Maximum Witch

That Old Black Magic - 3

Jodi Redford

Dedication

This book is dedicated in loving memory to both of my grandmothers. Although neither of these strong, amazing women were able to see my dream of becoming a published author come true, their unconditional love and support continues to live on and encourage me day after day. I love you Mor Mor and Grammy. Always.

And as always, to Sasha. Words will never convey how lucky I am to have you for an editor.

Chapter One

There are some things you just don’t want to see while trolling for dinner. A three-hundred-pound dude in a yellow Speedo? Mark it number one on the list.

A massive shudder coursing through his dorsal fins, Maxwell Truitt gave Mr. Banana Hammock splashing overhead a wide berth and continued piloting through the watery depths of the Atlantic. Some of his brethren wouldn’t think twice about taking a chunk out of the swimmer. Fortunately for the guy, Max’s carnivorous appetites didn’t include dudes with excess body hair. Now a fat, juicy NY strip at the Boar’s Head? Bring it on.

His stomach rumbled and he grimaced. He was facing an eight-hour patrol tonight, making his sudden hankering for steak damn inconvenient. Given his size, and the rate of his metabolism while in his shark form, he wouldn’t be able to go too much longer without feeding.

He needed to find a meal. Soon.

Up ahead, a school of red porgies darted toward one of the many rocky ledges bordering the Savannah coastline, triggering a ripple of hunger through Max.

You can run, but you can’t hide, my delicious little friends. Giving a stealthy swish of his long tail fin, he torpedoed forward and overtook the fish in a burst of speed. He managed to gobble four of the tasty treats before the remaining porgies eluded him beneath a sand shelf. Shit. Well, at least the snack in his belly would tide him over for a couple hours.

Mentally humming the latest Rascal Flatts tune, he swam north along the coast, heading toward Tybee. In the last few weeks, there’d been an inordinately large number of siren sightings near the lighthouse. The mischievous creatures hadn’t caused any havoc with unsuspecting sailors. Yet. As long as he was on duty, it was damn well gonna stay that way.

The metallic, coppery smell of blood carried on the current. Undoubtedly a charter boat nearby, chumming. He redirected course, heading farther from shore and any stray fishing nets. Light had a harder time penetrating this deep in the Atlantic’s belly—something that wasn’t an issue for him, thankfully. If anything, the limited visibility only sharpened his senses and made him more attune to the slightest variance in his environment.

Which might explain the warning tingles that shot through his snout when a minute disturbance of water pressure tickled along his gills. Normally he wouldn’t give a second thought to it, but the sensation prodded an uneasy feeling in his gut.

There was something in his territory that shouldn’t be here. Something that came with a heavier stench of death than the chartered fishing boat he’d steered clear of. He changed course yet again and chased the dark, evil scent.

The water temperature unexpectedly plummeted. A few hundred feet ahead of him, a large, bulky mass dove through the waves. He could just make out the shape of tentacles. It took a moment for his brain to register what he was seeing.

A leviathan.

What. The. Fuck?

The dangerous, elusive creatures didn’t routinely venture this close to shore. Granted, he’d heard tell that the butt-ugly things occasionally sought their prey on land, but for the most part, they kept to their deep, watery domains and snagged their victims from the countless ships that’d either wrecked or become stranded miles out at sea.

So what was the damn thing up to?

Intent on finding out, Max rushed to catch up with the creature. He was a faster swimmer than the leviathan, and soon he narrowed the margin between them. It didn’t look like the creature was full grown. Thank Jesus, because adult versions of the son-of-a-bitchin’ things were known to be as massive as a damn submarine.

Drawing closer, he finally noticed what he hadn’t before. An unconscious figure was tightly bound within the grasp of one of the leviathan’s tentacles. The sight spurred him into action. He whipped his tail, the motion bulleting him forward. The maneuver also alerted the leviathan to his presence, and the creature’s seven heads pivoted in his direction. Red beady eyes locked on him.

Undaunted by the evil malice glaring him down, Max dove for the nearest tentacle. The slick, heavy appendage slashed out, striking him in the mouth, and he bit into the suctioned end. Angry screeches assaulted him as hundreds of razor-sharp teeth snapped in his direction. He wrenched his entire body to the side, deflecting the leviathan’s deadly attack, and hurtled the creature into a dizzying spin. The tentacle imprisoning the unconscious female reflexively untwined and the woman’s limp form floated free.

Menacing purpose flashing in its multitude of eyes, the leviathan lunged after its victim. Max tightened his grip on the tentacle, towing the creature from its intended goal. Hideous sounds shrilled from the leviathan, giving Max plenty of warning that he was in for one hell of a fight. He steeled himself as his opponent rammed him, the blunt force knocking him backwards.

Despite the leviathan’s determination to escape, Max kept the tentacle anchored in his mouth and plunged beneath the beast. Teeth sank into his tail fin. Blocking out the burst of pain splintering through him, he rocketed toward the corroded carcass of a half-submerged ship’s hull resting on the ocean floor. If he could make it down there and pummel the creature into the metal enough times to—

A pair of tentacles squeezed around his stomach as the leviathan caught on to his intention. It was like having a damn boa constrictor riding him piggyback. Choking and sputtering, he clamped down hard on the appendage in his mouth. Horrendous caterwauling streamed from the creature and it thrashed wildly, its grasp tightening. The damn thing seemed intent on wringing Max to death. Hell if he’d go down without a battle, though. He gave a vicious tug, severing the thick tentacle, and the writhing, dismembered tip sank to the sandy bottom. Realizing it now sported one less limb, Max’s opponent eased its constricting hold.

Taking advantage of the creature’s confusion, Max barreled toward the sunken ship and veered sideways, slamming the leviathan into the top of the hull. A shuddering groan rumbled through the metal and the leviathan bounced off its surface. The beast scrambled to reassert its grip, but Max was prepared. Using his body for extra battering power, he hammered the creature repeatedly against the ship, until the imprisoning hold on him completely loosened.

He shook himself from the tangle of tentacles and cautiously eyed the now-unconscious leviathan. Hard to tell if the thing was dead or not. He decided to air on the side of caution and assume it was still alive. After a wary inspection, he deduced the creature was at least safely down for the count, and swam in the direction he’d last seen the female victim. The currents had carried her several yards away and deposited her on the ocean floor. Dark brown tendrils of hair floated around her head like silky strands of seaweed. Up close, her face revealed her to be even younger than he’d originally guesstimated. Definitely in her mid-twenties. Thirty tops.

What a fucking shame. Nobody deserved to have their life cut short. He should have finished off the son-of-a-bitch leviathan. Hell, maybe he still would. Not like he wouldn’t be doing the world a favor by ridding it of one less scum.

Grim fury firing his determination, he started to turn. A small stream of bubbles broke from the woman’s mouth. He froze, disbelief seizing him.

What the hell? He inched closer, his focus glued to her slackened lips. Was she…breathing?

He swept his gaze lower and swore he detected the faint rise and fall of her chest. Maybe it was merely his imagination, or an optical illusion perpetuated by the constant ebb and flow of water buffeting her.

Cursing the present lack of fingers that hindered him from performing a thorough examination, he shot a glance in the direction of the leviathan’s limp body. Not giving himself time to rethink the wisdom of abandoning his shark form while a deadly predator lay less than fifty feet away, he shifted into his human skin and pressed his middle and index fingers against her carotid artery.

Sure enough, the steady drumming of her pulse verified his suspicions. He exhaled in bewildered shock, expelling his own series of oxygen-loaded bubbles.

His brain immediately snapped into investigative mode and began cycling through probabilities. Could she be a water shifter? One that didn’t require gills while in human form, like him? Possibly, but something kept him from clinging too tightly to that theory. For starters, it made no sense that she wouldn’t have shifted into her alter form when the leviathan snatched her. Even with an ability to breathe under water, a shifter remained a thousand times more vulnerable in their human skin. Unless she’d been unconscious when the beast grabbed her—and what were the odds?—she wouldn’t have left herself open to attack.

Well, whatever the hell she was, he couldn’t leave her stranded in the middle of the damn Atlantic.

He hugged her to him and kicked away from the sandy bottom, propelling them upward. Being deprived the use of his other arm made the task of swimming longer and more difficult than it should have been, but finally he broke the water’s surface. He bobbed for a moment, the slumped torso of his dead-to-the-world companion secured within the crook of his arm while he scanned the vista. The shoreline was closer than he’d anticipated, thank the gods.

Keeping the woman anchored close to his chest, he plowed along with the waves, riding their powerful currents rather than attempting to go it on his own. The choice to conserve his energy paid off, and roughly fifteen minutes later, the tide deposited them on a deserted stretch of beach. Catching her beneath the knees, he staggered toward the nearby dunes. It wasn’t the girl’s weight that made his gait awkward—hell, even dripping wet she weighed next to nothing—but it always took him a moment to acquire his land legs.

After reaching a concealing cluster of sea oats, he carefully lowered the woman onto the sand and knelt beside her. Ignoring the bite marks on his lower calves which were beginning to sting like hell, he worriedly surveyed the girl’s pale face. She hadn’t so much as fluttered an eyelash. Now that they were on land the steady flow of her breaths was readily apparent. Her lungs obviously hadn’t filled with seawater, one more clue that revealed her to be something beyond human.

Which sure as shit complicated things. As sheriff of parish nine, it wasn’t only his responsibility to keep order within his district, but also to keep the citizens of Savannah as blissfully ignorant of the slightly less-than-normal creatures splashing around their coastal waters. He couldn’t risk taking the girl to the hospital, not without knowing exactly what she was.

Awarding the ever-darkening sky a wary glance, he rose to his feet. Full nightfall was rapidly approaching. Whatever he ultimately planned to do, it needed to be done soon. Scrubbing a hand along his jaw, he eyed the female again. The best course of action would be taking her back to his place and having his buddy Boone check her over. Though Boone wasn’t a doc, per se, he was a vet, and possessed enough medical know-how to hopefully treat whatever was wrong with the girl.

Fortunately, Max was less than a ten-minute jog from his bungalow. Unfortunately, that journey required a stroll across a popular section of beach. Even at this time of evening, there was always the chance beachcombers would be out and about. Considering he was buck naked and would be carrying an unconscious woman, the odds of someone not raising an alarm were slim to none.

“Fuck.” Much as he didn’t like it, he’d have to risk leaving her alone while he swam back to his house and grabbed his car. He dropped onto his haunches and smoothed a wet straggle of hair off the delicate slope of her forehead. “I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’m only leaving you for a few. I promise. We’re gonna get you someplace safe and all fixed up. You’re gonna be okay.” Hopefully.

She didn’t stir. Not that he’d expected her to. After reassuring himself she was properly hidden behind the protective screen of tall grasses, he climbed atop the dunes. Keeping hunkered low enough not to draw attention in case a car passed by, he scoped his surroundings for any memorable landmarks. About thirty yards down the road and across the street a mailbox shaped like a purple sailboat flanked a driveway. With that image branded into his memory, he ran back down the beach and dove into the surf. He shifted into his shark, figuring it’d cut his trip time in half, and less than five minutes later he was sprinting toward the deck of his bungalow.

He yanked the French doors open and raced inside the house. His cell phone sat on the kitchen table. Snatching it up, he hit the speed dial for Boone’s number and thundered into his bedroom. He snagged a pair of sweats and wrenched them on one-handed. Boone’s voice mail clicked on and after leaving him a clipped, desperate message to haul his ass over there with his medic kit pronto, Max hung up and hurried to the front door. He slowed his frantic pace just long enough to jam his feet into a pair of sneakers and snagged his key ring from its hook before barreling outside. Beeping the alarm on his Jeep, he hopped behind the wheel and powered up the engine. Heavy-metal music blared from the speakers, and he quickly flicked the volume down as he rammed the gears in reverse and roared out of the drive.

Traffic was nonexistent, making it an uneventful trip back to the spot where he’d left the woman. If you could call his heart thudding hard enough to beat a hasty exit from his chest remotely uneventful. He pulled snug to the side of the road to avoid a potential accident from oncoming motorists and jumped out of the Jeep, double-checking to ensure he spotted the sailboat mailbox in the distance. Satisfied he was in the right location, he jogged across the dunes, the dry, crispy tufts of grass snapping beneath his feet. Winded and frantic, he reached the bottom and spied the scattered footprints he’d earlier left in the sand.

His heart in his throat, he dashed toward the curtain of sea oats. He pushed them aside, and his pulse slowly eased to normal when he spotted his girl.

Surprise flickered through him. His girl. Where the hell did that come from? Grunting, he sat on his haunches and gathered her into his arms. Her head lolled back on his biceps, her damp hair sending wet rivulets down his skin, but she didn’t wake. She’d been out of it for at least thirty minutes. Was that normal? Worry once again kicking him into high gear, he clasped her to his chest and barreled up the dunes to the road and his waiting Jeep. Freeing his left hand, he tugged the rear passenger door open and bundled her onto the bench seat, carefully positioning her so she wouldn’t roll off and hit her head.

He climbed behind the wheel and stomped on the gas. Adrenaline was running rampant through his veins, making his fingers shake and his stomach clench. Somehow he kept the vehicle on the road and made record time reaching his house. Boone hadn’t shown up yet. Praying his friend wasn’t working a double at the animal clinic, Max rushed inside with the female, beelining for his room. He settled her on the bed and stared at her, suddenly uncertain what he should be doing.

His focus drifted to her waterlogged blouse and capri pants. “Shit.” Now she was lying in a big wet spot. He probably should have removed her clothes first.

“Dumbass.” Cursing his slow thinking, he unbuckled the straps on her sandals. Her ankles felt incredibly tiny in his big, clumsy hands. It occurred to him that he was spending way too much time touching her bare skin. He dropped her legs, and she bounced on the mattress. Yeah, like that’d help get her closer to dry and comfortable.

Come on, Truitt. Get your fuckin’ shit together. Growling beneath his breath, he slipped off her shoes and reached for the zipper on her pants. The metallic rasp of the teeth separating sounded inordinately loud in the room. Shifting his focus to the right so he wouldn’t be staring directly at her crotch, he tugged the soaked cotton down her legs and let the garment plop onto the carpet. Next he set to work on her top. He fumbled with the dainty shell buttons, attempting to pop them through their holes. Finally he freed each one and eased the top off her shoulders. The sides fell open, revealing a flesh-colored nylon bra. The wet transparency of the fabric made it all too easy for him to see the rosy outline of her areolas. Her nipples were puckered.

He probably shouldn’t be noticing that.

Clearing his throat, he lifted her enough to tug the shirt from her arms. After tossing the garment on top of her capris, he moved her to the other side of the mattress. Before he could stop himself, his scrutiny fell to her nearly invisible bikini and the triangular patch of glossy brown curls covering her mound.

Feeling uncomfortably like a huge pervert, he swallowed hard and shifted his focus away. He grabbed the blanket folded at the end of the bed and tucked it around her securely. Satisfied that he’d done as much as he could to ensure her comfort, he left the room and went to fetch his phone. The message icon flashed on his cell’s display screen. Shit, he’d forgotten he’d put the damn thing on vibrate earlier. He punched the button for his voice mail and exhaled in relief when he heard Boone’s recorded voice promising he was on his way over. Thank the gods.

Realizing he’d likely need someone to cover the remainder of his patrol tonight, he punched in the number for Jona, his second-in-command. After providing a bare-bones explanation of the situation, Max secured the dolphin shifter’s agreement to take over his rounds and hung up. Running his fingers through his hair in an effort to corral his scattered thoughts, he strode into the bedroom and sat on the edge of the mattress. An irresistible force drawing him in, he gently traced the line of her cheek with his thumb. She was so small and delicate. The fact that she barely looked strong enough to defend herself stirred all of his protective instincts.

There was no question about it. If the leviathan’s attack had permanently injured her, he’d track down the ugly motherfucker and put an end to its miserable life.

The girl’s head listed slightly. He froze. Momentarily forgetting to breathe, he watched her face closely, gauging for further sign that she was regaining consciousness. Just when he was ready to chalk her movement to the pillow slipping, her eyelashes fluttered. Almost as if it were happening in slow motion, she opened her eyes, revealing irises in a mesmerizing shade of green. She blinked, her attention taking forever to focus on him. He met her stare and smiled reassuringly. “Welcome back to the world of the living.”

She gaped at him for a long moment before blasting out an ear-splitting scream.

Chapter Two

“W-what the hell are you doing in my bedroom?” Willa Jameson flailed wildly in the blanket’s tenacious grasp, attempting to put distance between her and the enormous guy leaning over her.

“Easy. You’re going to hurt yourself if you keep jumping around like that.” The stranger started to reach for her and she shrieked again. Her right arm finally escaped the imprisoning covers, and she swiped out with her fist, landing a solid punch to his face.

Grunting, the man jerked his head. Dark eyebrows slashed low over penetrating blue eyes while he gingerly probed the bridge of his nose. “Shit, you nearly broke it.”

“If you don’t get out of here, I’m going to break a lot more than that, you creepazoid.” Her voice growing shrill, she clutched the pillow beside her and prepared to lob it at his head. It was a puny deterrent, but maybe it’d at least throw him off balance enough that she could make a run for it.

He dropped his hand. “Creepazoid? That’s the thanks I get for rescuing you?”

His incredulous words managed to pierce through the thin top layer of her panic, only to add to it several times over as she stared at the totally unfamiliar posts of the bed she was lying on, as well as the brass lamp resting on the adjacent nightstand. She double blinked. “This isn’t my room.”

“I know. It’s mine. I brought you here after I dragged you out of the Atlantic.”

Atlantic? As in…ocean? There was no way that could be possible. She hadn’t set foot in any body of water that big in almost twenty-two years, not since her parents drowned.

A creepy sense of déjà vu washed over her, poking at the edges of her consciousness. Her mind latched onto a disjointed memory—stepping from her car, the steamy heat from a parking lot curling around her calves. Beyond that, everything remained hazy. She slowly lowered the pillow, and it tumbled from her lax fingertips. The stranger’s attention drifted below her collarbone, and an unmistakable spark of interest darkened his eyes. She glanced down. It took a second for it to sink in that she was only wearing her bra. Gasping, she snatched the blanket and wrestled with it, trying to cover herself. “Why am I naked?”

“You’re not. I left your underwear on you.” Despite his gruff reply, a ruddy flush crawled along his neck.

The rest of his statement registered, and she peeked beneath the blanket. Sure enough, she wasn’t wearing any pants. A squeak popped from her throat. “You undressed me?”

“You were soaked through.” He climbed off the bed and stooped toward the floor. He straightened a second later with her sodden clothes bunched in his hand. “See? I couldn’t leave you lying around in them, for Christ’s sake.”

She frowned at the garments that were dripping a small puddle on the beige carpet. Even from where she sat, the distinct briny scent of the ocean was unmistakable. It made no sense. Her crippling phobia of the ocean should have prevented her from going anywhere near the Atlantic.

Unless…

The strange hallucinations plaguing her lately. Somehow she knew they were responsible. Those weird compulsions and visions that seemed to be totally disconnected with who she was. The person she knew herself to be.

Had she finally completely lost it? Judging from the evidence staring her in the face…hell, yeah. Groaning, she dropped her forehead against her raised knees.

“What’s wrong? Do you feel sick?”

The warmth of a large palm branded into her shoulder, and she jerked her head up, her gaze crashing into his. Undeniable concern rode his rugged features. It occurred to her that she should be worried about a big, hulking stranger touching her like this while she was half-naked and lying in his bed. She should probably also be worried about the pleasurable tingle fluttering low in her tummy.

Oh goddess. What’s wrong with me?

The stranger lifted his hand away. “You don’t have to look at me like I’m seconds away from attacking you. I’m not.” He scruffed his fingers over his bristly jaw, drawing her attention to the strong, tanned column of his throat. And lower. His shoulders were huge, delineated with acres of sleek muscle tone and sun-kissed skin. There wasn’t a speck of hair on his chest, leading her to wonder if he was one of those guys who waxed, and also leaving her with the weird—and completely inappropriate—desire to tiptoe her fingers down his washboard abs while she sucked on those flat male nipples.

What the hell? Concerned he was the one in danger of being attacked, she jerked her gaze away. “I-I’m fine.” Yeah, talk about the biggest honkin’ lie of the century. “I think I just need to…use the bathroom.” Now that she’d said it, there was no denying the urgency to empty her bladder. Grimacing, she wiggled in the blanket. Beyond his shoulder, she spotted an open doorway where she could make out the corner of a vinyl shower curtain decorated with neon-orange starfish. Just the sight of that shower stall made her think of water, which of course made her have to pee even more. “Aw crap.”

“What?”

“Bathroom. Now.” She scrabbled with the blanket and tumbled off the mattress, landing on the floor with a thunk when her legs refused to cooperate. Before she could untangle herself and crawl onto her knees, her rescuer scooped her up and carried her toward the bathroom.

It felt odd getting carted around like that, and kind of embarrassing, considering her nipples were poking him in the chest as if to say, Hey, look at me, sexy mister. Thankfully, he didn’t take them up on their offer.

He lowered her to her feet next to the shower. Her toes immediately curled in protest of the icy tile floor. Jeez, it was colder than the interior of an igloo in this place. No wonder her nipples were waving a salute. Yeah, as if that were the only reason. When he made no move to leave, she hugged the blanket closer and gave him a pointed look.

His cheeks reddening slightly, he coughed into his fist. “You, uh, probably can manage the rest on your own.” Pivoting, he strode through the doorway, awarding her a nice view of his muscular back and the dimples riding low at the base of his spine. Before her brain finished conjuring the visual of tracing those intriguing grooves with her tongue, he snicked the door shut behind him.

Her wispy exhale leaking free, she shrugged from the blanket and hobbled toward the toilet. She was relieved to note that he appeared to be amazingly tidy for a guy, but halfway in the process of squatting, it occurred to her that he might be within earshot on the other side of the door. Not about to let him listen to her pee, she scrabbled for the faucet and cranked it to full blast.

Once done, she washed up, making a valiant effort not to wince at the frightening picture she made in the mirrored cabinet suspended over the sink. Wet clumps of hair were plastered together in messy tufts. All traces of her makeup were also gone, emphasizing her puffy, red-rimmed eyes. As she splashed cool water on her face, it dawned on her that her glasses had disappeared—to the bottom of the Atlantic, no doubt. Great. She’d just bought them too. Didn’t that figure?

Still, all things considered, losing a pair of glasses was minor compared to what could have happened if Mr. Hunky Buns out there hadn’t fished her out of the ocean. “Oh man. I don’t even know his name.” She’d been too busy either punching him or lusting over his dimples to ask.

“Did you say something?”

She yelped at the unexpectedness of his whiskey-smooth baritone floating through the doorframe. So he had been listening. Thank goddess she’d turned the faucet on.

He rapped on the woodwork. “I’m coming in, okay?” The door cracked open and he poked his head inside. “How’re you doing?”

“Better, thanks.”

His gaze raked her in an assessing sweep, making her cheeks heat. But underneath her embarrassment lurked something else. A hot awareness that crept beneath her skin and slid through her sensory nerves like warm honey.

She’d never been this affected by a man before. Particularly not by one she’d known less than five minutes and didn’t even have a name for beyond Mr. Hunky Buns.

There is something very wrong with me. “Could you, um, hand me that blanket over there?” She pointed to the spot where she’d deposited it by the shower. No way in hell would she bend over in front of him. Her luck, a boob would pop out. Not that there was much there to see, but still.

He hunched over and swiped the blanket, the sinewy rope of muscle in his arm flexing. The waistband of his navy sweatpants dipped low, revealing a strange band of bruises that encircled his lower abs. She also couldn’t help noticing the mouthwatering V lines where his hip and groin intersected. A whimper escaped her and his scrutiny lifted, fusing on her face. She could have bitten her tongue off for the stupid slip she’d just made. Averting her stare, she held out her hand, waiting for him to toss her the blanket. Instead, he straightened in a flash. He crossed to her, and without warning, flattened her over the sink. She gasped, both at the suddenness of the move and the dizzying reaction it created in her brain.

“W-what the hell are you doing?” She attempted to wriggle out of his hold but he only pushed her lower over the basin. A distressed yelp hiccupped past her lips. “I have a black belt in judo.” Okay, not really. But he didn’t need to know that.

“Relax. I’m just trying to check out your ass.”

She stiffened. Oh hell no. He did not just say that. “Excuse me?”

His hands stilled and he went silent for an awkward moment before he cleared his throat. “Not how I meant it to sound.” The pads of his thumbs brushed near her tailbone, hitting a tender spot that hadn’t been there before. She sucked in a sharp breath.

“Does that hurt?”

Biting her lip to stall any further whimpering, she nodded.

He swore softly. “I didn’t notice this earlier.”

The way he said those words made her nervous, like maybe there was something really scary back there. Something along the lines of a disfiguring, oozing sore that’d qualify for the Guinness World Record of grossest thing ever.

“I think it’s either a burn. Or a…bite.”

“A bite? From what?” Unable to take the horrible suspense a second longer, she twisted to the side, trying to see over her shoulder. All she managed to do was wrench her neck. Cursing, she massaged the aching tendon. “If there’s something back there, I want to see it.” Well, part of her wanted to see it. The other half of her brain—the chickenshit side—was still pretty squicked out by what it might find.

“Come here.” With a quick gesture, he coaxed her into the bedroom. They stopped in front of the dresser, and he maneuvered her until she faced sideways. It still took some creative contortion on her part, but finally she spotted what had him so concerned.

On the good-news front, the red striping of pinpricks on her lower lumbar and left butt cheek wasn’t as terrifying and icky as what she’d envisioned. But it still stung something fierce. Amazing she hadn’t noticed it before. “I wonder how I got those.”

His intense eyes met hers in the mirror. “You honestly don’t remember anything?”

She shook her head.

He dragged a hand along his mouth and chin, wiping a frown into place. That tiny downward hitch to his lips only managed to add to her escalating anxiety. “There’s a strong chance you’ve been bit. And infected with venom, which might explain why you were out of it for so long, if your system was trying to fight the effects.”

“Venom?” She could feel the blood leaching from her face.

“My buddy Boone’s on his way over. He’s a local vet, so he keeps his medic kit stocked with just about every antivenin known to mankind. Not to mention all the species in between.”

She gaped at him, wondering what exactly he’d meant by that last part. Truthfully, though, she had more important concerns to deal with at the moment. “You really think he’ll have the right serum for this?” She turned away from the mirror and stared into his eyes, silently pleading with him to ease her mind.

“Yeah. He will.”

His hand squeezed her waist lightly, instigating those pleasurable tingles again. Nice to see her body had its priorities straight. Lust should always outweigh the possibility of death. Jeez. She licked her lips, trying not to think about how nice he smelled. And how incredibly blue his eyes were. And those muscles. Don’t even get me started on them. “I—I don’t even know your name.” Somehow she doubted it really was Mr. Hunky Buns, no matter how fitting it would be.

“Maxwell Truitt. But my friends call me Max.”

Max. It suited him, for some reason. She held out her hand. “Willa Jameson. I’m sorry I didn’t properly thank you earlier for rescuing me. Or apologize for, uh, punching you.”

“Don’t sweat it.” His gaze searing into hers, his big palm closed around her much smaller one. The warmth his skin generated was nothing compared to the lush heat spiraling through her. There was something so focused and intent about the way he looked at her. She couldn’t help wondering what it’d feel like to have all that intensity zeroed in on her as his hands and mouth traveled every square inch of her.

Where the hell did that thought come from? Snapping out of her daze, she carefully extracted herself from his grip and hugged her arms to her chest in an effort to hide her body’s reaction to him.

“You’re cold.” A V furrowing between his eyebrows, Max pivoted and yanked open one of the dresser drawers. He grabbed a white T-shirt and passed it to her before returning to the bathroom. She quickly pulled on the garment. It was a thousand sizes too big, hanging nearly to her knees, but at least she didn’t have to worry anymore about her nipples proclaiming their happy hello for the entire world to see.

Something soft brushed her shoulders, and she jumped before realizing it was Max wrapping the blanket around her. For such a big guy, he was amazingly stealthy. She hadn’t even heard him walk behind her. The doorbell chimed and she jerked again. For crying out loud, skittish as she was acting, it’d be a miracle if she didn’t have a nervous breakdown within the next five seconds.

Of course, strange as her life had been the past week, a trip to the local loony bin wouldn’t be out of the question.

“That should be Boone. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Clutching the blanket as if it would cloak her in a much-needed pretense of sanity, she watched him stride off. Shortly afterward, she detected the murmured hush of Max’s voice, along with another deep baritone that she presumed belonged to his friend Boone. Several minutes later, both men appeared in the doorway. She tried not to gawk due to the amount of hunky testosterone that flooded the air. Truly. But it was damn hard.

Although Boone stood an inch or two shorter than Max, it was still obvious he packed the same amount of muscle beneath his grey Henley. He stepped farther into the room, and the lamplight gilded his sandy-blond hair with gold brushstrokes, adding to his surfer god good looks. Extending a hand, he introduced himself with an easy smile. Once the niceties were done with, he placed his black leather medic bag on the foot of the bed. “Max tells me you’ve had an eventful evening.”

“So it seems.” She slid a glance in Max’s direction and took in the tension bracketing his mouth. “I wish I could remember what happened.”

“More than likely, it’s a side effect from the shock you went through earlier.” Boone’s expression remained reassuring. “Give it time. I’m sure you’ll get your memory back soon enough.”

She wanted to believe him. But the odd episodes she’d been experiencing lately made it near impossible to believe anything could be that easy.

“In the meantime, how about I give you a quick examination to make sure there’s nothing more serious to contend with than your memory loss?” Boone’s focus skipped down the blanket. Taking the hint, she dropped the covering to the ground and returned her gaze to Max, mutely conveying her gratefulness for the shirt he’d loaned her.

Boone gestured for her to take a seat next to his bag. While she did as suggested, he rifled through his things and pulled out a small penlight and a stethoscope. She was relieved to note he left the thermometer alone. Given the fact he was a vet, she was more than a little worried where the device might have last been. He tipped her chin and flashed the light into her eyes. She blinked, something that seemed to satisfy him because he hummed his approval. Next, he slid the stethoscope beneath the shirt and pressed the cold chest piece over her heart.

“Other than beating a little faster than should be typical, everything seems to be fine in this department.” He gave her a wink. “Most likely, the culprit is a little adrenaline overload. Nothing to be overly worried about.”

Or maybe it has something to do with the fact your hand is practically cupping my boob, and it’s been forever since I’ve seen even that much action. Silently moaning at the inner slut who’d apparently taken over her body, she offered a weak smile.

Boone removed the stethoscope and returned it to the bag. Max crowded closer, his frown deepening. “Aren’t you going to check the bite on her…” a quick look slid in her direction, “…backside?”

“Yeah, if you’ll give me a chance.” Boone’s expression turned wry. “And some space.”

Max dutifully inched sideways a few paces, and Boone gave her an encouraging squeeze on the arm. “How about you lay on your stomach?”

After granting both men a hesitant stare, she complied with the request and hiked the shirt around her waist, trying not to feel weird and self-conscious about giving them a bird’s-eye view of her butt. Sure, not like she didn’t have bikini bottoms on, but she also didn’t make a regular habit of flashing even that much at strangers. A soft whistle came from one of the guys. Embarrassment burned her cheeks, but then she realized the noise had been prompted by the marks on her skin, not the sight of her ass.

“You weren’t kidding. That’s one hell of a nasty bite.”

Max uttered a low curse. “Damn. So it is a bite? I was hoping I was wrong. It doesn’t completely match up with the marks on my legs.”

“Wait, you got bit too? Why the hell didn’t you mention that sooner?” Boone’s voice held a healthy dose of admonishment.

“It’s no big deal. Willa is the one I’m worried about.”

“Don’t be a stubborn jackass. Let me see these bites.”

Willa turned her head just as Max hiked up the legs of his sweats and revealed some nasty-looking gouges in his flesh. Holy crap. It looked like something had tried to shred him alive.

Boone swore beneath his breath. “Yeah, it’s safe to say you were both attacked by the same son of a bitch. The bites might not completely line up, but the placement of the puncture marks on both of you are in keeping with the guesstimated teeth alignment on a leviathan. How big did you say the thing was?”

Leviathan? The rest of Boone and Max’s conversation faded to an indistinct blur as Willa’s head spun with the news she’d just overheard. A dull whoosh thrummed through her eardrums, keeping pace with her accelerated pulse. Her thoughts immediately tracked to the last encounter she’d had with one of the beasts, when she’d helped save her friend Clarissa from its evil imprisonment. They’d killed that monster. Or at least sent it back to the dark hellhole that’d spawned it. Regardless, that chapter of her life had been permanently closed.

Or so she’d thought. The fact that she’d apparently become the prized snack choice of leviathans certainly threw a wrench in her assumption.

The mattress dipped beside her, snapping her back to the present. Peering over her shoulder, she spotted Boone digging through his bag again. He hauled out a small metal case and clicked it open, revealing a syringe and several marked vials filled with clear liquid. Tension seized her. Sure, she’d known this part was coming, but it didn’t ease her instinctual dislike of needles.

Boone gave her another of his soothing smiles. He was amazingly good at instilling an air of calm. No doubt he was a real pro at lulling innocent puppies and kittens into a false sense of security before poking them in the rump with vaccine shots.

“I need you to sit up so I can administer the shot into your upper thigh. I promise you won’t feel much more than a fast prick.”

Yeah, likely story. Heaving a sigh, she wiggled onto her side before scooching onto her rear. Eyes widening, she watched him depress the plunger slightly, releasing any air trapped in the chamber.

“Why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself, Willa?”

She gaped at Boone blankly before realizing the question was one more tactic designed to distract her from the big bad needle in his hand. “W-what do you want to know?”

Max cleared his throat, drawing her focus to him. “How about what the hell you were doing in your human skin in the middle of the Atlantic?”

Boone sent him an admonishing frown that she barely registered while she blinked at Max. “Huh?”

“I think what Max is trying to ask in his typical gruff fashion is why didn’t you shift? It would have offered you more protection.”

She divided her confused stare between both men. “Shift?”

Max’s hand gestured impatiently. “Into whatever the devil you are.”

The conversation was shuffling further and further away from anything resembling normal. Or comprehendible. “What are you talking about?”

Boone patted her knee. “If you’re worried about exposing your secret, don’t be. We’re shifters too.”

Finally some of the fog began to clear in her brain as the meaning behind the word sank in. Shifters.

Being a witch, she’d been around more than her fair share. Or more specifically, shifter familiars, though she herself didn’t have one. She eyed Boone and Max, doing a double take. Jeez, she probably should have guessed they weren’t entirely human. No mere man looked as scrumdiddlyumptious as these two.

She opened her mouth, intending to ask exactly what type of shifters they were, but stalled short, the unspoken inquiry log jamming in her throat when the rest of Boone’s statement crystallized with glaring clarity. “Wait a minute. You think I’m a shifter?” She smothered a laugh at the absurdity of the notion.

Confusion scrunched the corners of Boone’s eyes. “Aren’t you?”

“Nope. Definitely not.”

Max grunted. “Then explain how the hell you even know what shifters are? Or that we exist?” His tone held a certain provoking quality. Clearly he thought he’d caught her in a lie.

Oh, she was really going to enjoy proving him wrong. “I work for the southern sector of the National Alliance of Witches. I’m surrounded by shifters all the time.”

Surprise flickered over Max’s features. “You’re a witch?”

“Yep.” She smiled serenely. “Must really suck to have your theory blasted to smithereens.”

His eyes narrowed. “You being a witch doesn’t change anything. I’m still tellin’ you, you’re not human.”

Goddess, he was stubborn. “And I’m telling you that I am.”

Max’s eyebrows slashed into a V. “No, you’re not.” His arms crossed over his expansive chest. “It’s impossible.”

The idea that he even questioned her claim, much less countered it, was odd. And kind of annoying. She sat up straighter, mimicking his posture. “Pretty sure it’s not.”

“No, sweetheart, it is.” The endearment sounded ridiculously sexy slipping past Max’s lips, despite it being paired with a dark scowl.

Some foreign feistiness that she didn’t quite understand prodded her to keep sparring with him. “And the reason would be…?”

He hunkered in front of her, his eyes flashing with challenge. “Because, darlin’, last time I checked, humans can’t breathe under water.”

Chapter Three

Max observed the stunned look that fell over Willa’s face and knew with absolute certainty she couldn’t be faking it. He’d done plenty of interrogation in his days, something that’d gifted him with the ability to tell if someone was attempting to pull the wool over his eyes. Which presented a big quandary, since he could only come up with one explanation for her expression.

She hadn’t known she wasn’t human.

Shit. Hefting to his feet, he shot Boone a desperate glance. The unhelpful dickwad returned it with a don’t-look-at-me-this-is-your-fuckup glare.

“What do you mean I was breathing?”

He returned his attention to Willa and noticed how she seemed to be on the verge of hyperventilating.

“That isn’t possible,” she whispered, echoing his previous sentiment.

“Maybe Max was confused. It wouldn’t be the first time.”

He glared at Boone, silently delivering his assessment of that remark. There was no mistaking damn bubbles coming out of someone’s mouth. Or the lack of water clogging their lungs. He was about to point that out when Boone shook his head, his eyes flashing a warning before he slanted a pointed look in Willa’s direction. Max got the message loud and clear. Boone didn’t want him upsetting her any more than he already had. Damn. He hated admitting Boone was right about anything, but Willa had been through enough today. It’d be wrong to give her one more thing to stress over. He’d drop the issue, at least for the time being.

“If you’re ready, I’m going to give you the antivenin now.”

A loud gulp shot from Willa, and at first Max considered chewing Boone a new one for giving him a hard time for frightening her. But then he took in the way her wide-eyed focus was pinned to the approaching needle. He begrudgingly acknowledged that Boone’s pronouncement had managed to do the impossible—steer Willa’s thoughts away from her previous worries. The needle slowly pierced her pale skin, and she sucked in a sharp breath, her fingers digging into the bedspread. Unable to temper his desire to comfort Willa, he crossed to the empty spot next to her and rubbed her shoulder.

He didn’t understand this constant need to touch her but decided to just go with the flow. Particularly since she glanced up at him with gratefulness shining in those beautiful, teary eyes. They continued staring at each other for a long stretch, until a cough from Boone shattered the moment.

Shaking off the strange fascination that’d gripped him, Max jerked his gaze to Boone and bit back a growl at the grin overtaking his friend’s mug.

“One down, one to go.” Boone reached into his medic kit for a fresh syringe and vial of antivenin.

Catching Boone’s meaning, Max shook his head. If there was any chance he could avoid that needle, he sure as hell was going to use it to his advantage. “I wasn’t infected.”

“Better to be safe than sorry. Now drop your pants, you big baby.”

Max’s gaze veered back to Willa. There was no way he could go along with Boone’s command without awarding her a prime viewing of his privates. “Uh…”

A pink stain crawled along Willa’s cheeks as she apparently caught on to his dilemma. “If you don’t mind, I’m just going to wash up a little.” She launched herself off the mattress and hightailed it into the bathroom.

The second the door shut behind her, Max scrunched his sweats down. “Is this really necessary? Or do you just like the idea of jabbing me with that big-ass needle?”

“Both.” Flashing his teeth with a suitably evil grin, Boone sank the tip of the syringe into Max’s flesh.

Once he was done administering the antivenin, Boone soaked several sterile pads with antiseptic so Max could clean up the wounds on his calves. By the time that task was finished, Willa abandoned the bathroom and sat down next to Max. He could smell his body wash clinging to her skin, but he hadn’t heard the shower pop on. She must have settled for a sponge bath.

Max’s thoughts immediately drifted to Willa standing naked in his bathroom, running a sudsy washcloth over her skin with slow, sensuous movements. His cock stirred at that mental image, and he stifled a groan. He tore his focus from Willa and noticed Boone was watching him with a knowing look.

His expression turning sly, Boone capped the syringe and shifted his attention to Willa. “You’re going to require close monitoring for the next twenty-four hours. Think it’s best if you stay here so Max can keep an eye on you.” Boone cocked an eyebrow at him, his lips twitching. “You don’t mind checking our girl’s vitals throughout the night, right, good buddy?”

Judging from the wicked humor dancing in his eyes, Boone knew exactly the kind of picture he’d planted in Max’s head with that suggestion. Asshole.

“But I—I can’t stay here.” Sudden panic streaked across Willa’s face. “Oh my Goddess. My car.” Swallowing hard, she stared at them. “I just remembered. I left it at the lighthouse. Unlocked, with all of my stuff inside.” A frantic wail bubbled from her.

“Hey, that’s great.” Max held up his hands when she glared at him. “I mean about you starting to remember. Not your car.”

“I have to go get it, before someone stumbles across it and decides to take it for a joyride. Or worse.”

She started to scramble to her feet, but he gently prodded her back in place with a firm palm planted on her shoulder. “You’re in no condition to go anywhere. Boone and I will take care of it.”

“Now?”

Clearly there was only one way to calm her. Nodding, he caught Boone’s eye and hitched his chin toward the doorway. “Mind driving?”

Boone repacked his bag and spoke briefly with Willa, giving her a stern lecture about getting plenty of rest and taking things slow and easy the next couple of days. Satisfied his edict would be obeyed, he stood and preceded Max to the exit. Outside, they hopped into Boone’s Land Rover and began the journey to the lighthouse, the ever-present roll and shoosh of the Atlantic floating through the open windows.

After a brief silence, Boone drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, keeping rhythm with the jazz number on the radio. “What do you suppose is the story with her?”

“Hell if I know.” He slashed his focus toward Boone. “How could someone not realize their DNA isn’t completely human?”

“Maybe her parents didn’t want her to know.”

“Why?”

Boone’s shoulders lifted in a slight shrug. “Afraid I’m about as clueless as you are in that regard, bud. But I’m willing to bet she’s going to have a sit-down chat with them real soon.”

Max grunted. “That’ll be an interesting conversation.”

A companionable quiet descended on the vehicle again before Boone rapped against the wheel a second time. “She’s cute. You should ask her out.”

“What are you, my mother? Besides, I discovered firsthand that Willa’s got a mean left hook. Don’t know how I feel about dating a woman who can kick my ass.”

Boone chuckled. “I was wondering why your nose looks a little off kilter. What’d you do, try to cop a feel while she was passed out?”

“Suck my dick, asshole.”

Laughter hooted from Boone. Fortunately the lighthouse came into view, managing to shut him up. They pulled into the parking lot and braked behind an older-model silver Ford Taurus, the only other vehicle in sight. Boone rubbed his chin. “Huh. Not exactly the kind of car I’d pictured her having. It’s kind of…bland.”

He felt compelled to agree with the evaluation. The car was, in a word, boring. It in no way matched up with Willa’s personality. Then again, what did he really know about her beyond the fact she could wield her fist good as any guy and looked like his every wet dream come to life? His cock stirred, obviously in full accord with that last assessment. Gritting his teeth, he released the seat belt and climbed from the Land Rover. He approached the Taurus, his scrutiny moving from the driver’s side door to the shadowed outline of the dunes in the distance. When he’d first pulled her from the Atlantic, he’d assumed she must have been walking on the beach or maybe fell off a boat slip somewhere prior to the leviathan grabbing her. But given how she’d left her car an unlocked target for theft, those previous assumptions seemed highly doubtful.

And there was her odd parking job to consider. She hadn’t come close to squeezing between the lines—or anywhere near an actual parking space, for that matter. Frowning, he gripped the handle and tugged the door open. An annoying series of dings assaulted his eardrums and the overhead dome popped on, splashing light on the interior. Slumping onto the seat, he eyed the steering shaft. Sure enough, a keychain dangled from the ignition. He removed it and the dinging immediately stopped. Tension pinched above the bridge of his nose. “Why the hell would she leave her key in the ignition?”

The car shook slightly as Boone planted his elbow on the roof and leaned inside. “Another mystery I’m sure we’ll be kept in the dark about. At least until her memory returns completely.”

Max slid his gaze sideways and noticed her purse lying on the passenger seat. He had no patience for mystery. Given his profession, he was a firm believer in solving things in a precise, methodical fashion. So he only felt a niggle of guilt when he reached for her bag and thunked it onto his lap before inspecting its contents.

Boone clucked his tongue. “Think she nailed you before? That’s nothing compared to the hurt she’s going to bring if she finds out you went snooping through her purse.”

“I’m not snooping. I’m searching for clues. Big difference.” He pulled out her wallet and flipped it open. Her license was snugged into the front compartment. He eyed the little square picture, doing a double take. The prim individual staring back at him barely resembled the woman he’d left back at his place.

Boone scooted closer. “What do you know, she wears glasses. I’ve always had a thing for the sexy-librarian look.” He responded to Max’s growl with another chuckle. “Yeah, you don’t have an interest in her. At all.”

Ignoring Boone, he scoped out her address. She lived on the island, something he hadn’t been expecting. Not that he knew every resident of Tybee, but it seemed a cruel trick of fate that they’d practically been neighbors all these years, and if not for chancing upon her today, he might never have met her. The possibility of that disturbed him more than he cared to analyze. Instead, he returned to rummaging through her purse. He located her cell phone, one of those fancy PDA numbers that came with more buttons than he knew what to do with. By some small miracle, he figured out how to power it on.

“What are you intending to do? Go through her contacts list looking for possible boyfriends who might give you too much competition?”

Offering Boone another suggestion for what he could do south of his belt, Max skipped through the menu until he located the box he wanted. “I’m checking her most recent calls to see if anything came in shortly before I found her.”

“Why? Think someone might have phoned Willa and told her to go jump in the ocean?”

When put that way, it sounded damn ridiculous. But he had little else to go on. Sometimes even the tiniest clue that at first light appeared completely inconsequential ultimately offered up the biggest solution to the puzzle. He scrolled through the entries but found nothing dated before yesterday, and that number was linked to her work listing. Reluctantly admitting defeat, he stuffed everything into Willa’s bag and returned it to the passenger seat. He glanced up and caught the wry twist to Boone’s mouth.

“I’m going to give you the same advice I gave Willa. Relax. Her memories will come back soon enough, and she’ll be able to fill in all those missing blanks that are driving you crazy. In the meantime, you’ve got a sexy, beautiful woman lying in your bed. Wearing your T-shirt and some skimpy panties.” Boone’s grin turned wicked and challenging. “Why the hell are you still sitting here?”

Chapter Four

Willa glanced at the bedside clock for the millionth time and gusted a heavy exhale. Okay, in reality they hadn’t really been gone that long. There was no reason to assume they were standing over her stripped-down car, scratching their heads over why anyone would want parts from a fifteen-year-old Taurus.

Unable to take it anymore, she jumped off the bed and began pacing the carpet. Her attention fell on the cordless phone on the nightstand. As much as she appreciated Max’s offer to let her stay the night, she felt kind of weird about taking him up on it. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. He’d been nothing but an absolute gentleman from the moment she’d regained consciousness. But it’d probably be better if she found someone else to watch over her tonight.

Unfortunately, the only person she could really ask was her best friend, Marabella. Willa’s aunt Aurele lived all the way in Atlanta. Definitely not convenient. Plus she didn’t like the idea of worrying Aurele. Hoping Max wouldn’t mind her using his phone, she picked it up and punched in Marabella’s number. Almost immediately, a computerized female voice came on announcing that Marabella’s voice mail was full and to try the call again later. Scrunching her lips in frustration, Willa hung up and settled the cordless into the charger. More than likely Marabella was out on a date. Which meant she wouldn’t be available to come pick Willa up anytime soon.

Looks like I’m stuck with Max. What a hardship that was. Ignoring the sexy shiver that shimmied down her spine, she abandoned the bedroom and walked down the hall. She passed a room that appeared to be a den. Or maybe a small home office. Nosiness getting the better of her, she stepped inside the dimly lit space. A black modular desk was tucked against the farthest wall. Silver-framed photos lined the upper shelf. Lured by the possibility of learning more about Max, she crossed to the desk and clicked on the candlestick lamp so she could inspect the pictures. There was one of Max receiving some kind of award. She leaned forward, squinting as she tried to make out the words inscribed on the plaque in his hands. Finally she gave up and moved on to the next photo. This one was of Max again, only this time he was flanked on either side by a beaming older couple. Max and the other man shared a remarkable resemblance, leading her to believe it must be his father.

She took in the obvious love and affection radiating from the trio and was reminded of her own parents. The photo blurred as her eyes became misty and a cramp squeezed just above her rib cage. Even after all these years, she missed her mom and dad with a fierceness that ached in her soul. Although her aunt Aurele had tried her best to make up for the loss of Willa’s parents all these years, nobody could completely fill the void of their absence.

Her mind returned to Max’s startling—and completely erroneous—conclusion about her being anything other than human. She’d had time to think about it and kept circling back to the one damning thing that proved him wrong.

Her parents drowned, her nearly along with them. They hadn’t possessed some miraculous ability to breathe under water.

Neither did she.

A beam of light glanced off the frames and expanded, imprinting the stark silhouette of her head against the wall. Headlights. Her morose musings scattered. She pivoted and spied her Taurus pulling into the driveway. Giving a happy yip, she rushed from the room. She reached the front door the same time Max did. The second he stepped across the threshold, she flung her arms around him. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou.”

Something plunked onto the tiled entry, and an instant later Max’s palms slipped around her back, their heat sinking through the thin cotton of the shirt. His scent enveloped her, heady and fresh as the ocean. She shivered, swimming in sensory overload.

His fingers splayed and tightened in a tempting caress before sliding free. He swallowed, the intriguing flex of his throat muscles working when his Adam’s apple bobbed. “Sorry, I dropped your bag.”

Snapping out of her sensual haze, she lowered her scrutiny to the floor. And gasped. “My purse!” Relief sweeping her, she crouched onto her haunches and hugged the bag to her chest. “Amazing how you don’t realize how much you rely on something until it’s not handy.” She plopped the oversized tote between her feet and rifled through the compartments until she located her spare glasses. After wiping a tiny smudge with the hem of the T-shirt, she tucked the tortoise frames in place and smiled. “Case in point—being able to see clearly again. Hallelujah.”

She looked up and found Max staring at her. He mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like sexy librarian, and she blinked. “What?”

He shook his head. “Nothing.” Shoving a hand through his dark, close-cropped hair, he eased the front door shut with the heel of his shoe. “How are you feeling?”

“Okay. A little tired.” Her stomach rumbled, the noise making her blush. “Hungry too, from the sound of it.”

“I could make us something to eat.”

She gaped at him. “You can cook?” A grin tipped the corners of his mouth and she chuckled. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to make it sound like you being able to cook was a miraculous feat or something. It’s just that most of the guys I know can barely figure out how to work their microwave.”

“My mom is the executive chef at a restaurant in Galveston. She taught me everything I know.”

Her sigh broke free before she could snuff it. “You’re gorgeous and can cook. Please let me have your babies.” No sooner did the statement escape and a pregnant silence blanketed the foyer. Eyes widening, she met Max’s intense gaze. “Could we, uh, pretend I didn’t just say that out loud?” She nibbled her bottom lip, her skin flushing.

His focus drifted to her mouth, lingered there for a moment before he took a deep breath and scratched the back of his neck. “I think we better figure out the food situation.”

The idea of following him into the kitchen and watching him do questionably sexy things, like brown butter or chop onions—shirtless, no less—sounded way too inviting. And risky, considering her mind couldn’t seem to stop conjuring images of them getting busy beneath the sheets. Still, she couldn’t exactly bow out of helping without looking like a spoiled princess who expected to be waited on hand and foot. Biting the bullet, she traipsed after him, trying not to ogle his ass.

Max’s kitchen was a testimony to his obvious passion for the culinary arts. Moss-green granite countertops blended seamlessly with stainless-steel appliances. The crown jewel was a large center island housing a Jenn-Air range. She waited next to the counter, eyeing the delicious selection of oranges piled in a red-and-white speckled colander. The sound of water splashing while Max washed up muffled the resulting grumble of her stomach. She couldn’t understand why she was so damn hungry. Famished, actually. Like it’d been days since she’d last eaten, rather than hours.

“You’re not a vegetarian, are you?”

She glanced at Max, her tummy getting that funny tingle again as she watched him lather up his hands. Okay, there was no reason why she should be so ridiculously turned on by that, for crying out loud. “Nope. Plop a slab of prime rib in front of me and I’m a happy woman.”

“Now you’re talking my language.” He dried his hands with a dish towel before journeying to the fridge. “How about I grill a couple T-bones? And there’s just enough fixings for salad.”

“I can take care of that part, if you want.”

“You’re a guest. My mom would kick my ass if I put you to work.”

She snorted. “You also saved my life today. Pretty sure that trumps social manners.” Before he could balk, she snatched the head of romaine lettuce from his grip and carried it to the sink for rinsing. While he went out onto the deck to light the grill, she rummaged in the crisper drawer and found a cucumber and a container of grape tomatoes. By the time he came back inside she’d managed to toss all the ingredients in a large ceramic bowl she’d discovered in one of the well-stocked cupboards.

“Looks like you found everything easily enough.” Reaching above her head, he snagged a plate. He stood so close, his sweatpants brushed along her thigh in a soft glide. She gulped as a thousand goose bumps cropped across her skin.

Slapping the cupboard door shut, he stepped away.

The breath she’d been holding trickled free, and she turned slightly while he unwrapped a pair of steaks from their butcher paper. Her mind returned to the photo in his office of him receiving some type of award. Curiosity once again gnawed at her. “You mentioned your mom is a professional chef. How about you?”

He shook his head. “Law enforcement.”

“You’re a cop?” No wonder he’d been quick to rescue her. Taking on the role of hero would be natural to him. An intrinsic instinct.

“Sheriff.” He glanced over his shoulder. “Not in the human realm, mind you. My jurisdiction isn’t land based.”

His pronouncement baffled her, until she recalled where he’d found her today. “The ocean? I didn’t know there was any law enforcement in place there.”

Max’s smile was lopsided and dangerously endearing. “We’re pretty low profile.”

“What exactly does your job entail? Or can you say?” She wrinkled her nose. “If it’s one of those I’d tell ya but then I’d have to kill you deals, I’ll stick with staying in the dark.”

He chuckled. The husky sound slid over her like smooth velvet, bringing a gush of wetness between her thighs and making her nipples pebble. Oh jeez. She’d never been more grateful for a baggy shirt.

“No, nothing like that. Basically, I do the same thing a human sheriff does, only in water.” He made a vague gesture with his arm. “Keep the peace. Protect the innocent. Put the hurt on bad guys. Whatever’s required of me.”

She cocked her head. “Like rescue damsels in distress from leviathans?”

“Yeah.” He rubbed a deliciously fragrant seasoning onto the steaks and moved to the sink. Using his elbow to raise the faucet’s handle, he squirted soap into his palm. “Not sure I’ve ever come up against a bigger brute than that sonofabitch, though. Not too proud to say I hope I never do again.”

Having firsthand knowledge of the ugly beasts, she knew precisely what Max had been forced to contend with. The idea that he’d been able to defeat the creature boggled her brain. Granted, he was a huge guy, and generously ripped with a plethora of yummy muscles, but it was hard to believe a small army could take on a leviathan, much less one man.

Then again, Max wasn’t exactly a man. Reminded of that important fact, she looked him over. “I was meaning to ask you something earlier.”

“Hmm?” His expression partly distracted, he shut off the faucet.

“What kind of shifter are you?”

For some strange reason, he grimaced. “Damn, I was hoping you wouldn’t ask.”

“Why?”

“My species has a bad rap.” He coughed before scraping his palm along his jaw. “Some tend to hold that against me.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“Don’t be so sure.” A resigned exhale leaked from him. “I don’t want you to freak or get the wrong impression.”

She frowned. “Uh, you’re kinda freakin’ me out right now.” What was he going to tell her? That he was a seahorse? She automatically visualized one of the teensy creatures and superimposed Max’s head on top. Her giggle threatened to pop free.

“I’m a shark, Willa.”

Her smile froze in place.

“Shit. This is why I didn’t want to mention it.”

Digesting the information, she stared at Max, trying to correlate the image of Jaws with the hunk standing in front of her.

“You’re picturing Jaws right now, aren’t you?” His mouth adopted a sardonic twist when she blinked. “No, I can’t read minds, if that’s what you’re wondering. But I’m well acquainted with your expression. I’ve seen it a time or two on the faces of the men in my own department.” Another hint of that resigned weariness shaded Max’s features. “To put your mind at ease, I’m not nearly as big as that ugly bastard. And I don’t munch on swimmers.”

“Th-that’s good to know.” A thought suddenly occurred to her. “Is Boone a shark too? I mean, are there a lot of you out there? Because I can honestly say, you’re the first I’ve ever met.”

“Nope, Boone’s a seal shifter. To answer your other question, my species is fairly rare. To my knowledge, I’m the only one in all of Georgia.”

“Wow. Doesn’t that make you feel…lonely?”

Rather than answer, he gazed at her for a long moment, the shadow of a dark emotion she knew all too well lurking in his eyes. Returning his attention to the plate of food, he cleared his throat. “Guess I better get these on the grill.”

She watched him walk out the French doors, her heart giving an odd tug. She knew what it meant to be lonely. To ache for someone to come home to every day.

Tamping down her glumness, she searched for napkins and silverware, making herself busy setting the pine farm table for the two of them. Once that task was taken care of, she fidgeted for a few minutes, at a loss for what to do next. Finally she admitted defeat and unlatched the door, joining Max on the deck. In the distance, the moonlit Atlantic rolled in shimmering waves toward the shore. Unable to help it, she shuddered and crossed her arms over her chest. Max eyed her, his gorgeous profile lit with a red glow from the grill’s flickering flames. “If it’s too cold for you out here, feel free to grab the blanket.”

He’d misunderstood the source of her shivers, but playing along with his theory was easier and less painful than revealing the truth. “It’s got to be at least seventy-five degrees. In what world is that considered cold?”

His mouth slid into a half smile. “Sorry. I keep forgetting you’re adapted to walking around in human skin.” He stabbed one of the steaks with a long-handled fork and turned the sizzling meat. “Some of us shifters are occasionally sensitive to temperature.”

It took a moment to catch his meaning. Damn it, he still thought she was something besides human. She planted her hands on her hips, intending to set him straight, but before she could even open her mouth, he lobbed another question at her.

“What made you decide to become a witch?”

She dropped her arms, the unexpected inquiry putting her at a disadvantage. Mulling the question, she plucked at the hem of the oversized shirt. Truthfully, she couldn’t remember a time when the energetic magic coursing through her hadn’t existed. Before she’d joined the witches’ alliance, she’d never known there were others like her out there. Finding out she wasn’t an odd freak of nature had been immensely comforting. “I don’t know. I’ve always just been drawn to it, kind of like a calling, I suppose. Why?”

“Just curious. You said you’ve never met a shark shifter, well, I’ve never met a witch.”

She laughed at the comparison. “Something tells me being a shark is a lot more exciting than being a witch. At least when it comes to me. Pretty much all I do is file papers and take dictation. No kicking bad guy ass for moi.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You did a damn good job swinging your fist at me earlier. Don’t think you’d have any problem holding your own if you had to.”

She groaned. “Please tell me I apologized for that.”

“Yeah, you did. And I’m only teasin’.” He tossed their steaks onto the plate and shut off the grill’s gas. “Feast time.”

Right on cue, her stomach rumbled in approval. They returned to the kitchen and spent the next twenty minutes eating the scrumptious dinner. Hungry as she was, she probably would have been happy scarfing down shoe leather, but no way would it have come close to providing the same fiesta for her taste buds as Max’s cooking. It was a tad embarrassing, the amount of relish she savored her food with, but fortunately Max didn’t appear to mind. If anything, he seemed fascinated. Even as she sank her teeth into the last bite of steak with a lusty groan, his focus remained glued to her mouth. Swallowing, he dropped his napkin into his lap.

She finished chewing before giving him a sheepish glance. “I swear I’m not usually like this. I mean, I’m not going to lie, I love food. But this?” She waved her fork, indicating her empty plate. “Better than an orgasm any day.” The second the words escaped, she wished she could reel them back in. Good grief, would her inner slut never shut up?

Max stilled. His attention drifted to her lips again, his dilated pupils making his eyes look dark and exceedingly sexy. “Then I’d say you haven’t been sharing a bed with the right man. One who’s gonna make damn sure he rocks your Kasbah more than that T-bone.”

The air crackled between them, loaded with sexual tension so thick it could be cut with one of their steak knives. She wasn’t certain how long they stared at each other before Max broke eye contact. He dropped his silverware onto his plate and cleared his throat. “Well, these dishes aren’t going to wash themselves.”

He stood and she gaped at him mutely. How the hell could he casually go from rocking Kasbahs to dirty plates? A possibility occurred to her. One that left her feeling even more like a pathetic moron. Maybe she was the only one who’d truly been affected by their conversation. Max was only being a nice, generous host, and here she was, misreading things and thinking he was sexually attracted to her.

She’d never been the type of woman to instill lustful cravings in a man. And yummy, too-gorgeous-for-words Max? He was so far out of her league it was ridiculous.

Sighing, she started to gather the plates.

“I’ll take care of everything. Why don’t you go rest for a while? Boone will take a chunk out of my hide if you have a relapse or something.”

“But I want to—” She broke off, a yawn sneaking out. Max’s eyebrows lifted, and she exhaled in weary defeat. “Fine, I’ll rest. But I’m not going to like it.”

His mouth twitched. “You can take the bed.”

“Where are you going to sleep?”

“On the floor.”

“Don’t be silly. I’m not going to—”

“Willa.” An unmistakable warning underscored his tone. “Don’t make me toss you over my shoulder and throw you on that bed.”

She shivered. It probably wasn’t normal to be turned on by his threat. Definitely pathetic. Deliberately adopting a mulish slant to her chin, she stalked down the hallway. Setting her glasses on the nightstand, she crawled on the bed, intending to do nothing more than shut her eyes for a bit. Even before her head fully hit the pillow, a snore floated past her lips.

Max stared dumbly at the growing mountain of suds in the sink. He gripped the edge of the basin, willing away the persistent throbbing in his cock. Jesus. He should be awarded with a damn sainthood for not climbing on the bed with Willa and licking every inch of her like she was his dessert.

The image fostered by that provocative thought tormented his already stiff-as-a-board erection. He slumped his shoulders and groaned, pouring every ounce of his bottled frustration into the gesture. The damnable part of it all was he suspected Willa wanted him just as bad. But he also knew she was in a vulnerable position. She’d nearly lost her life today, and that was bound to mess with a person’s head. If anything happened between them, he wanted to be absolutely certain it was for the right reason, and not because she looked at him as her savior and therefore deserved a thank-you fuck.

No matter how sizzling hot that fuck would be.

There was no question in his mind that a night spent indulging his wildest fantasies with Willa would be off the charts. He loved the hell out of sex. Loved all of the tactile sensations. Skin gliding on skin. The contrast between the softness of a woman’s breasts and the firmer, pebbled tips of her nipples. He loved the texture of both beneath his fingers, against his tongue. But most of all, he adored savoring the wet silkiness of a woman’s pussy as he went down on her. He could easily spend hours doing that for Willa, if she let him.

“Shit.” He gritted the word through his teeth. These kinds of thoughts were doing nothing to cool him down, damn it. Plunging his hands into the soapy water, he ruthlessly scrubbed the plates and utensils until they gleamed before setting them on the rack to drip dry. That chore completed, he walked down the hall toward his office. The bedroom was dark and the faint sound of light snores carried to his ears, making him grin. For someone who’d carried on like a cranky five-year-old refusing to go to sleep, she sure as hell fell into snooze land fast.

He sat at his desk and powered on his computer. He’d put off logging in some reports earlier in the week. Might as well get the damn things done with. But halfway through pulling up the file folder, his mind became distracted by thoughts of Willa. Not exactly any surprise there. Only this time, he couldn’t shake the question of why the leviathan had snatched her. Granted, maybe the beast had just been in it for sport, or an easy kill.

But that was the thing. He’d run into the leviathan miles away from the creatures’ preferred territory. Something had lured the beast close to shore.

Willa?

The possibility stirred an uneasy brew in his gut. Why would the leviathan have wanted her?

His finger stopped hovering over the mouse, and he clicked off his current program and opened the file labeled “unknown attacks” instead. These were the unsolved cases, where the perpetrator of the crime was yet to be determined or brought to trial. He spent a good forty-five minutes scanning the entries, looking for evidence that might hint at a leviathan being responsible for the acts. A few cold cases presented possible leads, but each of those were at least two decades old.

Sinking back in his chair, he rubbed his brow. Boone was right about one thing. He despised unfilled blanks. More and more, it looked like he’d never know why the leviathan had chosen Willa for its victim. Not unless he tracked the son of a bitch down and threatened to beat it within an inch of its life.

Sounded like an excellent plan.

One that’d have to wait for another day. Gusting a heavy breath, he powered off the computer and stood, stretching. A series of pops cracked in his tensed joints. Grimacing, he abandoned the office and strode into the bedroom. A beam of milky moonlight pooled along the bed, illuminating the gentle curve of Willa’s shoulder and the slope of her breasts. The shirt had bunched tight beneath her, showcasing her hard little nipples. White-hot desire kicked him square in the groin.

Jesus. What was it about her that made him revert to a fifteen-year-old with a constant boner? There was no question she was cute and sexy as hell, but he wasn’t one to suffer irrational lust like this.

Corking his frustrated groan, he strode to the bathroom and shut the door. At first he had no intention beyond brushing his teeth, but the residual salty grit clinging to him convinced him that a good scrub down was also in order. Much as he loved the ocean, his human skin tended to get itchy real fast. He shoved the vinyl curtain aside and dialed on the shower before stripping off his sweats and jumping beneath the spray. Water pummeled his exhausted muscles, ripping a moan of pleasure from his chest.

Hot steam enveloped him in a caressing cloud. Even on a normal day, when he didn’t have a luscious woman lying in his bed, he tended to get aroused by extreme heat—a condition inherent to his species. Knowing Willa rested on the other side of the door, her silky skin warming his sheets, only intensified his ardor.

Before he could halt it, the image of her nipples sprang into his mind. His cock swelled and he fisted the base of his shaft, a mental picture of sliding its length between her breasts slamming into him. Planting his other fist on the wet tile, he pumped his cock, his hips rocking into the motion. In his fantasy, Willa’s tongue flicked teasingly at the crown, stringing out his torture, before letting him slide free.

He closed his eyes, the vivid scene in his head better than any XXX porno in existence. A niggle of guilt told him he’d regret this later, since he’d never be able to look her in the face in the morning without recalling the dirty things he’d had her do in his mind.

It’d be a punishment he’d have to take, because nothing could preempt the release knocking on his door. Firming his grip, he jacked himself with increasingly faster strokes, until his balls drew up almost painfully tight. A warning wave hit him and he jerked, his cock pulsing. Pounding water muffled his broken groan. By the time the last thick spurt of his come washed down the drain, he felt more wrung out than a shop rag. Staggering backwards, he slumped against the shower wall.

Holy hell. If just jacking off to the fantasy of Willa sent his brain in to orbit, what would—?

He nixed the thought before it could form any further. The last thing he needed was to get turned on again. Doubtful he’d be able to survive another solo session like that last one, he cranked the water off and stepped from the shower stall. Once toweled dry, he tugged on his sweats and killed the light so as not to disturb Willa. A heated, citrus-scented billow of steam followed him into the bedroom. He glanced toward the bed, a part of him relieved to note that she’d rolled onto her side, allowing him nothing more than a glimpse of her calves.

Damn. Even those were sexy. Shaking his head at his utter patheticness, he walked to the closet and grabbed a spare pillow and blanket from the upper shelf. He tossed his makeshift bed onto the carpet and stretched out. Stacking his arms beneath his head, he stared at the ceiling. If anyone would’ve suggested he’d end his evening on the floor while a woman who fired every single one of his cylinders slept less than five feet away, he would have called them crazy. But as his cock stirred with renewed life, it became too obvious he was the one suffering a major shortage of sanity—for not spooning up to Willa’s sweet curves and connecting the freckles dotted across her collarbone with his tongue.

Clenching his jaw, he yanked the pillow over his head, blocking out the ceiling. And the temptation of Willa.

Chapter Five

A sparkling blue pool shimmered in front of Willa. She stared at the man ascending from its depths, gleaming rivulets of water streaming down his muscular flanks.

If this is a dream or hallucination, please, goddess, don’t wake me up.

The man glanced over his shoulder at her, and she realized it was Max. His come-hither smile was an invitation to pure sin. She gulped.

“Join me, Willa. You don’t have to be afraid.”

She inched forward, her focus dropping to the eddying pool of water. Trepidation sluiced inside her veins. She couldn’t go in there. If she did…bad things would happen.

“No, you’re safe.” Max coaxed her closer. “I’ll protect you. Always.”

His sincerity beckoned, as did the wicked promise of his delectable body. He was the sole possessor of precisely what she needed. She had no idea how she knew that, but the truth of it rang loud and clear. Max reached for her, and she stepped into his embrace. The water’s satin glide stroked her flesh, sending a splinter of alarm through her.

“I’m here.” Max’s lips brushed hers in a soft caress, the thickness of his erection bumping into her stomach.

Oh yes. He was definitely there. All ten inches of him.

Clearly her inner slut was a size whore to notice such things.

His tongue delved inside her mouth, teasing hers into lush play. A breathless whimper escaped her. Lifting her into his arms, he carried her to a flat rock jutting from the center of the pool. With gentle reverence, he settled her onto its slick surface and climbed over her, kissing her again. Eyes drifting shut, she lost herself to the sensuality overtaking her. “Max…”

A horrible screech filled the air and she snapped her eyes open. Max was gone.

He’d left her. Left her to drown. Panicked, she scrambled to the middle of the rock. Shaking with fear, she cowered in the face of the relentless waves foaming around her, surging ever closer to the protective stone ledge. The terrible shrieking recommenced. Convinced her brain would explode from the unbearable noise, she clamped her hands over her ears. A female figure rose above the surf, her long, silvery-blonde hair whipping frantically in the brewing tempest. Cold dark eyes flashed with hatred. “You will all die. Every last one of you.”

Behind the spectral vision, a terrifying wall of water crested into a towering peak. Its roar deafening, the tidal wave swelled, crashing into the rock.

Willa jerked into a sitting position, the frightening nightmare slowly dissolving. She stared into the darkness shrouding the bedroom, her heart galloping out of control. What the hell was that? Fingers trembling, she pushed aside a damp lock of hair sticking to her cheek.

It wasn’t the first time she’d experienced these dreams that felt all too real. But this one had seemed even more…vivid than the others.

She scooched back onto the mattress and curled onto her side. Hugging the pillow to her chest, she sucked in a series of deep, calming breaths, attempting to get her pulse under control. She hated this part of her strange episodes—the jagged-edged panic that clawed at her insides like a beast determined to escape.

“You don’t have to be afraid.” The sultry voice sprang into Willa’s head, making her jolt.

She knew that voice. Though she’d never actually heard it use audible words, it’d called to her countless times in the past week, usually moments before she blacked out.

Panting in frantic desperation, she buried her head in the pillow. A distinctly feminine laugh floated inside her mind. Willa gnashed her teeth. Freaking great, the damn voice thinks my psychosis is hilarious.

“He can help you.” The pronouncement came with a seductive ripple of heat. “He possesses what you truly need.”

“Who?” The question popped from Willa before she could smother it, and she growled. She was already a walking candidate for a padded cell. Talking to the voices in her head would only guarantee her lifetime residency.

“You already know the answer.”

Almost as if it’d been choreographed, a rumbling snore broke from Max. A responding surge of moisture dampened the crotch of her panties. Damn it. Wasn’t being nuttier than a Snickers bar enough to deal with? Was it really necessary to heap being weirdly aroused by snores on top of it?

The voice chuckled, and Willa mentally gave it the bird.

“Go to him.”

“Shut up,” Willa whispered fiercely. “I’m not listening to you anymore.”

“Oh, yes you are.”

She opened her mouth to tell the taunting voice to go find another head to harass just as an overpowering wave of lust flooded her. Gasping, she clenched her thighs together, but that only seemed to intensify the sensation. She writhed, even the slide of her skin against the sheets an agonizing torment.

“He can make it all better.”

“You’re going to pay for this.”

“You’ll thank me in the morning.”

She flung the pillow to the foot of the bed and tried rolling onto her other side, but her body refused to cooperate. Max moved restlessly in his sleep, and the blanket twisted around his hips. She stared at the intriguing shadow play along the defined ridges of his abdomen. Desire, thick and headier than anything she’d experienced, shimmered through her. “Oh Goddess.”

Shivers wracking her, she swung her legs over the edge of the mattress and stumbled toward Max. Her legs were useless as putty and she nearly fell on top of him. He grunted, instantly jerking awake. “Willa, what is it?” His hands automatically steadied her and he cursed. “You’re burning up. I better call Boone.”

“No. You have what I need.”

“You’re feverish. Let me—” He broke off with another grunt when she caught his bottom lip between her teeth. His eyes widened. “Willa?” The word came out garbled, but there was no mistaking the confused shock underlying it.

She released him and licked her way inside his mouth, her tongue curling around his. Her fingers splayed on his chest, absorbing the shaky timbre of his groan. He was delicious beyond words. Scraping her teeth along his bristly jaw, she made her way to the underside and nipped him before sucking the tender spot with enough force to leave a hickey.

“Jesus. Sweetheart, what’s going on here?”

She lapped an upward path along his neck, and he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing beneath her exploring tongue. Continuing her journey north, she bit his chin. “I’m having you.”

“I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“You’re right. It’s a brilliant one.”

“You damn well know that isn’t what I meant.”

“And you talk too much,” she admonished before kissing him again with hungry relish. She stretched flat on top of him, and his body tensed. The T-shirt rode up, leaving nothing but the thin nylon of her panties as a flimsy barrier to the warm flesh of his belly. There could be no possible way he didn’t notice how unbelievably aroused she was.

She got her verification when his palm slid over the curve of her ass and dipped between her legs. A tremor ran through him. His resistance melting a fraction, he coasted his fingers over the soaked crotch of her bikini, creating a slick friction. “You’re so fucking wet.”

If she’d possessed the tiniest modicum of willpower to ignore the powerful need combusting inside her, the gravelly wonder in Max’s tone proved to be her downfall. Scooting up, she wrestled the shirt off before doing the same with her bra.

Max’s gulp echoed in the room, his focus glued to her breasts. “We should wait—”

“No. Now.” Seeing he was going to balk again, she wiggled down his torso and hooked her thumbs into his sweats, tugging them down. He’d gone commando. How very considerate of him. Saliva pooling in her mouth, she ogled the thick, rigid column of his shaft before taking it into her mouth. Tuning out Max’s startled intake of air, she sucked halfway down his length, using her hand to take care of the rest.

“Fuck.” Max’s hips jerked as she gave the root of his cock a sinuous pump.

She released the bulbous head with a juicy pop and concentrated on the tiny slit, flicking her tongue with teasing, kittenish licks. He swelled even more, pulsing within her grip. Another shuddering moan fell from him, and his hand covered hers. “Come here and let me taste you.”

Wonderful as that sounded, she had a different plan. The fierce desire pushing her wouldn’t be appeased by anything less than penetration at this point, and she wanted—no, needed—every scrumptiously hard centimeter of him filling her. Sitting up once more, she maneuvered the crotch of her panties, making room for Max. He blinked when he caught on to her intention, and he scrambled to sit up. “Willa—” His protest morphed into a rough exhale as she impaled herself on his impressive girth.

The inner folds of her labia parted for the engorged head of his cock. Gravity gave her the advantage of easier penetration, and her inner walls expanded before squeezing tight, sucking every inch of Max in a clinging embrace while he sank deep. She felt him everywhere, the sweeping intensity of his energy just as intoxicating as the luscious fullness stretching her.

Tipping her head back, she began riding him, setting a jarring pace. His palm flattened on her tummy, slowing her, and she glanced down. Max’s irises glinted like quicksilver in the twilight. Holding her stare, he slid his hand to where they were joined, his thumb circling her clit in a way that made her quiver and gasp. He continued his lazy strokes over the slippery nubbin, applying exactly the right pressure and speed to send her on a fast track to orgasm. She trembled, wordless cries sticking in her throat as her slick core clenched around him. Her wetness drenched his fingers and cock, coated her thighs. The climax loomed ever closer. Ever bigger.

Desperate sobs shaking her, she ground harder onto Max, until the swollen knob of his shaft butted her cervix.

The orgasm slammed into her, the impact ripping a strangled scream from her throat. Dazzling starbursts of color and light exploded, showering from her pores and illuminating the room in a brilliant blue haze. Dimly, she heard Max’s own shout as his cock pulsed inside her.

Limp and boneless, she slumped on top of him. She detected the mocking laughter of her inner tormentor, but she was too weak to tell it to get lost. Unfortunate, since it only seemed to give the aggravating voice carte blanche to get the last word in before Willa passed out.

“Told you so.”

Chapter Six

Harrison gave the five armed guards patrolling the perimeter of Bon Revere an irritated glance. Pufferfish shifters? It was an insult to the leviathan’s sensibilities how easy this would be. He was still smarting from the blow his ego had taken after getting the smack down from that fucking shark. He’d been looking forward to the opportunity to use his full prowess and ingenuity.

Tugging on his waistcoat, he crept closer to the bank of rhododendrons concealing his covert hiding spot. He despised being on land and adopting this human form. Particularly since the damn butler’s uniform was a constant reminder of his previous employer and mentor. But much as he hated Seven, he owed the slave-driving bastard a small debt of gratitude. If the asshole hadn’t died, this golden opportunity would never have fallen in Harrison’s lap.

Still, no amount of begrudging gratitude would stop him from reconfiguring his wardrobe selection as soon as the first opportunity presented itself. Which should be any minute now.

Focusing on the tall brawny guard on the right, Harrison tapped into the shifter’s mind, ferreting for the information needed. An image materialized and the leviathan’s cells began transforming with the gathered data, taking on the appearance of the guard’s next chain in command.

Harrison abandoned the shadows and approached the gathering of shifters. The tall one he’d mind fucked leapt to attention and waved a salute. “General. We weren’t expecting you back from Florida until next week.”

The stammered admission managed to lift Harrison’s foul mood a fraction. For once, events were going his way. With the general out of town for several more days it made things infinitely easier, since he wouldn’t have to worry about the general unexpectedly showing up and blowing his cover. “I can see that. Do you think I personally hand picked you dipshits so you can stand around scratching your spiny asses?” Harrison puffed out his chest. The shifters gaped at him like they were possibly mentally retarded. He wouldn’t be surprised. “Well, do you?”

A chorus of “No sirs” tumbled from the guards.

“Good. Then make yourselves goddamn useful.”

He received another round of vacuous stares. It was beyond him why these things were allowed to procreate.

“W-what exactly do you want us to do, sir?” the chubbiest of the five blabbered.

How about growing some brain cells, for starters. Keeping that tidbit of advice to himself, Harrison glared the shifter down until the pufferfish looked ready to piss in its camo pants. With a loud gulp, the others scurried to their posts, knocking into each other in their effort to avoid his steely-eyed wrath. Harrison shoved past the trembling guard and made his way inside the mansion. More shifter guards were stationed in various public rooms. He ignored them and ventured to a door flanked on either side by two enormous walrus shifters. His gaze flicked over the ammo belts strapped over both guards’ barrel-like chests while they saluted.

This had to be the right location. “At ease, soldiers.”

The shifters dropped their arms, and Harrison nodded toward the doorway behind them. “I’m here to see the prisoner.”

“Be warned, sir. She’s in a regular snit tonight. Threw her dinner at Ferguson.”

Worthless piece of shit probably deserved it. Harrison twisted the knob and jogged down the steep flight of stairs. At the base of the landing, he came to another door, this one metal and padded with thick, soundproofing foam insulation. Two more guards were stationed outside it. He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, and the shifters frowned. Their stubbornness annoyed him, but he somehow stifled the urge to conk their heads into the wall behind them. “Leave. I’ve been given strict orders to interrogate the prisoner on a private matter.”

Once the pair hustled up the stairs, Harrison wrenched the heavy metal bar from its housing and pushed open the door. The lush strains of some classical piece of music drifted to his ears while he observed the spacious suite he stood in. To call it opulent would be an understatement. A gleaming Steinway sat in one corner, the crystal candelabra competing with the shiny intensity of the multi-tiered chandelier overhead. In the opposite corner, a white silk fainting couch blocked a floor-to-ceiling folding screen inset with ornate jade panels.

Harrison journeyed farther into the room, his combat boots scrunching on the Persian rug. “Come out, come out, wherever you are, my pretty.”

The lovely violin music immediately stopped. He waited, his anticipation mounting. Finally footsteps sounded, and a stunningly beautiful female stepped from behind the other side of the screen. Onyx-dark eyes pinned him in place. “Who the hell are you?”

He spread his arms. “I’m General Lessway.”

“No, you’re not, leviathan.”

Interesting. He’d never encountered an individual capable of detecting his true form beneath the wardrobe of his illusions. “Very well. I see no reason for pretense between us, anyway. My true name is Harrison. I’m here to propose a business arrangement.”

She swept him with a cold, scornful glance. “In case you couldn’t tell, I’m a little tied up these days.”

He didn’t miss the sarcasm in her frosty tone. Damn bitch. Soon enough, she would change her tune about looking down on him. “I come bearing a possible solution to your predicament, and I promise you this much—you won’t be disappointed with what I have to offer.”

Her beautiful features adopted an expression of bored indifference. “Doubtful.”

Harrison closed the distance between them, his finger stroking the edge of the piano. Judging from the tightening of his hostess’s mouth, she didn’t like the notion of him soiling her furniture. Not so long ago, in his other incarnation, he would have been the one forced to clean away the smudges and shine the silver. Kiss the ass of those who held more power.

Not anymore.

“The girl. I know where she is.” Had held her in his clutches, as it were. But he couldn’t reveal he’d lost her to that damn shark. Not if he wanted to salvage his ego and earn the compliance of his haughty hostess.

Her eyes narrowed. “What girl?”

The anticipation crested within him again, almost making him giddy. “The one you thought dead.”

She remained aloof until her expression unexpectedly froze, his words registering. Triumph pumped liquid ambrosia through his bloodstream. “I will help you find her.”

His hostess attempted to school her features into cool detachment, but he knew better. The tip of her tongue darted out and moistened her lips. “For what price?”

“Partnership.”

“In what?”

The promise of victorious destiny glimmered within Harrison. “Destroying them all.”

Chapter Seven

The deep rumble of a snore delivered directly into her eardrum snapped Willa awake. For a second, she thought she’d produced it, but then it sounded again. She froze, her thumping heartbeat nearly drowning out the much-too-close snores.

Oh crap, what have I done this time?

The warm, solid press of a hard, masculine body beneath hers gave her a good idea. If that weren’t enough of a damning clue, the unmistakable wetness between her thighs sealed the deal.

Moving with less speed than a snail, she lifted onto her elbows and stared down at Max. His features were sleep relaxed, but even with him dead to the world, there was no missing the undeniable sexual satisfaction radiating from him.

She smothered her groan and inched backward. Her thigh grazed his cock and his shaft swelled, nudging her. Max murmured something too low to comprehend. She worriedly eyed his face, looking for any sign he was waking up. Another soft snore broke from him. Gusting a relieved sigh, she resumed her awkward attempt to untangle their limbs. Without thinking, she allowed her gaze to dip to where his cock brushed perilously close to her hip. Out of the blue, a barrage of fractured memories slammed into her brain, every single one raunchier than the last. The most mortifying of them was the recollection of riding Max like he was her personal stud bronco.

Oh Goddess.

She had to get out of there before Max woke up and her embarrassment quadrupled. Or she gave in to the fierce urge to reenact all those wicked memories. Both possibilities were best avoided, in her estimation of things. She wiggled sideways and managed to dislodge his arm from her waist. He grunted but didn’t awaken. Grasping the opportunity, she scrambled to her feet and backed away from Max. Her attention fell on his sweatpants—which were scrunched down around his knees. Oh jeez. She hadn’t even waited long enough to let him take them off. Would her mortification never end? After fumbling to get her bra fastened, she located her rumpled capris and her blouse at the foot of the bed and performed the fastest clothes change in history. She slipped on her sandals. Leaving the straps unbuckled, she dashed from the room.

Relief swept her when she spotted her keys dangling from one of the hooks on the whitewashed pegboard rack hung near the front door. She plucked them free and snagged her purse. Darting outside, she raced to her car, feeling a little too uncomfortably like a woman trying to sneak away from a one-night stand.

Oh yeah. She was.

Wincing, she jumped behind the wheel and keyed the ignition. Although she knew the Taurus’s engine was relatively quiet on start up, her guilty conscious elevated the slight chug and purr to being more along the lines of a convoy of semis roaring to life. Hands shaking on the steering wheel, she waited for Max to appear next to her door, an accusing scowl on his face and those damning sweats still hanging down around his knees.

“I’m a horrible, horrible person.” Repeating that mantra another time or twenty, she rammed the gears in reverse and squealed out of Max’s driveway. Okay, technically she didn’t really squeal because that pretty much would have defeated the whole sneaky, illicit-getaway plan. But the tires did make a groaning noise that she swore sounded a little too much like “you dirty whore” as they hit the slight dip in the drive.

Less than ten minutes later, she pulled in front of her townhouse. Right about then, it hit her how close she and Max lived to one another. What were the chances they would never smack into each other in an unlucky twist of fate?

Cheeks flushing, she debated the feasibility of going into the witness protection program. Okay, that was probably a little severe. Moving to the outer suburbs of Savannah—or more preferably, Mongolia—should suffice in helping her avoid any potentially embarrassing crossing of paths.

Satisfied she’d concocted a relatively feasible solution to her problem, she peered at the dashboard clock. Eight a.m. “Oh shit.” The guild was having a state-of-the-union meeting in half an hour. Her goose would be cooked if she wasn’t there on time to take notes.

One problem down, another shuffled in to take its place. She glanced at the beckoning front door of her townhouse before shifting her focus to the rearview mirror. Her frazzled, messy appearance reflected back at her with harsh mockery. There was no way she could show up at work looking like a poster girl for a one-night stand gone wrong. Which meant she’d just have to face Domino’s displeasure and show up a little late.

Snuffing her frustrated wail, she jumped from her car and dashed in the direction of her apartment.

An uncomfortable crick in his neck wrenched Max from a raunchy, wicked dream starring a lusciously naked Willa. He rubbed the aching tendon and rolled up onto his elbow. His gaze landed on his kneecaps—which for some weird reason were bound together by the twisted tangle of his sweats. He dropped his hand, blinking. In a hot rush, the previous evening’s sexy adventures tumbled through his brain. His cock stood at instant attention in fond remembrance. He automatically jerked his focus sideways, fully expecting to see Willa tuckered out next to him, but he was the only one occupying the woefully pathetic makeshift bed on the floor. He glanced toward the four-poster and frowned when he noticed it was empty.

With one hand, he hiked his sweats in place and pushed to his feet, various muscles protesting their less-than-stellar sleeping arrangement. He walked down the hall and halted in the kitchen, his inner alarm bells starting to toll.

Willa was nowhere in sight.

He booked it across the room and yanked the front door open, practically ripping it from its hinges. Sprinting onto the stoop, he gaped at the vacant spot where Willa’s Taurus was supposed to be. “Sonofabitch.”

She’d taken off. Why? She knew damn well she was under doctor’s orders to stay put. Well, Boone’s orders, anyway. Close enough. Plowing fingers through his hair, he stormed inside and went in search of his shoes. His cell phone buzzed impatiently as he passed his office. An irritated growl leaking free, he pivoted and stalked into the kitchen. He swiped his cell from the counter and grumbled a distracted “What?” into the receiver.

“Sheriff? It’s Jona. We have a bit of a situation down at the station.”

Max scratched his jaw, his frustration vanishing. It wasn’t like Jona to come to him with anything unless it was important. His deputy was damn good at his job, but it wasn’t exactly a secret that Jona wasn’t thrilled about working under Max. He wasn’t the only one. Pretty much the entire unit was leery of Max. His position as an outsider automatically excluded him from the Good ol’ boy’s club. Then there was his shark-shifter status. That alone earned the others’ wariness. Any way you looked at it, he’d been screwed the second he’d accepted his assignment to parish nine.

“I’ll be right there.” He hung up and retraced his steps to the bedroom, where he exchanged his sweats for cargo pants and a black crewneck. It was as formal as their uniform around here got. Fine by him, though. He’d never been the jacket-and-tie type.

He slipped open the top drawer of his nightstand and grabbed his 9mm and shoulder holster. There’d never been much need to carry it since most of his time on duty was spent under water, but Jona hadn’t elaborated on what the ruckus down at the station entailed. Better to be safe than sorry.

Less than fifteen minutes later, he parked in front of the nondescript cedar-shake building that served as the station for parish nine. From all outward appearances, the structure blended seamlessly with all the other weather-beaten cottages hugging the Atlantic’s shoreline—an illusion that served their purposes well. The more in the dark the residents of Tybee remained regarding the true scope of the facility, and the necessity of having it, the better off for everyone.

That judgment was validated a million times over the moment Max strode into the receiving area and spotted his deputy and two other men tussling with a scrawny guy dressed in tight pleather pants and a mesh muscle shirt. Ronnie Despano, AKA The Shock Factor. Ronnie lived up to his nickname as a series of loud crackles popped through the air, followed by a volley of grunts and curses by Max’s men. Lesson number one—never jump into a fight with an electric eel without properly arming yourself.

Heeding his own advice, Max crossed to the small closet housing the office and janitorial supplies and located a pair of rubber gloves. Snapping them in place, he journeyed across the room to where Ronnie and the officers were still duking it out. Not wasting any time, Max calmly and efficiently reached over Jona’s thrashing form and crunched his fist into Ronnie’s nose. The eel shifter’s eyes rolled back, and a second later he crumpled to the floor, down for the count.

Three pairs of sheepish expressions met Max’s head-on. He bit back the urge to reprimand them for being so dumbass as not to have taken precautions with Ronnie. Back when he was a rookie, his commanding officer would have reamed him a new one with no remorse for such a mistake, and rightfully so. But Max was still on shaky ground trying to earn the trust of his men. Chewing their asses out while his temper was riding high would only reinforce their belief that a shark shifter possessed no control over its teeth. Instead, he peeled off the gloves and nodded his chin toward the line of vacant cells in the rear of the building. Taking the hint, Fritz and Colby towed Ronnie’s limp body away.

Slapping the gloves against his thigh, Max watched their departure. “What happened?”

“We fucked up.” Jona’s voice held a wealth of chagrin. “Ronnie was three sheets to the wind when we dragged him in, but that’s no excuse to let down our guard.”

Max inclined his head. “True. So I take it Ronnie’s here on a public drunk and disorderly again?” He checked the clock hung over the booking desk. Ten a.m. Had to be a record for the good ole Shock Factor.

Jona swiped a hand over his jaw. “Yeah. He made a big scene at The Shipyard when they refused him a table. Not that I blame them with the condition he was in. Stupid bastard only made things worse when he started making lewd suggestions to the hostess.”

“Mike Talbot the one who called dispatch?” Relief eased a fraction of the tension pinching the upper vertebrae of Max’s spine when Jona nodded. Max whistled a slow breath between his teeth. “Thank Jesus for small miracles.” Mike Talbot was the owner of The Shipyard diner, as well as a fellow water shifter. If Mike hadn’t been on the premises at the time, who knew what might have happened. The frightening possibilities pumped Max with dread.

A sudden bellow erupted from the direction of the holding cells. “He broke my fucking nose! I’m suing your asses for this.”

Jona groaned. “Sounds like Ronnie’s regained consciousness. Too bad we didn’t take him out with a tranquilizer dart.”

Yeah, that would have saved them all a shitload of trouble. Grinding his molars, Max stalked across the room. In the holding tank, Ronnie was pacing behind a set of bars, a trickle of blood leaking from his left nostril. He stopped his aimless prowling and glared at Max. “You the one who did this to me?” he demanded shrilly, pointing toward his crooked nose.

“Yep.”

Max’s easy pronouncement only seemed to fuel Ronnie’s fire. “Fucking shoulda known. Ain’t never had no problems before you showed up and made it your personal mission to screw up my life!”

Ronnie’s endless string of ranting was nothing new. Despite having a mile-long rap sheet that went back long before Max took on the role of sheriff to parish nine, Ronnie—being the conniving little shit he was—refused to acknowledge the fact, instead preferring to see Max as the big bad brute who was gunning to get him at every turn.

“Someone get me a phone so I can call my goddamn lawyer.”

A growl shot from Jona. “You tried to fry us, asswipe. Don’t you suppose you oughta be more concerned with getting your dick out of the sling than inventing cock-and-bull excuses to sue the department?”

Ronnie’s face somehow turned an even brighter shade of red, and Max dragged in a breath. What he really wanted to do was reach between the bars and provide Ronnie with a black eye to compliment his crooked nose, but that wouldn’t exactly help their situation. “Go get him a phone.”

Jona looked none too pleased by the command but stalked off anyway, Fritz and Colby hot on his heels. In the wake of their absence, Ronnie continued sending Max death glares. Cocky little bastard was brave enough with metal bars separating them. It’d be a different story if Max was in the cell with him.

Ronnie resumed his pacing, but his beady eyes never left Max. “Used to be a fella could have himself some fun in this town without landing in the clinker.”

“You call disturbing the peace and upsetting good, decent people a fun time?”

A snort blew from the eel shifter. “Decent, my ass. If anyone around here should be convicted of a crime, it’s them damn snooty assholes for serving the slop they call food. I’m fucking glad they kicked me out so I wouldn’t have to eat that shit.”

Ronnie’s twisted logic never ceased to baffle Max. And make him eternally grateful for the few times when The Shock Factor managed to not get arrested when Max was on duty. Any day he didn’t have to deal with Ronnie was a winner in his book. And to think the morning had started out so promising. Well…up until Willa ran out on him. The reminder of her sneakiness only stoked his irritability.

As if he’d somehow sensed the steep, downward shift in Max’s mood, Ronnie gave a grating laugh that rubbed like sandpaper on Max’s nerves. “Ain’t no wonder you’re sticking up for Talbot. Fucking manatee is a freak of nature, same as you.”

“That’s laughable, coming from an eel.” Adopting his most menacing smile, Max approached the cell, a sliver of satisfaction coursing through him when Ronnie quickly backed away from the bars and gulped. Obvious relief flashed across the eel shifter’s features when Jona stormed into the room with the cordless from his desk. Rather than stand around and listen to Ronnie’s sniveling conversation with his lawyer, Max returned to the front of the station and plunked down into his seat with enough angry frustration to make the casters groan.

This definitely wasn’t how he’d envisioned spending his day off. He could think of a million and one things he’d rather be doing. Top on the list was tracking Willa down and giving her a good spanking for disobeying strict orders to stay put. Once he got that out of the way, he’d drag her back into bed and spend the rest of the day giving her plenty of reason not to leave it. His cock swelled beneath his fly, giving a resounding thumbs-up to that plan, and he smothered a groan. Much as he’d like to go after Willa, now, he couldn’t leave his men to deal with the problem of Ronnie on their own. Particularly since he’d been the one to break the asshole’s nose.

He hoped like hell though that the damn lawyer didn’t take all day to get here.

Six hours—and several curses—later, Max finally escaped the stationhouse. Ronnie was out on bond, but at least his lawyer had advised him of the foolishness of bringing suit against Max, considering Ronnie had almost electrocuted the deputies.

Max jumped in his Jeep, and after plugging in his GPS, he punched in the address he’d memorized from Willa’s license. He had a good idea of where she lived, but this made it a whole lot easier and saved time. The coordinates loaded and a second later the computerized voice he’d nicknamed She Who Must Be Obeyed commanded him to turn left out of the lot. He sped in the appropriate direction, and less than eight minutes later arrived at a two-story duplex. Willa’s was the one on the right. Although he didn’t spot her Taurus anywhere, he got out and walked up the driveway, figuring he might as well scope things out while he was there.

He scanned the exterior of the building, automatically checking to ensure there were no easily scalable lattices or shrubbery. There weren’t. Good. Tybee was a safe community, but a woman couldn’t be too careful. Particularly if she lived by herself, which he was almost certain Willa did. She hadn’t mentioned a roommate, or, God forbid, a live-in boyfriend. After what happened between them last night, the idea of having any competition for bed space sat on him with less-appetizing appeal than a bucket of maggots.

He stepped on the front stoop, ducking to avoid banging his head on the hanging fern basket. His cop instincts were gratified to notice the heavy-duty deadbolt securing the door. “Good girl.” He depressed the doorbell and listened to its echoing chime inside the quiet apartment. There was no pitter-patter of approaching feet, or any other evidence that Willa was home. He wasn’t exactly surprised, but it would have made things a hell of a lot easier. And less confrontational, since it now looked like he’d have to track her down at her workplace. Sure, he could wait for her here, but he half-suspected she would take off the minute she spotted him. Sneaky though it might be, she wouldn’t have that luxury if he cornered her in her office.

He unclipped his cell phone from its holster and dialed directory assistance. A female operator came on, and he asked for the address for the Savannah division of the National Alliance of Witches. The operator’s bored monotone as she recited the location made Max’s lips twitch. Definitely not the reaction he’d expected. Then again, maybe the woman was used to people calling about witches. Probably it was the fourth most popular inquiry—right behind the Justice League, the Power Rangers, and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Shaking his head, he returned to the Jeep and punched the new coordinates into the GPS. The prospect of seeing Willa again filled him with equal amounts excitement and trepidation.

Up until this moment, he hadn’t really considered the possibility that she wouldn’t want to see him eventually, after her embarrassment died down. Considering the way she ran off, odds were good that she was experiencing some measure of regret about sleeping with him. The realization left him with a bad feeling in his gut. Even so, he still had to do this. Had to make sure she was okay, both physically and mentally, and somehow, someway, convince her that what happened between them wasn’t a mistake.

Or remain a one-time deal.

Chapter Eight

“Willa, have you listened to a single word I’ve said?”

Domino Blanchard’s familiar nasally whine hammered through Willa’s thoughts and jerked her blank stare from the blinking cursor on her monitor. She gaped at Domino. “Er…what?”

“I said I’m leaving for my yoga class and I’ve set my calls to transfer to my cell phone.”

It was on the tip of Willa’s tongue to ask why, since she’d be there to field any of Domino’s messages, but then she remembered the head matron from the San Francisco offices was due to call. There were at least four other guild leaders in attendance today and available to speak with the woman, but no doubt Domino—in her infinitely controlling and paranoid wisdom—had decided it would be far better to huff and puff her way through a conversation with the head matron while doing the downward-dog pose.

“Do you think you’ll have the rest of the notes from this morning typed and ready before you leave tonight?”

Probably not. “Yes.”

Domino nodded before swinging her purse over her shoulder and trotting through the entry. Exactly three minutes later, Marabella Blanchard slunk through the front door. Willa narrowed her eyes at her best friend. “Were you hiding in the bushes again waiting for your mom to leave?”

A pink stain crawled along Marabella’s fair skin. “How much of a pathetic loser will it make me look like if I say yes?” Sighing, she plunked her fanny on the edge of Willa’s desk. “Sorry, I know you’re sick of hearing me bitch and moan about my problems with my mother. So I promise I’ll keep my lips zipped about her at dinner tonight.”

“Dinner? Tonight?”

“Don’t tell me you forgot.” Marabella frowned. “You know, you’ve been doing a lot of that lately. Forgetting, I mean. Is everything okay?”

No. I’m going crazy and forcing gorgeous strangers to let me play naked cowgirl with their penises. “Yeah. Absolutely hunky-dory.”

“Maybe I should talk to my mom. Tell her not to overload you with so much work.”

“That would require you leaving the bushes.”

A stubborn look crossed Marabella’s face. “I mean it. My problems aside, I’d do anything for you. If that means taking my mom on, so be it.”

“That’s very sweet of you, but unnecessary. I-I’m fine.”

Marabella’s expression turned accusing. “You just stuttered.”

She tried for flippancy. “Excuse me, didn’t realize it’s illegal.”

“There’s something you’re not telling me.”

Willa fidgeted with the space bar on her keypad. “You’re imagining things.”

“Spill it.”

She took one look at the stubborn slant of Marabella’s ash-blonde eyebrows—so similar to Domino’s, in many ways—and knew the only option was coming clean. After a quick scan to make sure no one else was within earshot, she scooted closer to Marabella and swallowed, trying to work the shameful admission past her throat. “I attacked a guy.”

Marabella’s mouth dropped. Shaking off her obvious shock, she stared at Willa. “You mean you got into a fight or something? But…but you’re so…tiny. Why would you do that? Unless…” Her eyes widened before taking on a fiery rage. “Did the bastard try to hurt you? Who is he? He’s going to pay—”

“Not that kind of attack,” Willa assured.

Marabella gnawed her bottom lip, her nose twitching. “I don’t understand.”

Damn, this was more difficult and embarrassing than she thought it would be. “I—I jumped him. You know…” When Marabella only continued looking at her with that innocently expectant expression, Willa moaned and hissed the damning word between her teeth. “Sex. I attacked him with sex.”

Marabella’s eyes grew larger than dinner plates. It would have been funny, if it weren’t all so damn awful fessing up to her shameful behavior. “Would you please stop looking at me like that? I already feel bad enough about what happened.”

Marabella dutifully lowered her gaze and cleared her throat. “Wow, that’s so…not like you.”

“Tell me about it.” That was the problem. For the past week or so, she hadn’t been acting like herself in any way. The prospect of what she might do next was damn scary.

“Well, what happened?” The unabashed curiosity sparkling in Marabella’s eyes made it clear she wouldn’t be happy with anything less than a blow-by-blow of the dirty details.

“There isn’t much to tell.”

“You are such a liar.” Marabella stacked her arms over her chest, her left foot giving an impatient tap. “I can tell from the way you’re blushing that it must have been amazing and hot and something I should be insanely jealous over, except I’m so happy for you, I’ll keep my sulking to a minimum.”

“Um, did you not hear the part where I said I attacked Max? Trust me, it wasn’t one of my finer moments.”

“Max who? Do I know him?”

Leave it to Marabella to tune out the unsavory parts. “No, I don’t think so. You guys don’t exactly run around in the same circles.” Unless Marabella had developed a habit of taking a daily dip in the Atlantic.

“Tell me about him.” A conspiratorial smile hugging her mouth, Marabella wiggled closer. “How did you two meet?”

Now there was an interesting story. She hadn’t filled Marabella in on the strange episodes she’d been experiencing lately. It wasn’t that she wanted to be secretive or anything, but she also didn’t want Marabella to worry, since her friend had enough on her plate with the little feud going on with Domino. Best to just leave out the section about being bitten by a leviathan and almost drowning. “Max is a…cop. It was purely coincidence we ran in to each other last night.” At least that wasn’t a total fabrication.

“Wait a minute. You attacked a cop? With sex? Ooh, this is getting good. Did you use his handcuffs on him?”

“Uh, I think you’re missing the point.”

“Come on, don’t hold out on me. I need details, Willa. Details.”

She opened her mouth, fully intending to come up with a reasonable story that would both satisfy Marabella and not completely mortify her, but snapped her lips shut with a hard snap of her teeth when the topic of their conversation strode through the doorway, looking huge, gorgeous and thoroughly pissed.

Max. What the hell was he doing—?

Oh shit. She’d told him where she worked. Brilliant, Willa. So much for moving to Outer Mongolia. His gaze slammed into hers and they stared at each other for what seemed an eternity. The rustling of Marabella’s trousers announced that she’d turned to see what had captured Willa’s consuming focus. A second later Willa detected Marabella’s hard swallow. Not surprising. Max had that kind of affect on a person.

He strode toward her desk, his gait purposeful and predatory. “We need to talk. Now.”

“This isn’t a good time. I’m working.” She glanced toward the corner of her desk where Marabella’s butt was still parked. She sent her friend a silent transmission, hoping Marabella would back her up.

“You must be Max.” Her grin wide and dazzling, Marabella hopped down and extended her hand.

Willa bit back a groan. Traitor. She watched in bemusement as Max and Marabella exchanged introductions. Under different circumstances, she would have felt incredibly rude not to have been the one to initiate them, but at the moment she was too busy trying not to hyperventilate herself into a full-scale panic attack. She could barely look Max in the eye. Oh goddess. What he must think of her.

It got eerily quiet and the fine hairs on the nape of her neck let her know Max was staring at her again. Probably Marabella too.

“Willa, you have to look at me sometime.” Max’s husky baritone managed to be both stern and sexy.

Damn him.

Reluctantly, she tore her attention from her computer monitor and became lost in the azure depths of his irises.

“Why did you run out on me, sweetheart?”

Once again Willa became aware of Marabella’s heated interest. She squirmed in her seat. “Could we please not discuss this here?”

“All right, then come to dinner with me.”

“I can’t. I promised Marabella—”

“We’ll do it another time,” Marabella interjected, her smile crafty as she glanced at Max. “She’s all yours.”

Willa garbled an irritated noise that made Marabella’s smile widen. Her angelic features suitably devilish, Marabella chirped a cheery, “Have fun!” before whispering, “Call me later” in Willa’s ear.

Something landed in Willa’s lap, and she looked down to see that Marabella had kindly handed her purse over. “I can’t leave now. Domino is expecting those transcribed notes in the morning.”

“Oh phooey. My mom can wait. Now skedaddle.”

Willa gifted her friend with a proper glare. “This bossy side of you is very unattractive.”

Laughing, Marabella tugged Willa from her seat and shoved her toward Max. His big hands settled around her upper arms, and it took every ounce of control Willa possessed not to plaster her body against him while she tested exactly how long she could kiss him without coming up for air. Smothering a silent groan, she extricated herself from his grip and headed for the exit.

Outside, he followed her to her car and waited expectantly by the passenger door. He returned her frown with a shrug. “You don’t mind, do you? We’ll go somewhere in the city, and then you can drop me off back here on your way home.”

She wasn’t too keen on that plan, since it’d mean being trapped within close proximity of Max and having to breathe in all that testosterone he exuded while trying to battle the urge to rip his clothes off and lick every inch of him. “Fine,” she gritted out between her teeth.

Ducking inside the Taurus, she watched Max fold his considerably larger frame into the passenger seat. She situated herself behind the wheel and buzzed down the window, both to allow the stale heat to escape and hopefully some of the aforementioned testosterone marauders. It was no use, Max’s addictive blend of musk and ocean flirted with her nostrils, instantly making her panties wet.

Max buckled his seat belt and draped his arm across the back of his seat. She tried not to notice the fine dusting of hairs sprinkling his forearm, or the way his shirt stretched taut along his torso, accentuating his sculpted pecs and ridged abdomen. Against her will, her scrutiny drifted to his lap and the distinct bulge beneath his fly.

Max’s free hand grazed along his thigh before settling in place very near the source of her fascination. “Where do you feel like going?”

How about where your hand is, only a little higher and a little more to the left? Giving her inner slut a stern warning to knock it off, Willa bit the inside of her cheek and considered the possible options. Her usual Savannah hangout was Champions, but there was a ninety percent chance of running into people she knew there. People who would want to know who Max was and would undoubtedly drill her with a million questions later on. “I hear there’s a new deli that opened up over by Lafayette Square.”

“Sounds good. I could go for a nice, thick juicy sandwich right about now.”

Nice and thick. Oh jeez. The bastard was killing her. Tightening her fists around the steering wheel, she drove as fast as she could toward Lafayette Square without actually breaking any speeding laws. The interior of the vehicle remained uncomfortably quiet for a long stretch. Just as she was about to reach for the knob on the radio to alleviate the strained atmosphere, Max cleared his throat.

“Don’t you think we should talk about what happened?”

“I’d rather we pretend that it didn’t.”

Max fell into a broody silence for a moment. “Feel free to correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought you enjoyed it.”

She could feel her cheeks burning from the inside out. “You would have to bring that up.”

His gaze slashed in her direction. “Willa, it’s all I can damn well think about. Every time I look at you, I picture your face and the sounds you made while you were coming all over my cock. I’ve been rock hard for the past six hours.” As if to verify his statement, he shifted in the seat, his hand adjusting the position of his zipper.

She ripped her focus away from the tempting sight and stared out the windshield. Okay, so he wasn’t exactly put out that she’d pounced on top of his hot bod and had her wicked way with him. It lessened her guilt somewhat, but it didn’t solve the core crisis of her problem. There was something driving her to do things that were out of her control. It was as if another entity held the reins to her body and was having a jolly good time at her expense. She didn’t like it. Not one damn bit. And for whatever reason, the entity that’d weaseled inside her head had set its sights on Max. She couldn’t allow it. Couldn’t let it manipulate her or Max any more than it already had. “I don’t want you to get the wrong impression. I—I did enjoy what happened. A lot. But I don’t think it’s a good idea if we see each other again after today.”

Max moved closer, his arm transferring to the rear of her headrest. “Why?” His fingers feathered along the side of her cheek, and it took everything she was not to melt into his touch.

“Because…” There’s something wrong with me. “I’m not in a position right now for a relationship.”

“Okay. I guess in the meantime I could settle for a bunch of hot, intense sex until you’re ready to become more serious.”

His wicked grin made her consider the idea of diving for his zipper. The very fact that he could do that to her with one smoldering look doubled her resolve to end it between them before things got even more out of hand. “I’m not going to lie. I’m fiercely attracted to you.” That was putting it mildly. “But my life is…complicated right now.”

“Are you seeing somebody?” he demanded, his voice tight.

“No.”

“Good.”

“Max, you’re not listening to me. You and I can’t happen.”

“What if you’re pregnant?”

She swerved into the next lane and received an angry horn blare from the driver behind her. “What?”

“Keep your eyes on the road.”

Easy for him to say after hitting her upside the head with that doozy of a previous comment. “Why would you insinuate that I could be pregnant?”

“We had sex without a condom.”

Oh, yeah. She relaxed her grip on the wheel. “I’ve been on the pill for half of my life. They help regulate my periods.” Okay, that’d probably been more information than he’d needed to know. Sheesh.

“Ah. Good.”

She risked a peek at him. “Is that why you came after me? Because you were worried I might become pregnant?” The notion that he was a decent and gallant man made her fall for him a bit harder, even while it also made her feel like an even bigger jerk for running out on him and making him worry.

“Partly, yes. But I also wanted to make sure you were okay. Boone gave me strict orders to watch over you, remember?”

She did. One more thing to make her feel two inches tall. “I’m perfectly fine. The bite’s not even there anymore.” She’d been more than a little surprised about that turn of events when she’d inspected her backside in the large mirror hanging in the women’s restroom at work.

“It’s not?” Max sounded as stunned as she’d felt.

“Nope. So see? There was no need to check up on me.”

“You damn well know that isn’t the only reason I tracked you down.” His thumb traced the sensitive hollow beneath her ear, and she shivered.

“I told you this can’t ha-happen between us.”

He inched closer, his warm breath fanning her cheek. “I’m going to change your mind about that.”

Damn him.

They’d arrived at Lafayette Square, and she sucked in a deep breath, peering around frantically for a parking space.

“There’s a white convertible leaving over there.”

She glanced toward where Max was pointing and spotted the vacating vehicle. Swinging a hard left, she screeched into the empty slot. One corner of Max’s mouth tugged upward. “Anxious to get dinner?”

More like desperate to get it out of the way. The sooner she put some distance between her and Max, the better.

She jumped out of the Taurus and banged her door shut with a tad more force than necessary. Max joined her before she could dash across the street, his arm slipping around her from behind. The heat of his palm cupping her hip and the solid press of him against her entire right side was a constant, heady reminder of his presence. She curled her fists, sinking her fingernails into the fleshy heels of her palms to keep from nestling into Max and licking the tanned column of his throat. Without thinking, she made the mistake of eyeing the spot where she’d nibbled him the night before. Sure enough, an incriminating red patch that looked suspiciously like a hickey rode just beneath the underside of his jaw. She grimaced. Great. Apparently my inner slut has the smooth moves of a horny teenager.

They joined the small queue of people gathered in front of the deli’s takeout window. The delicious, tantalizing smells of roasting meat wafted in the sultry air. Her stomach rumbled. Man, she was starving. Ravenous. Odd, since she hadn’t really noticed being particularly hungry before now. It was almost like the instant the deli’s scrumptious aromas surrounded her they stoked this powerful need to eat everything in sight. The sensation reminded her of how she’d hungrily gobbled her steak last night as if it were the only meal she’d ever partake in. It also made her uncomfortably aware of how that ravenous need had spilled over into her desire for Max.

Oh goddess. She definitely didn’t need her horniness meter to skyrocket while scarfing down a pastrami on rye in the middle of a public square. Max’s fingers meandered a little farther inland on her hip, brushing over the thin wool of her dress slacks. She squeaked. Feeling like an idiot, she lifted her head and met his innocent smile.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you, but the line’s moving.”

She shifted her attention and noticed he was right. So he hadn’t been looking for an excuse to grope her. Embarrassed, she shuffled forward. Two minutes later they reached the window and placed their orders. While they waited for their number to be called, Max led the way to an empty bench beneath the shade of a towering oak. She obediently took a seat and tried her best not to stare at his groin as he stood in front of her.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said. About the bite vanishing.”

Okay, not exactly the topic she’d been expecting him to rehash. “You have?”

“Yeah, and I think I know what triggered it to disappear.”

She blinked up at him. “Wasn’t it the antivenin?”

“Doubtful. I’ll have to double-check with Boone, but I’ve never heard of an antivenin actually making puncture wounds disappear.” He dropped onto his haunches and cupped her cheek. “Sweetheart, if you and I hadn’t had sex, I don’t think the bite would have cleared.”

Max’s preposterous insinuation forced a strained laugh from her throat. “That’s ridiculous. How could that have anything to do with it?”

His thumb brushed over the dip in her bottom lip, his eyes following its path. “The way I see it, you accepted my energy into you and used it to help you heal.”

From seemingly nowhere, a remembered phrase shuffled into her mind. He possesses what you truly need. No. The notion was beyond fanciful and just plain absurd. “There must be another explanation.”

“Willa, I saw the light show that erupted from you when you came. It was our energies merging.”

“I’m a witch. Sometimes my magic manifests at inopportune times.” Such as when I’m screwing my brains out, apparently.

“I don’t think that’s it.”

She glared at him. “Oh, you know me better than I know myself now, huh?” She shoved aside the annoying voice reminding her that lately her psyche was a big honkin’ mystery. Probably he did know her better than she did.

“Like it or not, there’s something drawing us to each other. A force bigger than both of us.”

His choice of words echoed her own worried suspicions, stirring her panic. She bolted to her feet the same moment their number was called over the speaker. Max stood and gently coaxed her onto the bench again. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

She didn’t miss the firm warning in his tone. It seemed he didn’t fully trust her to stay put. He might be sort of justified with that assumption. She watched him stride to the pick-up window and collect their sack of food and beverages, her trepidation coiling like a tight spring. Her life was slowly unraveling around her, and she didn’t know how to stop it. How to make things normal again.

It seemed incomprehensible that a little over a week ago none of this had been an issue. Her head had been blessedly void of seductive voices whispering things she didn’t understand. Sure, her job had been stressful as always, Domino demanding as ever. But she could handle all of that stuff. It was this total lack of control that was driving her closer and closer to permanent residency in the local loony bin. At first she’d assumed it was a form of early life crisis. Her thirtieth birthday was less than three days away. Not exactly life altering, but the date also marked the anniversary of her parents’ death. More than ever, she felt the fragility of life and how easily it could all be ripped away. It also drove home one indisputable truth—she was more alone than ever.

Max pivoted in her direction, and her heart gave an odd squeeze. He represented hope, the promise of a future that didn’t have to be solitary. But how could she trust her thoughts when they weren’t her own? How could she drag Max into this craziness when she didn’t even want to be there? The best, kindest thing she could do at this point would be to walk away from him and never look back.

Too bad her feet seemed to be cemented in place. Forcing a pained smile, she scooted over on the bench, making room for Max. He sat next to her and handed over her lemonade before fishing her sandwich from the bag. Accepting the package from him, she crumpled back one side of the waxed paper and sank her teeth into the rye and pastrami, a happy groan leaking free. As he’d done last night, Max watched her with unabashed appreciation. She licked the corner of her lip, catching the tangy essence from the dressing. His eyes darkened.

She finished chewing and swallowed. “Aren’t you hungry?”

His focus never veered from her mouth. “Yes. For you.”

Oh boy. “Max, I told you. We can’t—”

“I want to peel your clothes off and lay you out for my own personal all-you-can-eat buffet.”

She gulped. Her pussy clenched, her clit tingling. She attempted to combat her raging arousal with sarcasm. “That’s a little scary coming from a shark.”

“I can be very good with my teeth when given the proper inspiration.”

“Would you please eat your sandwich and stop staring at me like I’m dessert?” Grumbling, she squeezed her legs together and took a sip from her lemonade. She relaxed a fraction when she detected the crinkling of waxed paper as Max unwrapped his Philly cheese steak.

They ate in companionable silence for several minutes, until her belly was full and she couldn’t imagine indulging in another bite. But despite having the edge taken off her hunger in one respect, the lusty cravings that kept her on the brink of jumping out of her skin only worsened the longer she was around Max. She harbored no doubts that if she didn’t get some much-needed space between them soon, she would gladly be flat on her back and offering herself to Max for his amorous snacking pleasures.

Crushing the remnants of her meal into a compact ball, she rushed to the nearby trash receptacle and pitched everything inside. Max followed suit and slid his arm around her waist again, snuggling her close until she had no choice but to walk along weakly, drunk and woozy on his delicious pheromones.

The drive back to his car was going to be a damn nightmare.

He escorted her into the Taurus, even going so far as to lean across her and buckle her seat belt. She gave him a peeved scowl, which he instantly sent packing when he angled his head and kissed her. It was barely a brushing of lips, but it still short-circuited the few functioning brain cells she had left. He straightened, his smile more than relaying the fact that he knew precisely how much he was affecting her—and that he was likely to use the knowledge to his full advantage.

Humming a vaguely familiar tune, Max strode to the passenger side and climbed in. She lasered him with a hot glare. “I am not going to fall into your bed.”

“Okay.”

Okay? That was all he had to say? And why did he have to sound so damn calm and reasonable, as if he was only placating her? “I mean it, Max. Last night was—”

“Mind-blowing.”

She gnawed the inside of her cheek to keep from growling. “I was going to say a one-time deal.”

“I like my description better.”

“You’re not listening to me.”

“Sorry, sweetheart. You were saying?” The bastard didn’t sound the least bit contrite.

Despite knowing she would most likely regret looking at him, she did anyway. Oh yeah. Definitely a big mistake. Why did he have to be so yummy? “Are you always this aggravating and single-minded?”

His smoky look provoked decadent shivers across her skin. “I’m not afraid to go after what I want, Willa. If that makes me single-minded, so be it. But you better believe I’m going to do whatever it takes to convince you to let me rock your Kasbah into the next week. Hell, the next lifetime.”

Her breath abandoned her like air from a popped balloon. “It’s very sneaky bringing up Kasbahs at a time like this.”

“I told you. Whatever it takes.”

Goddess, give me strength.

She slammed the gears into reverse and backed out of the parking space. The ride was every bit as excruciating as she’d suspected it would be, made all the worse when the devious radio station decided to start playing Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”. She recognized it as the song Max had been humming earlier.

I am so screwed. She grimaced. Ugh, bad word choice.

Finally they arrived outside the Alliance headquarters, and she pulled into the small lot, stopping beside Max’s Jeep. She shifted into park but left the engine idling in case a quick getaway was required. Max released his belt and lowered the volume on the radio before turning toward her. She figured her face must have displayed her sizable panic as he leaned close, invading her personal space. His nearness forced her to tip her head sideways, making her glasses slip. He removed them and set them on the front dash. A purposeful gleam lit his eyes as his focus dipped to her mouth. She swallowed. “Max—”

His hand cupped the nape of her neck, lightly stroking. “There’s no way you didn’t think I was going to kiss you.”

“B-but you already did.”

“That was nothing. This time it’s serious.” And with that preemptive warning, he claimed her mouth, his tongue easily coaxing past the barrier of her lips and meeting hers in a hot glide. There was no hesitation or fumbling in his kiss. Only the skilled determination of a male intent on making her melt into a quivering puddle of desperation. He sucked on her bottom lip, his teeth scraping gently.

Panting, she sank her nails into the softness of Max’s T-shirt, fascinated by the marked contrast to the hard muscles hidden beneath. “I—I meant it when I said I’m not falling into your bed.”

“Then take me home to yours.” His bristly jaw scuffed softly along her chin as he dipped his head and sucked the side of her neck. Sharp, pleasurable tingles burst beneath her skin, pebbling her nipples and throbbing within her clit. She squirmed and trembled, her body pulling tight. It was no mystery to her that the sensitive area Max had zeroed in on happened to be one of the most erogenous zones of her body, but how the hell did he know it?

“I…I—” She almost passed out from the devastating pleasure of Max’s mouth when his suction intensified. Her aching clit felt like it was going to explode. “Oh goddess.”

His thumb flicked over her distended nipple, using the friction of her blouse and bra to drive her higher. He lifted his head. “I want to make you come. Over and over. With my tongue, fingers, my cock. Until you lose count of the number of orgasms you’ve had. Say you want that too.”

“Max…” Her plea turned into an embarrassing mewl as he rolled her nipple between his thumb and index finger. She grabbed onto him, trying to drag him closer and increase the teasingly light pressure on her breast, but the bastard refused to budge.

“If you don’t tell me now, Willa, so help me I’ll stop. It’s all of you or nothing.”

She stared into his eyes, looking for evidence that he was bluffing. Passion flushed his face, but his rugged features were set with unmistakable determination.

Oh hell.

Chapter Nine

Max twisted the deadbolt on Willa’s apartment door before lifting her into his arms. “Bedroom?”

“Down the hall. Second door on the left.” She wrapped her legs around his waist, the tip of her tongue tickling his earlobe. “I should be furious with you right now.”

“I’ll make up for being a manipulative son of a bitch, sweetheart. Promise.”

“I probably shouldn’t have called you that. Sorry.” She wiggled against him in a way that made him forget any and all unflattering names she’d gifted him with.

Groaning, he tunneled his fingers through Willa’s hair and slanted his mouth over hers, providing a preview of the upcoming attractions. He found the door in question and nudged it open with his knee. Enough light filtered into the room he didn’t bother hitting the wall switch, instead walking to the queen-sized bed overloaded with pillows and girly frills. He lowered Willa onto the fluffy pink spread and stretched over her, reclaiming her mouth with a hungry groan. She arched into him, her foot trailing along the back of his calf. Reluctantly, he broke the kiss and sat between her spread legs. He ghosted his hands along the dainty swell of her hips before gliding down the length of her right leg and bending it gently so he could reach her flat-heeled pumps. Unbuckling the strap, he slipped her foot free, raising it to kiss her ankle. He performed the same routine on her other foot before working her pants down and tossing the garment aside.

Willa scrambled to sit up, but he tugged her to the edge of the mattress, flashing a warning look. His knees hit the carpet and he draped her thighs over his shoulders. “There’s no way in hell I’m not getting a taste this time.”

He nuzzled the soft skin of her inner thigh, barely grazing her with his lips and tongue. Her essence swirled in his nose, baby powder and feminine musk. Desire and hunger sang through his veins, making his saliva pool and his cock hard as steel. Willa quivered, her breath quickening. He sensed that she expected him to dive immediately between her legs, and with the sweetness of her arousal teasing him, it was beyond tempting to live up to her expectations. But there was a lot to be said for building the anticipation, getting her hot and wet and aching for the thrust of his tongue and cock.

With that objective in mind, he let her legs fall from their perch on his collarbone and began unbuttoning her blouse. Thankfully all of yesterday’s practice helped him manage the feat with far less difficulty this go round. With her top disposed of, he unhooked her bra, peeling the lacey cups back to reveal the beckoning creaminess of her breasts. He played his fingertips across her nipples, watching them pebble in response to his touch.

“Max, please.”

He met Willa’s pleading stare. “Please what?”

“Put your mouth on me.”

“Where?”

“I don’t care.” She squirmed, her cheeks flushed. “Everywhere. Just…end my misery. Please.”

Much as he enjoyed the idea of testing the limits of her patience until she was strung out with need and begging him to take her, there was no possible way he could hold strong in the face of her desire.

And then there was the lure of her nipples to consider. The tight little buds were a luscious treat no mortal man could resist. Bending forward, he swirled his tongue over one rosy crest. Willa moaned, her fingers ruffling through his hair. She tasted like sugar and spice—an intoxicating blend he could easily become addicted to. He plumped her breasts with his hands, laving their peaks until her nipples were swollen and glistening. Incoherent murmurs spilled from Willa, and her nails lightly raked his scalp, encouraging him to explore more of her silky skin.

Scooting lower, he blazed a slow trail down her torso, kissing the soft valley of her abdomen. She giggled and writhed when he traced lazy circles around her bellybutton with the tip of his tongue. Tossing her a grin, he journeyed farther in the southbound lane, coming to rest between the V of her thighs.

Her arousal soaked the crotch of her bikini. He rubbed his mouth over the fabric, prompting a frustrated groan from them both.

“Lick me. Please. I—I need your tongue on me. In me.”

With a growl, he bunched the delicate white lace in his fist and gave a determined tug. The elastic bands broke, leaving her vulnerable and exposed—and completely at his mercy. Grasping her hips, he lifted her, wrapping her legs behind his head as he buried his mouth in her pussy. A cry ripped from Willa. The sound, along with the taste of her honeyed flesh, came dangerously close to making him come in his pants like a wet-behind-the-ears teenager. Fumbling with his fly, he freed his cock, squeezing the base until the danger zone passed. Narrowing all of his focus on Willa, he sucked on the delicate folds of her labia, his tongue burrowing into her slit. She undulated against him, riding his mouth, taking her pleasure.

It was beyond fucking hot.

Dragging his tongue through her wetness, he found her clit peeking from beneath its hood, swollen and begging for some proper devotion. More than happy to oblige, he latched onto the slippery nubbin and pulsed it with his tongue, over and over, until Willa was shaking and sobbing. She broke on a wail, coming with hard spasms that rocked her body. He continued lapping at her, relishing her taste and the aftershocks trembling through her, but eventually she pulled away and tore at his clothes. With clumsy fingers, he yanked his crew neck over his head and kicked off his shoes while Willa shoved at his pants. She laughed. “This time I’ll even let you take them completely off. Generous of me, no?”

Chuckling, he shucked them the rest of the way free, along with his briefs. A wicked sparkle lighting her eyes, Willa stared at his cock and licked her lips. Before she could make a grab for him, he flipped her onto her stomach. Giving a startled yelp, she attempted to wiggle across the bed. He pounced on top of her. Careful not to smother her with his weight, he banded his arms around her middle and playfully bit the side of her neck. “Nuh-uh. You’re going nowhere.”

He noticed the choppy, staccato beat of her breaths and the speeding of her pulse. The predatory beast existing within him cataloged the telltale signs, a powerful surge of victory coursing through him. She was excited. More than likely from being pinned down and helpless. “You were a bad girl running away from me this morning. Now you’ll hafta suffer the consequences.”

“W-what consequences?”

“Any damn thing I wanna do to you.”

Stirring restlessly beneath him, Willa gave a wispy moan. His hand moved lower, encountering the slickness of her pussy. “Do you want me to fuck you? Fill you full of my cock?” She whimpered and he deliberately rubbed his shaft along her dripping slit. “I’m gonna bury myself so deep, you won’t remember what it was like never having me inside you.”

“Max…” Her plea trickled into a gasp as he nudged into her slit. He pumped deeper, the angle of penetration stretching her snug around him, like a glove encasing him in liquid heat. Already primed past his limits, the feel of her clasping him tight pushed his arousal over the edge.

“You’re so warm and wet, baby.” Repositioning his hand so her clit would ride his fingers with every pump of his hips, he kissed the side of her neck. The tiny vaginal muscles gripping him rippled, and he intensified his strokes and his suction on her neck. Judging from the increasing volume and frequency of her moans, he was hitting all of her sweet spots. He hadn’t missed how she’d nearly come apart when they’d made out in her car. Sometimes it more than paid off being observant of such things.

He shafted her deep, grinding her against his hand. With his mouth locked on her neck, he felt the exact moment her shaky scream escaped the prison of her throat. She chanted his name in sobbing gasps, the sound echoing in his ears as her pussy milked him. Sweat rolling into his eyes, he rode out the fierce waves of her orgasm, wanting nothing more than to keep fucking her. But even as he hung on to that desperate thought, his balls tightened in warning of his own approaching release. It slammed into him, tearing a strangled roar from his chest. He shook with the force of it, his come jetting from him in endless spurts, leaving him with the dazed conviction that he’d drained his very soul into Willa.

Sometime later, a pinch on his ass broke him from a sound snooze.

“You know, you have this interesting habit of falling asleep immediately after sex with me.”

Grinning, he rolled off Willa but kept her snuggled in his arms. “Only because you have a habit of tuckering me out.”

She wrinkled her nose in a way that made him consider tugging her beneath him again and going for round two. “I’m not usually like this.”

“Like what?” He waggled his eyebrows. “Hot, sexy and all sweaty from my lovemaking?”

“Yes.” A cute blush crept across her cheekbones. “I’m not exactly what you’d call a wild woman. It’s not even like me to let a guy get to second base until we’ve dated for at least a couple of weeks, and only if I really like him.”

Her admission returned his earlier concerns to the forefront. Much as he dreaded the possibility of her confessing that she possessed other reasons for sleeping with him beyond pure lust, he needed to know the truth. “Sweetheart, this isn’t about me rescuing you, is it?”

She graced him with a frown. “How do you mean?”

“Us.” He gestured to their tangled limbs. “This.”

Her expression slowly morphed into a scowl. “Are you questioning if I slept with you because you pulled me from the ocean?”

Willa’s irate tone had him fumbling to defend himself. “Well, I didn’t just do that, for Christ’s sake. There was also the damn leviathan.”

“Yeah, I know. But honestly, that only earned you a blowjob.” She rolled her eyes.

“I’m serious, Willa.”

“So am I. Now stop being a blockhead.”

He gaped at her before stacking his arms behind his head and grunting. “I can’t believe you insulted me. Especially after I just gave you a toe-curling orgasm.”

“Shocking, isn’t it?”

He chuckled despite himself. He’d never known a woman like Willa. She was feisty and temperamental. Cute and sexy as hell. She fascinated him, made him want to learn every single thing there was to know about her. What made her laugh. Made her cry. What her favorite food was—although from all appearances, it seemed to be everything. And he loved that about her. The lusty, uninhibited enjoyment she immersed herself in. It was erotic and intoxicating. It fed his determination to provide her with every reason to keep him on the menu of her sensual delights.

Hell, yeah. She’d gotten under his skin good. It was disorienting to be this into a woman who was a living, breathing mystery. He didn’t know what to expect. And that freaked him out. Big time. But damn if he could do anything about it. The notion of walking away from Willa anytime soon…

Not a fucking option.

“You know, it’s very disconcerting having a shark stare at me like you’re doing right now. Kind of makes me feel like I’m a potential snack.”

“There’s nothing potential about it, baby.” He smacked his lips and twisted onto his side. Pulling her toward him, he nuzzled her breast. “Rule number one—if you flash such tempting bait to a shark, he’s gonna make ya his favorite main course.”

A laughing groan fell from Willa. “I’m going to regret this insatiable appetite of yours, aren’t I?”

Giving a noncommittal hum, he sucked her nipple into his mouth. Just as he was getting into it, Willa made a coughing noise and scooted backward. “At the risk of destroying the mood, that lemonade is going straight through me.” Swinging her legs over the edge of the mattress, she dashed into the adjoining bathroom and snicked the door shut.

“Foiled by a full bladder. Isn’t that always my damn luck?” Sitting up, he scratched his sternum. Curiosity taking over, he visually swept the room. He’d been too preoccupied with Willa’s luscious body earlier to pay much attention to his surroundings. But now that he had the opportunity to fill in a few of the puzzle pieces about her, no way would he pass it up.

The bedsprings gave a whining croak as he stood. He crossed to the adjacent window and cranked the blinds open a notch, enough to allow in extra sunlight without providing too much of a view in case Willa’s neighbor happened to be poking around in the backyard. He turned and took in the feminine touches that abounded throughout the space. It surprised him slightly. The décor painted a very different picture compared to the brief glimpse he’d gotten of the rest of the apartment before his lust had taken over and he’d hauled Willa into bed. Unlike the living room, which boasted utilitarian furnishings in varying shades of tan, her bedroom was an oasis of color and sparkle. He couldn’t help wondering which represented the true Willa—boring beige or vibrant frills.

His attention landed on the single framed photo resting on her dresser. Abandoning his post by the window, he stepped forward and cocked his head, inspecting the smiling pair. He recognized Willa, of course, but the older blonde woman standing beside her looked oddly familiar for some reason. Frowning, he picked up the bejeweled frame, his confusion heightening while he stared into the other woman’s sharp blue eyes.

Finally—like a thunderbolt—it hit him who he was looking at. “What the fuck?” His gaze veered from the picture he clutched to the closed bathroom door, his head spinning with the biggest question of all time.

How the hell did a woman who’d been dead for the past twenty-two years end up in a recent photograph looking very much alive?

Chapter Ten

Harrison eyed the trio of businessmen skulking into the entrance of The Wet Spot, a local strip joint. He’d never understand humankind’s obsession with paying to see jiggling body parts. It only reinforced his disdain for the moronic species.

He crossed the steaming pavement and shoved open the establishment’s front door. Patrons sat at the various tables footing the garishly lit stage where a female human with large knockers got intimate with a metal pole. He ignored all of them. Stupid mesmerized humans were more of a waste of breathing space than those damn pufferfish shifters he’d outsmarted the previous night. No, his only reason for being here was the leviathan currently pouring shots behind the bar.

He despised the necessity of involving Kragos in this mission. The ancient leviathan reminded him too much of his previous mentor—Seven. Although he didn’t adopt nearly as many tedious personas as that slave-driver Seven, Kragos did hail from the same old guard of soul collectors. There weren’t many of them left, not after the shame their species was forced to endure after being excommunicated from Hell all those hundreds of years ago for hoarding too many of the souls for their own private collections. But many of those dumb bastards still felt some stupid-ass glory in their trivial collection of human souls.

Kragos’s status as a soul collector made him a wild card—not entirely trustworthy in Harrison’s book, since he couldn’t be certain how Kragos would react once he learned of the ultimate plan to destroy the humans. Silly as it was, Kragos might get a little pissy about having his precious catalog of humans wiped off the face of the earth in one fell swoop. Hence Harrison’s decision to keep him in the dark.

The only thing he needed from the old fart was a piece of DNA in order to access the directory the elders held on all existing leviathans. Once armed with the names and locations of his fellow levis, Harrison could assemble enough assistance in springing his new partner from her prison. With that necessary step out of the way, he could focus on the next plan of attack—finding that fucking shark, and, ultimately, the girl.

Grim determination a molten fire in his gut, Harrison approached the bar. Kragos looked up and their gazes collided. The ancient leviathan might have been a master at his disguise, but even the most talented of their species couldn’t completely hide the natural reptilian slant of their pupils. Most humans were too dazzled by a leviathan’s glamour spell to notice this telling trait, but it was there for the few who knew enough to look for it.

As he’d expected, Kragos didn’t seem entirely pleased to see him. Their species tended to be extremely territorial, particularly the soul collectors. The leviathan lowered the bottle of whiskey and shot him a hard glare. “What do you want?”

It didn’t appear they’d be indulging in small talk. Fine by him. The sooner he put some distance between this place that stank of humans, the better. He glanced at the pair of drunkards slumped on nearby stools. Besides having several pints of alcohol swimming in their bloodstreams, they no doubt were deeply submerged within the comforting cloak of Kragos’s glamour. No need to worry about eavesdroppers here. “Merely to make amends. I know Seven poached on your territory. I hope there will be no ill will between us as a result.”

“I’m glad that fucking son of a bitch is dead.”

That made two of them.

Kragos’s expression turned suspicious. “If you came here hoping I’d take you under my tentacle, think again. I have no desire for a damn useless errand boy.”

It took every ounce of Harrison’s control not to let his animosity show. Kragos could look down on him all he wanted. The day would soon come when the arrogant bastard would be the one to bow before Harrison. “Very well. I confess my disappointment, however. Surely there would have been no greater honor than learning the trade from such a skilled soul collector.” Somehow he managed not to retch. Keeping up this pretense of being a fawning pupil gave him severe indigestion. But at least with Kragos, their association would be short-lived.

“This is true,” Kragos offered with a nod. “I am the best.”

“Then come, let us drink to your greater glory.”

Kragos’s eyes lit up at the nauseating toast. Stupid dipshit. The elder reached for two glasses and topped each off with the whiskey. He passed one to Harrison before slamming his own shot. His beady eyes pinned Harrison in place, an unspoken challenge riding his features. Masking his displeasure at the nasty beverage resting before him, Harrison lifted the glass and choked down the amber liquid with a sputter. The older leviathan chuffed a mocking laugh and pivoted to return the bottle to the glass shelf. His motions swift, Harrison swiped Kragos’s glass and licked the rim, absorbing the other leviathan’s DNA. The bonded link would last less than an hour. Plenty of time though to break into Kragos’s library—and the sealed directory.

He returned the glass to its rightful place just as Kragos turned back around. Abandoning his perch on the stool, Harrison smoothed the lapels of his butler’s uniform. Soon he’d be able to permanently ditch the atrocious outfit. Maybe he’d light a ceremonial bonfire to send the suit up in ashes. “If you change your mind about taking on a protégée, let me know.” After offering a deferential bow that made him seethe inside, Harrison stepped away from the bar.

A loud and grating voice carried from a nearby table. He glanced toward the offender, his mouth twisting in revulsion as he took in the eel shifter’s tacky wardrobe. Where did the cretin shop? Douchebags “R” Us? Snorting, Harrison started to return his attention to the exit, but the next words out of the eel’s mouth stalled him short.

“I tell you one thing—that goddamn shark ever lays a hand on me again, I’m electrocuting him for dinner.” A laugh that resembled the braying of a donkey pelted from the shifter. “Fuck yeah. Seared shark. Ain’t nothing I’d like better to snack on.”

Harrison’s gaze panned between the eel and its companion. Satisfied triumph unfurled within him. What were the odds he’d walked in here with one objective and end up with the answers to two?

A slow smile sliding in place, he strode toward the obnoxious eel.

Chapter Eleven

Willa gave herself a cursory glance in the bathroom mirror, a groan springing to her lips. If it was possible for someone to look like they’d just indulged in a sex marathon with a shark, she definitely fit the bill. So much for her resolution to keep her hands off Max.

Smoothing a palm over her sweat-dampened hair, she twisted the doorknob and walked into the bedroom. Max stood next to the dresser, gripping the photo of her and Aunt Aurele, his face a canvas of shock. She didn’t know what to make of his expression.

His focus skipped from the picture and locked on her. “What the hell is going on here?”

She blinked. “Excuse me?”

He stalked forward. If not for his thunderous look, she might have become extremely distracted by his naked, mouthwatering bod again. He held up the frame, his forefinger jabbing at her aunt’s smiling countenance. “This is Aurele Telluride, damn it.”

“No, it’s Aurele Jameson. My aunt.”

Max’s eyes narrowed. “Your aunt? Not goddamn likely.”

His adamancy left her baffled. “I think of the two of us, I have the better insight into who I’m related to.”

“You honestly expect me to believe your aunt is the former advisor to the King of Atlantis? A woman who’s been dead for more than two decades?”

Atlantis? Did that place even exist? She’d always assumed it was just a myth. “Contrary to your theory, my aunt is very much alive, and she happens to be a retired librarian.”

Max pointed to the photograph again. “I’m telling you, this woman is Aurele Telluride. My father has a picture in his den that shows him standing next to Aurele while she and the king swore him in as sheriff. Other than looking a little older here—” he tapped the frame, “—the woman is identical.”

“Okay, so they look alike. Coincidences happen.”

“Just like it’s a coincidence their first name is the same? A name that’s pretty damn unusual, in case you didn’t notice.”

Yeah, that was a little weird. But not completely impossible. She shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I want to meet her. Now.”

She gaped at him. “You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

“But…it’s almost six o’clock at night.”

“Not exactly late.”

She plunked her hands on her hips. “It is if it requires driving into Atlanta.”

“Then I guess we better hit the road immediately.”

A growl leapt from her throat. “Look, I let you have your beastly way with me, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to start letting you boss me around.”

“Beastly, my ass. You loved it. And the sooner we get this mystery solved, the sooner we can return to bed and you can love it a dozen more times tonight.”

Right about then, she wished she possessed the ability to shoot fire missiles from her eyes. He would be such toast. “If I agree to this, I fully expect your groveling apology when it’s proved you’re wrong.”

“Deal.”

Roughly three hours later, Willa screeched into the driveway of her aunt’s small bungalow. Lamplight silhouetted the bay window. She’d phoned earlier, making sure it was okay to stop by for an impromptu visit. Despite her aunt’s enthusiasm at receiving company, Willa still wanted to club Max. She jumped out of the Taurus and hurried to catch up with him before he reached the house’s porch. “Let’s get something clear. Under no circumstances are you to start with your insane ramblings about my aunt resembling a dead woman. Capiche?”

“Fine.”

She didn’t quite trust his easy compliance. For now, she’d give him the benefit of the doubt, but if he so much as peeped a word that might upset her aunt, he was so getting the toe of her sandal up his ass. They climbed the steps together and she rang the bell. A moment later her aunt flung open the door and scooped Willa into her arms. Aurele’s beloved gardenia perfume embraced Willa as surely as her aunt’s fierce hug, causing Willa’s eyes to mist.

“Good Lord, look how skinny you are. We’ll fix that right up. I’ll defrost some lasagna.”

Carbohydrates were her aunt’s solution to pretty much everything. Scrubbing away her tears, Willa untangled herself from Aurele’s hold and scooted sideways. Aurele’s focus immediately drifted to Max, and Willa cleared her throat, sending him a subtle warning to behave. “This is…” Oh jeez, what did she call him? Rescuer? Guy I had amazing monkey sex with twice?

“Max Truitt,” he offered, extending his hand.

Oh yeah. That worked too.

Smiling, Aurele tucked her palm within Max’s much larger one. “It’s lovely to meet any of Willa’s friends. Please call me—” Something strange flickered in Aurele’s eyes and her mouth slackened, her cheery welcome slowly dissolving.

Confused, Willa jerked her stare toward Max, ready to blast him one if he was crushing her aunt’s hand or something equally despicable. But the only thing she noticed was the challenging expression Max wore.

He ended the shake and tipped his head. “Aurele Telluride, I presume?”

Grinding her molars, Willa sent him an incensed glare. “What did I tell you about that?”

“It-it’s okay, Willa dear.”

“No, it’s not. I won’t put up with—”

“He’s right.” Sighing, Aurele raised her hand, turning it palm up. Residual energy in a brilliant shade of aquamarine danced along her skin. “Busted by my own DNA.”

Willa frowned. “I don’t understand. What are you talking about?”

“Your aunt is a shark. Just like me.”

The ground beneath Willa’s feet felt unstable. Knees wobbling, she stared at Max, then Aurele. “What? B-but that’s…impossible.”

“No, it isn’t.” Aurele’s fingers trembled as they cupped Willa’s elbow. “This day was never supposed to come. You were never to suspect, much less know.”

Willa swallowed the uneasy disbelief clogging her throat. “Know what? That you’re a shark?”

“Yes, amongst other things.”

“What other things?” Willa demanded, her agitation growing.

Aurele stroked Willa’s arm soothingly. “We can’t have this conversation outside for the entire world to hear.”

Willa glanced around, seeing nothing but the darkened porches of Aurele’s neighbors. “But there’s no one even out here other than us.”

“It’s better to be safe.” Aurele herded her through the doorway. “Spies could be anywhere.”

Spies? Convinced that her life was turning one shade closer to crazy, Willa gulped and stalled her steps just past the entry, hugging her chest.

Max closed the door behind them, his expression pensive. Aurele’s attention shifted to him again, her gaze assessing. “Truitt? You’re Grayson’s boy, aren’t you?”

“Yes.”

Aurele nodded. “I should have noticed the resemblance sooner. You’re the spitting image of him. I always held great respect for your father. We studied at Atlantis University together, you know.”

Max shoved his hands in his pants pockets, his attitude strangely deferential. “Yes, he spoke of you often. He was deeply saddened when he heard about…”

“My death?”

Willa rubbed her temples, the conversation making absolutely no sense. “What do you mean your death? So help me, if one of you doesn’t explain what the hell any of this means, I’m going to go insane.” Oh wait. Too late.

Aurele took Willa’s arm and steered her toward the chintz sofa in the living room. “I’ll tell you everything, but perhaps first I should put some tea on? Or take the lasagna out of the freezer.”

More than familiar with Aurele’s stalling tactics, Willa narrowed her eyes. “I’m not thirsty or hungry. So spill it.”

Exhaling heavily, Aurele perched on the edge of the couch cushion and smoothed the knee of her polyester slacks. “As I’m sure you’ve already deduced, we’re not really blood relatives.” Her shaky hand reached for Willa’s and squeezed. “But I want you to know that I’ve always viewed you as the niece I never had. My love and affection for you is no different than if we did share blood ties. That’s never going to change.”

“But…” Willa shook her head, scrambling to process it all. “Even before my parents died, you were there for every family gathering. Every holiday. My mom called you sister. Why in the world would she do that if you weren’t?”

Aurele pinched the bridge of her nose. “This is going to be so very difficult to explain, much less for you to comprehend.”

“Try me.”

Her aunt—no, apparently that wasn’t correct anymore—peered desperately in Max’s direction. As if he’d be any stinkin’ help. He knew about as much as she did. Or at least she assumed so. To be honest, she doubted anyone on the planet could claim to be as clueless as she at the moment.

Finally Aurele’s scrutiny settled on her. “Willa, your memories aren’t one hundred percent accurate.”

“Not accurate? Uh, I’m pretty certain there’s no possible way I can screw up something like that.”

“There is, since your memories are implants.”

Willa blinked at Aurele. The only implants she was familiar with were the ones that came in silicone and boasted numbers like double D. She kind of doubted that’s what Aurele meant, however.

Max approached the sofa, his features frozen in disbelief. “What do you mean they’re implants? Are you saying her memories aren’t real?”

“Not entirely.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” Willa held up a hand, desperate to put an end to this madness. “That’s ridiculous. How could they not be real?” Glomming on to the first thing that popped into her mind, she hiked up the hem of her cargo pants and pointed to the faint white crescent scar just below her kneecap. “I clearly remember getting that when I was seven years old and I fell off my bike after dad removed the training wheels for the first time. Are you telling me it’s not real?”

“The scar is, but the memory is not.”

She couldn’t grasp the insanity that Aurele was suggesting. “Then how did I get it?”

A heavy weariness turned Aurele’s features haggard. Her gaze roved to Max before once more meeting Willa’s. “I don’t recall the precise means, but I know you got it the day we escaped Atlantis. The day your parents were murdered.”

Chapter Twelve

Max watched the color slowly leach from Willa’s face while a horrible premonition of doom barreled upon him. He had a sinking feeling where this story was headed, and if he was right, his and Willa’s lives were about to be irrevocably turned upside down.

“What do you mean my parents were murdered?” Willa’s voice came out little more than a whisper. “They drowned. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“Another implant. I begged the mind sweeper not to use it, not to put you through that, but he insisted it would be the only way to keep you from wondering. To keep you from ever entering the ocean.”

The odd statement snapped Max into investigative mode. “Why didn’t he want her to go into the ocean? And who the hell is this mind sweeper?” He wasn’t familiar with the term, but given this talk of implants and false memories, he could easily deduce what the individual’s skill amounted to.

“I think I’d better fill in a few blanks before getting into that, otherwise it’s not likely to make sense.”

Willa grunted. “Got news for you. None of this is making sense.”

“I know, dear. You have no idea how sorry I am that we’re even having this conversation.”

“Why?” Willa’s eyes flashed with accusation. “Because the guilt’s eating at you due to you lying to me all these years?”

Aurele hung her head. “I know you won’t believe me, but it was completely necessary to do so. There was no other choice. After your parents were murdered, it fell upon me to protect you. To protect us all.”

Max drilled his gaze into Aurele’s skull. “From what?”

“Not what. Whom.” The older woman’s shoulders lifted with a deep inhale. She looked up, her expression dismal. “Reva Bellemuir. She’s the one responsible for the death of nearly everyone I loved and swore allegiance to. She’s to blame for my death—the person I once was and can never be again.”

He let the name tumble around in his brain for a second. It triggered a hazy sense of déjà vu. Slowly, the pieces started clicking. He sorted through the distant recollection of the deceased and missing who’d been cataloged on the victims list from the palace massacre. Yes, Reva Bellemuir had been one of those named. Wait a minute…

He jerked his head up. “Bellemuir? Surely she’s no relation to—”

“Yes, she is.”

Aurele’s calm pronouncement shuttled a fresh shock wave through him, and he sucked a breath through his teeth. Holy fuck. “The Duke of Atlanta is related to a murderer?”

“More than that, she’s his grandmother.”

A frustrated sound bleated from Willa, and he and Aurele turned their attention to her. “Since no one else seems ready to point it out, let me remind you that there’s no such person as a Duke of Atlanta.”

“Actually, there is, dear.”

Willa rolled her eyes. “Right. Next you’ll tell me there’s a King of Savannah.”

“No. There was only one king, and he ruled Atlantis before being murdered.” Aurele’s eyes became waterlogged. She tried valiantly to stem the tide of her tears, but Max guessed that she wouldn’t last long. Glimpsing the box of tissues resting on the far end table, he rushed to fetch the dispenser. Aurele gifted him with a wavering smile and accepted the offering. She plucked several sheets free and blotted her cheeks.

“Hold on, I thought you said my parents were murdered.” Willa’s tone held a healthy dose of suspicion.

“They were, along with the rest of the royal family and the staff on duty that day.”

“So what are you saying, that my parents worked for the king or something?”

He waited for Aurele to put his worst fears to rest, despite every instinct screaming at him that the opposite was about to occur. Because if she was about to confirm what he suspected to be true, his hope for any future with Willa was about to crumble around his feet.

“No, dear. Your mother was the Princess of Atlantis.”

And just like that, his tiny shred of hope shriveled. Jesus Christ. He’d fallen for the granddaughter of the king, the only existing heir to the throne of Atlantis. He couldn’t get further out of his league, even if he decided to date the Queen of England.

Willa laughed. “Yeah, right. That would make me—”

“Princess as well. Yes, dear, it’s true.” Aurele frowned as she seemed to consider her words. “Actually, that’s not entirely right. Since you’re the sole heir, you’re now technically the Queen.”

“You have got to be kidding me.” Willa leapt from the couch, her agitation showing. “This is all…nuts. I’m just me. Ordinary, nothing-special me.”

“You are so very wrong, my dear.” Aurele stood, her eyes shining with love and pride. “You are the only known descendant of Poseidon himself. Ordinary doesn’t belong in your vocabulary.”

Willa’s mouth fell open before she suddenly laughed again, the sound bordering on hysterical. “Good one. Last time I checked, Poseidon is only a myth.”

Aurele brushed aside a lock of Willa’s hair. “Most legends stem from reality. True, they oftentimes become twisted within the textbooks, but that doesn’t change their existence.” She tapped the tip of Willa’s nose, earning a scowl in return. “Tell me something. Why is it so hard for you to believe that you’re the descendant of Poseidon? You, more than anyone, knows that there are many fantastical things in this world that the majority of our population remains in ignorance of.”

“Yes, but I’ve seen those things firsthand. I can’t exactly deny the existence of shape-shifters, evil ghosts and all of the other weird crap I’ve encountered throughout my life.”

“Look in your heart, and you’ll know what I’m telling you is true.”

Willa’s frown remained stubbornly locked in place. “Okay, answer this for me. How the hell can I be descended from a god? I’m human.”

Max didn’t fail to notice the fiery inflection she’d loaded into the last word, or the way her gaze momentarily flickered in his direction. Obviously she wasn’t ready to accept the fact that she was anything besides one hundred percent human.

“Poseidon mated with many humans.” Aurele cleared her throat. “That, at least, is one thing the textbooks got right. The gods were quite frisky and amorous back in those days. However, all but one of the direct royal bloodlines died out over time.”

“And I’m from that line?”

“Yes. You come from the first and the strongest. Amphitrite was Poseidon’s wife, and mother of all the sea. A nymph of the highest order and regard. It is because of her that you are here today.”

Max stared at Willa, more than a little dazzled by her heritage. He’d been around his fair share of royals. As sheriff, he was their sworn servant, more or less. Enforcer of their laws and protector of their realm. But he could honestly say he’d never stood in the same room with a royal who came with as high a pedigree as Willa. The realization widened the ever-growing chasm between their statuses and filled his heart with even more doubt. The heaviness of it weighed at him.

“Wait a minute. You said this Amphitrite chick was a nymph.” Willa’s accusing tone snapped Max from his morose thoughts. She stacked her arms in front of her and glared Aurele down. “A nymph and a god doing the mattress mambo doesn’t produce a human.”

“That’s a valid point, dear. But you’re not fully human. You’re half nymph on your mother’s side.”

A strangled noise came from Willa, and Max hurried forward before she stumbled backward onto the couch. He held her against his chest, uncertain what else to do as Willa visibly struggled to digest this new facet to her existence. Her throat working with a hard swallow, she peered up at him. “Okay, go ahead and say it.”

He decided it would be better to play dumb. “Say what?”

“I told you so.” Her face crumpled.

Raising his head, he met Aurele’s distressed gaze and grimaced. “I don’t think she’s too thrilled about the less-than-human part of the story.”

Aurele rushed to Willa’s side and joined their awkward group hug. “Oh dear. This must be overwhelming for you. Perhaps we should postpone the rest of the conversation for later.”

Willa broke free of their hold, her expression going from dazed to feisty in the blink of an eye. “No. I’ve spent all these years in the dark. Not anymore.” She hooked her thumbs in her belt loops, her chin taking on that mulish slant that Max was coming to know so well. “You said my parents were murdered by this Reva person. Why?”

“Two reasons, really. Reva Bellemuir was a calculating woman. Many of the sirens are. It seems to be written into their genetic code.”

Max more than agreed with Aurele’s assessment. There wasn’t one siren he’d encountered that didn’t prove to be a huge, troublesome pain in the ass.

“What does that have to do with my parents and their death?”

“Reva wasn’t the least bit pleased when your mother chose your father—a human—over Reva’s son. Your parents’ union ruined the duchess’s shot at becoming the mother or grandmother of the future king or queen of Atlantis.”

“So she thought that granted her the right to kill my mom and dad?” A mix of pain and rage trembled in Willa’s voice.

“In the past, there were many who whispered rumors of the duchess’s spiral into madness. It’d be easy to blame her actions upon that. But I believe her motives hinged on a sort of vengeance. You see, Reva didn’t only despise your parents’ marriage. She hated the human race and those who would defend them. Because of this, her ultimate plan wasn’t just to kill your parents, but all of humankind.”

Willa’s eyes tripled in size, and Max could easily relate to her apparent shock. He shook his head. “Wipe out the human race? Anyone who thought they could pull off such a feat had to be diabolically whacked.”

“Not entirely.”

He blinked at Aurele’s resigned statement. “Pardon?”

The elder shark shifter blew out a slow, heavy breath, her shoulder’s sagging. “Reva planned to steal the trident.”

It took a moment for her meaning to register. “Poseidon’s trident?”

“Surely your father told you of its existence.”

“He said it was destroyed. A long time ago.”

“It wasn’t. That tall tale was created in the hopes of keeping evildoers from going after it. The truth is, the trident can’t be destroyed. It’s physically impossible.”

“Jesus.”

Aurele’s smile held no humor. “I’m afraid even He can’t help us. Not if the trident is ever discovered.”

Willa broke into the conversation with a pointed cough. “Would someone mind explaining why this trident has you both looking spooked?”

He rubbed his palm along Willa’s arm, the gesture as much to reassure him as Willa. “You’ve seen pictures of Poseidon with that pitchfork-looking thing, right?” He waited for her affirmative nod before continuing. “That’s the trident.”

“Okay.” Willa’s gaze ping-ponged between him and Aurele. “At the risk of sounding incredibly dense, what’s so scary about it?”

Aurele waved a hand, apparently giving him the floor. He coughed into his fist, looking for the right words, before settling on the blunt approach. “The trident is a weapon.”

Willa’s eyebrows slashed low. “You mean like a gun?”

“No. A lot more powerful than that. It holds the force of the elements. Strike it into the Altar of Atlantis, and it’ll create a tidal wave capable of flooding the entire planet.”

“In other words, it’s the oceanic version of Armageddon,” Aurele added somberly.

Willa gulped. “Holy shit.”

“My thoughts exactly, dear. So you see why Reva was so intent on possessing the trident. Not only would she wipe out humankind, but she would return Atlantis to what she perceived as its rightful ruling place.”

Max grunted. “With her at the helm, no doubt.”

Aurele inclined her head. “Naturally. If not for a very unlikely source, her plan might have seen fruition.” She shuddered as if a ghost had walked across her grave.

“Unlikely source?” Max prodded.

“A leviathan that Reva enlisted to help build her army.”

“I’ll be damned.” Max’s memory backpedaled to the leviathan that had snatched Willa. “The little I know of the butt-ugly beasts, I never would have taken them for the do-gooder kind.”

“Trust me, the creature wasn’t necessarily being altruistic. It seems the leviathan had a change of heart once it figured out that Reva was about to annihilate its entire catalog of souls. The leviathan turned mole, and instead of killing me and Willa as Reva commissioned it to, the creature revealed the duchess’s intentions to me. The information came too late for me to be able to save the royal family, but I grabbed the trident, along with Willa, and escaped. The royal army captured Reva, and from what I understand, a subsector of the Atlantean military has been holding her prisoner in an undisclosed location ever since.”

“She’s still alive?” Willa’s face turned a dangerous shade of red.

“I know it’s distressing, dear, but her royal status saved her from execution. Or even being brought to trial. I believe her family convinced those in the know to cover it up in order to avoid scandal and inciting possible riots from the Atlanteans. It’s amazing what large sums of money can buy.”

“Guess that explains how Reva Bellemuir’s name was never leaked as the perpetrator.” And why the fucking case had remained unsolved all these years. Max growled, every fiber of his being railing against the injustice. He remembered the countless nights, as a boy, when he’d walk in on his father poring over the murder evidence in search of the tiniest clue. The case had become an obsession for Grayson Truitt, damn near ruining his life and putting a wedge in his marriage. It’d taken ten years to convince his dad to move on, let the case go cold. As a result, things drastically improved at home. But those were still missing years that could never be taken back.

Aurele laid her hand on his forearm. “I can see that you’re angry.”

“Yes, damn it. Aren’t you?”

“Of course I am.”

“Then why did you go along with it? For God’s sake, you’ve known the truth all this time and never said a word.”

“You think that doesn’t kill me?” A wealth of pain and anguish rode every inch of Aurele’s patrician features. “All this time, this horrible secret has burned a hole in my gut. In my soul. But to come forward, show the community I was alive and not a missing body somewhere would have stirred too many questions. Soon the whispers would start. If I had survived, who’s to say the others missing hadn’t fared the same?”

Max’s gaze immediately shifted to Willa.

“It was my duty to protect her,” Aurele continued. “And in return, by erasing Willa’s existence and creating a new one, humankind would be protected too.”

“H-how do you mean?” Willa stammered, her cheeks pale.

“My dear, you were with me when I hid the trident. You know the location.”

“But I don’t remember anything.”

“Because of the mind sweeper. He did a thorough job, but he warned that it might not hold forever. I also had the location wiped from my mind, in case the unthinkable happened and I was tortured into revealing the hiding spot.”

“Tortured?” Willa croaked the word.

“There is at least one who would love to get her hands on the trident. Reva. If our existence was ever uncovered…” Aurele glanced at Max. “Well, as you can see, it has been.”

Max firmed his jaw. “Nothing that’s been said here will leave this room.”

“I know. You’re Grayson’s boy. That alone is enough to make me trust you. Beyond that, I can see the light of honesty and justice in your eyes. You’re a good, honorable man. But there are those with far less admirable qualities. They’re the reason I commissioned the mind sweeper to work his magic on Willa, as well as implant the fear of water into her psyche. As long as she never steps foot into the ocean, Reva’s sympathizers will remain clueless of Willa’s existence.”

Aw shit.

His expression must have given him away because Aurele frowned and demanded to know what was wrong. He scrubbed a hand over his mouth. “I pulled Willa out of the Atlantic. It’s how we met.”

Aurele’s complexion went whiter than a sheet. Her gaze veered to Willa. “B-but that’s impossible. Your fear would have prevented you from even approaching the ocean.”

“The leviathan,” Willa whispered before blinking. “I heard it calling my name.”

Lines of strain pinched tight around Aurele’s lips. “What leviathan?”

A bolt of electricity shot down Max’s spine, the sensation eerily similar to those he experienced while in his shark skin, cautioning of danger ahead. He’d felt this precise current moments before spotting Willa and her captor the other day. “Are you talking about the leviathan that took you?”

“What do you mean the leviathan who took her?” Aurele demanded.

Max recounted the series of events leading up to the present. Aurele swayed for a moment before lowering herself onto the couch cushion. “I don’t understand how this happened. The leviathans shouldn’t be aware of Willa’s existence, much less have been able to lure her into their domain.”

Willa’s gulp drew his and Aurele’s attention. “What if…?” Willa stopped and sucked in a deep breath, expelling it slowly. “What if it wasn’t the first time I was in a leviathan’s domain?”

Chapter Thirteen

“Please God, tell me that’s a hypothetical question.”

Willa met Aurele’s pleading stare. “Uh…no.” She shifted her focus to Max, who was gaping at her like she’d just beaned him with a two-by-four. “A few days ago, a friend of mine got into a bit of a pickle.”

Max’s eyes became slitted, reminding her of a shark. Oh yeah. He was. Duh. “What kind of trouble?”

“The leviathan contracted her soul and spirited her away to purgatory.”

He grunted. “Yep. You could say that’s a hell of a pickle.”

“Anyway, I went there. To purgatory, I mean. And let me tell you, that place sucks.”

“Oh dear.” Aurele rocked back and forth, fussing with the hem of her cardigan. “This isn’t good at all.”

“What I don’t understand is how the damn ugly beast was able to call Willa by name. How would it even know who she was?”

“At the core of their DNA, they’re soul collectors. Not all leviathans take that path, but they’re born with the necessary tools for the trade. One of those tools is the ability to read the blueprints on every soul that crosses its path.”

Willa gaped at Aurele. “Our souls come with freaking blueprints?”

“In a manner of speaking. Obviously this leviathan became curious about you. Enough to scan your soul and learn your identity.” Aurele’s fidgeting increased and she gave a low, plaintive moan. “I prayed this day would never come. Little good that did.”

“Okay, so a few leviathans know about Willa. The only way they’ll get to her is over my dead body.”

Looking at Max—oh so big, bad and buff—it was easy to imagine him defending her to the death. But the idea of him actually dying for her? Nope, not something she wanted to contemplate. She’d already lost enough of her loved ones.

The realization that she equated Max with love gave her pause.

Wow, did she actually…love him? They barely knew each other, for goddess’s sake. Then again, what she did know about Max certainly was enough to touch her heart. Like Aurele said, he was a good, honorable man. He reminded her of her dad, in many ways. Or at least, what she thought she remembered about her father. Obviously her mother had found enough reason to fall in love with Daniel Jameson. Maybe she’d found the same ingredients for love lurking within Max.

And didn’t that just freaking complicate things, considering she’d probably picked the worst possible time to fall in love. Yeah, that whole watery Armageddon thing? Pretty much put the kibosh on white picket fences and baby nymph sharks.

“Earth to Willa.”

She snapped to and found Max looking at her. “Hmm?”

“I want to make sure we’re on the same page here.”

“You mean about me staying out of the leviathans’ clutches? Yeah, I’m down with that plan.”

“Good. But it means trusting me to protect you. So no more running off, comprende?”

“I didn’t run—” She broke off with a sigh. Who was she kidding? She had run off. “I promise to stay glued to your side. How’s that?”

He tugged her into his arms and kissed her forehead. “Tomorrow I’ll give Reva’s grandson a call and see if I can’t put a bug in his ear about heightening security at whatever prison Reva’s being held in. Better to be safe than sorry.”

She managed a short nod before yawning. Aurele hefted to her feet, her expression stern. “You look ready to drop dead from exhaustion. Why don’t you and Max stay here tonight? The guest bedroom is already made up.”

Willa stifled another yawn. “We can’t impose on you like that.”

“Don’t be foolish. It’s a long drive back to Savannah.” Aurele transferred her gaze to Max. “You’re staying.”

Willa rolled her eyes while Max accepted the invitation. If you could even call it that. More like an order. Still, as Aurele led her and Max down the hall, she had to admit she was glad they weren’t driving back tonight. Besides being tired, she desperately needed the warm, comforting memories that Aurele’s little bungalow provided. Real memories. Of weekend sleepovers and rowdy, cutthroat games of Monopoly that would go into the wee hours of dawn. Silly as it might be, the idea of deluding herself into believing everything was normal was too tempting to resist, even if the illusion only lasted until the harsh rays of morning brought reality crashing back.

They stepped into the guest bedroom, and Aurele scrounged in the closet for a spare blanket. “I have some extra pajamas if you need ’em.” She glanced at Max. “Sorry, nothing that’ll fit you.”

Willa pictured Max squeezed into a pair of Aurele’s granny flannels and smothered a giggle. Max took the blanket and started for the door. Willa cleared her throat. “Where are you going?”

“I thought I’d take the couch.”

“Why?”

His gaze shot in Aurele’s direction. The older woman made a grumping noise. “As if I haven’t figured out what’s going on between you two. I may be older than Moses, but I’m not blind.” Aurele stepped around Max, giving him a not-so-gentle shove toward the bed. “Fortunately, my hearing isn’t what it used to be, so go at the noisy sex all you want. Not like I’ll be any the wiser.”

Aurele shuffled from the room, closing the door behind her and leaving a very red-faced Max behind. Willa bit her lip to keep from laughing.

“She’s, uh, blunt, isn’t she?”

“You have no idea.” The mattress squeaked as she plopped onto the foot of the bed and unbuckled her sandals before kicking them off. She wiggled her toes and popped the buttons free on her blouse. All the while, she noticed Max’s unblinking scrutiny riveted to her. She shimmied free from her top. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’m still trying to absorb the fact that you’re the heir to the throne of Atlantis.”

“I know. Pretty ridiculous, eh? I mean, honestly.” She spread her arms out wide. “I’m not exactly princess or queen material.” And truthfully, she didn’t want to be. Not if it meant dealing with a whacko, murdering duchess and a legion of leviathans.

Max joined her on the bed. “Aurele’s right, you know. Ordinary doesn’t belong in your vocabulary.” He brushed his fingertips along her cheek. His touch held wonder, but also a hint of something that felt too much like sadness. Or regret.

He dropped his hand, and it was as if an invisible wall was being erected between them. She didn’t understand it. Or like it. “Not as if it matters anyway. No one knows I’m alive. And seeing how there’s a vengeful siren who’d love to get her paws on me, I have no intention of correcting everyone’s assumption that I’m dead.”

“It’s wrong that you’re being denied your birthright. Reva should be brought to trial and properly sentenced. Then there’d be no need for you to remain in hiding.”

She could practically hear Max’s teeth grinding. “I want nothing more than for my parents’ murderer to be punished, Max. But even if she was, I don’t want anything to do with that throne.”

He gaped at her. “How can you say that? Sweetheart, it’s your legacy.”

“I don’t care. It means nothing to me. I’m perfectly content with being a witch, living my quiet, uneventful life.” She grimaced. “Okay, it used to be uneventful up until a week ago, anyway.”

Max shot to his feet and began pacing in front of her. “There’s a part of your history that Aurele left out. It may change your mind about your heritage.”

“I doubt it.”

He stopped burning his path in the carpet, his features set with a fierce determination. “When your mother chose your father, she gave up her crown. Now you have the opportunity to make things right, by reclaiming the title.”

She frowned. “What did her marrying my dad have to do with it?”

“He was a commoner. The Atlanteans are sticklers when it comes to not polluting the bloodlines. Remember what Aurele said about your family being the last direct link to Poseidon? That’s what kept the throne in your family’s possession throughout the ages.”

“But if my mother was denied ruling privileges, what makes you think I would be given any? I’m half human. Talk about a big black mark on my candidacy.”

“Normally that would be the case, yes. But you’re the last of the Anastasios. Without you, there is no ruler of Atlantis.”

“What the hell is an Anastasios?”

“You’re an Anastasios. It’s your family name.”

She mulled it over. “I like Jameson a lot better. Anastasios sounds too much like one of the bad guys from a James Bond flick. I’m picturing him with an eyepatch and a false gold tooth that’s really a wireless communicator that sends top-secret transmissions to his lair in the Swiss Alps.”

Max gaped at her before plowing his fingers through his hair and grunting. “Great, now I can’t remember what I was going to say.”

She offered him an innocent smile, and he growled. Ignoring his surliness, she removed the rest of her clothes and set her glasses on the nightstand for safekeeping. “Why don’t you stop your fretting for now and come to bed?”

“Men don’t fret, goddamn it.”

“Please. You’re worse than Aurele.”

Glowering, he stripped down to his skivvies and climbed beneath the sheets with her. They faced each other, and she automatically cuddled into his heat, resting her head in the crook of his arm. “I didn’t say it before, but I want you to know I appreciate you being here for me. I’m just sorry you’ve been dragged into all of this craziness.”

He smoothed her hair away from her forehead. She nuzzled into his touch, grateful to have this intimacy back. The awkward barrier she’d sensed earlier still hovered in the distance, but damn if she’d let it sneak too close.

She snuggled into Max, breathing him deep, his ocean musk more potent than an aphrodisiac. She remembered his claim about their energies being drawn to each other. Did that explain this wild craving he brought out in her? Maybe a little. But the chaotic emotion filling the chambers of her heart wasn’t lust. She traced the contours of his bristly jaw before coaxing his head nearer. Their lips met, and she poured every ounce of her love into the kiss.

A tremor ran through Max, and she felt his resistance as he struggled against whatever force had erected that invisible barrier. She reached for his thickening erection and stroked him through the cotton of his briefs, capturing his frustrated groan within her mouth. Her tongue slicked along his, an unspoken plea to return her love. End her loneliness.

His hands bracketed her face, and he kissed her with the intensity of a man consumed by the fires of passion. Or the demons of repressed desire. She twisted the waistband of his briefs, impatiently tugging it past his hips and the firm globes of his ass. The garment caught around his knees, and she used her foot to free it the rest of the way from his legs. He rolled her onto her back, the hardness of his cock nudging her slit. She arched into him, but he hesitated. Undulating beneath him, she whimpered, desperate to be filled. Taken.

“Willa, I don’t deserve what you’re offering.” The possessiveness in his eyes undermined his words.

“This is a really crappy time to become a gentleman.” She trailed her nails over his tensed glutes, and his pupils dilated in reaction. If he thought there was any chance in hell he wouldn’t be buried inside her within the next five seconds, he was about to be proven wrong. “Up until now, you’ve had no problem sweet talking me into sex.”

“That was before…”

“Before what?”

His fingers glided over her bottom lip. “I knew who you were.”

This was about that? “You cannot be serious.”

“Willa, when I took my oath as sheriff, I swore to protect and serve you. Not fuck you.”

“Wow, was that actually written in the speech?”

“Damn it, stop being glib.” He pressed his forehead against hers and blew out a weary breath, his exhale feathering her lips. “I could be court-martialed for this.”

“Then I guess we better make it worth it.” Before he could balk further, she angled her hips, the position thrusting the head of his shaft inside her a fraction. Max stiffened—in more ways than one—and groaned. She wrapped her legs around him, forcing him to sink deeper. His delicious thickness stretched her, filling her even as her heart overflowed with emotion. “Max…” His name trembled on her lips.

His mouth sought hers, absorbing her cry as his thumb caressed her clitoris, igniting the bundle of nerves. He pumped in and out of her in a slow, leisurely manner that soon had her nails digging into his flanks. Her vision hazed, her breaths growing choppy. Intense pleasure glimmered on the horizon, like a wave preparing to crash.

“Do it, baby. Come on my cock. Now.”

The climax ripped through her, bowing her body into a tight arch. At least Max had the foresight to slam his mouth over hers, corking her shout. No matter how limited Aurele’s hearing might be, no way would she have missed that if it’d slipped free. Max kept moving, the power of his thrusts increasing until his body was a slippery canvas of sweat. He suddenly reached for her legs, unhooking them from his waist and lifting her thighs high, anchoring them with his forearms as his cock bottomed out with one blinding plunge. She gasped.

“I’m not hurting you, am I?” Each word fell from Max on staggered breaths. Speech impossible, she shook her head. He pumped into her in a series of short, tunneling strokes. “Wanna be…deep inside you…when I—” His rhythm faltering, Max gave a final thrust, the cords in his neck straining as his body shuddered.

Max in the throes of orgasm was a thing of beauty. Just watching him was enough to trip her over the edge again, and she joined him on the tail end of his climax. Afterwards he held her close, and she listened to their heartbeats thudding in unison. Even as the first of his snores floated free, she decided to let him off the hook. Yeah, he definitely had a habit of falling asleep on her immediately following sex. But damn, was it ever worth it.

With moonlight filtering through the trees, Harrison waited for the six other leviathans to abandon their scattered posts in the woods ringing Bon Revere. It hadn’t been easy gaining the compliance of the levis. In fact, it’d taken close to three hours of intense bribing and cajoling to get the assholes to see things his way. In the end, the promise of meaningless titles that they could lord over the other leviathans had secured their talents. Only now Harrison’s schedule was severely set back. But if all went according to plan, he’d soon be one step closer to making all of his dreams a reality. It was that knowledge that sparked a strong dose of self-satisfaction in Harrison’s chest as he skulked from his own hiding spot.

He arrived at the front entrance of the antebellum mansion as two of the levis snapped the necks of the pufferfish guards, permanently ending their pathetic, useless lives. After a quick rifle through the key ring of the nearest dead guard, he located the key that fit the front door. His six henchmen flanking him, he made his way inside the darkened house.

Harrison’s disdain escalated while he scanned the silhouetted forms of various, dozing guards. This would be easy. Shit, he could have killed all these silly idiots on his own and not bothered with recruiting a team.

Oh well. His six comrades were a decent start on the army he and Reva would require. Motioning for his fellow leviathans to begin eliminating the remaining guards, Harrison approached the two walrus shifters snoozing outside the basement door. He stretched his forearms, allowing his tentacles to take shape, and quickly stabbed through the unconscious guards’ chests. The energy required to manifest his tentacles drained him slightly, making him woozy, but the thrill of utilizing his true form made up for the unpleasant side effects. Curling his tentacles around their hearts, he basked in the final pump of blood through the constricting chambers before they beat no more. He shoved the dead shifters aside and gave his bloodied tentacles a disgusted glance. How unpleasant, being soiled by the lowly creatures.

Wiping himself clean on the guards’ uniforms, he once again adopted the form of human arms. Much as he despised their ugly gangliness, they did provide better dexterity for opening doors and such. At least while he was on land. In truth, being locked into this despised human suit weakened him significantly. His venomous bite and the ability of his species to mutate their tentacles into talons while out of the water were the few things that kept him from being dangerously open to attack. As with all leviathans, his strength resided in his natural form and his preferred domain—the sea. If not for the importance of this mission, he would spend as little time on terra firma as possible.

He grasped the knob and let himself past the door. He made it halfway down the steps before the last two guards at the bottom roused from their slumber. They had little time to do anything more than rub the grogginess from their eyes before Harrison sprang on top of them, crushing their skulls into the adjacent wall as he’d wished to do the other night. He tossed their limp bodies aside and wrenched the metal bar from its housing.

The padded door swung inward with a rusty whine, revealing Reva Bellemuir standing on the other side, impatiently tapping her foot. “Took you long enough.”

Chapter Fourteen

Willa rolled over in bed, automatically reaching for Max. Instead of his nice warm body, she ended up hugging his pillow instead. Frowning, she lifted onto her elbow. The rich aroma of chicory made her nose twitch. Okay, either Max had snuck off to use the bathroom, or he was out in the kitchen, enjoying Aurele’s world-class coffee.

She threw the covers off and hurried to the closet, where she found one of Aurele’s old fuzzy robes. She slipped on the garment and belted it while she padded into the hallway. A peek inside the guest bath confirmed no Max, although the water beading on the shower stall confirmed that he’d been in there recently.

Aurele glanced up from her mug as Willa entered the kitchen. “Morning.”

Crossing to Aurele, she kissed her on the cheek. Aurele sniffled. “Does this mean you forgive me for lying to you about everything?”

“You did it to protect me. It’d be pretty damn petty to hold it against you.” She walked to the cupboard and fetched her favorite coffee cup, the one with the caption I don’t do mornings suspended over a purple alligator. “Have you seen Max? I thought he’d be out here with you.”

“He left a few minutes ago.”

Willa’s eyebrows slashed low at Aurele’s calm pronouncement. “Where did he go?”

“He decided a visit to the Duke of Atlanta would be more productive and persuasive than a phone call.”

“Oh really.” She filled her cup, splashing a small amount of coffee onto the counter. Grumbling, she grabbed a dishtowel and wiped up the mess. “How convenient that he came to that epiphany while I was still sleeping.” Another thought occurred to her and she banged her fist on the Formica. “Damn it, he took my car, didn’t he? Now I’m really ticked.”

“Dear, it wouldn’t have been a good idea for you to go with him.”

“Why? It’s not like the duke would even know who I was.”

“No, but he might become curious. Particularly considering the reason for Max’s visit.”

Begrudgingly admitting that Aurele had a point, Willa sat in the opposite seat and sipped her coffee. Inhaling the fragrant steam, she eyed the other woman. “Max told me that my mother forfeited her crown when she married my father. Did…did she ever regret making that choice?” She’d spent a better part of the night with the ghost of Max’s conversation tormenting her brain, making her wonder about the sacrifices her mother had made. Estelle Jameson had seemed blissfully happy. But then again, maybe what she was remembering was merely an implant. Maybe the truth would remain forever submerged within the murky recesses of her subconscious, never to surface. She swallowed, her doubts more bitter than the coffee scalding her tongue.

Aurele reached across the table and clasped Willa’s hand. “Your mother loved your father, just as she loved you. She never would have traded either of you. Not even for the throne.”

“Max seems to think I should reclaim the legacy she lost. That is, if Reva is ever brought to trial. Since that appears highly unlikely, it’s pretty much a moot point.”

Aurele leaned back in her chair, her gaze assessing. “It is your birthright.”

She grimaced. “Now you sound like Max.”

“Well, he does appear to be a very intelligent young man.”

“Jeez, that was a backhanded compliment if ever I heard one.”

Aurele chuckled. “Scoff all you want, but I confess I’m greatly relieved knowing you have him for a protector. The knowledge will help me sleep easier at night.”

Taking another sip of coffee, she silently agreed with Aurele’s assessment. Having Max look out for her did make her feel infinitely safer. In theory at least. Because when it came to her heart, Max was the biggest danger of all.

Max climbed from Willa’s car and visually swept the exterior of the ducal residence, taking in the enormous dolphin-shaped boxwood topiaries flanking the entrance. To the uninformed observer, the plant statuary would be taken as a whimsical touch. In reality, they were a nod to Justin Bellemuir’s mammalian side of the family, which came courtesy of his mother, Nadia. Max couldn’t help wondering what Reva thought about having the precious waters of her gene pool muddied by dolphin DNA. Hopefully it put a real twist in the bitch’s panties. Clenching his jaw, he jogged up the marble steps and rang the bell. Less than a minute later a butler answered the door and led the way to Justin’s study after Max flashed his credentials.

Justin jumped from his chair as soon as the butler ushered Max inside the mahogany-paneled room. A wide grin plastering the young duke’s mug, he accepted Max’s handshake. “Sheriff Truitt, what an unexpected pleasure.”

“I apologize for showing up at your door without calling first.”

“No need. You know you’re welcome anytime.”

He knew Justin wasn’t only being polite. Unlike many of the other royals, the Duke of Atlanta didn’t stand on formality. And he was genuinely a nice guy. Obviously Reva’s evilness had skipped a few generations, thank the gods.

“Please, have a seat.” Justin indicated the high-backed leather chair facing his desk. “Would you care for coffee or anything?”

“No thanks.” Max settled into the chair. His gaze roved to the bronze sculpture of Poseidon resting on the pedestal behind Justin. It was just one of the many rare and expensive pieces of art on display in the lavish manor. It was also one more reminder to Max of exactly how far down the totem pole he was in comparison to these people. He had no right even imagining Willa in his life. This was the world she belonged in, what she was entitled to. He had nothing to offer her besides himself, and that was pretty damn paltry in comparison to his current surroundings.

He shouldn’t have made love to her last night, no matter how mind-blowing it’d been. It only made it harder, contemplating the day he’d be forced to step aside as her lover and allow another to take his place.

“You look like you’re carrying a heavy load on your mind,” Justin said, breaking through Max’s thoughts.

“Yeah, you can definitely say that again.” Max shifted his weight, the leather creaking in protest. “I don’t really know how to go about broaching this conversation.”

Obvious confusion played across Justin’s face. “Now you’re starting to worry me.”

“Good. I think you need to be.”

Justin gave a nervous laugh. “Someone’s going to win the award for most cryptic today. Out with it, Sheriff.”

He’d rehearsed what he would say on the drive over, and in the end decided a little embellishment might go a long way toward putting the fear into the duke. “Some evidence has been brought to my attention, leading me to believe your grandmother might be attempting a breakout.”

Justin stared at him. “From what? Her coffin at the bottom of the sea?”

“We both know she’s not in any damn coffin.”

“It was merely a figure of speech. I’m fully aware that my grandmother’s body was never recovered, but thank you for having the decency to remind me.” Justin’s voice shook with emotion as he lurched to his feet. “I don’t know what twisted, perverse humor prompted you to come here and upset me with this nonsense, but I’ll kindly ask you to leave.”

He’d seen enough liars and actors in his day to tell that Justin was neither. Which left only one answer. The duke knew nothing about Reva being alive. Or where she was being held prisoner. Shit.

Max scrubbed a hand along his jaw. How he saw it, he had one of two choices. Either he bowed and scraped his way out of Justin’s study in an effort to save the job he’d probably just kissed goodbye. Or he could go balls to the wall and say fuck it. Tell Justin what he knew about Reva and pray the duke would take him seriously. It might be their best shot at tracking the duchess down. Because without the duke’s backing, they were flying blind.

He abandoned his seat and stepped closer to the edge of the desk, strategically blocking the only exit available to Justin. If nothing else, the duke would be forced to listen before his damn security guards came to drag Max away. “I know this is going to sound far-fetched or crazy, but I have it on good authority that your grandmother wasn’t one of the victims in the royal massacre.”

Justin gazed at him for a long moment, his lips tight. “You’re right about one thing. That is far-fetched.” The onyx cufflinks gracing the duke’s button-down shirt glinted as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Did this mysterious source who provided you this incredible information also explain how the devil my grandmother was able to escape the murderer? Or why she would stay in hiding all these years, from her own family, no less?”

Here goes nothing. “Yes. Because Reva was the murderer.”

Justin stiffened, his facial muscles freezing in shock. A fraction of a second later, his paralysis broke, replaced by blistering anger. “How dare you accuse my grandmother of something so despicable. An innocent woman incapable of even defending her good name.”

“Someone in your family damn well knows the truth of what happened. It takes an extravagant amount of money to hide a murderer’s guilt. Maybe you better start asking some questions of your own.” He reached in his rear pocket for his wallet. Pulling out his card, he tossed it on the ink blotter centered upon Justin’s desk. “When you come to your senses, call me. Before it’s too late.”

The drive back to Aurele’s was a testimony in frustration as Max replayed his meeting with Justin. Frankly, he didn’t give a rat’s ass anymore if he was demoted from sheriff or kicked out of the field completely. What did a job title matter when people’s lives—hell, the entire human population—were facing possible extinction? He glanced at his cell phone, the temptation to call his dad nearly crippling. The old man’s investigative mind would be a handy tool to have at the moment. Between the two of them, they could probably narrow down the possible locations where Reva was being held. But his dad was also no dummy. He’d demand to know who Max’s source of information was. It wouldn’t take much for Grayson Truitt to put two and two together and realize it had to be one of the two other missing victims—Aurele and Willa.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his dad. There wasn’t anyone he trusted more. Other than his mom. And Boone. But who knew how fucking deep this conspiracy went? He couldn’t risk exposing his parents to danger if his dad started poking his tail fin where it didn’t belong. Which would be precisely the thing his old man would do. Shit, like father like son. After all, Max had already stirred up a hornet’s nest of trouble by taking his information to Justin. It’d been a necessary evil, yes. One that he hoped wouldn’t backfire on them.

Growling, he tossed his cell into the console’s cup holder. Fifteen minutes later he braked to a stop in Aurele’s drive. Inside the house, he found the two women camped at the kitchen table. They looked at him expectantly as he set Willa’s keys on the counter.

“How did it go?” Aurele asked, her expression worried.

“The duke didn’t even know his grandmother was alive. Someone else in the family must be footing her confinement bills.”

Aurele hunched over her cup and blew at the waft of steam. “Can’t say I’m surprised. I figured a while back that Justin wasn’t the one behind it. He’s too good a man.”

Max gaped at the elder shark. “You’ve been keeping tabs on the Bellemuirs.” He stated it more as fact than inquiry.

“Why else do you think I’ve been living in Atlanta this whole time? I wouldn’t stick this close to the scene of the crime and put myself in danger just for the fun of it.”

Willa frowned. “Hold on a sec. What do you mean by the scene of the crime? I thought you said my parents were murdered on Atlantis.”

“Dear, you’re practically sitting right smack-dab in the middle of Atlantis.”

“What?” Willa looked dazed by the news. Understandable.

“Wait, this will go much smoother with props.” Aurele abandoned her seat and walked down the hall. Meanwhile Willa stared at him in bemusement.

He crossed to her and hunkered in front of her chair. Her fists were clenched in her lap, and she hadn’t lost that I’ve-just-been-hit-by-a-two-by-four expression. He picked up her hands and smoothed his thumbs over her knuckles. He knew there must be a thousand questions swirling in her mind. Hopefully whatever Aurele was up to would fill in some of the blanks. “I’m sorry I snuck out on you this morning.”

“Don’t worry about it. Right now I’m too preoccupied with wrapping my head around the fact that we’re apparently sitting in Atlantis’s kitchen.”

He chuckled. “Not quite. When Aurele returns she’ll explain it in better terms.”

The scuff of soles marked Aurele’s re-entrance into the room. A large scroll was tucked in the crook of her arm. She joined them at the table and unrolled one section of the ancient parchment.

Willa leaned over the document. Her glasses slipped down her nose, and she tucked them back in place before peering at Aurele. “What’s this?”

“A map of Atlantis.”

“But it’s enormous. Practically bigger than the—”

“Atlantic?” Aurele supplied. “Hmm, amazing coincidence.” She pulled down another section of the scroll, a tissue-thin vellum that overlaid the original map.

He watched Willa’s face, waiting for the exact moment everything registered with her. Her reaction didn’t disappoint. Eyes going comically wide, she jerked her head up. “Are you telling me the entire eastern seaboard is really the freaking lost city of Atlantis?”

Aurele smiled patiently. “Not in the way you’re thinking. Furthermore, the city of Atlantis has never been lost. It’s simply been in between.” She stirred the air with her fingers for emphasis.

Willa’s eyes became hooded like she suspected Aurele was trying to sneak a fast one past her. “In between what?”

“Dimensions. A thin veil separates Atlantis from this earth. The ocean is a gathering of the two existences, where our waters meet and unite both worlds. You’re right in the sense that other than the palace and the university, most of the city is in ruins. It’s been the case for many centuries. Hence the reason many of the non-water-locked Atlanteans have chosen to reside at least on a semipermanent basis within the earth realm.”

“Non-water-locked? What does that even mean?”

He decided to let Aurele’s voice have a rest by stepping in with the relatively simple explanation. “Basically there are two types of Atlanteans. Those who are able to acquire legs when on land, and those who can’t.”

“This is so damn weird,” Willa groused.

“Dear, you’ve been to purgatory. Atlantis is far less strange than that trip.”

“Okay, you might have a point.” Willa rubbed her temples. “So hypothetically speaking, if I wanted to visit Atlantis, I could? I mean, without actually going into the ocean? Because there’s no way in hell that’s happening.”

Gripping the edge of the table, Max straightened. “There’s a portal on the Duke of Atlanta’s property. It’s accessed in a reflecting pool. Position the sundial correctly and it triggers the doorway.” He took in the confusion stamped on Willa’s features and wished that he could show her firsthand the wonder of Atlantis and the royal palace that she’d once called home but didn’t remember. It would be impossible though without cobbling a good lie to give the duke for busting onto his property with a strange woman. Particularly after what went down this morning.

He glanced at his watch, a trickle of guilt washing over him at the necessity of dragging Willa away when she obviously had so many unanswered questions. But if they didn’t leave soon, he’d be late relieving Fritz from his shift. He returned to the counter and snagged Willa’s keys. She met his gaze and lifted from her seat. “Are we going?”

“Afraid so. I’m on duty tonight. Fortunately, I’m only playing watchdog to whatever miscreants my men brought in overnight.” Remembering Ronnie’s bailout yesterday, he grimaced. Hopefully the stupid-ass eel hadn’t gotten himself thrown back in the tank. He didn’t have the patience to deal with The Shock Factor any time soon. “You can keep me company.”

Planting her hands on her hips, she sidled toward him. “You’re only suggesting that because you don’t want to let me out of your sight.”

“That’s only one of the reasons.” Tugging her closer, he leaned down to whisper in her ear. “The other is I have this sudden fantasy to spread you out on the kitchen table at work and make a meal out of you.”

“That’s not very sanitary,” Aurele piped up.

Willa sent her a glare. “I thought you said your hearing is going.”

“I did?” Aurele scratched her chin. “Must have meant my memory.”

“You’re incorrigible.”

“Stop calling me names and get over here and hug me.”

Dutifully obeying Aurele’s command, Willa rushed across the tile and embraced the older woman. “I don’t like leaving you here on your own. Not with everything going on.”

“I’ll be fine.” Aurele peered at Max. “You take care of my girl.”

“With my very life.”

Aurele gave a single nod. “Go on then. I’ve got my surveillance of the Bellemuirs to get back to.”

“And I’ll do my own digging at work. With any luck, one of us will turn up something on where they’re keeping Reva.”

After one last round of hugs and kisses, he and Willa said goodbye to Aurele and hopped into the Taurus. She was more than willing to grant him driving duty this time around. He half-expected her to be chatty, full of questions that he might not have answers for, but the drive back to Savannah proved to be no less quiet compared to last night’s trip. Only this time the strain came not from Willa’s brewing anger over his insistence about meeting her aunt. No, now the truth was out there, and it was even more astonishing and explosive than either of them could have imagined.

He fiddled with the radio, hoping to ease the silence. Willa coaxed his hand away from the knob before she clicked it off and turned toward him. “I know what you promised Aurele, but the truth is you can’t watch me every second of the day. It’s not feasible, and I don’t expect it of you. Not to mention, there’s my job to consider. I doubt my bosses would take kindly to having a shark pacing in front of my desk, threatening to bite a chunk out of anyone who looked at me funny.”

“We’ll cross that road when we come to it.”

“Max, no. I’m putting my foot down right now. I don’t want a twenty-four-hour bodyguard.”

“Too bad. You’re damn well getting one. If I have to enlist Boone to watch over you when I can’t, then it means you’ll be getting two.”

She scowled. “You are infuriating and bossy.”

“Yep. Get used to it.”

“All I can say is it’s a damn good thing you’re an awesome cook. It redeems all your other aggravating traits.”

“You forgot to mention that I’m also incredible in the sack.” He flashed a grin and waggled his eyebrows. She rolled her eyes but at least it got her to quit arguing. They stopped on the outskirts of Savannah and grabbed a late lunch through the drive-thru window at Mickey D’s. He wolfed down his double cheeseburger and half the carton of fries before Willa made it through a quarter of her chicken sandwich. He noticed she ate it with far less enthusiasm than she usually displayed. “Not hungry?”

She nibbled listlessly on a limp French fry. “Surprisingly, no. Maybe my appetite is permanently shot.”

He hoped not. It was too enjoyable watching her savor her food. Almost as pleasurable as seeing her suck his cock deep into her throat. He bit back a moan and shifted around, trying to ease the sudden pressure behind his fly.

Willa glanced at him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Her gaze dropped to his lap and a knowing smile curved her mouth. “You were having dirty thoughts, weren’t you?”

“Yes, but they were about you. Does that get me off the hook?”

“Mm, maybe.” The last word came out on a kittenish purr that made his cock throb even more. “Depends on whether or not you’re going to tell me exactly what you were thinking.”

There was no way in hell he could give her a blow-by-blow of her blowing him without needing to pull the car over and take care of business. Preferably with Willa straddling his cock while he fucked her to a mind-blowing orgasm in the driver’s seat. “How about I give you a rain check for later?”

“Party pooper.” Adjusting her seat belt, she slouched deeper into the upholstery. She nibbled her thumb, her expression pensive. “Can I ask you something?”

“Baby, I already told you I’m not spilling my dirty thoughts right now.”

“I know. This isn’t about that.”

“Okay. Then shoot.”

She plucked at the edge of her seat belt. “Do you think it’s odd to hear voices…that shouldn’t be there?”

“Be where?”

Willa was quiet for so long, he didn’t think she was going to answer. Finally she said with wavering uncertainty, “Your head.”

He slashed his gaze toward her and she turned bright red.

“You think I’m crazy now, don’t you?”

“Uh, no.”

She twitched her nose. “Has anyone told you that you really suck at lying?”

The truth was he didn’t think she was necessarily crazy. But telling someone you heard strange voices in your head? That was bound to throw anyone for a loop. “What do these voices say?”

She squinted at him. “Are you asking that just to humor me?”

“No. I’m honestly curious.”

“Well, the night you rescued me? It told me to jump your bones.”

He choked on a cough.

“It also told me you possessed what I needed.” She slid him a sidelong glance.

“I think I’m starting to like this voice.”

“This is no joke, Max. You don’t know what it’s like having no control over your thoughts or actions.” Her lips trembled. “To be at the mercy of an invisible puppeteer.”

Her obvious anguish tore at him. He wished he could offer some comfort, but he didn’t know the words to give her. Reaching across the console, he squeezed her knee. “Maybe the voice means you no harm. In fact, it sounds like it’s trying to help you. Or tell you something.” A tingle broke out on the nape of his neck, his first clue that he might be on to something. “How long have you been hearing it?”

“Technically, I didn’t hear it until that night. Before then, it was more of a nonverbal thing.”

“You mean like telepathy?”

She scrunched her forehead. “Sort of. Sometimes I’ll get flashes of odd images too. Almost like snapshots.”

“Memories?”

“They’re not mine.”

The tingling intensified and he tightened his grip on the wheel, trying not to get too excited by the possibility poking at him. “How do you know that?”

“I—I guess I don’t.”

He couldn’t hold back his theory any longer. “Sweetheart, what if the strange voice isn’t some disembodied hallucination, but you.”

“Me?”

“Yes. Think about it. The mind sweeper erased all traces of everything that wasn’t human about you.”

“Okay,” she said, stringing out the word. “I’m following you so far.”

“But you can’t completely destroy a basic part of someone’s psyche. The core of what they are. Maybe you can submerge it. Beat it into submission. But sooner or later, it’s going to surface and seek the other half of itself and do everything it can to become a whole unit.”

Rather than look impressed by his theory, Willa’s expression turned horrified. “That crazy broad is going to try to take over my body?”

“Willa, that crazy broad is you.” He quickly reevaluated what he’d just said. “That came out wrong, but you know what I mean. Bottom line, there’s no reason to fear your nymph side. Sure, they can be a little mischievous at times. And their appetites tend toward the…lusty.”

Her eyes nearly bugged from their sockets as that part registered. A moment later a distressed wail bleated from her. “Oh my goddess. I’m a nymphomaniac.”

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep from chuckling. Somehow he doubted she would find it the least bit funny. “Look on the bright side. Now you know how the term originated.”

“Thanks. That was very helpful.”

“Damn, you’re incredibly sexy when you’re sarcastic.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Jeez, you’re even more mentally unstable than I am.”

This time he allowed himself to laugh. “Keep throwing out those zingers, and I will find a pull off so I can fuck you against the steering wheel.”

She snorted. “No doubt that would thrill my inner nympho to no end.”

They crossed onto the bypass leading to Tybee. This time of day most of the tourists were already soaking up rays on the beaches, leaving the roadways relatively free of traffic. Fine by him. The sooner he got to the station and sent Fritz packing, the quicker he could be on top of Willa. In Willa.

He stomped his foot on the gas, and she shot him a look. “In a hurry to get to work?”

Oh yeah, baby.

Less than ten minutes later he roared into the lot of the stationhouse. He noticed a woman standing by the front door, blocking it. She turned, revealing possibly one of the most stunningly beautiful faces he’d ever seen.

A strangled yelp came from Willa. “Sh-she was in my dream.”

He shifted his focus between Willa and the stranger. Suddenly the woman’s features went from beautiful to ugly in zero seconds flat, her eyes blacker than midnight. Opening her mouth, she screeched an ear-splitting cacophony, exploding the stationhouse windows.

Chapter Fifteen

Willa clamped her hands over her ears, trying to mute the horrible noise. All around her, glass shattered, including the Taurus’s windshield. Fragmented shards pelted her knees and lap. When she moved to brush them off, Max slammed her hand back in place.

The sound of his voice was muffled, but she read his lips loud and clear. “Keep those on your ears, damn it.”

She wondered how he could take the screeching without his eardrums bleeding. He shifted in reverse, the Taurus bucking as the gears caught. The acceleration on the gas knocked her back in the seat. They hit something with enough force to make the vehicle jolt. A moment later it happened again. Max floored the gas, finally clearing the obstacle. She stared in bafflement at the buckled blacktop. Even while she tried to process what she was seeing, the parking lot and the driveway continued cracking, heaving asphalt in massive chunks.

The woman left the doorway, the shrill decibel of her shrieks making Willa cringe and curl into a fetal position, convinced her brain was about to explode. Tiny hairline cracks radiated across the surface of her eyeglasses, blurring her vision. The Taurus spun in a wide arc, bouncing with enough impact to jostle her in the seat. Somehow she managed to keep her arms banded tight to her head, but the hideous wailing seemed to have wormed inside her ears anyway. Tears leaking from her eyes, she willed the agony to stop.

They drove at a breakneck speed for several minutes. With the majority of the windshield now scattered on the floor, the relentless wind pummeled her unmercifully. Eventually the vehicle slowed and the discord in her head muted to an unpleasant ringing. She became aware of someone vigorously shaking her. Max. Concern riding every inch of his face, he pulled her hands away and began speaking, his voice muffled and tinny, as if it were coming from miles away.

“Willa, I said can you hear me?”

A tremble coursed through her and she began crying. She hated sobbing like a big baby. Especially in front of Max.

“Damn it. Hold tight. I’m taking you to Boone.”

The only thing she seemed capable of at the moment was nodding weakly as she struggled to keep her wind-whipped hair from blowing in her eyes. By the time they reached the small animal hospital on the outskirts of Savannah, she felt like she’d been through a tornado and survived. Barely.

Max rushed to her side of the car and wrenched the door open. He freed her from the seat belt and bundled her into his arms before running toward the brick building’s front entrance. A young woman in bright orange scrubs stood behind the check-in desk. She stared at them in bewilderment, but Max ignored the girl, jogging right past her and down a short corridor. He shoved open a battered wooden door that bore countless scratches and gouges, likely from the four-legged patients that typically roamed these halls.

Boone looked up from the medical equipment he was sterilizing, his eyebrows knitting when he spotted them. “What happened? Did she relapse?”

It took her a second to remember the leviathan bite that Boone had previously treated. Goddess that seemed like almost a different lifetime, when in actuality it’d only been two days ago.

Max carefully settled her on the edge of the stainless-steel examining table. “No, screaming siren. I’m not sure what the extent of the damage is on her eardrums.”

To Boone’s credit, he didn’t even bat an eye at the announcement. Unclipping a penlight from the breast pocket of his lab coat, he quickly clicked it on and moved beside her. He looked in her ears, occasionally giving a noncommittal hum. Then again, maybe what she mistook for humming was really the residual ringing inside her head. Tucking his knuckles beneath her chin, he coaxed her to meet his gaze. The cracked state of her eyeglasses made them more of a hindrance than anything, so she plucked them from her face and hooked them on the collar of her shirt.

Boone flashed the light in her eyes. “Are you experiencing any sort of pain?”

“Not really.”

Boone winced, leading her to believe she must have shouted the words. Jeez, it was hard to judge sound when your hearing was wonky. Mindful not to blast his eardrums, she deliberately lowered the pitch of her voice for the rest of her statement. “I thought my brain was going to detonate earlier, but now it’s mostly just…foggy.”

Pocketing his penlight, Boone gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Wrestling a leviathan wasn’t exciting enough for you, huh? Had to go and get in a yelling match with a siren. You’re damn lucky your eardrums didn’t rupture.”

She peered at Max, recalling how he hadn’t even covered his ears. “Why is it that you’re perfectly fine?”

“I’m immune to any siren’s call. All sharks are. I suspect you would be too, if your nymph side was fully integrated into your psyche.”

“Nymph side?” Boone parroted.

Max gave him a quick rundown of events without revealing Willa’s true identity. But even without that staggering part of the story, Boone still looked properly stunned. “Do you think the siren was Reva, and not merely one of her cronies?”

“I’d say it’s a good bet. I haven’t heard anything from Justin yet about word of his grandmother’s escape, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything if he truly wasn’t in the loop of what was going on. Speaking of being in the loop, I better get a hold of Jona and let him know we have a homicidal siren in our backyard.”

Max reached for his cell, and she strained to keep up with his side of the phone conversation, her panic escalating. If Reva Bellemuir had indeed escaped… “Aurele! We have to let her know what happened.”

As soon as Max finished talking to his deputy, he handed over his cell phone, and she frantically punched in Aurele’s number. When the voice mail kicked on, she practically screamed in frustration. After leaving the older woman a brief message about Reva’s appearance in Tybee, as well as terse orders for Aurele to call Max’s cell phone, Willa hung up and buried her face in her hands, helpless sobs racking her. Max’s strong arms surrounded her. Despite her resolve to at least pretend at being a steady rock, she clung to him. He stroked her hair, soothing her. His presence comforted, but it didn’t change the reality of the nightmare facing them.

Secured prison walls no longer protected the world from Reva Bellemuir’s hatred.

The countdown to Armageddon had just begun.

Chapter Sixteen

It took every ounce of Harrison’s nonexistent patience not to strangle Reva as the duchess sailed by him and stormed into the stationhouse. That stupid, crazy bitch. What the hell had she been thinking, letting loose with her caterwauling before the fucking shark and the girl abandoned their vehicle? Clearly being locked up all those years had killed off more than a few of the siren’s brain cells.

Pivoting, he walked inside the building and slammed the front door shut. Not that it did a damn bit of good. The glass that should have been affixed within the frame currently littered the floor. He glared at the duchess’s rigid back. “Don’t ever do that again.”

She whipped around and stared at him coldly. “How dare you speak to me that way. Do you know who I am?”

Yes, you’re a fucking basket case. He’d worked with enough of them to read the signs. Hell, he’d been forced to deal with seven basket cases with his previous mentor. Definitely made him an expert on the subject. “Because of that giant hissy fit you threw out there, the girl got away.” Again. With that fucking shark in tow, no less. Damn if that didn’t sting worst than salt in a wound.

“Do you take me for a fool?”

Did she honestly expect him to answer? No, too easy.

“The girl didn’t slip through our fingers with no hope of being found again. We’ll simply lay a trap for her.”

He flicked a speck of dust from his waistcoat. “And how do you plan on going about it? Bloody difficult to lay a trap without bait.”

“Everyone has a weakness. It only takes a little digging to find it. I propose we start searching for clues at her residence.” She marched to the nearest desk and waved imperiously at the computer resting there. “I trust you know how to use one of these contraptions? Plug in her name and find out where she lives.”

He despised being ordered around. It reminded him too much of his previous life. Still, it was a necessary means to a glorious end. Crossing to the desk, he shoved the dead officer from the rickety seat and plopped down. Fortunately, the crazy bitch’s siren blare hadn’t blown out the monitor. He tapped the keyboard, inputting the girl’s name into the database. In less time than it took him to type the two words, her information popped onto the computer screen. Jotting her address onto the adjacent pad of paper, he grumbled to himself.

“What was that?” crazy bitch demanded.

“I said why didn’t we just do this in the beginning?” He pointed to the dead seagull shifter on the ground. “It would have saved the trouble of torturing that dumb bastard for information he didn’t have.”

The duchess’s scarlet lips took a decidedly evil upward slant. “But then that would have spoiled my fun.”

Harrison and Reva decided it would be best to leave the six leviathan henchmen in the minivan while they ransacked the Jameson girl’s apartment. In all honesty, it killed Harrison just a little bit inside to be chauffeuring his hand-picked death squad around in a fucking minivan. The future leader of the world did not cruise in the same vehicle that shuttled soccer kids to and fro, for fuck’s sake. It was an abomination. First chance he got, he was stealing a goddamn tank.

They broke into the apartment with nary any trouble. In fact, the ease of it was almost a disappointment. Working together, they systematically went through every scrap of paper, every tossed-away receipt, anything that offered a possible avenue they might use against the girl in order to earn her compliance. Just as he became convinced they were wasting precious time, they entered the bedroom and the duchess’s attention fell upon a framed photograph of the girl with an older woman. An angry hiss erupted from Reva. Eyes flashing fire, she turned on him, hurtling the frame at his head. He ducked in the nick of time. What was it with her and the fucking hissy fits?

Far as partner selections went, she was turning out to be a bigger pain in the ass than she was worth. Too bad he didn’t know all this shit before he sprang her out of prison.

“Why did you not tell me she’s alive too?”

“Who?”

“Aurele Telluride.”

The former advisor to the King of Atlantis? Bending, he picked up the frame. “I didn’t know about her. Only the girl.”

“You better be telling me the truth, leviathan.” Reva stared him down, the hard, black glint of her pupils issuing a silent challenge to defy her. Her motions angry, she ripped the picture from his grasp and glared at the smiling pair. “Look at how smug she is, thinking she’s bested me. Sentencing me to rot all those years in squalor in that prison while she no doubt lived the high life.”

Recalling the opulence he’d recently rescued the duchess from, he smothered a snort.

A calculating smile stretched Reva’s mouth. “You know, it’s just occurred to me that we no longer have need of the girl.”

“What do you mean?” There was no way he’d forget about the Jameson girl. Not when that fucking shark had payback coming to him.

“Don’t get me wrong. That half-breed atrocity is going to die, as will the rest of the humans. But Aurele Telluride knows full well where the trident is. I’d stake my life on it.”

“What if you’re wrong?”

Reva didn’t appear pleased at having such a possibility brought to her attention. “Then we will use Aurele as collateral, you imbecile. Bring her to me.”

He glared at the duchess. Forget ruling at her side. First chance he got, he was offing the crazy bitch. “That will require an address. Something we obviously don’t have.”

“Don’t give me that nonsense. You’re a leviathan. You can teleport with a visual link.” She thrust the picture at him. “That should be more than adequate.”

Yes, for those of his species who were more skilled than him. He had no problem popping from one dimension to another, but teleporting to various land coordinates? Not his strong suit. It was just one of the many reasons he hated being earthbound. It leached him of power, made him feel weak.

He despised feeling weak.

“What’s troubling you, leviathan? Can you not do this one simple task?” The taunting quality of her tone made him consider ripping her eyeballs out.

Adding that future pleasure to his to-do list, he focused on the picture, mentally imprinting each minute detail of the landscape into the cells of his transport cortex. The corresponding tingle shivered along his limbs, but he didn’t budge from the spot he stood in. Reva’s mocking laughter assaulted his ears. Growling, he stared harder at the images on the photo paper. Still nothing.

“You stupid, worthless leviathan. You can’t even—”

In the blink of an eye he went from glaring at the duchess, to glaring at…a very hairy man in obscenely tight jogging shorts. Grimacing, Harrison pivoted, wishing he possessed a bottle of acid to wash the sight from his eyes. Across from him stood the house from the photo. A sweet note of triumph sang through his veins.

He did it!

Cackling in glee, he raced across the street. He didn’t know what excited him more, being one step closer to world domination, or making the crazy bitch eat crow.

Max paced restlessly in Boone’s examining room, desperately trying to get his thoughts organized enough to figure out what their next plan of attack should be. He’d placed a call to Justin and apprised him of the situation. The young duke’s skepticism had been readily apparent, but at least he hadn’t hung up on Max. The good news was he’d gotten through to Justin enough to gain the duke’s promise to get on the horn with the royal army and find out what the hell they knew about the situation. It’d taken some doing, but he’d also convinced Justin to dispatch some troops to Tybee.

His cell phone buzzed, and he glanced at the caller ID. It wasn’t a number he recognized. He clicked the Talk button. “Hello?”

“Sheriff Maxwell Truitt?”

“Yes.” From the corner of his eye, he noticed Willa staring at him. Guessing that she was hopeful it was Aurele, he shook his head. Her shoulders slumped.

“This is General Lessway. The Duke of Atlanta informed me there’s a problem gathering in your jurisdiction.”

Max grunted. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“It’s been brought to my attention that sometime early this morning, Reva Bellemuir escaped her cell and massacred twenty of my men. You have my full support and cooperation with anything you require.”

By great force of will, Max kept from grinding his teeth. “That’s coming twenty-two years too late, wouldn’t you say? None of this would be happening if Reva Bellemuir had been brought to trial.”

“You think I don’t agree with you? Damn it, Sheriff, you more than anyone should understand my frustration with the leash these royals keep me on.”

“A leash that’s no doubt lined with plenty of cold hard cash.”

The general chose not to comment upon Max’s assessment, instead giving his word that he planned to leave Florida ASAP and meet his troops in Tybee. Hanging up, Max eyed Willa and Boone. “Well, the good news is reinforcements are on their way, for whatever help they’ll be.” He tried not to focus on the dead soldiers Reva had apparently taken out. Probably better not to tell Willa about that. She already had enough stress on her plate.

“M-maybe we should drive back to Atlanta and pick up Aurele.”

He took one look at Willa’s pale face and knew she didn’t stand a prayer of relaxing until she verified with her own eyes that the older woman was safe. Nodding, he glanced at Boone. “Any chance we can borrow your Land Rover?”

“I’ll do you better than that—I’ll drive.”

He exchanged a long look with Boone. “You’re placing yourself in the middle of something that could get you killed. Not sure I like that idea.”

“Look at it this way. If I go out in a blaze of glory, my old man will be so damn proud, he’ll probably piss himself.”

Boone’s father had been sheriff of parish nine for thirty plus years before Max took over. The stories about him were legendary. There wasn’t a bad guy Quaid Forrester wasn’t prepared to put the hurt on, and he had the scars to prove it. “What is it with you damn seals? You’ve all got death wishes.”

“Yep.” Grinning, Boone patted his pocket. “But we’ve also got the keys to the car.”

Max knew well enough when he was defeated. “Fine. But I get to drive, damn it.”

Three and a half hours later he pulled into Aurele’s driveway for the second time that day. He’d never racked this much road mileage in such a short period of time. It was starting to wear on him. Which might account for why he didn’t immediately notice that Aurele’s sedan wasn’t in the drive. “Doesn’t look like she’s home.”

“It’s all right,” Willa piped from the backseat. “I’ve got a key.” She was out of the vehicle and halfway up the porch steps before he even opened his door.

“She doesn’t ever slow down, does she?”

He slid Boone a wry look. “You have no idea.”

They both climbed from the Land Rover just as Willa’s frantic cry shot from the vicinity of the house. Max slammed his door shut and raced toward the sound. He leapt over the threshold of the entry, dread knocking him dead square in the solar plexus as he took in the chaotic state of the living room. The coffee table was smashed to smithereens, the couch flung onto its back end. Across the way, a floor lamp protruded from the television screen.

Boone stepped up beside him, his eyes wide. “Holy shit.”

“Reva was here.” Willa spun toward them, her face awash with fear and horror. “She has Aurele!”

“There’s no way she could have gotten here before us,” Max pointed out. And how would Reva have even known where to find Aurele anyway? Of course, he was still baffled by Reva showing up at the stationhouse. It was as if she’d had some inside source about his involvement with Willa. But other than Aurele, Willa’s friend from the Witches Alliance, and Boone, nobody had even seen him with—

From nowhere, the image of the unconscious leviathan he’d gotten into the fight with seeped into his brain. Motherfucker. He should have gone with his initial instinct and killed the ugly sonofabitch.

Furious over his shortsightedness and the events unraveling around him, Max grabbed Willa’s arm and dragged her toward the entry. She struggled within his grip, sobbing. “Let me go! We have to find Aurele.”

“Willa, we have to get out of here. Now.” He had no idea if Aurele’s kidnapper would be coming back to the scene of the crime, but he wasn’t going to allow Willa to remain here, a sitting duck.

Boone opened the rear passenger door, and Max unceremoniously dumped Willa onto the backseat. She tried to wiggle underneath his arm, presumably to dash back to the house, but he jumped next to her and restrained her against the seat. He fished the keys from his pocket with his free hand and threw them at Boone. “Get us out of here.”

Without wasting precious time asking questions, Boone hopped behind the wheel and sped them away from the quiet subdivision. Meanwhile, Willa continued to glare at Max, her eyes waterlogged with tears as he pinned her beneath him. “Baby, I know you’re scared for Aurele. But none of us will do her a damn bit of good if you end up falling into Reva’s clutches too. My number-one priority right now is keeping you safe.”

“You heard what she said. They’re probably going to t-torture her into revealing where the trident is.” A fresh sob broke from Willa. “Sh-she’s the only family I have left. I can’t lose her.”

“I know. But as long as Reva’s convinced that Aurele can lead her to the trident, she’s not going to kill her.”

Willa quieted, her desperate struggles lessening.

“Uh, guys, not to break into things back there, but I can only drive around aimlessly so long before we run out of gas.”

Max gave Willa a stern look. “Are you going to behave now, and not do something stupid like jump out of a moving vehicle?” She nodded and he cautiously released her before sitting up and meeting Boone’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “We need to find a secure location where we can put our heads together and come up with a plan on how to stop Reva.”

“You can’t get any more secure than the ducal manor.”

Max tweaked the bridge of his nose. “Let me get this straight. You’re suggesting we hole up at Justin’s house—the grandson of the psychotic bitch who’s out to annihilate us all?”

“You said yourself you trust him.” Boone’s focus shifted to Willa in the mirror. “Maybe knowing who Willa is will force Justin to use every trace of power at his disposal to protect her.”

Max stared at Boone. “How long have you known about Willa?”

“Ever since you mentioned Aurele’s name. I figured it was too much of a coincidence that two of the three missing murder victims resurfaced on the same day. I put two and two together and realized who Willa had to be.”

“Damn, you do take after your old man.” Max rubbed his jaw, considering their options. There was no doubt that taking Willa to Justin would be a huge risk. But as Boone pointed out, the duke came with a lot of powerful backing. Plus plenty of security guards. It didn’t automatically guarantee them safety, particularly considering how Reva had managed to massacre twenty of the royal soldiers pretty damn effortlessly. But it was better than what they currently had to work with.

Not to mention, if Reva ever did get her hands on the trident, she’d have to take it to the Altar of Atlantis in order to initiate her watery Armageddon. That meant accessing the royal palace. The quickest point of entry for them to intercept Reva would be through the portal on the duke’s property.

Everything pointed at the ducal manor being the most logical choice.

Max just hoped that choice wouldn’t ultimately backfire on him.

Chapter Seventeen

Despite her distress over Aurele, Willa couldn’t help gaping at the enormous Italianate mansion she glimpsed beyond the manned gatehouse they were currently parked in front of. After a brief conversation with the guard, Boone drummed his fingers on the wheel, his focus glued to the closed gate.

Max adjusted his seat belt. “Don’t be surprised if Justin refuses to let us in. With everything I’ve sprung on him today, I doubt he’s thrilled at the prospect of seeing my mug.”

No sooner did Max voice his concerns than the gate slowly opened with a silent, fluid grace.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Max muttered.

“You need to have more faith in my ability to charm my way into anywhere.” His grin cocky, Boone shifted gears and drove past the gate. A long, straight driveway led to the house, immaculately landscaped gardens bordering either side. A large, circular fountain stood at the foot of the drive, its cascading spray trickling down the extended arms of the bronze mermaid rising from its center. Boone parked the Land Rover in front of the fountain, and they all exited the vehicle.

Max drew her close to him. “Stick by my side. Even though I’m pretty certain Justin isn’t involved in any of this, I’m not taking any chances.”

She tucked her palm against his, and he rewarded her show of solidarity with a light squeeze. They ascended the steps, and a uniformed butler let them inside the mansion. She lifted her gaze to the towering stained-glass skylight high above before checking out the numerous marine-life paintings decking the walls. Some of them were huge. Practically murals. The sound of approaching footsteps distracted her from the art, and she turned her head. A dark-haired man strode toward them. He looked to be a couple years younger than her. Definitely no more than twenty-seven, at the most. His features could have graced a GQ model, and he had the lean, fit build of someone who took great care of his body.

The man’s penetrating green eyes roamed toward Boone first, and a slight flush darkened his already sun-kissed complexion. Willa wondered at the cause for his blush. Before she could dwell on it too long, the stranger’s scrutiny moved to Max. His expression became decidedly chagrined. “It would seem I owe you an apology, Sheriff. My uncle came forward and admitted the part he played in the cover-up.”

“Right now all I care about is having your cooperation in stopping your grandmother.”

“You have it.”

Max cleared his throat. “There is another favor I would ask.”

“Anything.”

“We’re in need of a place to stay. Possibly for a few days.”

The man’s attention shifted to her, his curiosity apparent. Max gave her hand another subtle squeeze. “This is my friend Willa. She came in from out of town when all of this occurred.”

Okay, that was odd. Judging from the conversation between Max and Boone in the car on the way over here, she’d assumed they’d be revealing her true identity to their host. But apparently Max had a change of heart. For whatever reason.

The man flashed a friendly smile. “Justin Bellemuir. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Willa.”

“Uh, thank you. Same goes here.” She winced at her complete dufusness. Obviously meeting the freaking Duke of Atlanta turned her into a word-fumbling ignoramus.

“You are all most welcome to stay for as long as you need.” Justin gave a charming bow. “Mi casa es su casa.”

Boone stepped forward and clasped the duke’s broad shoulder. “We appreciate your generosity, Your Grace.”

Another hint of color shaded the duke’s cheekbones. “Please, no need for formality. Within these walls, I’m simply Justin.”

Boone dropped his hand and moved away. Willa didn’t fail to notice the flash of hunger that briefly glimmered in the duke’s eyes as he stared at Boone’s profile. Willa blinked. Wow, so the Duke of Atlanta had the hots for Boone. Not that she blamed him.

Justin shifted his intense focus from Boone and locked gazes with her. His flushed countenance becoming even more pronounced, he quickly glanced away and developed a sudden interest in his shoes. The butler reappeared in the entry and inquired if they were in need of anything. Looking immensely relieved by the interruption, the duke requested to have rooms prepared for his guests. Once the butler left to take care of the arrangements, Justin turned to her, all traces of his previous embarrassment gone. “I’m sorry your stay here has to be under less-than-desirable circumstances.”

That made two of them. Still, there were definitely worse places to be forced into hiding than this opulent mansion. “Your house is very beautiful. It must be a pain in the neck keeping it so clean though.” The minute the words left her mouth, she remembered that he likely had a giant staff to take care of that issue. Brilliant, Willa. Jeez.

“I wouldn’t doubt it.” Justin chuckled. “Which reminds me, I probably should give Mrs. Crenshaw, my housekeeper, a sizeable raise to ensure she never abandons me for greener pastures.” He offered to take her on a tour of the rest of the house and she accepted. To his credit, Justin didn’t comment on Max’s insistence about staying glued to her side.

She also didn’t fail to notice how alert Max was the entire time, as if he expected Reva to pop out from a closet somewhere. That, of course, naturally made her spooked. So much so that by the time their little quartet reached the solarium, she was an itchy bundle of nerves.

Justin halted beside a lush hibiscus, his handsome features settling into a frown. “Perhaps I should request additional guards stationed throughout the property,” he said, as if he’d intuited the cause for her and Max’s agitation.

Max gave a terse nod. “It might not be a bad idea.”

“I don’t really remember much about my grandmother, you know. I was barely five when they told me she’d died.”

Her thoughts turned toward the death of her own parents—both the false memory and the one she’d been told of last night. She didn’t hold Reva’s transgressions against Justin. It wasn’t his fault his grandmother was a murdering bitch. “It must be incredibly difficult, having everything you thought you knew revealed as something else entirely.” She could more than relate to that reality.

Justin stared at her as if astonished that she’d been able to come to such a profound conclusion. “Yes. Exactly. I don’t know how to wrap my head around any of it, to be honest. Plus…” He dropped his gaze to the marble beneath his feet. “It makes me sick inside, knowing I share that woman’s DNA.”

She reached out and took his hand, intending to offer what little comfort she could, and gasped as a tingling shock crackled over her skin. The room tilted and went hazy, replaced in an instant by a sparkling pool. A child waded in its shallow depths—Justin. He was crying, big blubbery sobs. Another child bent over and scooped him up. It was Willa—a much younger version of herself. She turned and scolded someone off screen. “It’s mean to splash him like that, Drusi.”

“Willa?”

In a flash, she was back in the solarium. Justin was frowning at her. “Do you know my sister?”

She blinked. “Pardon?”

“You said her name just now. And something about splashing.”

“N-no. Sorry.”

Justin looked like he wanted to inquire further, but only ended up shrugging. “Perhaps we should see if your rooms are ready.”

Max felt like a caged tiger as he waited for Justin to bid them good night and retire to his own room. Finally the duke left them to their own devices, and Max shut the door to the lavish suite he and Willa were staying in. Trying to keep his excitement in check, he strode toward the silk lounge chair Willa was parked on. “You experienced a memory, didn’t you? A real one.”

“I’m not sure.” She sucked her bottom lip between her teeth.

“What happened in it?”

“I was in a pool, along with Justin. He was only four or so. I was reprimanding someone named Drusi for splashing him.”

“That’s his sister.”

“So I gathered, from what he said.”

“Baby, that can’t be an implant. Remember what Aurele said? The mind sweeper worked hard to instill your fear of water.”

She grimaced. “Yeah. I’d say he did an awesome job in that department.”

“Then why would he implant a memory where you’re in a pool? And not screaming your head off? Kind of defeats the whole point.”

“True.”

He joined her on the lounge chair, finally allowing his excitement some rein. “You’re starting to remember who you used to be.”

“Don’t get too ahead of yourself. It was a tiny little flash. Not even anything helpful, for Pete’s sake.”

“But it’s a start. Maybe your nymph is responding to this place, to its proximity to Atlantis. The portal is right out there, not even two hundred feet from where we’re sitting.” He took her hands, his thumbs massaging lightly over her dainty knuckles. “We could go there, right now, if you want.”

“To Atlantis?” Her pallor became ashen. “I—I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

“Why? Sweetheart, the reflecting pool isn’t that deep. You don’t have to be afraid. It’s perfectly safe. I’ll protect you. Always.”

She stared at him, her eyes going wide.

He squeezed her hands. “What?”

“You’ve said that to me. Before.”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Yes, you did. And you…”

“I what?” he prodded.

She gulped. “You left me to drown.” Her soft whisper was like a sucker punch to his gut.

He let her fingers slip from between his. “Baby, what the hell are you talking about?” The notion that she would even think him capable of such a thing gutted him. He would let himself drown before ever allowing anything bad to happen to Willa.

“It was in my dream.”

“Well there you go. It wasn’t real.”

“It doesn’t matter. I—I still don’t want to go there. To Atlantis.”

Frustration pounded within his chest, but he wouldn’t force the issue. Not when she was so obviously scared out of her wits. “Okay.”

Burrowing in to him, she rested her cheek on his biceps. “I’m sorry for letting you down.”

He smoothed back her hair. “You could never let me down, sweetheart.”

She crawled into his lap, holding him tight. Soon he detected her faint snores. Careful not to wake her, he straightened. With her curled in his arms, he walked to the king-sized bed and tucked her beneath the sheets. He quickly stripped and climbed in next to Willa, spooning her close to him. As he breathed in her sweet scent, a hollow ache settled in his heart.

Christ, he’d fallen head over fin in love with her. A woman who in every way was completely off limits to him if her identity was ever revealed. How much of a selfish bastard did it make him that he’d deliberately withheld the information from Justin when he should have come clean? He’d stood there in that opulent entry, surrounded by all the luxuries Willa was damn well entitled to, and he’d lied. Why? Because he’d taken one look at Justin—someone he’d always considered a good, honorable man—and been seized by insecurities. Suddenly Justin had become the competition. The perfect royal match.

He’d wanted to slam his fist into Justin’s nose. For absolutely no reason other than the duke’s fucking title. Yeah, that definitely made him feel like a bastard. But damn if he could do anything about it.

Just like he couldn’t do anything to change the fact that he was filled with conflicting desires when it came to Willa. On the one hand, he wanted so much to see her legacy returned and given its proper due. But that would mean giving her up. Eventually he’d be forced to endure the sight of another man holding Willa. Kissing her. Loving her.

When it should be him.

Chapter Eighteen

“You look amazingly alive for a dead woman.” Reva circled Aurele Telluride, her black eyes oily cesspools of hate.

“So do you,” Aurele shot back. “Just goes to show that even hell doesn’t want your evil ass.”

Reva backhanded Aurele, snapping her head sideways. Harrison stifled a yawn. Frankly, he was becoming bored with this tedious display. It’d been going on for the past hour and didn’t show signs of dwindling any time soon. He gazed toward the six other leviathans who were sprawled on the motel room’s double beds watching porn. Every once in a while they’d snicker at the cheesy soundtrack.

This was nothing like how he’d envisioned the beginning to his world domination.

“Tell me where the trident is!” Reva bellowed.

“How many damn times do I have to say it? I don’t know. And even if I did, I would sooner die than tell you anything.”

Menace darkened the duchess’s face. “You might get that wish granted.”

Worried that Reva might snap into demento mode again and kill the Telluride woman before they got the information they needed, he rushed to intercede. He shoved the duchess aside and crouched in front of the chair that their hostage was bound and tied to. He’d learned firsthand the considerable strength the older woman possessed when he’d cornered her inside her house, hence the reason they’d secured her with the extra length of rope. He was taking no chances with this one.

Calling upon every ounce of his glamouring power, he stroked the Telluride woman’s cheek.

“Keep touching me and I’ll feed you your own finger.”

“So says the woman currently tied to a chair.” He leaned closer. Staring into her eyes, he transmitted the magnetic waves that would lull her into submission. “This will go much better if you cooperate.”

Her pupils dilated. “I am.”

“Then tell us what you did with the trident.”

“I told you everything I know.”

“Liar,” Reva screamed.

Tweaking his nose, he glared up at the duchess. “Cool it, Shriekerella. I’m working here.”

Huffing beneath her breath, Reva flounced into the bathroom. Maybe if he was lucky, the damn pain in the ass would slip on the tile and break her neck.

He could hope.

Returning his attention to Aurele, he caressed her cheek again. She flinched but made no mocking boasts about relieving him of appendages. Despite her resistance, the glamour was wheedling past her defenses. He tapped her chin. “It’s no use, you know. Sooner or later, you will give me what I want.”

“Not likely.” Her smile turned crafty.

There was something she wasn’t telling him. That wouldn’t last long. He gripped both sides of her face, intensifying his magnetic output. “What are you keeping from me?”

He could feel her struggle for control, the helpless frustration clawing within her like a desperate beast frantic to escape. She let loose an angry moan. “The location has been wiped from my memory.”

The news filled him with cold rage, and he briefly debated what method of killing Aurele would best soothe the sting of having his time wasted this evening. But then it hit him. Rather than displaying the same gloating bravado as before, a raw-edged panic had laced her words. He decided to press her further. “But?”

Again she waged her silent battle before blurting out what he’d been waiting for. “It can be returned.”

“How?”

“The…mind sweeper.”

He smiled in victory. Now they were getting somewhere. “And the name of this mind sweeper?”

She jerked away from him. Grasping a hank of her hair, he yanked her head back. “The name.”

“Kr-Kragos.”

Harrison’s smile instantly dissolved.

Bloody. Fuck.

Max awoke to the sound of Willa whimpering. Worried, he leaned over her. She twitched, a soft cry tumbling free. “No. If I go in there, bad things will happen.”

She was reliving one of the damn implants. He jostled her arm, hoping to gently wake her, but she gave a short scream, her eyes snapping open. The terror within them made his heart seize. He framed her face with his hands. “Willa, baby, you’re having a nightmare.”

Her eyes dark and unfathomable, she stared at him. Suddenly she slid her foot along the back of his calf in a slow, seductive glide. “You have what I need.”

He blinked at the swift, unexpected change in her demeanor.

“Help me, Max.” She wrapped her arms around him, her fingertips dancing down his spine. “Help me find the way back.”

He didn’t know what to make of her plea. Help her back where? Atlantis? Before he could voice the question, Willa drew his head down, her mouth seeking his. He parted his lips and her tongue slicked inside, bold and playful. The kiss was lush. Erotic.

Lusty.

It hit him then. Willa’s nymph had decided to come out of hiding.

She ducked her head, her tongue coasting along his jaw line as she tickled the base of his tailbone. He groaned, his cock growing hard. She must have noticed, because she slid a hand between them and stroked the length of his shaft. Her teeth caught his earlobe and gave it a nip. “It’s really unfair being the only one not naked here.”

He eased off her and made quick work removing the clothes she’d fallen asleep in. The slopes of her breasts beckoned, and he kissed them before concentrating on her nipples, laving them into tight little buds with his tongue. She murmured softly, her fingers sifting through his hair. He coasted lower and settled between her legs. Spreading her pink folds, he licked her leisurely, taking his time to enjoy her pleasure. Revel in her taste. Slipping a finger inside her, he crooked it, seeking that sweet spot on the interior wall of her pussy. She arched into him, gasping his name. Rubbing the pad of his finger insistently, he flattened his tongue, lapping his way toward her clit. He teased the wet nubbin with barely there flicks until her slick channel tightened around his finger, the rhythmic contractions matching the beat pulsing through her clit as she came.

Lifting his head, he met her sultry smile of satisfaction. Knowing he’d been the one to put it there filled him with pride and fired his already over-primed arousal. He licked his lips, savoring the lingering flavor of her passion. Scooting onto his knees, he gripped her hips, guiding her onto his cock. The position afforded him an unimpeded view of the ecstasy on Willa’s face as well as the pebbling of her nipples, which were still damp from his previous worshipping. Moving his focus lower, he watched his cock slowly tunnel into her soaked pussy, mesmerized by their joining. Tiny aftershocks from her orgasm rippled through her.

Wanting—no, needing—to feel the full power of her climax, he slid one palm inward, his thumb seeking her clit. He tapped the sensitive bundle of nerves, and Willa panted, undulating her hips in frantic appeal. Her fingers dug into the sheets, her body tensed and glistening as she took over, riding his cock to her pleasure.

Jesus, she was beautiful. No inhibition in taking what she needed and giving him everything in return. Without warning, she stiffened, her keening cry enough to propel him into his own release. They came together, the contractions of her pussy milking the come right out of him.

His bones liquefied, he collapsed on top of her. She made a noise and he shifted his weight, afraid that he’d inadvertently hurt her. But she only snuggled into him, her eyes drifting shut. “Help me remember, Max. Help me find the way back.”

He stared at her, but she said nothing more. A second later Willa’s snores returned.

The next morning he dressed before Willa awoke, and he headed down to the main floor of the mansion. He found Boone and Justin drinking coffee together in the duke’s study. Justin motioned for him to join them. “I’ll have Cameron bring another cup and a refill on the carafe.”

While the duke punched the intercom for the kitchen, Boone looked Max over. “Sleep okay?”

He couldn’t say for certain, but there seemed to be a mischievous light in Boone’s eyes, for some reason. “As well as can be possible with everything going on.”

Justin hung up the phone and glanced at him. “I got a call from General Lessway earlier. He’s in Tybee now and assembling his troops. There’s been no further sign of my grandmother, however.”

On the one hand, it relieved him to know that other than her destruction at the stationhouse, Reva wasn’t terrorizing the citizens of the island. But on the other, he didn’t like having her dropped off the radar.

“It’s occurred to me, one way that we could guarantee hindering my grandmother’s plans of Armageddon.” Justin cleared his throat. “Find the trident before she does.”

Similar thoughts had occurred to Max, but how the hell did they go about it when the only two people who knew where it was hidden didn’t remember the trident’s location?

The ghost of Willa’s voice popped into his head. Help me remember, Max. Her subconscious had been telling him there was a way to return her memories.

But how? The mind sweeper had done a damn good job disposing of them.

He frowned. No, that wasn’t entirely correct. As evidenced by her vision yesterday, not all of the memories were gone. More like only buried. And now that he thought about it, he recalled Aurele mentioning that the mind sweeper warned her about the effects possibly wearing off.

The mind sweeper. If anyone knew how to go about returning Willa’s memories, it would be him. Excitement rushed through Max’s veins at the realization. Of course! “Why the hell didn’t I think of that before?”

Both Boone and Justin stared at him. He offered them a lopsided smile. “Sorry, just thinking out loud.” Reaching for his cell phone, he stood and excused himself on the pretense of making a call to his deputy. Not trusting the possibility of eavesdropping ears, he headed back up to his and Willa’s suite. She was still sleeping, so he ducked into the bathroom. The damn space was practically bigger than his house. Scrolling through his address book, he found the number to a contact he had at the SSOMM—Secret Service of the Marine Military.

The man answered on the second ring. “Jerrit speaking.”

“Jerrit, it’s Max Truitt.” After some brief pleasantries, Max got right to the point. “I’m hoping you can give me some information. I need to track down a mind sweeper.”

There was a long pause on the other end of the line. “That might be difficult.”

Ah, so Jerrit knew what he was talking about. At least that was something. “I don’t care what it takes. Just tell me how to go about it.”

“Your best bet would be going through Frank Vincent.”

“Vincent? But…”

“Yeah, like I said, it’s gonna be tough.”

Thanking Jerrit for his help, Max hung up and resisted the urge to bang his head against the wall. Pocketing his cell phone, he stepped out into the bedroom. Willa was stirring beneath the sheets. He crossed to her, giving her a thorough kiss good morning. She twined her arms around him, her nipples brushing against his shirt. A knock rapped at the door and he groaned. “If that’s the maid, she has lousy timing.”

He strode to the door and cracked it open. Boone stood on the other side. “Can I come in?”

Max looked over his shoulder at Willa. “It’s Boone. You might want to hide beneath the covers.”

Boone grinned. “Now why’d you have to go and suggest that, you asshole?”

“Because I know what a lecherous Peeping Tom you are.”

Strangely enough, a hint of pink tinted Boone’s face. The sound of sheets rustling let Max know that Willa had properly covered herself, and he let Boone inside. Of course Boone’s gaze veered to Willa the second he cleared the doorway. Huddled beneath the thick down comforter, she returned Boone’s stare.

Max coughed pointedly. “Was there something you wanted?”

Boone pivoted. “Yeah. What was up with you earlier in Justin’s study when he mentioned searching for the trident?”

“I think he’s right. We need to get to it before Reva does.”

Clutching the covers tight to her breasts, Willa wiggled into a sitting position. He didn’t fail to notice how Boone took a little too long pulling his gaze away from her.

“And how, exactly, do you plan on doing that?” she demanded.

“By you getting your memories back. I put in a call to a friend of mine. There might be a possible lead to tracking down the mind sweeper.”

She eyed him, her expression skeptical. “Really?”

“Yep. With any luck, we might be one step closer to retrieving the trident. And you being one hundred percent you again.”

She bit her lip. “I’m not sure how I feel about that. I kind of like myself fine without, you know, nympho butting in all the time.”

He crossed to the bed and sat down, facing her. “She’s part of who you are, Willa. Why do you keep resisting that fact?” The visual of her impaled on his cock, absorbed in bringing them both to shattering climaxes, shuttled through his mind. Clearly there were times when she didn’t resist the call of her nymph at all.

As if she’d read his mind, her cheeks flushed. Unable to help himself, he leaned forward and kissed her. It wasn’t until he noticed her gaze darting sideways that he remembered Boone. Reluctantly, he inched away from Willa’s lush mouth and glanced toward the doorway. Boone was blatantly staring at them, his eyes lit with an inner heat. It didn’t even require the swelling evidence behind the fly of Boone’s jeans to know he was turned on.

Max grunted. “Extreme reaction to watching an innocent kiss, pervert.” The sarcasm was as much for his benefit as Boone’s. Because truthfully, the notion he’d provided his friend a little voyeuristic thrill aroused Max more than it probably should.

“I saw you both. Last night.”

Boone’s husky statement drew Max’s attention like a magnet. “What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say you should do a better job of ensuring the connecting door to our rooms is shut all the way.”

Willa frowned. “Our door?”

“I heard you scream. My first instinct was that Reva somehow broke into your room, so I got out of bed to investigate. Only…I got an entirely different eyeful than what I was expecting.”

“What did you see?” Willa pressed.

“Us.” Max swallowed, attempting to shake the gravel from his voice. “Making love.”

Willa sucked in a breath, her cheeks blazing red. “I attacked you again, didn’t I?”

“Darlin’, he didn’t look like he was complaining. And neither was I.”

Max growled. “How long were you standing there?”

“Long enough to get off.”

“Jesus, Boone.” Despite the censure he’d loaded into the words, a bolt of excitement kicked Max square in the groin knowing that while he and Willa had been fucking their brains out, Boone had been coming right along with them. It was also interesting to note that Willa’s nipples were poking into the sheet, her bottom lip swollen from her constant nibbling.

She was equally aroused by what Boone had just admitted. It relieved him greatly, knowing he apparently wasn’t the only one with some exhibitionist fantasies.

A completely unrepentant laugh rolled from Boone. “Sorry, but a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do.”

“Yeah, well, from now on, do your jacking off on your own dime,” Max said gruffly in an effort to bring some sanity back to the conversation.

“You really know how to strip all the joy out of my life.” Slipping on his ever-present grin, Boone leaned against the doorframe. “But you can make it up to me by letting me ride shotgun when you go to meet this mysterious lead of yours.”

“I’d rather you stay here with Willa.”

An indignant noise came from Willa. “No way, buster. I’m going too.”

“Baby, you’re safer here. With Boone.”

“Oh really.” A stubborn, challenging look flashed across Willa’s face. Without warning, she dropped the sheet, exposing her breasts. A barely discernable groan came from Boone, but she didn’t even glance his way. Instead she cocked an eyebrow at Max. “I suggest taking a nice long look, because it might be a while before you’re seeing these babies again.”

Damn, did she know how to play some hardball.

Chapter Nineteen

The last place Willa expected Max to pull into was the parking lot of the Georgia Aquarium. “Uh, I thought we were going to meet your contact.”

Max found a spot and parked the Land Rover. “We are.”

“Here?”

“Yep.” Max killed the engine and pocketed the keys.

“Wait…” Boone’s expression turned suspicious. “Who is this lead?”

“Frank Vincent.”

A rasping cough chuffed from Boone. “Shit, this is going to be interesting.”

“Why?” she demanded.

“Max and Frank go back a ways.”

“What he’s trying to tell you is that I busted Frank a time or two during his early years as a petty thief.”

“You also busted his nose a time or two.”

“Yeah, there is that.”

She groaned. “So in other words, the two of you aren’t exactly best pals.”

“That’s putting it mildly.” Max shoved open his door and climbed out.

She glanced at Boone. “What I don’t get is why are we meeting Frank here? Does he work at the aquarium?”

“Nope. Frank made the mistake of ripping off the daughter of a local mob boss. Now he’s in the witness protection program.”

“At an aquarium?”

He chuckled. “You’ll understand soon enough. Come on, Max is looking edgy. We better put a move on.”

Following Boone’s lead, she hurried from the vehicle. They approached the growing queue of visitors waiting for the ticket window to open. She started to join the line, but Max grasped her elbow and steered her toward one of the aquarium attendants busy emptying a trash bin. Max tugged his wallet out and flashed his badge to the woman. Without saying a word, the attendant led them to a door and ushered them inside. Max tucked his wallet away. “Do me a favor and give me about twenty minutes.”

The attendant nodded. “I’ll tell everyone the computers are down and we can’t print tickets yet.”

The woman left them, and Willa glanced around the lobby, taking in the colorful murals boasting of the different exhibits. Before she could linger too long, Max laced his fingers with hers and guided them toward the entrance marked Ocean Voyager. They stepped inside the dark, cool tunnel, and she breathed in the strong marine scent surrounding her. Traveling deeper into the exhibit, she noticed the viewing panels overhead and the graceful aquatic creatures swimming by. The strange depth perception within the glass tunnel gave the impression of being inside with the marine life. She shivered. When a massive shark piloted past them, she instinctively let out a yelp. She gave Max a sheepish look. “Okay, now I feel rude. He’s not your cousin or something, is he?”

His mouth twitched as if he were trying to hold in a laugh. “No.”

They reached the giant observation window. Despite her unease with her watery surroundings, she couldn’t help gasping in wonder at the majestic giant manta rays gliding through the water like lithe dancers.

“There’s Frank, the little bastard.”

She glanced over her shoulder, fully expecting to see the man in question walking down the tunnel. The only one behind her was Boone. Shaking his head, he pointed toward the glass viewing pane. Realization dawned. Frank wasn’t outside with them.

He was in the tank.

Shifting her focus, she scanned the multitude of residents swimming in the massive exhibit, attempting to discern which one of them could possibly be Frank. Just as she was about to give up and ask Max or Boone to point out their quarry to her, a family of rays floated by, and she noticed a lone fish with a brown-spotted body and huge pouting lips hovering in the distance. Unlike the other denizens in the tank that were blissfully ignoring them, this rather homely looking creature was staring right at them.

And boy, did it look pissed.

“Hate to tell you this, bud, but good ole Frank seems to have woken up on the wrong side of the coral bed this morning. Not sure he’s gonna be in a cooperative mood.”

“We’ll see about that.” Max strode to a nearby metal door that was marked Employees Only. Ignoring the sign, he tried the doorknob. Judging from his scowl, it was locked. After shooting a quick look down the tunnel, he grabbed the hem of his crew neck and in one smooth motion, whipped his shirt over his head. Before the garment even hit the floor, he’d unbuckled his pants.

She gaped at him. “Uh, you’re stripping. Here. In the tunnel.” For some reason, it felt very important to point out the specifics.

“Don’t worry. We’ve got at least fifteen minutes before anyone comes through the front doors.”

Somehow that didn’t reassure her as much as Max no doubt intended it to. A moment later he was completely naked and staring at the crack underneath the service door. She wanted to ask him what he was doing. But then he started…changing, his body becoming the consistency of water. She took a stumbling step back, banging into Boone. “What. The. Hell?”

The next second Max was funneling through the crack at the base of the door. While her head spun, trying to process what she’d just witnessed, Boone dragged her back to the viewing window and pointed skyward. She glanced toward the stairway leading into the tank and spied Max, back in his human form, descending the diver’s ladder. She half-expected him to morph into his shark form, and was even a tiny bit nervous about seeing that side of him. But he held his human form as he dove into the water. She peered up at Boone. Apparently reading her silent question, he shrugged. “Max believes in a fair fight. A grouper doesn’t stand a chance against a tiger shark.”

“They’re going to fight?”

Boone grunted. “I’d lay odds on it.”

Sure enough, the angry fish across the way shifted into a portly balding man with enough back hair to keep an electrolysis technician rolling in the dough. He yelled something. She couldn’t hear the words through the glass but was able to see the bubbles rising from his mouth. Max swam toward the man, and when he was an arm’s length away, Frank took a swing at him. Despite the density of the water, his hit came with enough impact to knock Max to the side.

She gave an indignant gasp. “That little twerp. Max didn’t have time to block the blow.”

“Max always gives Frank the first punch. Makes him feel less guilty.”

“About what?”

Max picked up Frank and tossed him against the opposite wall.

“Creaming his ass.”

For the next ten minutes Max and Frank alternated between shouting and ramming each other against various parts of the tank. Well, pretty much Max did the ramming. Finally Frank held his hands up in defeat and said something to Max, a furious stream of bubbles erupting past his fast-moving lips. A dazed expression crossed Max’s face, but ultimately he must have been satisfied with whatever Frank told him because he began swimming back toward the ladder. Frank resumed his grouper form and went to sulk in the corner.

Boone glanced at his watch. “He’s got less than a minute. Better hustle his ass.”

Max disappeared from sight. Agonizingly slow seconds ticked by before his watery form seeped under the door. His body taking shape, he quickly jumped into his shoes and pants. He yanked his shirt in place just as voices preceded an approaching tour group in the tunnel. Slicking a hand over his wet hair, his mouth adopted a wry twist. “Hopefully no one notices I’m soaked.”

Boone chuckled. “If they ask, just say you took a dip with the sharks.”

“Very funny.”

They started walking at a fast pace, keeping ahead of the crowd behind them. Willa peeked at Max, unable to hold her curiosity. “Okay, you’re going to have to tell me how the hell you did that.”

“It’s built into my DNA.” He hitched his broad shoulder as if insinuating that shifting into water was no more mysterious or amazing than brushing one’s teeth.

“So what did Frank say?” Boone asked. “Does he know anything about the mind sweeper?”

“Yeah. And it’s not good.”

She peered up at Max. “Why? Is he dead or something.”

“No. Worse.” Max’s jaw clenched. “He’s a leviathan.”

Chapter Twenty

For the second time in less than thirty-six hours, Harrison glared at the entrance of The Wet Spot. There couldn’t possibly be a leviathan on the planet with worst luck than him. It seriously made him consider saying fuck it all and finding some nice, quiet cavern at the bottom of an ocean somewhere.

No, damn it. He was destined for better than that. And he sure as hell hadn’t gone to all this trouble, put up with the endless bullshit from previous employers and his current pain-in-the-ass hostess, only to chuck it all.

With that determination firing his blood, he loped across the street and barged into the strip club. Kragos was once again pouring shots behind the bar. Harrison had worked out his plan a million times in his head. Obviously it would require some duplicity—and the knockout drug in his waistcoat pocket—to convince Kragos to go along with everything.

Approaching Kragos, Harrison checked his appearance in the smoke-damaged mirror behind the bar. He’d gone to great lengths in creating an illusion of having just survived a bloody attack. The sleeves of his waistcoat looked like they’d lost the battle with a paper shredder, and his face bore deep gouges. Perhaps from a woman’s fingernails. In reality, they’d been his own. No matter. They would clear up as soon as he ditched this ridiculous uniform, since it was all merely part of the mirage he’d spun.

Kragos finally looked up from his bartending, a scowl overtaking his craggy face. “I haven’t changed my mind.”

The stupid bastard thought he was here to inquire about mentorship? Did he not see Harrison’s false wounds? Or maybe the buggerhead didn’t give a donkey’s dick. “Come, you must help me stop the crazy bitch. She plans to murder us all.”

Kragos passed one of the shot glasses to his mesmerized patron. “When did your mother get back in town?” The old geezer leviathan snickered at his own joke.

So now the jackwad was insulting Harrison’s mother. One more reason to kill Kragos once his usefulness was finished. “Not her. Reva Bellemuir.”

Kragos’s gaze whipped in Harrison’s direction. “What is this nonsense you speak?”

Oh, now he had the soul collector’s attention. “She’s escaped her prison and is building her army even as we speak. I was a fool to listen to her promises of riches in return for offering my services. I barely escaped her with my life intact.”

At long last, the elder leviathan seemed to notice Harrison’s disheveled appearance. “You know where she is?”

“Yes.”

“Take me to her.”

With pleasure. Harrison stepped aside as Kragos stormed out from behind the bar. He followed the old soul collector into the rear hallway of the strip club. Digging into his pocket, he snatched the cloth saturated with the knockout drug.

Kragos gave him an impatient glance. “You are the slowest creature ever. Armageddon will be here and gone before we reach my damn car.”

“No need to drive. I can teleport us.”

“You?” A snort blew from Kragos. “Not likely—” He broke off with a smothered grunt as Harrison slammed the cloth over his mouth.

Harrison struggled under the dead weight of Kragos’s unconscious body, but his satisfied smile still slid in place. “Yes, you see, I’ve been practicing, you asshole.”

And with that, they both blinked out of sight.

Willa remained quiet on the ride back to the ducal mansion. Not that Max could blame her. He’d been pretty damn silent during the trip himself. It was difficult to dredge up much motivation to talk when all of their plans consistently insisted on hitting roadblocks.

They approached the gate fronting Justin’s property, and Max slowed the vehicle, waiting for the guard to buzz them through. Willa shifted restlessly on the backseat. “D-do you think we should try to find this Kragos?”

“Baby, I wouldn’t even know how to start. The leviathan community isn’t exactly accessible to those outside of it. And Frank didn’t have anything more than the creature’s name. I get the feeling that Kragos’s skill is usually enlisted for unsavory purposes, hence the reason he and his clients avoid being on anyone’s radar.” He met Willa’s gaze in the rearview mirror. He couldn’t tell if her expression was one of disappointment or relief. Possibly a combination of both.

The gate opened and he cruised past it. “I’m not giving up on this idea of getting your memories back. You’ve already proven that some of them are breaking through.” He mentally circled around to what she’d whispered last night before passing out. Help me remember, Max. Help me get back.

Help get her back to where? Where all of her memories began and died?

Atlantis. It had to be. But how did he go about getting her there when he couldn’t even convince her to step into the portal?

Frustrated, he parked in front of the mansion and handed the keys over to Boone. While Willa escaped into the coolness of the house, Max hung back, his thoughts heavy.

“Any ideas on the next step?”

He jumped at the sound of Boone’s voice. Hell, he’d been so wrapped up inside his own head he hadn’t realized Boone was still in the vehicle. He glanced at his friend. “Yeah, but it’s not going to be easy.” He read the curiosity in Boone’s eyes. “I want to get her into the portal, but she’s deathly afraid of water.”

“Is that why she looked so spooked in the aquarium?” Boone juggled the keys between his hands. “Shit, that’s weird. Imagine a nymph being afraid of water.”

“It’s an implant.” He returned to staring out the windshield. Sunlight glinted off the mermaid in the fountain, making her scales sparkle. Absently, he watched the water trickling down the curves of the statue’s breasts.

Like a recording, Boone’s words replayed in Max’s mind. Imagine a nymph being afraid of water.

The tingles started along the nape of his neck. “Yes. That’s the key. Her nymph.” He turned toward Boone. “She can defeat her fear of water.”

“Uh, don’t you think her nymph would have done it by now?”

“That side of Willa has been repressed all this time.”

“Didn’t look that way last night.”

Recalling the event in question, Max stiffened behind his fly. “Yeah, I’ll grant you that. Sex definitely appears to coax her nymph out of hiding.”

“Then I’d say you know what you have to do.” Boone flashed a grin. “The things you gotta do in the name of duty, eh?”

“The only problem is it’s not exactly foolproof. There have only been two times that her nymph has made a complete appearance. I don’t know what to do to guarantee her showing up.”

Boone remained quiet for a moment before hooking his arm on the back of his seat. “Remember I dated that nymph from Virginia Beach a few years back?”

To be honest, he’d totally forgotten about it. There’d been too many lovers in and out of Boone’s life to be able to keep track of.

“Shelby liked when I…invited others into our bed.”

He stared at Boone. “You’ve had a fucking threesome?”

Boone chuckled. “More than once. Like I said, she really got into it.”

“Did you?”

“Yeah, it was damn hot. Plus I like to watch.”

Max automatically veered to Boone’s revelation from earlier that morning. He swallowed. He had a good inkling where Boone was headed with this, but he wanted to make sure before the conversation went much further. “You’re suggesting a threesome with Willa.”

Boone inclined his head. “It might work. Would you be okay with it?”

He let the question sink into his consciousness. Would he be able to handle seeing another man kiss Willa? Possibly fuck her? Normally he would say no way in hell. But Boone wasn’t any other man. If there was anyone he trusted with Willa, it was his best friend. Plus he couldn’t deny how turned on he’d been, knowing Boone had watched them. Christ, if that did it for him, what would it be like actually having Boone in the middle of it all with them? The throbbing in his cock was all the answer he required. Still, he needed to know what he’d be getting himself into before agreeing to anything. “Would you want to touch Willa?”

“Yes. And most likely, that’ll be the best way to get her nymph into the action. But if you don’t want me to, I’ll content myself with watching. Well, and beating the salami.” Boone’s eyes twinkled.

Max chose to ignore that comment and the resulting visual that popped into his head. “I guess I would be okay with you touching. But it’s strictly up to Willa. I won’t ask her to do anything she’s not comfortable with.”

“You realize she’s probably not even going to be comfortable with you broaching the idea, right? I mean, Shelby was a full-blood nymph and engaged in orgies on a regular basis. Somehow I don’t see Willa as being that hardcore.”

Damn. He hadn’t considered that. Still, there’d been no mistaking the signs of her arousal while listening to Boone’s confession. “Maybe we’ll have to approach this in a roundabout way. So she’s not expecting it. That way Willa won’t have the chance to overanalyze it or freak out.” Kind of like he was doing at the moment.

Boone’s smile was loaded with sin. “In that case? Tonight, forget my advice about shutting your bedroom door.”

What the heck is taking them so long? Willa watched from her spot next to the Palladian window while Max and Boone continued yakking away in the Land Rover. She couldn’t shake the feeling that she was the subject of their chat. And it didn’t take much to figure out exactly what they were discussing—getting her damn memories back. It probably made no sense to Max why she was secretly terrified of that happening. Most folks would want to remember who they really were. But it was scary even contemplating giving up the person she’d always thought she was. Yes, it was an illusion. But a safe, comfortable one.

Okay, the truth was, she hated change. And this? Hell, it was the honkin’ mother of all changes. She slumped against the wall, the heaviness inside her staggering.

“How did everything go?”

She nearly jumped out of her skin at the sound of Justin’s voice. Mentally steadying her runaway heart rate, she turned to face the duke. Max and Boone hadn’t told Justin the real reason for their trip to the aquarium, only that they’d tracked down a possible lead to the whereabouts of the trident. “We didn’t have much luck, unfortunately.”

“I’m sure something will turn up. We can’t lose hope yet.”

She somehow managed to return Justin’s smile, even though she’d hazard a guess that hers was filled with far less confidence. The duke started to take a step back, only to halt and cock his head to the side. “It’s odd, but I haven’t been able to shake this feeling that we’ve met before.”

“Maybe another lifetime?”

He chuckled. “Now there’s a whimsical thought.”

Not so much. Still, she couldn’t help wondering what life would have been like if Reva hadn’t gotten away with murder. Would she and Justin have been friends? Judging from the brief flash of memory she’d had yesterday, it seemed pretty likely. She glanced around the entry of the mansion, picturing what it would have been like growing up in such an environment. According to Max, the royal palace had been even more opulent.

Even so, it wasn’t unknown luxuries that she missed. Frankly, she didn’t give a crap about any of that stuff. The real treasures in life were those you loved. She’d had that with her parents, and later with Aurele.

She wanted it with Max. Yeah, there, she’d admitted it. He owned her heart. She harbored no doubts about it. Her past meant nothing if it didn’t include a future with him. She blinked and noticed that Justin was still watching her. Only now he wore a quizzical smile. She gave him a sheepish grin. “Sorry, didn’t mean to daze off on you. I think I’m still just dazzled by your home.” It wasn’t entirely a lie, and it was less painful than fessing up about her heart being tied up in knots.

“It’s perfectly all right. I admit to sometimes looking around here and thinking to myself, bloody hell, I need to have a garage sale.”

His offhand quip earned her laugh. “Well, if you do? Invite me. I’ve got my eye on that mermaid fountain outside.” She tapped her chin. “Although, I bet it’d be a bugger fitting it in my car. Of course, Max is strong enough I could probably strap it to his back and have him haul it home for me.”

“He’s crazy about you, you know. Even a blind man would be able to see it.”

Her heart danced an ecstatic jig at Justin’s pronouncement. Still, her rational side refused to get too excited. “We haven’t known each other that long.”

“Does it matter? Sometimes one look is all it takes to know you’ve found your mate.” Despite the conviction in his words, a hint of sadness lurked in Justin’s eyes.

Before either of them could say anything more, the front door opened and Max and Boone stepped inside. They both glanced at her, but it was the red flush creeping along Max’s neck that made her suspicious.

Well, that answered that question. Obviously they had been talking about her in the car. “What have two been up to?”

“Nothing.” Max’s response came a little too fast, and it stood in sharp contrast to his guilty expression. She stared him down until he cleared his throat and looked away.

What the devil had he and Boone talked about that would make him turn red as a lobster? Before the night ended, she intended to find out.

She didn’t have much opportunity to grill either Max or Boone on their conversation as the evening progressed. But when dinner was announced and they all took their seats at the massive mahogany dining table and she took in the five millionth covert look that passed between Max and Boone, she knew something was definitely up. Chewing the tender sliver of lime-and-dill-glazed salmon the duke’s personal chef had prepared, she contemplated Max’s flushed features.

What the hell was going on with him?—she peeked at Boone and caught his loaded smile—damn it, with both of them?

Dinner seemed to drag on forever. By the time it wrapped up and Justin inquired if anyone cared for dessert, her eyes were drooping.

“No, thank you.” Her yawn slipped free. Mortified, she covered her mouth. “Sorry. These late nights are starting to get to me.”

Max lurched to his feet. “Maybe we should go to bed.”

She stared at him. “It’s barely eight.”

“You said you were tired.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to go to bed right now.”

Heavy disappointment fell across Max’s face, and Boone chuckled.

“I think our boy’s impatient to get the night rolling.”

“Why? Does he have a hot date planned?” she couldn’t help grousing as she rose from her seat.

For some reason, Max’s cheeks turned even ruddier.

“Well, whatever you do, I’m afraid you’ll have to count me out,” Justin said as they walked from the dining room. “The only hot date in my future is with some immensely boring investment reports.” After brushing a courtly kiss across her knuckles, he abandoned them for his office.

She glanced at Max and noticed the stony set of his jaw. Okay, now what was that about? He met her eyes and his fierceness softened.

Leaning down, he claimed her mouth in a kiss that was a thousand degrees hotter than the one Justin had offered. Easing back, he skated his fingers along the side of her breast. “Are you sure I can’t talk you into going to bed?”

Oh. So that’s why he’d been in a rush to get her upstairs. He was in the mood for a little mattress mamboing. She should have guessed. Licking her lips, she tasted his spiciness and the faint hint of the chardonnay they’d partaken in at dinner. “Tempting as that is, I think maybe I should take a shower first. I skipped one this morning, and I’m probably all sticky and gross.”

“Can I join you?”

“You want to take a shower with me?” Okay, wow, she’d said that pretty damn loud. Embarrassed, she peeked over Max’s shoulder. Fortunately, Boone was nowhere to be seen, and the door to Justin’s office was closed. Hopefully he hadn’t heard.

Max’s grin was an invitation to all kinds of wicked delights. “I like the idea of soaping all your fun parts. What do you say?”

She’d never taken a shower with anyone before, much less a man. Biting her lip, she peered at Max. Make that an incredibly gorgeous man who was fantastically good with his teeth. And every other part of him. “I think I could get on board with a group shower.”

For some reason, Max choked on a cough. Grabbing him by the hand, she headed toward the spiral stairway. Her gaze landed on the marble sculpture of a group of sirens, and a shiver coursed through her. There was no question the creatures were devastatingly beautiful, but she’d never be able to look at them without recalling the hateful evilness of Reva. “D-do you think Aurele…?” A thick lump of worry clogged her throat.

Max hugged her close, his nearness and his strength comforting. “She’s a smart woman. Aurele knows damn well that Reva has to keep her alive. I wouldn’t doubt it if she’s taunting Reva about that very fact.”

Some of the ache eased in her chest. “You’re right. That’s so something Aurele would do.”

Bending, Max tipped her into his arms. She gasped at the spontaneous action. “Uh, what are you doing?”

“Sweeping you off your feet.”

“Wow, that’s an incredibly cheesy line.” But it still filled her heart with giddiness.

Max took the rest of the stairs two at a time. When they reached their room, rather than set her down, he carried her all the way into the opulently appointed bathroom. One look at the enormous Jacuzzi tub and she changed her mind about the shower. Max moved behind her. Sliding his palms across her tummy, he nuzzled her neck. “We could put those jets to good use.”

“Mm, yes, we could.” She toed off her sandals while Max relieved her of her top. He flung it aside and rasped down the zipper on her capris. She shimmied from the garment and removed her bra and panties before leaning over the tub and cranking on the faucet. Satisfied the temperature of the water was absolutely perfect, she pivoted.

Max was still fully dressed.

She plunked her hands on her hips. “Why aren’t you naked?”

“I was too busy ogling your delectable ass.” His eyes glowed with the heat of his desire. Seeing the evidence of how much he wanted her filled her with a seductive wantonness. Without thinking twice about her actions, she cupped her breasts, her fingertips brushing her nipples. Max watched her, his eyelids growing heavy. “You getting those pretty nipples ready for me, baby?”

“Mm-hmm.” She plucked the pebbled tips and moaned.

His motions swift and impatient, Max kicked off his shoes and made short work of the rest of his clothing. She took her time admiring his muscular, yummilicious body, her pussy growing damp as she noticed the thickening of his shaft. A clear bead of precome pearled from the tiny slit. She dropped to her knees in front of him and gathered that glistening teardrop with her tongue. Max groaned, his chiseled abdomen quivering. It was heady, knowing she had such an effect on him.

She stretched her hand around his girth, her fingers unable to meet. It was a miracle he was able to fit inside her. But it felt oh so wonderful when he did fill her full with his hard cock. Taking him into her mouth, she sucked down his length, working him toward the back of her throat. His fingers stroked through her hair, and she looked up at him through her eyelashes.

His glittery eyes were locked on the movement of her mouth. “Yes, baby. Fuck. That feels good.”

She hummed in response and he jerked. Sliding his hand beneath her chin, he quickly eased her off him. Worried she’d done something he didn’t care for, she offered him an uncertain look.

“Too much more of that and I would have come,” he said, apparently reading her mind and wanting to reassure her. He hugged her tight and kissed her slowly, temptingly, before he lifted her and climbed into the tub. They settled into the steaming water. It was like being cocooned in a warm, seductive oasis. She sat in his lap and he cupped her breasts, the pads of his thumbs grazing her nipples. He seemed fascinated by the way they puckered beneath his touch. The bath water continued filling around them, its silky glide adding its own brand of friction. She scooped up a handful and splashed it down Max’s chest, watching the rivulets stream into his bellybutton.

He kissed her, his tongue a teasing flicker. “You have no idea what this is doing to me. The heat. The water. You.”

She had to admit it was all getting to her too. Max and the water were proving to be a potent blend of the ideal aphrodisiac.

The swirling steam was leaving beads of condensation on her skin. Max lowered his head and sucked the droplets from her flesh, paying particular attention to her nipples. His big hands kneading her breasts, he looked at her with a hot intensity. “I want to go down on you. Feel you come on my tongue before you do the same around my cock.”

She whimpered. Both at the request and the huskiness of Max’s voice.

“Lay back. But whatever you do, don’t turn on the jets.”

“Why?”

“Just trust me.”

Angling her legs better, she rested her head on the padded vinyl pillow that’d been thoughtfully suctioned to the lip of the tub. Max reached behind him and dialed off the faucet. He stretched over her, his mouth inches away from hers. Their breath mingled for a moment before he scooted backward. Max’s smoky gaze held her in place. His body morphed into the same watery substance he’d utilized at the aquarium, and an instant later he disappeared.

Confused, she started to sit up, only to stop and gasp when a caressing ripple eddied over her. The sensation wasn’t localized to only one area of her skin. No, it was everywhere. A funneling pressure pushed onto her inner thighs, almost like the imprint of hands. She automatically spread her legs wider. Max’s essence enveloped her in a lush, erotic heat wave. It floated over her, through her, and she opened her senses fully to its presence.

A series of tiny bubbles bobbed her clit, their tingle like a seductive tease. She arched her hips, and Max’s mouth came into full play, closing around her pussy. A cry ripped from her, and she flattened her palm on the side of the tub, trying not to pass out from the overwhelming pleasure Max was giving her. His tongue toggled her clit, something thicker burrowing into her channel. His fingers? Yes, unless he possessed mad contortionist skills when he was in water form. The notion would have made her laugh, but she was moaning, on the brink of a powerful orgasm. Without the benefit of words, she felt Max’s determination to push her past the pinnacle.

He got his wish.

Shuddering, she came hard. Came endlessly. She lost track of time, of anything beyond Max and the dizzying climaxes rocking her body.

Eventually Max’s mouth let her go, and she watched in a dazed stupor as his watery shape surged upward between her legs, slowly emerging into his human form. He scooped her into his arms and kissed her, his tongue thrusting deep, the thickness of his cock rubbing her belly. She moaned, trying to wiggle around and take him inside her. The velvety cap furrowed between her labia and eased past the entrance of her slit. She attempted to push down, but Max held her firm, refusing to let her take him deeper. The shallow penetration was a maddening tease. Particularly since Max sucked on her neck the whole time. The combination of sensations was too much to take and she came again, shuddering uncontrollably.

Max groaned. “Christ, that feels good, baby.” Massaging her ass, he fucked her up and down his length, those tormenting, shallow strokes never granting her more than an inch or two of his cock. “It feels like you’re sucking me with your pussy.”

His observation was enough to hurtle her into an even stronger orgasm. He gave her just enough time to come down from the rush before lifting her off his cock. She whimpered and tried to pull him toward her again.

“It’s okay. I’m going to make this good for you, baby.” Water sloshed as he repositioned her so she was facing away from him. The next instant, he was buried inside her, providing that perfect fullness she craved. He hugged her to his chest, one hand sliding between her legs, the other cupping her breast. His mouth latched on to the side of her neck again and sucked with a rhythm she felt all the way down to her clit. Groaning, she lolled her head to the side.

And shrieked when she saw Boone standing in the bathroom doorway with the mother of all erections.

Rather than leap from the tub and slam the door—or pound on Boone like she’d half expected him to—Max began plucking at her nipple and caressing her clit. It dawned on her then. Maybe he didn’t know they had an audience. “M-Max…Boone…”

“I know, baby. The choice is yours.”

She tried to concentrate on his words, but it was damn difficult with his hands and his shuttling cock working in concert to send her over the edge for the millionth time. “What choice?”

“To let Boone stay. Or tell him to go.”

“S-stay? And do what?”

“Anything you want.”

Oh goddess. The possibilities inherent in that offer shouldn’t excite her so much. Tell that to her pussy though, which was soaking Max.

“Why don’t we let him watch us for a while longer while you decide?”

She didn’t fail to notice the deep timbre of Max’s voice, or how he’d become even harder, thicker, inside her.

He was turned on by this. Just as much as she was.

The realization only stoked her excitement more. She circled her hips, grinding into Max. The resulting catch of his breath was the sexiest thing ever. She heard Boone approaching and couldn’t resist meeting his hot gaze as he knelt on the edge of the tub. His jeans pulled snug against his groin, outlining his massive erection. She and Max were responsible for that. Wow.

“You’re so damn beautiful, Willa. Max is a lucky bastard.” Boone caressed her cheek, his touch making her nipples tighten. “I’d give anything to feel your sweet, wet pussy clinging to my cock. I don’t think I’ve ever been this fucking hard.” His hand moved to his fly, stroked over the denim. The sight held her mesmerized. Not even conscious of her motions, she gripped Boone’s thigh.

Max’s thumb moved more insistently on her clit. “Do you want to touch his cock, sweetheart?”

She bit her lip, her fingers inching upward along the rough denim. Boone popped the buttons on his fly, and his engorged cock sprang free. Apparently he went commando. Must be a shifter thing. His shaft wasn’t as thick as Max’s, but maybe a tad longer, with a nice plum-shaped cap and a prominent, ridged vein running through its underside.

Boone didn’t do anything more to persuade or dissuade her to touch him. Not until she actually did. Her fingers curved around his shaft, just beneath the head, and he flexed his hips, causing his erection to slide through her grasp, tip to base and back again.

“Fuck. That feels good.” Boone’s husky words were an exact echo of Max’s. Only she didn’t have her mouth on him.

As if he’d read her mind yet again, Max traced the curvature of her spine, gently coaxing her closer to Boone’s cock. He feathered his lips along the shell of her ear when she hesitated. “Whatever you want, Willa, take it. This night is for you.”

Her thoughts drifted to the numerous secret looks that’d passed between Max and Boone. “Did you guys plan this?”

“Yes.” Another whisper-light stroke along her clit accompanied Max’s admission.

She struggled to think past the sensual haze fogging her brain. “Why?”

“Don’t question, sweetheart. Just let yourself go.”

Something in Max’s words triggered a fierce wave of hunger. It coiled and unfurled, spreading outward in a sinuous spiral of heat. She stared at Boone’s cock, thrusting so temptingly inside the circle of her fist, and trembled with the need to taste him. Heeding that desperate call, she leaned over his lap, engulfing him in one downstroke. He tasted different than Max, but no less delicious.

Boone’s groans filled her ears, encouraging her to take him deeper, suck him harder. The silk-sheathed steel riding between her lips moved in perfect counterpoint to the cock buried in her pussy, stoking her desire to a fever pitch. Her body tingled with a lush decadence. Give yourself over to me. The voice wasn’t only a whisper inside her head, it reverberated in the marrow of her bones, the beat of her heart. She attempted to ignore it, shove away its insistent temptation, but the voice’s demand for submission wouldn’t abate. Take what I give you. What they give you. Her moans frantic, she bobbed faster on Boone’s shaft, her hips slamming into Max’s steady strokes.

“Make him come, baby.”

Max’s soft command spurred her on as much as the invisible intruder in her head. Intensifying her suction, she worked her hand inside Boone’s jeans and cupped his balls, squeezing gently. A shudder ripped through Boone. “Move off now if you don’t want me coming in your mouth.”

Rather than do as he suggested, she hummed around his flesh.

“Oh shit.” Tangling his fingers in her hair, Boone pumped his cock once toward the back of her throat before coming with a broken groan.

She swallowed, licking him slowly and thoroughly. Once she was done, Boone reluctantly pulled from her mouth and hunkered in front of the tub. He cradled her face. His lips met hers in a lush, exploring kiss while Max massaged her breasts and continued his indulgent thrusts into her wet core. Boone’s tongue glided along hers, mimicking the motion of Max’s cock. He leaned back, his eyes dark and purposeful. “I believe in returning favors.” He pushed to his feet and shucked his jeans. A second later he joined her and Max in the steamy water. His hands ghosting over her skin, Boone licked the valley between her breasts before journeying to her nipples. She squirmed and gasped, the combined pleasure of Max and Boone almost too exquisite to bear.

Without warning, Max rose from the water, taking her with him. He sat on the edge of the Jacuzzi, positioning her so that she still faced away from him and straddled his cock but her feet were planted on the tub’s tiled ledge rather than in the water. Boone moved between their spread legs and a moment later, his tongue swirled over her clit. She shivered at the foreign and incredibly naughty sensation of Boone going down on her while Max’s cock filled her.

“Does his mouth feel good?”

She shook, incapable of answering Max. His hands returned to worshipping her breasts. “Do you want us both together? Inside you?”

The notion of both their hard cocks buried deep in her pussy and ass was enough to trigger a small tidal wave of orgasms. Boone’s chuckle grazed her clit and he looked up at her. “Should we take that as a yes?”

She pressed her cheek against Max’s chest, unable to voice her desires. He withdrew from her soaked sheath and combed his fingers through her hair with enough gentleness to bring tears to her eyes. “This night is for you, Willa. There’s nothing to be ashamed of.”

“B-but you’ll be upset if I say yes.”

“No. I want to give you this.” He coaxed her to meet his eyes, and she saw the heat and tenderness held within them. “Not to mention, I want to make you lose control and come like crazy on our cocks.”

Max’s admission made her shiver. His hand slid to her breast, teased her rock-hard nipple. “Have you ever had a cock in your ass?”

She shook her head, and he flicked the corner of her lip with his tongue.

“Do you want mine there?”

Oh goddess. “Yes.”

A splashing noise drew her focus back to Boone, and she glanced at him as he grabbed something from the opposite end of the tub. She inspected the bottle in his hand. Unscented massage oil. “Did you guys put that there earlier?”

Boone’s eyes twinkled. “No, but I think we should thank Justin for his impeccable taste in bathroom accoutrements.”

Right. Like there’d be any chance in hell she’d divulge to the duke what the three of them were about to do in this tub. Boone unscrewed the cap from the bottle and set both on the side of the tub. “Why don’t you grease up Max while I get you ready?”

It took a moment to realize Boone was referring to the oil. And Max’s cock. Yeah, she doubted Max would go for the idea of Boone handling him. Though to be honest, it would be incredibly hot to see Boone’s fingers slicking along Max’s rigid length. She bit her lip in an effort to stifle her moan. Boone helped her to turn so that she was facing Max. Their gazes crashed into each other. Her heart pounding with excitement and an overflow of love, she leaned forward and kissed Max. He sipped at her lips, building the ravenous fire in her belly. His tongue curled around hers the exact moment Boone’s traced the curve of her tailbone. Boone gripped her butt cheeks and spread them. A second later she felt something soft and wet circling her hidden rosebud. Her eyes widened before crossing. A strangled gasp lodged in her throat.

“What is he doing?” Max’s voice was like gravel as he nibbled her lip.

“L-licking me.”

“Where?”

She couldn’t say the word. It was just so…dirty. So why did it feel incredibly naughty and delicious? Max’s warm breath feathered her mouth. “You haven’t answered me, baby.”

“Please don’t make me say it.” She groaned as Boone teased her with a slow, luscious stroke.

“Is his tongue playing with your ass?”

She whimpered in verification, and Max’s eyes blazed. “Does it feel good?”

There was no point in denying the obvious. She nodded, and Max sucked on her bottom lip before giving a sexy growl. “I can’t wait for my chance to do that. I’ll spend all night worshipping your ass and pussy with my mouth. Damn well count on it.”

Another chuckle came from Boone. “Hot as it is listening to your guy’s sex talk, we need to get the show on the road before I shoot off on my own here.”

She grabbed the bottle of massage oil and poured a healthy amount into her palm. Taking Max’s straining shaft in her hand, she lubricated his length with oil until his cock was glistening and swollen from her loving ministrations. His head had fallen back, revealing the tensed cords in his neck. He sucked harsh breaths through his teeth. It was obvious that he was desperately grappling for control, and the knowledge only drove her arousal higher.

Boone cupped her hips. “I think you’ve tortured him enough, darlin’. How about you let me and Max change places?”

She maneuvered out of the way while Boone replaced Max on the edge of the tub. Good goddess. Was she really going to go through with this? Not giving her time to let the uncertainty sink in, Boone reached for her. She hesitantly crawled into his lap and he hugged her, his palms skating in soothing circles along her spine. He kissed her before looking into her eyes. “Tonight is a gift I will treasure forever. And I know Max will too. You’re amazing, Willa.”

His words were like a balm to her doubts, and she snuggled into him with a sigh. The broad head of Boone’s cock eased into her slit. She shifted her hips and he sank deeper. They both groaned and she felt Max’s heat blanketing her back. A second later, his thickness nudged at her rosebud. The oil and her steam-relaxed muscles aided his penetration, and she barely experienced any discomfort as his shaft lodged to the hilt in her ass.

She was stuffed to overflowing with cock. Her body trembled with the magnitude of it. The indescribable pleasure of it. “I…it’s…oh goddess.”

Boone leaned back on his elbows and pumped his hips in slow countermotion to Max’s strokes. The friction of their dueling cocks soon had her gasping and mewling, clutching Boone like an anchor in the tempest of their pleasurable torture. His eyes were locked on her, filled with a fierce, inner heat. She imagined the same look on Max’s face as he pounded into her from behind.

As if he’d plugged into her thoughts, Max leaned down and kissed the side of her neck while he shafted her ass with deep thrusts. “Come for us, baby.”

It was all the invitation she needed. The orgasm exploded inside her and she cried out, her body alive with the fiercest pleasure she’d ever known. Max’s responding shout when he joined her in release plunged her deeper into the ecstasy zone.

Something shifted within her, like a door opening, and everything came crashing back like a tidal wave of images pummeling her brain. Tears streaming down her face as she clung to Aurele, the older woman’s footsteps pounding on the palace’s stone floor. Shouts and screams melting into the darkness as she and Aurele escaped through the portal. Waves all around her while an odd light strobed in the distance.

“The lighthouse.”

She didn’t realize she’d blurted the words until she snapped to and met Boone’s crooked grin.

“Not usually something a woman yells at climax.”

“I remember going there, after Aurele and I escaped.”

Max’s fingers tightened around her waist. His cock slipped free, and he leaned sideways to stare at her. “Your memories are back?”

“Only some of them.”

“Wait…lighthouse?” His eyebrows knitting, Boone glanced toward Max. “Didn’t we find her car at the Tybee Light Station? That’s kind of a weird coincidence.”

Max remained quiet for a moment, his expression hinting at how deep in thought he was. It occurred to Willa how incredibly weird it was talking about this when seconds ago the three of them had been boinking their brains out. She was on the verge of pointing that out when Max broke from his concentration and stared at her. “You said you could hear the leviathan calling your name. Was it before or after you arrived at the lighthouse?”

“I’m not completely certain. That part hasn’t fully come back to me.” She tried to focus. “After, maybe?”

“Then that means something else led you to the lighthouse.” Excitement threaded through Max’s voice. “Something wanted you to go there.”

The ramification of what he was implying slammed into her. “You think Aurele hid the trident at the lighthouse?”

“There’s only one way to find out.” He lifted her from Boone’s lap. His face displayed a mix of hope and firm resolution. “We need to return to Tybee. Tonight.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Harrison hissed between his teeth, his patience wearing thin as Kragos failed for the hundredth time to break past the block barricading Aurele Telluride’s memory. “You aren’t trying hard enough.”

His normally black eyes filled with a red rage, Kragos strained against the ropes securing him to the chair across from Aurele’s. In truth, the leviathan’s murderous expression—combined with his considerable strength—would have concerned Harrison. The syringe filled with toxic sea-anemone venom that Harrison wedged warningly into Kragos’s neck gave Harrison an edge in keeping the soul collector in line. There weren’t many things capable of killing a leviathan, particularly when not in its true form, but the venom was one. Fortunately he’d been able to get his tentacles on enough of the toxin to take care of Kragos and the rest of the leviathans as soon as their usefulness was over.

“I’m going to enjoy ripping your intestines out, boy.”

“Keep feeding yourself that pipe dream.” Digging his talons into Kragos’s scalp, Harrison depressed the plunger a fraction, releasing a small amount of the venom—just enough to make Kragos writhe in agony.

A trilling laugh rolled from the duchess, her delight in witnessing Kragos’s pain apparent. She leaned down and raked her nails along the soul collector’s face, leaving bloody trails. “What a fitting reunion. The traitor who betrayed me and the woman responsible for delaying my destruction of the humans. Both of your pathetic struggles are for nothing. I will be victorious.” She slapped Kragos in the back of the head. “If you don’t break that block, I’ll have him double the dose.”

Fresh waves of the elder leviathan’s energy rushed at Aurele. Harrison could detect its magnetic currents battering at the woman’s defenses. Great rivers of sweat plastering her hair to her skull, Aurele moaned, her limbs shaking. “I—I don’t remember where it is.”

Reva’s lips thinned. “Yes, you do. Tell me.”

Aurele convulsed like she was experiencing a seizure. Her eyes rolled back, and she screamed a single word, “Lighthouse.”

The duchess gave a cold smile. “Now we’re getting somewhere. What lighthouse?”

“I don’t know.”

Reva lifted her hand, presumably to strike Aurele, but Harrison stayed her as he recalled where he’d tracked the girl to before ultimately luring her into the ocean. Ignoring the duchess’s furious expression, he pinned his gaze to the Telluride woman. “Is it the lighthouse here on this island?”

Aurele’s eyes twitched erratically. “Yes.”

Kragos’s energy lessened and Aurele’s head lolled back, a weak groan floating from her. The woman’s reprieve was short-lived however when Reva pounced on Aurele, her clawlike fingers encircling her neck.

Harrison’s patience threatened to snap. “You might want to wait to do that until after we’ve secured the trident. There’s a fair amount of ground to cover at the lighthouse. She might give us more information once we get there.”

Looking vastly disappointed at having her revenge cut short, Reva let go of Aurele and straightened. She glared at Kragos. “We have no need of him anymore.”

The elder leviathan began struggling in earnest. “I can get her to tell you more.”

“We have enough.” Reva’s features twisted with icy menace. “His services are done here. Finish him.”

Harrison gave the top of Kragos’s head a patronizing pat. “Perhaps you should have taken me under your tentacle.” With those words of advice, he fully released the plunger.

While Kragos’s body shuddered in its painful death throe, Harrison tugged Aurele and Reva close before mentally inputting the coordinates for the lighthouse. As the teleportation took effect, Kragos slumped, dead as a doornail. Harrison gave the soul collector a mock salute. Kragos was just the first of many grievances to be laid to rest tonight.

Oh yes, victory had never tasted so sweet.

It wasn’t until Max and Boone led her toward the back entrance of the mansion that Willa realized they wouldn’t be taking a car to Tybee. She dragged her feet on the marble, panic creating a fine sheen of sweat on her forehead. “Uh, guys, there’s no way I’m getting in that portal.”

Max stroked her cheek. “Baby, it’s going to be okay. I’d never let anything happen to you.”

“How can you be sure of that?”

“Because I’d die for you.”

She shivered. “Don’t say that. I don’t want anyone else I love dying for me.”

Max sucked in a harsh breath. “You love me?”

Okay, not quite how she’d imagined telling him. This special moment wasn’t supposed to be in the middle of her fighting a panic attack and moments after a mind-blowing threesome with Max and his best friend. “Yes.”

The intensity of emotion filling Max’s eyes made her heart give a giddy leap as she recognized it for what it was. “I love you too, sweetheart.” The light dimmed slightly. “But your birthright—”

“Won’t mean anything if we don’t get our asses moving,” Boone pointed out. He swung open the back door and sprinted across the lawn. Taking her hand, Max hurried after him, hauling her along. It was a good thing they’d decided to dress, because several of the armed guards patrolling the property stopped in their tracks, gaping at them.

“I guess they’ve never seen anyone running for no apparent reason,” she said between gasps. They dashed along a pea-graveled path, streaking past a manicured border of yews. A clearing opened in front of them. In the middle of it, spotlighted by blue floodlights, was the reflecting pool.

It was the same one from her dream.

She slammed to a halt fast enough it knocked Max, who’d still been clutching her hand, back a step. “I can’t go in there.” If she did…bad things would happen. She knew it was the implant talking, but hell if she didn’t agree with it at the moment.

“Baby, I’m here. There’s no reason to be scared.”

She stared at Max, wanting to believe him, wishing for the confidence to take that leap of faith.

“Come on, we’ll do it together. One step at a time. Okay?”

Rather than forward, her feet moved in the opposite direction.

She could see Max’s disappointment. His frustration. In her mind, she pictured all of the people she was letting down by giving in to her fears. The millions and millions of potential deaths that were weighing on her shoulders. Gritting her teeth, she took another step back. Then another. Sucking in a deep breath, she bent her knees and locked her jaw. Expelling the oxygen in her lungs, she bolted forward.

And took the leap.

She landed in the water with jarring impact. Balancing herself before the panic could set in, she glanced down. She was standing in water no deeper than mid-calf. Apparently reflecting pools were shallow. That kind of made her feel like a huge dumbass. Here she’d been stressing for no reason.

Max and Boone joined her in the pool. While Boone waded toward the sundial in the center, Max hugged her, his expression one of immense pride. “You’re amazing, sweetheart.”

Okay, that definitely added some much-needed salve to her shriveled ego.

“Here we go, folks.” Boone’s announcement drew her attention, and she turned toward him as he rotated the dial. A brilliant flash erupted, and the next second they were under water. Lots of it. She instinctively screamed, but instead of sucking in all that ocean water, she expelled a bunch of tiny bubbles. Stunned, she yelped. More bubbles trickled free.

Holy crap. She was breathing. Under freaking water. Max had told her she could, but…wow. Fascinated, she poked one of the oxygenated bubbles. Glancing sideways, she caught Max looking at her. They grinned at each other like idiots before he took her hand and began swimming toward the surface. She was surprised to discover that she had no problem keeping up with him. They soon gained on Boone, and the three of them broke through the waves. Bobbing amongst the whitecaps, she noticed the strobing light in the distance. It was the same one from her memory.

The lighthouse.

Another wave came in, jettisoning them close enough to shore they easily swam the final few laps to the beach. Staggering through the dunes, she shivered in the night air, the waterlogged state of her clothes adding to her chill. They reached the top of the rise, and she stared at the various buildings scattered on the horizon, some of her excitement fizzling. She’d completely forgotten the search would involve more than just the lighthouse itself. “Crap. It could be anywhere.”

Well, at least they weren’t looking for a needle in a haystack. Yeah, Poseidon’s trident had to be at least a fairly decent size. The dude hadn’t exactly been a midget. “Um, guys? How big is this trident?”

“In a mortal’s hands?” Max swept his gaze down her length. “Probably about the length of your leg.”

Okay, so not quite Titan status, but still pretty sizable. Not something that could easily be hidden in plain sight without someone noticing.

Unless…

Her giddiness returning, she stared at Max. His forehead scrunched. “Did you remember something else?”

“No, but color me curious. Exactly how much does the trident actually resemble a pitchfork?”

“Well, it’s not designed for the same tasks as a pitch—” His words back-piling each other, Max blinked. A slow smile stretched his mouth. “Damn, you’re brilliant.”

“Not usually. Tonight must be a fluke.” She surveyed the cluster of buildings spread before them. “There’s got to be a groundskeeper’s shed somewhere on the property.” Another thought occurred to her, so worrisome it almost led to a minor heart attack. “Oh my goddess, what if they threw the trident out? Or donated it to some gardening organization?”

Boone was the one to speak up this time. “I doubt it. Since it’s on the grounds, it’d be considered of historical value.” He chuckled. “Shit, if they only knew.”

Max took her hand again. “Come on, let’s get a start on those buildings first.” He pointed to the ones nearest the dunes. They took off across the grass. She couldn’t believe her luck when she peeked in the darkened window of a whitewashed structure that had a large nautical wheel leaning against its rear wall. Even in the gathering dusk, she made out the bulky silhouette of a riding lawnmower. She whispered for Max and Boone, who were scoping the adjacent building.

They came running, and Max eyed the tiny window skeptically. “Somehow I doubt Boone and I will fit through that.”

“I could squeeze in there and then see if I can’t open the door from the inside.” She scanned the grass for something to break the window and spotted a rock that was slighter bigger than the size of a baseball. “This should work.” Bending, she retrieved the stone just as an odd wrenching noise sounded from above. She jerked her head up. Max was holding the window—frame and all.

He glanced at the rock in her hand. “Sorry, did you want to use that?”

“Uh…no, your technique works fine with me.”

Max placed the window down and easily boosted her through the opening in the wall. Thankfully the jump to the floor wasn’t bad. She rushed to the front of the building and spotted the switch that operated the large garage-like door. She pushed the button and stepped back while the door rolled open. It was fairly noisy. Hopefully there was no security guard posted on the grounds or anything.

Max and Boone stepped inside. “We better not turn on any lights,” Max said, apparently sharing her thought about the guard. They began systematically investigating every inch of the interior. She came to an enormous walnut wardrobe that must have been converted into a storage container of sorts. Tossing aside some old hoses and a rickety ladder, she spied a glint of silver near the back. Her pulse performing a mambo, she dug through the remaining items and tugged the object from its resting place.

Blood pounding in her ears, she stroked the handle of the trident, a sense of awe washing over her. “Guys, I think I’ve hit the jackpot.”

There was a rustling from Max and Boone. She turned in their direction and noticed several shadows darkening the doorway. Enough moonlight illuminated the opening to reveal Reva Bellemuir’s icy smile.

“No, my dearest. I believe I’m the one who’s hit the jackpot.”

Chapter Twenty-Two

Willa clutched the trident, her heart galloping as seven thuggish-looking characters banded around Reva. Okay, six thugs and a guy in a butler’s uniform. A freaky collection of henchmen, if ever there was one. Still, her fear was no match for the rage welling in her chest. “Where is Aurele, you bitch?”

“I killed her.”

Pain and fury exploded within her. Her vision a red haze, she barreled toward the duchess. She heard Max and Boone yelling, the pounding of their feet, but the only thing consuming her at the moment was putting an end to Reva Bellemuir’s life. Holding the trident like a battering ram, she charged at the siren. At the last second, Reva swung away and Willa tumbled through the doorway. The trident went sailing, sinking into the grass with a reverberating wooong.

“Willa!” Max’s worried shout rang out, and she rolled onto her back just as Reva pounced on her. From the corner of her eye, she saw Max and Boone rushing to her aid. Before they even cleared the doorway, they were tackled by the thugs. Claws sank into her shoulder, bringing her focus back to the duchess. With a growl, she punched the woman in the nose. Reva’s head snapped back, blood trickling from her nostrils. Taking advantage of Reva’s momentary shock, Willa decked her again, this time nailing her in the chin. She struggled to roll away from the duchess, but the nails biting into her shoulder dug in deeper, pinning Willa in place. Fingers twisted in her hair, cruelly enough to make her tear ducts sting. Her eyes sizzling with hate, Reva wrenched Willa’s head to the side, smashing her left cheek into the turf.

“You have no idea how much delight I got out of killing your precious Aurele. I only wish you could have witnessed it firsthand.”

Bitter tears leaked from Willa’s eyes, soaking the grass. Aurele. If it was the last thing she ever did, she would annihilate Reva for ripping one more loved one from Willa’s life.

Reva’s sickeningly sweet breath beat against Willa’s cheek. “It’s a pity she didn’t get to hear the final notes of my lovely sonnet. It was so ear-splittingly good.”

The duchess’s tinkling laugh filled Willa with greasy nausea. Until she absorbed what the woman had just said. “Y-you killed her with your horrible screeching?”

“How rude of you to describe it so.”

She ignored Reva’s outrage, her mind spinning. Max had said sharks were immune to the siren call…

Did that mean Aurele was still alive? Had she utilized the old possum trick and only played at being dead?

“There are those who would say my song is nearly as beautiful as my face,” Reva continued, apparently still pissed about the slight against her singing. “Maybe I should give you a small taste of my talent.” Leaning low, she pressed her lips against Willa’s ear and began to hum softly, slowly building in pitch and volume.

The ringing started in Willa’s head, and she winced.

“I see you’re starting to appreciate my melody.” Reva’s tone brought to mind an asp poised to strike. “I think you’ll particularly enjoy the big ending.” Picking up directly where she’d left off on her song, the duchess began increasing the output of her nails-on-chalkboard soprano, until Willa was writhing and twitching. The sound of shattering glass announced Reva had reached the window-breaking stage of her performance.

Despite her agony, Willa didn’t fail to notice that her eardrums didn’t yet feel like they were ready to melt. Back at the stationhouse, when the Taurus’s windshield had erupted, she’d thought herself seconds away from sure death. Although she was in misery now, it was nothing compared to the state she’d been in then.

Max had suggested that when her nymph returned, she might be immune to the siren call too. Could he be right? Had she at least developed a slight tolerance?

Reva belted out a round of ear-blasting trills, building up to her promised finale. The scream the duchess blared made Willa’s eardrums ring, but they didn’t rupture. Her head ached so unbearably she teetered at the edge of unconsciousness. The blackness swept closer. Reva’s shrieks grew fainter. A nail raked along her ear, scratched across her cheek.

“Give my regards to your precious Aurele when you meet up again in the afterlife.”

She detected the duchess’s mocking laugh right before passing out.

Max deflected the blows from two of Reva’s henchmen while pounding his fist into the head of the third. Behind him, he could hear Boone engaged in a similar situation. He knew Boone could take care of himself. What terrified him at the moment was the utter stillness of Willa’s body as Reva Bellemuir’s siren call trickled to a close. If that bitch had killed Willa, there would be no ocean deep enough for Reva to escape his wrath.

A punch landed in Max’s gut, doubling him over. Through his blurry vision, he noticed the duchess walking away from Willa. Reva yanked the trident from the ground and began strolling toward the dunes in the distance. The evil bitch was basking in her perceived triumph.

Growling, he rammed his head into the belly of the goon closest to him. The asshole staggered, giving Max the opportunity to kick him square in the balls. His eyes rolling backward, Max’s opponent slumped onto the grass. One of the man’s comrades extended a pair of lethally tipped talons. Max stared at the potential weapons. Okay, so these bastards packed some interesting heat. He noticed the dude dressed in the butler’s uniform approaching from the sidelines. Up until now, the guy hadn’t jumped in the fray. Max had no idea why. Maybe the fucker just liked to watch him getting roughed up.

“That’s enough.” Butler dude’s voice was cultured, keeping in line with the whole Jeeve’s vibe, but underneath it was a strange sibilant quality. “The fucking shark is mine.”

The two who’d been going at it with Max backed off, and his new opponent faced him, the man’s black irises glinting animosity. “You stole the girl from me. Did you think I’d let that slide?”

Max stared at him, trying to make sense of the accusation. Without warning, a roar bellowed from the man and he launched himself at Max, knocking him into the exterior wall of the groundskeeping building. The force of the attack stunned Max. The guy might dress like Mr. Belvedere, but he carried the weight of a damn sumo wrestler.

“How do you like it, shark, getting rammed to a pulp? Maybe I should bite your fucking arm off.”

Out of the blue, an image of a severed tentacle floating to the ocean floor slammed into Max’s consciousness. Turning his head, he gazed into black eyes that were slowly shifting to red.

The leviathan.

Fury raged through Max as he recalled the part this creature had played in bringing about these events. His fury became forged with determination when he thought about the leviathan bite that had tattooed Willa’s back.

“You’ve saved me the trouble of tracking you down so I can kill you.” Max loaded his words with deadly intent. “That’s mighty generous of you.” Swinging out his leg, he kicked the creature off him. His fist crunched into the cartilage of the leviathan’s nose. The beast retaliated by extending its talons and stabbing Max, coming dangerously close to puncturing his kidney. Ignoring the sharp burst of pain radiating through him, Max delivered an upper clip to the son of a bitch’s chin, forcing the leviathan back a step. His next punch caved in the beast’s cheekbone. After that, he went about dislocating the fucker’s jaw.

A monstrous shriek wailing between its bloodied teeth, the leviathan jumped on top of Max, sinking its incisors into his shoulder. He felt the cold, sticky drip of its venom seeping past his skin. Doubling his fists, he pummeled the creature in the head, but it wouldn’t relinquish its hold. The venom making him woozy, he staggered before banging them both into the wall. Still the motherfucker wouldn’t give up. If anything, it dug into him deeper.

The way Max saw it, the son of a bitch just threw down the gauntlet. You didn’t go around biting a shark without expecting a little reciprocation. Clamping his teeth into the leviathan’s ear, he gave a vicious tug, severing it. The leviathan released him, its scream anguished. And pissed. One handful of talons swiped for Max’s face, but he grabbed the creature’s wrist before it could make contact. Unfortunately, he wasn’t so lucky with the second hand. He grunted as five blade-sharp talons sank into his side. They twisted, the agony wicked. He struggled to breathe and block out the pain.

“I’m going to kill you now, shark. And then I’m going to finish off the girl. I only wish you could be around to see it.”

Willa. He risked a quick look in her direction. Sure enough, she was lifting onto her elbows, looking dazed.

“I don’t know which of you I’m going to enjoy killing more.” The leviathan’s expression smug, it dug into him harder. “You. Most definitely.”

Despite his best efforts to rein it in, Max’s pained groan leaked free. His knees threatening to buckle, he grasped the leviathan, seeking purchase. Something bulky and cylindrical rolled in the butler’s jacket, and Max dug his fingers in, jabbing the objects toward the leviathan’s chest. A strange gurgle escaped the creature’s throat, and its talons unexpectedly retracted. It scrabbled with its coat, the beast’s awkward flailing knocking Max backward. Convulsing wildly, the leviathan slid to the floor.

The creature offered Max one final sinister sneer. “Fucking shark.” And with that parting shot, the leviathan’s irises took on the glassy stare of the dead. The butler’s coat fell open, revealing an empty syringe sticking from the leviathan’s starched white vest.

Max stood there for a sec, stunned by the strange turn of events. But then he recalled the two who’d been beating on him earlier—he assumed they were leviathans as well—and he snapped from his stupor and pivoted, raising his fists. His former opponents looked from him to the dead leviathan on the ground, their eyes growing huge. Shouting to the comrades still duking it out with Boone, they took off into the night. A moment later the last three leviathans darted past Max, shooting him wary looks.

His face wearing the same befuddlement Max felt, Boone stepped outside. Glad as he was to see his best friend hadn’t received any worse battle scars than him, Max was more preoccupied with getting to Willa. He raced to her side and helped her up. She gaped at his wounds, all ounce of color leaching from her skin. “You’re hurt.”

“I’ll be fine.” Emotion choking him, he brushed his shaking fingertips over every inch of her face. “I thought you were dead. It was the most horrible moment of my life.”

“I’m sorry you had to go through that. Believe me, I know what it’s like.” She stood on tiptoe and kissed him tenderly, her eyes glistening. “Fortunately, it turns out you were right about the nymph immunity to sirens. Guess sharks aren’t the only ones that are blessed with that benefit.” She gasped. “That reminds me. I’m pretty sure Aurele is around here somewhere.”

“We’ll have to look for her later, sweetheart. Reva took the trident. We’ve got to stop her before she reaches the Altar of Atlantis.”

Apparently Willa needed no further reminder of the direness of the situation because she dashed toward the dunes. He and Boone set off after her. They reached the Atlantic’s frothing tide and dove into the waves. Max stretched his hand toward Willa, intending to steer her in the proper direction of the portal to Atlantis. She surprised him by beelining straight for it, obviously requiring no guidance from him. Looked like her memories were back intact.

Minutes later they arrived at the narrow, rippling membrane of the portal, and its welcoming light illuminated the watery depths with a golden glow. He fell back, allowing Willa and Boone to pass through ahead of him. Once they’d cleared the entrance, he started in after them. A thunderous rumble shook through the passage. He stopped, the sensors along the nape of his neck screaming a warning. Lunging forward, he opened his mouth in a shout. Boone glanced back just as an avalanche of water propelled Max backward like a cork shot from a bottle.

The last thing Max saw before the tidal wave took him was the portal closing.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Even though she’d faced her fears and conquered them, being shot through a portal like she was on a terrifying rollercoaster ride from hell still wasn’t on Willa’s list of things to try again anytime soon.

Shrieking, she tumbled, over and over, gravity and water slip-sliding her everywhere. Up ahead, she noticed a golden glow very similar to the one back at the entrance to the portal. An instant later she was crashing through it, a cascade of water splashing her flat onto her back. Winded, she gasped like a fish out of water, trying to catch her breath. The analogy was a fitting one. Overhead, the sky rippled. She blinked as she realized she was looking at the bottom of the ocean.

She’d reached Atlantis.

She pushed to her feet and stirred her hands through the air. It consisted of water, though a different density and composition than that existing on Earth. Here you could easily maneuver as if you were walking on air. What’s more, you didn’t need to be Atlantean to be able to breathe in it. There were other humans besides her father who had lived in Atlantis. The mermaids were fond of bringing their rescued shipwrecked sailors home for a little mattress mamboing. Then there was the whole Bermuda Triangle thing. Yep, a lot of those folks ended up here.

She glanced around, making out the decaying ruins surrounding her. All these years later the sight of them still filled her with sadness, knowing the majesty of what they’d once been. She remembered then her mother’s true dream. It hadn’t been about ruling Atlantis, but to see her homeland restored. Unfortunately, the problem of existing under water, even that as delicate as Atlantis’s, meant eventual structural corrosion. The materials used to construct the university and the palace were much more durable, but also exceptionally expensive. Maybe one day she’d be able to find a way to make her mother’s dream come true—the only true legacy that’d ever mattered to Estelle Jameson.

But first she had to find that bitch Reva and stop her.

Uncertain when Max and Boone would arrive through the portal, she decided to take off on her own. Max would probably be furious about that, but time was ticking. Setting off at a run, she raced through the labyrinth of ruins, her gaze locked on the towering spires of the palace in the distance. Thick, spongy moss absorbing the shock of her sprinting feet, she arrived at the woods bordering the palace. As with the water, this forest was nothing like anything found on Earth. The lacy, bracken-like foliage of the Atlantean trees shimmered with a brilliant phosphorescence that provided the entire realm with a light source. Taking advantage of the tree’s luminescence, she barreled along the flagstone walkway leading to the palace. Her lungs burning from exertion, she sprinted up the seemingly endless flight of steps until she reached the palace’s intricately carved doors.

Trembling, she reached for the handle—a smaller representation of Poseidon’s trident. It’d been more than twenty-two years since she’d stepped past this threshold. Would the horror of what she’d witnessed behind these walls bring her to her knees? She needed to be strong. Needed to see this through. For the family and friends she’d lost. For the ones that she could still save.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door and entered the cavernous receiving hall. All evidence of blood and death had been wiped clean. Relieved shivers trembled her limbs. She waited for the memories to crash into her. The terrible images inched close, only to be swept away as she remembered the glorious receptions that’d been held in this room, all the pomp and pageantry a royal event always entailed. She remembered dancing in her parents’ arms, their love and laughter better than any party in existence.

Those were the memories she would cherish. The ones she would hold on to.

She started across the hall, heading for the cathedral where the Altar of Atlantis was kept. Quickening her pace, she streaked through the palace, ignoring the painful cramp in her side. Dashing the final few yards, she leapt across the entry into the cathedral, only to slam to a halt, her legs threatening to buckle.

The trident was lodged in the altar.

“Oh my…goddess.” She covered her mouth, the bile building in her throat. She swallowed, struggling to hold it back.

A shadow moved to the left. “As you can see, you’re too late.”

Reva Bellemuir stepped in front of the altar. “Apparently you didn’t get the memo, seeing as how you’re also supposed to be dead.” The duchess’s eyebrows arched in haughty condescension. “Not that it matters. You soon will be. Along with all the rest of the human scourge.”

A fierce bellow escaping her, Willa lunged at the duchess, ramming into her with enough force to knock the siren into the altar. Reva clawed at Willa’s face, adding several more scratches before trying to gouge out her eyes. They kicked and screamed, tearing at each other’s hair. Reva fought like a girl. Willa also fought like a girl…from the Bronx. Positioning her fist for the most effective hit, she punched Reva in the nose again. If it hadn’t been busted before, it was now. Screeching, Reva retaliated by clubbing Willa in the side of her head.

Stars spun in Willa’s vision. She wobbled, trying to focus. Reva’s clawlike fingers wrapped around Willa’s neck, squeezing. A ringing started in Willa’s ears, this time from lack of oxygen to her brain rather than Reva’s hideous caterwauling. She blindly felt around with her hand, looking for something to beat Reva off her.

Willa’s fingers brushed the trident’s tines. It was partially lodged in the special cutouts in the altar’s surface. She worked her way up until she reached the base of the forked section and grabbed hold, desperately tugging to free it. The trident wrenched from the stone with a groan and a torrential geyser of water. The deluge knocked both her and Reva to the ground.

The duchess scrabbled in the oncoming tide, her eyes blazing and her hair and clothes saturated with water. Earth water. Rising to her feet, Reva dove for Willa. “Give that to me!”

She did. Right through the evil duchess’s torso. The woman staggered back, clutching the base of the trident. She opened her mouth, but instead of a scream coming out, a tidal wave of water blasted free. The force of it sucked Willa under and hurtled her along with the current. She whipped into a wall, the breath knocked out of her. Eventually she stopped bobbing, the buoyancy of the Earth’s water changing as its molecular structure readapted to the Atlantean version of air. Moments later she floated back to the floor and spotted the trident laying by the altar.

But no Reva. Who knew where the flood had taken her? Hopefully to hell.

Heavy footsteps sounded on the stone floor and she turned. Boone stood in the entrance to the cathedral. His face looked haggard and drawn. “I was too late.”

She rushed toward him, her sodden clothes and shoes squishing. “No. I stopped Reva. Her Armageddon is over. The flood took her.”

Boone’s gaze as it locked on her was filled with a wretched anguish. “And Max.”

His words hammered into her with cruel devastation, and she blinked. “What?”

“I saw the tidal wave take him before the portal closed. Willa, the whole damn thing disappeared right before my eyes. The tidal wave, along with Max.” Boone’s voice caught on a choked intake of breath.

Disappeared? What did that even mean? That Max was…gone?

No. Surely fate couldn’t be that big a bitch to take another loved one from her. Not Max.

She dropped to her knees. In the end it hadn’t been the ghost of memories that brought her to that defeated pose.

It was the possibility of losing Max.

Chapter Twenty-Four

“Willa, you’ve barely eaten anything in days. If you keep going on like this, you’re going to make yourself sick.”

Justin’s soft yet stern words managed to drag Willa’s focus from the highlighted charts and maps that pinpointed the areas of the Atlantic and beyond where they’d already searched for Max. The ever-present heaviness in her chest only intensified as she took in the sorrow and sympathy swirling in the duke’s eyes. She’d been subjected to countless similar expressions from the various Atlanteans who’d been involved in the search-and-rescue mission for the past two weeks. She knew what they thought—that Max would never be found. They might not have the guts to say it to her, but she read their doubts loud and clear.

She swallowed past the thick lump in her throat. “I’m not hungry.”

“Starving yourself won’t—” Justin broke off, the strained look on his face more than finishing his sentence.

Bring Max back. Yeah, she was plenty aware that depriving herself of food wouldn’t magically return Max to her arms, but the emptiness within her wouldn’t go away anytime soon regardless. Blinking back the moisture rapidly accumulating on her eyelashes, she returned her attention to the documents spread out on Justin’s dining-room table. Because of its easy access to Atlantis, the ducal mansion had been converted into a quasi base camp for the search and rescue. There was a constant stream of people that came and went at all hours of the day and night. Each time a team member appeared, the hope would balloon in Willa’s heart, only to wither when there was no news on Max.

They were running out of places to look. The regions they’d covered outweighed the miniscule amount of land and sea that had yet to be canvassed. The royal army and the thousands of volunteers providing endless man hours had done a remarkable job. Although she was grateful for that, she also died a little more inside each time another area was crossed off the list and still there was no sign of Max.

If they didn’t find him soon, she didn’t know what she would do. In the back of her mind, she knew she needed to prepare for the worst—the possibility of Max never coming home to her.

Her stomach cramped, and she pressed a hand to her mouth to hold back the anguished moan that wanted to break free.

A noise sounded behind her, and she turned just as Boone entered the dining room. He looked as tired and emotionally drained as she felt. He stopped next to her, his arm banding around her in a comforting hug as he perused the charts. “I’m leaving in a few minutes to investigate a couple of these tiny islands in the Pacific.” He tapped the section in question on the map. “While I’m gone, I want you to get some sleep. And eat, damn it.”

She really wished everyone would stop trying to force-feed her. “I’m going with you.”

“Willa, you need to rest.”

“No. I need to find Max.” Her voice cracked on his name.

Boone watched her for a long moment before exhaling a heavy breath. “It goes against my better judgment to let you come, but you’ll probably just sneak into the portal after me, won’t you?” He ran a hand through his uncombed hair when she nodded. “Fine. But on one stipulation.” He reached for the plate holding a roast-beef sandwich and waved it beneath her nose. “You’re going to eat at least half of this.”

She wanted to argue, but the glint of determination in Boone’s eyes made it clear he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Without saying a word, she grabbed the sandwich and choked down the required amount. Thankfully her belly didn’t rebel.

Five minutes later, she joined Boone in the portal. In less time than it’d taken her to dip her toes into the reflecting pool, she and Boone emerged in the warm, crystal-clear waters of the Pacific Ocean. Boone morphed into his seal form, and she held onto his slick mammalian body as he cruised them in the direction of the islands they’d be searching. The group of small, uninhabited atolls ringing the lagoon were little more than oversized sandbars that provided nesting grounds for seabirds and the occasional turtle. Even though Willa knew the odds of locating Max on any of the atolls was slim, her heart still thundered with anticipation as she scrambled toward a scraggly cluster of buffalo grass. Like a madwoman, she hacked through the vegetation with her hands, desperate sobs sawing from her lungs.

It seemed hours passed before she realized that Boone’s arms were surrounding her.

“Willa, stop. He’s not here.”

Tuning Boone out, she continued kicking and swinging her limbs, taking out her anger and frustration on the sand and plant life. Boone hugged her tighter. She struggled against him, trying to break loose. Pain and misery were wounded beasts clawing inside her. They whipped their way upward, tunneling past the constriction in her throat. No longer able to contain it, she screamed, long and loud, her agony pouring free. Eventually the scream faded to racking sobs and she slumped within the circle of Boone’s embrace. His fingers sifting through her hair, he soothed her with tender caresses and soft words. Eventually she quieted, the tears gone but the heaviness in her heart no less staggering.

The sun beating on her face felt like a cruel joke in comparison to the dark emptiness in her soul. “I don’t know what I’m going to do without him.”

Boone continued to rock her, wisely not offering any meaningless platitudes that would offer her little comfort. They stood there for a long time, until the sky began to pinken into a sherbet hue. Boone’s hand curled around her limp one. “It’s time to go home.”

Home. One that didn’t include Max.

The barrenness in her soul was endless.

Chapter Twenty-Five

The weeks following Willa’s breakdown on that tiny atoll in the Pacific blended into each other in a miserable tide of barely living. With Max gone, nothing truly mattered to her anymore. Certainly not the Atlanteans’ desire to see her returned to the throne. They’d started their campaign for her reinstatement almost from the first moment she crossed back through the portal into Atlantis. She wanted nothing to do with the title she’d inherited. The Atlanteans would get over their disappointment. Or find another ruler. She didn’t care either way.

Like Max, Reva’s body had never been discovered. Maybe the evil duchess had been spirited away to hell. Goddess knows the bitch would be right at home there.

Willa walked down the palace steps, her tread a lonely echo. She glanced over her shoulder, giving the entrance one last look before bidding it goodbye. Maybe not forever, but certainly for a time. There were those who probably thought she was abandoning her heritage. In truth, she was preserving it. Some of the young geniuses at the university thought they might have discovered a compound that could be added to the building materials to better withstand Atlantis’s natural corrosion. But oddly enough, it could only be found on Earth.

Maybe ole Poseidon had known what he was doing, establishing his colony so close to the humans.

In many ways, she couldn’t wait to return to the Earth realm. To her friends. She’d missed Marabella like crazy these past several weeks. Yeah, in a strange way, she’d even missed not having to listen to Domino’s constant demands.

But most of all, she missed Max. Only he wasn’t waiting for her back on Earth. He wasn’t waiting for her at all.

Her chest grew tight and the ache in her heart was unbearable. Would this awfulness ever go away? Would the day come when she’d be able to think about him and not feel like she was slowly dying inside? Sometimes she wondered if having her memory erased wasn’t actually a kindness. To not have to imagine Max’s beloved face and know that she would never see it again.

No, she wouldn’t wish such an existence. Because loving him would always be one of her cherished memories.

Tearing her thoughts away from her agonized musings, she approached the service drive leading to the palace. One of the submersible trolleys that were mostly used for piloting the students back and forth to the university waited at the curb. She hopped inside the transport and rode it to one of the few subdivisions existing on Atlantis. The vehicle braked to a stop. Across the street stood Aurele’s new bungalow. Willa exited the vehicle and hesitated for a moment, watching Aurele tend her little water garden.

Rather than move back into the palace, Aurele had chosen to purchase this bungalow—almost a duplicate to her home back on Earth. Her choice to recreate a different memory, but one not entirely unlike her previous life, wasn’t lost on Willa. She just hoped Aurele had found the peace she so deserved.

Aurele looked up, her instant smile slipping a fraction as her gaze roved over the determined set of Willa’s shoulders. “You’ve decided to go back.”

“Yes, it’s where I can do the most good. For now.”

“Who am I going to get to play Monopoly with me?”

“Chad from the university is a gamer. Plus I think he has a crush on you. He’d probably even let you cheat.”

Aurele set down her pruners, almost crushing the fragile purple luminia flowers bordering her garden. “Oh pooh. I’m too old for a boyfriend. Even if he lets me take Park Place.”

Willa closed the few steps that separated them and hugged Aurele tight. “Memories or no, you’ll always be my aunt. I just wanted you to know that.”

A sniffle broke from Aurele. “I hate goodbyes, so we better make this quick before I start bawling.”

As if it’d somehow overheard Aurele’s admission, another submersible trolley puttered down the block and stopped next to a house farther down the street. A student loaded down with a backpack rushed from the porch.

Aurele pecked Willa on the cheek. “I believe that’s your ride. Better hurry up before it leaves.”

Giving Aurele one last kiss, Willa dashed toward the trolley and made it inside in the nick of time. Choosing a seat toward the front, she slid in next to the window and waved to Aurele as the vehicle pulled away. Several minutes later the trolley coasted to a stop at its final debarking point—the portal to Earth. Willa was the only one who exited.

The portal gate’s familiar welcoming glow beckoned. She walked past the entrance and turned, giving Atlantis one last look before she descended into the tunnel. The trip to Earth was far less chaotic than the wet-and-wild roller-coaster ride that led to Atlantis. In the blink of an eye, the Atlantic surrounded her. It took a moment to get used to the difference in water density. Kicking her feet, she swam toward the distant surface. Several minutes later she crested, breaking through the waves. The sun shone on her face and seagulls flew overhead with noisy squawks.

She was home.

The tide decided to be gentle with her, depositing her on the beach with minimal work on her part. She trudged through the dunes, the hot sand biting into the tender soles of her bare feet. Up ahead, she spotted the lighthouse parking lot. There was only one vehicle—a red SUV. She’d sent communication to Boone a week ago to let him know the date and hour she’d be returning. She hadn’t known if he’d be here. Either he was running late, or had decided not to come. Not that she would necessarily blame him if he’d opted not to. They hadn’t talked since the day he’d comforted her on that tiny atoll. Not because Boone hadn’t tried. It’d been too painful, the idea of seeing him. Of remembering the last words they’d spoken to each other on the day that her soul began to wither.

A woman stepped out of the SUV and waved her arms madly, obviously trying to get Willa’s attention.

Willa frowned. Was the woman here for her? Picking up her pace, she jogged toward the stranger, ignoring the uncomfortable way her soggy capris clung to her legs. It wasn’t until Willa was less than a couple feet away and she spotted the woman’s familiar orange scrubs that her memory was jogged. It was Boone’s veterinary assistant. The girl offered her a smile. “Hi, I’m Megan. Sorry, Boone had a last-minute patient come in. He texted me and asked if I could pick you up instead.”

Megan pulled a beach towel out of the car and handed it to Willa. “I also brought you some dry clothes. They’re in the backseat if you want to get changed while I’m driving.”

Willa gratefully accepted the towel and wrapped herself inside it before climbing into the back of the vehicle. Megan slid in behind the wheel and turned down the radio. “Boone wanted to see you before you went home. Does that sound okay to you?”

She used one corner of the towel to wring out the ends of her hair. “I’d like that.” Despite having stayed out of contact with him, she’d really missed Boone all these weeks. Hopefully she’d stay strong this time and not break down on him. “So what’s wrong with his patient? It wasn’t hit by a car or something, I hope.”

Megan shrugged. “Boone’s text didn’t say too much. But if anyone can work wonders, it’s him.”

Willa continued blotting at the moisture streaming onto her neck from her still-damp hair. When the car took a right out of the lot, Willa frowned. “Uh, Megan, not to be a backseat driver or anything, but Savannah’s the other way.”

“We’re not going to the clinic. Boone gave me an address to bring you to.” Humming along with the radio, Megan drove for a few more miles before pulling into a familiar driveway.

Max’s.

They braked to a stop next to Boone’s Land Rover. Her heart slowly picking up speed, Willa stared at the front door of Max’s bungalow. She tried to speak, but the words kept sticking in her suddenly dry mouth. Finally they broke free on a whisper. “What are we doing here?”

“Boone didn’t say.”

Was this his way of getting her to face the loss of Max? Of getting her to move on?

Was it even possible to do such a thing? Max was her life. Her heart. The bittersweet reminiscences waiting for her in there…

Her stomach cramped. No matter how painful it would be, she needed to face the memories of Max. Of everything she’d lost. Blood pounding in her ears, Willa shoved open the door and approached the entrance of Max’s house, her steps slow and measured.

She could do this. Inhaling a deep, shaky breath, she tried the door knob and found it unlocked. Inside, Max’s house held the stale odor of a space that hadn’t been aired in a while. But underneath it was also the fresh ocean scent that she always associated with Max. It was almost as if he were…there.

Oh goddess.

Could it be? Her pulse racing so fast she thought she might pass out, she staggered from the entry. Boone was standing in the kitchen, tears of happiness in his eyes as he smiled at her. She swallowed, hesitant to ask. To give voice to the impossible. “Max…?”

Boone nodded toward the hallway. She registered no more than that as she galloped in the direction of the master bedroom, her bare feet slip-sliding on the wood floor.

Almost afraid to believe in second chances, a fate that didn’t include a loved one ripped away from her, she eased the door open.

Max was stretched out on the bed. Battered, but very much alive.

Another sob shaking from her, she crossed to the bed, her legs threatening to give out. Max opened his eyes and looked at her, the love in his expression outweighing the pain. “Willa.”

She fell to her knees beside the bed, burying her face in the crook of his neck. His musky scent surrounded her, the final—and best—balm to her soul. His hand stroked the back of her head, and she looked up at his dear face. “Oh goddess. I thought I lost you.”

“I told you, baby, I’ll always protect you. Always love you. It’ll take a hell of a lot more than a damn tidal wave to ever keep me from you.”

She lifted away from him and traced the fading bruise near his forehead. “What happened?”

“Are you speaking about the bruise, or where I’ve been?”

“Both.”

“My sorry-looking state is mostly due to getting my ass tossed around by that damn tidal wave.” He caught her hand and kissed her knuckles tenderly before twining their fingers together. “As you know, it didn’t hit our shores.”

“Boone said he saw it vanish. Along with you.” Despite her valiant efforts to stop it, her lips trembled.

“The portals got crisscrossed somehow. Maybe it’s a kill switch written into the trident’s hardware. Who knows? All I do know is that whatever friggin’ dimension I landed in, it was a ball buster finding my way back out.”

Her eyes getting suspiciously misty again, she leaned down and kissed him. Their tongues met in a slow, luxurious mating as they silently reaffirmed their love. She hugged him tight, never wanting to let him go. Not ever again.

Breaking the kiss, Max cupped her face. “Boone told me how hard you searched for me. Baby, I’m so sorry for everything you went through.”

She brushed his nose with hers. “None of that matters. I’m just so happy to have you here with me now.”

A tender look came into Max’s eyes. “Boone also mentioned that you’ve revoked your claim to the throne.”

Worried he was going to start in again on his arguments concerning her birthright, she sighed. “Max, I’ve made up my mind. I don’t want it.”

“Okay.”

She blinked at him. “Uh, what?”

“I know I pushed you about it before, and that wasn’t right of me. It’s your decision to make. Not mine. So whatever you choose—”

“I choose you.” She smoothed his hair off his forehead. It was a tiny bit longer than the last time she’d seen it. She continued stroking him, the need to touch him overwhelming.

“I may not be able to offer you a lot, baby. But I promise you this. I’ll love you until the end of my days.”

His words filled her with so much joy, it almost hurt. “That’s all I need. All I want.”

He pulled her onto the bed with him. “What do you think about getting married?”

She snuggled into his chest, listening to his heartbeat. “Are you asking?”

“Yes.”

“I like the sound of it. A lot.”

“Me too. Boone can be my best man. But I’m done sharing you with him.”

“Even if he’s only watching?”

The slight acceleration of his pulse gave him away. “I might make allowances for that.”

She kissed her way down his sternum and noticed how his cock thickened beneath his sweats. “Just so you know, I’m perfectly happy with only having you in my bed.”

His erection swelled even more. There was no way she could resist showing him firsthand how much she’d missed him. Needed him. She rucked down his sweats, her head descending. Unable to help herself, she slid him a mischievous look. “Besides, I’ve discovered I’m partial to shark meat.”

He gave a groaning laugh. “That was possibly the worse pun I’ve ever heard.”

Her mouth closed around him, and she hummed in pleasure before releasing him with a juicy pop. “Mm, yes. But very true. Ask any nymph and she’ll tell you—shark is her favorite main course.” Oh boy, was it ever.

And with that piece of wisdom offered, she went about proving he was the only dish needed on this particular nymph’s menu for the rest of her life.

Content

Maximum Witch
That Old Black Magic - 3
Jodi Redford

Dedication

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five