttered toast point and sighed in pleasure. “It’s heaven, nothing less. Let me make you one.” She dug the tiny mother of pearl spoon into the crystal bowl set in front of her on the dining table. It smelled faintly of salt water and hazelnuts.

But Jenna had no appetite for food.

It wasn’t the eleven-hour flight from Los Angeles on Leander’s private jet that was bothering her. That had been an introduction to the kind of luxury Jenna had never been exposed to: burled walnut tables and desks, lamb’s-ear soft leather seats in tones of chocolate and beige, a huge flat-screen television mounted above the sofa. Even the carpet below her feet was beautiful; plush and thick and the color of desert sands.

The open and elegantly appointed interior of the cabin mimicked the great room of the most comfortable, luxurious manor. They even had a butler.

It was the hour drive south to Hampshire from the Heathrow Airport that worried her.

Leander hadn’t spoken a word to her since they boarded the plane, except to say the butler was available for anything she might need. Then he’d retreated to the far corner of the cabin and spent the entire flight reading, his face stony whenever she snuck a glance.

It shouldn’t have bothered her. It didn’t bother her. Only now all four of them would be driving to Sommerley together, in the same car. She’d be forced to talk to him, forced to sit next to him, possibly.

She’d be captive to his scent. To his proximity. To her smothered, agonizing desire.

She stretched in her chair and looked away from the window just as the captain came over the loudspeaker to say they’d be arriving in London momentarily and should buckle their seatbelts and remain seated for the rest of the flight.

Damn. She’d been just about to jump up and pace. Again.

Morgan looked at her from under her lashes and returned the spoonful of uneaten caviar to the crystal bowl. “Relax,” she murmured, the barest of whispers. “Once we get to Sommerley you won’t have to be so close to him. You’ll have your own quarters. The place is really quite enormous—you may not see him for days at time.”

She sent her a slow, knowing smile and winked.

Jenna felt the blood climb into her cheeks. “I don’t know what you mean.”

Morgan pushed away the platter that held the bowl of caviar, the buttered toast points, and an iced glass of vodka and began gathering her things from the open seat next to her: black cashmere overcoat, patent leather Kelly bag, a stack of glossy fashion magazines.

“I mean he told us why you agreed to come with us. And what you required from him to do so.”

She couldn’t think of anything pithy to say in response. “Oh.”

“Yes, oh,” Morgan mocked her gently, a smile warming her face. “And I completely understand. He can be a royal pain in the—”

She cut herself off and glanced over to where Leander was sitting. He leisurely turned a page of his book and ignored them both. Her voice dropped even lower. “Although I can’t say that Christian was at all bothered by that news.”

Now Morgan shot a glance toward Christian, who reclined with his arms folded over his chest on the leather sofa across the cabin. He was staring at the ceiling, unblinking, his big body tense as a plank. Every so often, a muscle would flex in his jaw, but that was all. Watching him, Morgan’s smile faded just a bit.

Jenna’s gaze darted to Leander. His hand had stilled on the page.

“Well, that’s good to hear,” Jenna murmured, her gaze still on Leander’s face. “About how big Sommerley is, I mean. That will make it easier for everyone, I’m sure.”

Leander gave no indication he heard her. He continued to stare at the book in his lap. Then one finger began to tap a steady, silent rhythm against the back cover.

Jenna realized that if she wanted to keep something from him, she’d have to start passing notes.

“So how does this work?” Jenna turned her head away to stare once again at the dark landscape rising up to meet them. A suburb now, lighted houses and tiny cars moving over rain-swept streets. “All the Ikati live in one big house together, like a commune?”

Morgan’s derisive laugh made Jenna look over.

“Oh, please.” She made a face, just a dainty curl of her upper lip. She glanced at Leander then went on in a lighter tone. “Sommerley is just like any other small town, except it’s more...hidden away. I like to pretend it’s an exclusive resort, like an island retreat only a privileged few can visit.” She smiled, almost melancholy. “Which, I suppose, it is. There’s the main square and schools and shops and everything else you would expect in a town. It’s also vast dark forests and rolling green hills and a sky that goes on forever.”

She tossed a lock of dark hair over her shoulder and looked out the window. “I’ve been told it’s one of the most beautiful places in the world, but...” She shrugged, and her sad smile faded, leaving her face pale and somber. “I really wouldn’t know. I’ve got very little to compare it to.”

A sigh escaped her lips. “Anyway, everyone lives in their own homes, just like humans, except we have a lot more space. We’re not exactly pack animals, we need our own territories. The Alpha lives on the main estate with Christian and their sister, Daria—”

“The Alpha,” Jenna interrupted, eyebrows arched. “That’s what you call Leander?”

Morgan regarded her with a look of cool, green-eyed amusement. “That’s what he is, Jenna.”

Ah, yes. It was sometimes very hard to believe that underneath that elegant, refined exterior beat the heart of a beast, a creature of vapor and fangs and stone-cold sorcery. She glanced over once again, forgetting for a moment her vow of indifference, and simply admired him.

“So he’s...the leader, then. He’s in charge?”

Morgan flicked an electric green gaze over Jenna. “Of course. You couldn’t tell?”

“And exactly how many of you...of us...are there? Why England? I mean, aren’t panthers from tropical forests?”

“Originally, we were, yes. Africa, the legend goes, though panthers can survive in any forested area with plenty of prey. I’m not privy to all the particulars because I’m a—” She checked herself and made a small, helpless gesture with her hand. “I never paid much attention to the tribe elders and their creation stories.”

Somehow Jenna didn’t believe that. “But why aren’t the Ikati everywhere then?