fire. All of it was hidden behind an assumed innocence that made him laugh just to think of it. And her eyes…oh, those gorgeous eyes of hers. Shane got hard with just a glance from of those incredible eyes. One eye was a pure light hazel; the other, dark brown with a startling light hazel star in the center. Black brows were a straight slash above them, giving her a stern expression, and were probably a truer indication of the woman than the big eyes and pouty mouth.
Gods, he wanted that mouth in the worst way.
“Shane Dunne, is that you?”
Shane froze. That haughty voice was familiar. “Henri Malmayne. What a surprise.” He turned to face the blond man and his equally blonde companions. Henri was the new White Court lord of the Malmayne clan, duly appointed by Glorianna herself once she’d removed Duncan Malmayne as lord. She’d removed him because his new brother-in-law had mated not just Shane’s baby sister but his bond-brother, the vampire Jaden Blackthorn. Glorianna hated vampires with an unholy passion. It was unheard of for any of her people, let alone the lord of a clan as powerful as the Malmaynes to have a vampiric mate. Most vampires who chose not to walk on the dark side were Gray Court for that reason.
The problem was, the Queen of the White Court had put in place a lord whose allegiance was, at best, murky. At worst, Henri was working with the Black Court to control a prophecy he couldn’t possibly understand. Shane himself was still uncertain what was supposed to happen. How could Henri hope to even begin to comprehend it? All they had to go on was the Seer’s obscure words:
Worst of all, they’d used Black Court help to do it.
“Why would you be surprised? The Malmaynes have many businesses in New York.” Cecelia Malmayne was hanging all over her cousin Henri, smirking at Shane like he was dog poo she’d narrowly avoided stepping in. “What are you doing here? Hoping to catch some culture?”
Her sister, Constance, merely looked confused, as if she couldn’t understand what a rube like him was doing out of the sticks. Didn’t these people know one of the richest humans in America lived in Omaha? That it was counted among the top ten cities to live and work in?
He gave the blonde bitch his biggest, goofiest smile. It seemed to drive women like her insane. “Gee, Miz Malmayne, I sure do hope so.” He resisted rolling his eyes. His father might not be as politically powerful as the Malmaynes, but he was just as rich as they were. Leprechauns were good at making money, especially in land development. But because he chose to live his life working his land, Sidhe like the Malmaynes looked down on the Dunnes.
Idiots.
Something flashed before his eyes, and Shane took a quick step back and to the side. “Y’all watch out for that—”
Henri, Cecelia and Constance shrieked as a cab pulled up to the curb in a sudden, lurching stop, spraying them with slushy, filthy water.
“Cab.” Holding back his grin, Shane opened its door and climbed in. “It was sure nice seein’ ya!” He grinned once more, knowing exactly how he looked: non-threatening. Their low grumbles were music to his ears as he slammed the door shut and the cab pulled away, the cabbie snickering quietly all the while.
“God, I hate them.”
Shane stared at the cabbie. Huh. A sudden, clean breeze in the otherwise sealed cab told him all he needed to know. “Are they giving the sylphs here grief?”
“The sylphs, the brownies, the sprites, you name it. Anyone of the quote-unquote lesser fae have to deal with their shit. Fuckin’ assholes.” The sylph hit a red light and turned, his bright blue eyes full of laughter. “You’re the hybrid, aintcha?”
Shane blinked. “Um…” How the fuck did this guy know who he was?
The cabbie grinned and turned back around. “You keep giving Akane a run for her money. She’ll give in.” He sniggered. “Eventually.”
“You know her?”
“She saved my sister from a Black Court vampire. Tore the fucker’s head clean off his shoulders. As far as I’m concerned, she walks on water and turns shit into gold.”
“She’s mentioned me?”
The cabbie laughed. “Let’s just say you’re gettin’ under her skin.”
Shane turned to look out the side window with a wicked grin. “Good.”
He barely acknowledged the fae’s chuckle. He had to get home before Akane did, or the jig would be up. He’d fly into Omaha and make his way to his studio. If she arrived at the farm before he did, he could always claim truthfully that he’d been there, working on a new piece. His fingers twitched, eager to get his hands back on his work, the visions driving him into the studio almost as strong as his desire to have Akane for his own.
She’d found another piece of him now, another something he’d managed to keep hidden from her. He couldn’t wait until he was with her again. Had she managed to puzzle anything else out?
And maybe, just maybe, he’d steal a kiss from his dragon and find out what fire really tasted like.
Akane pulled up outside the Dunne farmhouse. It was an old Victorian, stately and tall. It was difficult to tell the color in the dark, but it was a soothing blue, the trim a blinding white. A huge wrap-around porch with a real porch swing gave the old Victorian a homey feel.
Hell. There was that word again: home. She couldn’t let herself get too attached to this place, or the people in it. She was a Blade, and one of Robin’s finest assassins. She couldn’t afford what a loving family would do to her.
Akane yawned so hard her jaw ached. Gods, she was weary. At least Robin had put his personal plane at her disposal, allowing her some peace on the long flight from Nebraska to New York and back again. But the drive from Omaha to the farm had forced her to acknowledge exactly how exhausted she was. She could use a good long soak in the tub and a quiet night to recharge and refresh. She’d never learned the knack of sleeping on a plane. Something about sleeping while flying just sat wrong with her.
She stepped out of her brand new Porsche Boxster and ran her fingers down the gleaming black finish. God, she loved this car. If Shane did anything to her new baby she’d rip his gonads off. It was his fault the last one had gotten blasted to smithereens. If he hadn’t hidden it in the barn the day Charles Malmayne had sent the redcaps to attack the Dunne farm, the salamander would never have blown it to bits.
At the sound of a deep bark she grinned. “Sal!” She crouched down, accepting ferocious doggie kisses from the fifty-pound German shepherd. A lick of fire danced across her skin as the dog wiggled, happily welcoming its mistress home.
“Do I get a kiss too?”
Akane fell on her ass at the sound of that deep drawl. “Fuck.”
“Well, I thought that might come later, but if you’re that eager…”
She glared up at the man who’d managed to give her more than one sleepless night. He was grinning down at her, his big, scarred hands deep in his pockets, his butt resting on the hood of the car. He had one ankle crossed over the other.
“Get your ass off my car, Jethro.”
That grin widened a hair. “Well, shucks, Miz Akane. Is this one of those ek
She rolled her eyes and took the hand he offered her. She found herself standing way too close for comfort. “It’s worth more than your hospital stay will be if you don’t move.”
He chuckled, the big bastard, and rolled easily up and off the car, his arms wrapping around her. She reared back as much as she could as his big head lowered, but despite her dragon heritage she couldn’t quite bend back far enough. Shane took her mouth in a careful, questing kiss, as if he understood she could and would bite him if he pushed too far.
Part of her hoped he would do just that. Shane tasted incredible, with just an undertone of something rich
