Tempting the Dryad Read online

  “An arrogant, self-centered dickhead?”

  “Yeah.” She gave him a tiny smile, the first he’d seen from her. “Adric won’t want to take the chance, though.” She shook her head. “He’s going to go ballistic when he finds out what happened. The two of us—we’re all that’s left. Our parents died before he became alpha.”

  “Those were rogues, Marjani. Make sure your brother knows that. Dion banished Benny and Jorge five years ago. And those other men, they’re sea fada. They’re not from Rock Run.”

  Two sea fada. He hadn’t gotten a good look at them, but they must’ve been the two Greek sea fada Dion had banished to the Sahara. Nothing else fit. How the hell did they escape—and why hadn’t Dion and Cleia been informed?

  She nodded. “I’ll tell him.”

  They turned onto a busier street. They were in Canton now, a fast-growing neighborhood of loft apartments and well-kept brick rowhomes scattered among upscale restaurants, shops and other businesses. People glanced at their grim, bruised faces and steered a wide path around the two of them, which was fine as far as Tiago was concerned.

  Marjani was flagging. He went to put his arm around her shoulders and then halted, recalling how she’d flinched when he tried to touch her before.

  “Maybe we should call a taxi.” His hand went to his pants pocket before he remembered that Jorge and his friends had ripped him off. He swore under his breath. “The pricks didn’t leave me any money. But we can pay when we get to the hotel.”

  She hesitated and then nodded. “Okay.” It was the first she’d admitted to any weakness; she must be feeling even worse than she was letting on.

  “Look,” he said. “You’re exhausted. If you don’t let me help you, we’ll never get there.” He set an arm around her back, keeping the touch light but supportive.

  She stiffened, but when he lifted his arm, she said, “No. Keep it there, please. I need touch.”

  “Okay, then.” He stepped to the curb and raised a hand. A taxi swerved in their direction, but as soon as the driver got a look at them, he swung back to the middle lane and continued by, his gaze resolutely straight ahead.

  Tiago let loose a vivid curse but Marjani just shook her head.

  “Hey, we’re fada—and we look like hell.”

  Tiago slanted her a wry look. “We do look pretty damn bad, don’t we?”

  She tilted her head. Her lips lifted in a ghost of a smile. “I don’t know; that purple bruise under your eye adds a certain something. I’m not sure about the split lip, though.”

  He shook his head at her, but he smiled, too. “Let’s go to the corner,” he said and started walking again. “They’ll have to stop at the light and then I’ll be damned if they ignore us. If I have to, I’ll stand in front of it and refuse to let it move.”

  Unfortunately, when they reached the corner, there were no cabs to be seen. Marjani’s shoulders slumped.

  “Hey.” He gave her a squeeze as he scanned the street for the familiar yellow vehicles. “Just another few minutes. Can you do that?”

  She lifted her chin. “Of course,” she said and slid him a look. “Sorry. I’m not usually so weak.”

  “I can tell that.” In fact, she reminded him of Rosana: slim, almost delicate in appearance, but with a rock-solid core. “And you have nothing to be sorry about.”

  Deus, when he thought about what they’d done to her—what he’d almost done. The woman had been through hell: drugged and assaulted, then on top of that, spent the night frozen in place by the compulsion he’d put on her—and terrified he was going to wake up and attack her, too. It was a wonder she was holding up as well as she was.

  Another taxi approached. Tiago gave an imperious wave, but the driver took one look at them and continued past. Tiago growled.

  “Maybe we should just keep walking,” Marjani said.

  “Give me a couple more minutes. Here, why don’t you sit on the bench?” He guided her to a nearby bus stop and helped her sit, staying close by as he continued to scan the street.

  “All I wanted was to have some fun with my friends,” she said dully. “I wasn’t drinking—I never have more than a beer or two. One of them knew this Greek guy—Orius. We talked, had a dance. I didn’t see his friend. Not then. But it was another Greek sea fada. He must have drugged my wine while I was dancing with Orius. I—they pulled me over to meet you and Jorge and Benny. The next thing I knew we were in that room. You were on the floor and the two of them pushed me down—” Her voice broke. She raised her hand toward her throat again, dropped it back to her side.

  “Marjani—”

  “I’m glad you killed him,” she said in a hard voice. “I just wish you’d gotten the others, too.”

  He swallowed. “Look, I’m sorry. For everything, especially my part in it.”

  “It wasn’t your fault,” she said. “You were drugged, the same as I was.”

  “Yeah, but I knew better. I knew Jorge was bad, but I thought I could handle him. I promise, he’s a dead man. I’ll kill him myself if I have to.”

  She nodded jerkily.

  Suddenly every hair on his body stood on end. He swung around, but he was already surrounded by four large, growling earth shifters. He snatched the switchblade from his back pocket and flicked the catch.

  “No, wait,” Marjani cried. “I know these men.”

  Tiago hesitated, and in an instant, they were on him, two of them taking hold of his arms while the third got him in a chokehold from behind. The fourth pressed a pistol to Tiago’s temple.

  He froze. It was the shifter from the bar, Luc, his eyes a night-glow orange, his animal to the fore.

  “Drop the knife,” he ordered in guttural tones.

  Well, Tiago thought wryly, at least Marjani was safe.

  But the other man was enraged. Sparks of light shimmered around him, his animal trying to force a shift. “Drop the knife,” he repeated, “before I put a bullet through your skull.”

  “Okay, okay. Take it easy.” Tiago let the switchblade clatter to the sidewalk, but Luc wasn’t appeased.

  He pushed the gun harder into Tiago’s skull. “What the fuck did you do to her? And I want the truth.”

  Tiago opened his mouth, but Marjani pushed herself between him and Tiago. “No, Luc. It wasn’t him. He didn’t do anything. He was helping me, damn it.”

  “Stay out of this, Jani.” Luc used one hand to set her gently but firmly aside without removing his gaze from Tiago’s.

  Around them, a small crowd of humans was gaping at them, mouths open. A few had their smartphones out, filming the encounter, and in the distance sirens sounded.

  Great. Not only was this going to be on YouTube, somebody had called 911. Dion was going to kill him.

  If Luc didn’t first.

  Tiago forced himself to stare calmly into the earth shifter’s glowing eyes. It didn’t help that his own beast was still agitated from last night. It moved angrily beneath Tiago’s skin, itching to take on all four men, especially the wolf who dared threaten him.

  Blood.

  Kill.

  And Tiago was on a thin-enough edge today that he was tempted to allow the darkness out to play.

  But he knew that would be the final straw as far as Dion was concerned. His brother would have no choice but to banish Tiago.

  And even though it might be for the best if Tiago left Rock Run, he couldn’t quite make himself do it. No other clan would welcome a man with his Gift; he’d be forced to either hide it or live as a solitary. He’d had a taste of the solitary life five years ago, when he’d run away rather than face Dion after betraying Cleia’s location to the earth fada, and he’d hated it. Without the brakes on the beast exerted by his brother’s dominance and the clan’s calming influence, he’d nearly gone feral—in a very short time.

  “What did you do, river fada?” Luc asked. “I can smell the sex on her. And I know she wouldn’t have given herself to you willingly.”

  The man at Tiago’s neck tightened hi
s grip.

  Tiago concentrated on breathing as best as he could and ordered his beast to stand down. “She didn’t. And I didn’t. If you’d just give me a chance, I can explain.”

  “Who then?”

  Marjani shoved herself back between Luc and Tiago again. “Damn it, Luc, will you listen to me? You’ve got the wrong man. He saved me from them. I swear to God, if you hurt him, I’ll—” She drew a sobbing breath.

  “From who?”

  “I—don’t make me tell you here in front of everyone. All you need to know is that Tiago helped me. He was taking me to Adric.”

  Luc glanced at Marjani. “This is true?”

  “Yes. I swear it.”

  Tiago moistened his lips. “You heard her,” he said in even tones. “I didn’t hurt your female. Put down the gun and I’ll explain, but you need to calm down.” He wasn’t deliberately trying to tap into his Gift, but in the stress of the moment, he couldn’t help pressing a little.

  The sparks dissipated. Luc slowly lowered the gun and shoved it into a holster beneath his arm. The other man eased up on the chokehold and Tiago gulped in some much-needed oxygen.

  Then Luc growled. Knocking the other man’s arm out of the way, he grabbed Tiago’s throat. His claws had sprouted. They dug into Tiago’s skin and he scented his own blood.

  “You—you’re trying to hypnotize me somehow. What the hell are you?”

  “Let. Him. Go.” Marjani grabbed his arm. “It doesn’t matter. He saved me, I’m telling you.”

  She’d finally gotten through to the man. His grip eased and he darted a glance at Marjani. “He saved you?”

  “Yes. That’s the truth, Luc—you’d know if I were lying.”

  He nodded, then growled again. “You let him touch you. I smell him on you.”

  “It was only his arm, and that was because I needed help to walk. He was taking me to Adric. I’m—I need to get to him, Luc. Please?”

  Luc scowled but released Tiago, and his men did the same. “You can explain this to the alpha,” he told Tiago.

  Tiago rubbed his throat ruefully. “That was the plan, to take your female to her brother. But you don’t need me now. I’ll—”

  The three men surrounded him, making it clear he wasn’t going anywhere without their say-so.

  “You’re coming with us,” Luc said evenly. “If what you say is true, you have nothing to fear.”

  “Sorry,” Marjani told Tiago, “but he’s a stubborn S.O.B. Just come along. Please. Adric will want to talk to you anyway.”

  Luc bared his teeth. “Or I’ll rip your fucking throat out.”

  The three men shoved Tiago forward without waiting for a reply. Luc took Marjani’s arm and kept her on his other side, making sure both he and another man were between her and Tiago.

  “Look,” Tiago said, “I was trying to call a cab when you found us. She’s hurt, exhausted—I’m not sure how much farther she can go.”

  Luc scowled, but turned to the nearest man. “Call Beau. Tell him we need transport for five people.”

  The man nodded and, touching his quartz, relayed the message.

  The sirens grew to an ear-splitting pitch and three patrol cars skidded to a halt on the road next to them. Two men and a woman exited, shouting, “Freeze.” Three Glocks were trained on them.

  “Raise your hands,” the woman ordered. “Now.”

  Tiago sighed and obeyed.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Marjani raised her hands, and, summoning what must have been her last ounce of energy, called, “I can explain. I’m Lord Adric’s second in command.”

  “You’re his sister,” the female officer said.

  “Yes.”

  The woman motioned Marjani forward. “Talk. The rest of you keep your hands where we can see them.”

  Tiago watched in admiration as Marjani handled the police officers with a mixture of charm and diplomacy. She assured them it was all a mistake, and it wouldn’t happen again.

  “Lord Adric would apologize personally if he were here,” she added. “But I promise, he’ll deal with these men. He’s ordered that there be no public altercations.”

  “I’m glad to hear that,” the woman replied, “but you tell your brother to get his house in order. The captain won’t be happy to hear we got called out for a pack of rutting shifters.”

  Marjani stiffened but inclined her head. “I’ll make sure he knows.”

  By then, Beau had arrived in a roomy gray sedan. He was a beefy, slow-talking man; Tiago would bet good money his animal was a bear. The police left and Beau ushered them into the car, Luc and Marjani in the front seat, the other three men in the back seat with Tiago. They made sure he was in the middle, of course.

  Before Beau could start the car, Marjani said, “Shania. Is she all right?”

  “I don’t know. Why?” But Luc already had his quartz out. He tapped it a couple of times. “Shania? You there?”

  She answered in the affirmative and Marjani heaved a sigh of relief.

  “We found Marjani,” Luc told her.

  “Thank the gods. Where was she?”

  Marjani shook her head.

  “She’ll explain when she sees you.” Luc signed off and put an arm around Marjani. She let out a small breath and rested her head on his shoulder. “So Adric’s going to deal with us, hm?”

  “I had to say something to get them off your asses. But you know the rules. Adric’s not going to be happy, especially since you’re a lieutenant.”

  Luc grunted. “You should see your face, Jani. If Adric had found you first, that river fada would already be dead.”

  “And that would’ve been a big mistake,” she returned, “because that river fada happens to be Tiago do Rio. Dion’s brother.”

  “I know. I met him last night at the Full Moon—when I told him to stay the fuck away from our women.” Luc turned his head to glare at Tiago. “Maybe next time you’ll listen.”

  Tiago stared back. He was fed up with Luc’s posturing. He was the man’s equal in dominance, and it was time he acknowledged it. “This had nothing to do with the woman.”

  “Tell it to Lord Adric.”

  They held each other’s gazes for another moment and then Marjani shifted, her breath hitching as if even that small movement was painful, and the earth shifter’s attention snapped back to her.

  “And I’m telling you, Luc,” she said, “he helped me. So lay off.”

  He grunted again, clearly not convinced, but stopped trying to out-stare Tiago. “You’re hurting, baby. Why don’t we drop you off at Suha’s? I can handle this.”

  She shook her head. “I need to see Adric, make sure he understands what happened.”

  “If you’re sure—” He smoothed a hand over her hair, then stilled. “Where’s your quartz?”

  “They smashed it. The men who kidnapped me.”

  “Christ,” muttered Luc. He pressed a kiss to her temple. “I looked for you after you left the bar last night. I thought you were doing something to block me again. If I’d known where you were—”

  “I was blocking you. You and Adric both. And yeah, go ahead and tell me how stupid that was. I deserve it.”

  He shook his head. “Oh, Jani. I—”

  The three men in the backseat with Tiago murmured agitatedly among themselves.

  Tiago ignored them to lean forward, forearms on his knees. Now that he didn’t have Marjani to worry about, his own aches and pains were making themselves felt again. It didn’t help that he was stuffed into a car with five earth shifters itching for vengeance, and that his own beast was still edgy and lashing its figurative tail.

  He gritted his teeth and told himself that it was only for a few minutes.

  Right about the time he decided he either had to bust out of there or lose it, Beau stopped the car in front of the hotel, a concrete-and-glass edifice overlooking the Inner Harbor, and the six of them piled out. It was getting on lunchtime and the streets were crowded with a mix of tourists and office wo
rkers, but just as last night in Spanish Town, the crowd parted for them like water around a cluster of massive boulders. Even if you didn’t know they were fada, nobody was going to mess with five large, stony-eyed men.

  Luc sent one of the men with Beau to park the car, ordered the other two to follow with Tiago and headed up the wide marble steps with Marjani.

  She glanced over her shoulder at Tiago. “The meeting is on the second floor.”

  He nodded as the five of them entered the lobby. A large, well-dressed clerk appeared from behind the mahogany desk and planted himself in their path. “Pardon me, sirs, madam. How may I help you?”

  “You can’t,” Luc snapped. He gave the clerk a look that made him blink, and kept moving so that the man had to step aside or be bowled over.

  Marjani made a sound of exasperation and tugged Luc to a halt. “We’re here for the meeting in the Harborview Room,” she told the clerk. “I’m Lord Adric’s sister.”

  “Excellent,” the man said with a wary look at Luc. He did a double-take at Tiago’s face. “Go right ahead,” he said, and with an elegant bow took refuge behind his desk.

  “Damn it, Luc,” Marjani said as they mounted the stairs to the second floor, “how many times do I have to tell you to play nice?”

  “The human should know to stay out of my way.”

  She shook her head and Tiago grinned, even though it hurt his cut lip.

  As they reached the second floor, two earth fada sentries stepped forward, halting them. Beyond them, Tiago saw Artan standing shoulder to shoulder with Grady in front of a door that led to what he assumed was the meeting room, and a few feet away, two Rock Run tenentes, Ed and Davi. The sun fae males took in Tiago’s battered state but remained at their stations, but Ed and Davi rushed forward.

  Meanwhile, the earth fada sentries were greeting Marjani and Luc. “Marjani,” the taller one said with a sidelong look at Tiago, “Adric has men out looking for you.”

  She didn’t stiffen her spine or visibly raise her chin, but suddenly she was every inch the alpha’s second in command. “Does he? Then let me pass.”

  “Of course.” But he shot another look at Tiago, clearly wondering what a river fada was doing with his alpha’s sister—and why he looked as if he’d been in a brawl.