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  Zero out of three wasn't acceptable.

  "So...did anyone else notice the way our new barmaid stared at Merrick?" Xerxes asked, his tone sly.

  Thane stiffened. The lead singer of Shame Spiral was a known heartbreaker. "Did she leave with him?"

  "No," Bjorn said. Voice just as sly as Xerxes's, he added, "Why? Would you be upset if she had?"

  Crossing his arms over his chest, Thane remained silent.

  Clearly trying not to smile, Xerxes said, "What's next on the agenda?" taking mercy on him.

  "The meeting with Zacharel." Their leader had sent a mental-o-gram this morning. My cloud. Ten. Do not be late.

  It was time for Thane to be punished for his most recent sins...or kicked out of the skies. A cold sweat broke out over his skin, and he fought to level his breathing. Can't be kicked out.

  "I must speak with Adrian before we go." And tell the male to never again invite Shame Spiral back. Their music had lost its appeal.

  He tasted something bitter on his tongue and frowned.

  "Will you be speaking to Adrian about the human girl?" Bjorn chuckled for the first time in weeks. "I saw the way you looked at her earlier."

  Xerxes snickered. "Everyone saw."

  "Do we need to settle this the old-fashioned way, boys?" Thane asked, one brow arched as he shook a fist in the air.

  "You mean break-dance fighting?" Bjorn asked.

  He nodded. "Exactly."

  Both males laughed, easing his dark mood.

  He moved into the private hallway guarded by three vampires he'd saved from human slayers centuries ago. Each nodded in acknowledgment as he stepped into an elevator built for large men with even larger wings.

  The doors shut, and the box descended with a slight shake. A few seconds later, he was striding across the lowest level of the club, snaking a corner, entering the bar. All customers were gone. The lights were no longer dimmed but shining brightly, illuminating the gilded mirrors on every wall, the dark leather chairs scattered about, and the high-gloss tables.

  Adrian the Frenzied, a berserker booted from his tribe for being too ferocious--as if there was truly such a thing--stood in the far corner, watching.... Thane followed the line of his fascinated gaze, and gritted his teeth. Watching the reflection of the new barmaid, who was in the process of wrapping a ruby choker around her neck and preening sweetly in a mirror. Multiple gold and silver bracelets clacked on her wrists, and diamonds winked from each of her fingers; she clearly liked the look of them.

  Like a little girl playing dress-up for the first time.

  Too adorable for words. An unfamiliar ache bloomed in his chest. Did Adrian feel something similar?

  He scowled. Perhaps there was such a thing as too ferocious. Because just then, Thane would have ripped the male's face off--with his bare hands.

  Who had given her such expensive pieces? An admirer? Merrick?

  He stalked in front of Adrian, blocking his view. "You will take Savy and Chanel to my suite to help the Harpy dress and find her way out," Thane snapped. Be calm. He's done nothing wrong. "But first tell me about the human's jewels."

  In a heartbeat of time, Adrian's expression changed from soft and amused to cold and hard. He found Thane's way of life deplorable, had never made a secret of it, and didn't like that the girl was on his radar.

  Well, Thane didn't want her on Adrian's radar. The berserker possessed unnatural strength and had to be careful with everyone he encountered. From him, even immortals had trouble surviving something as simple as a pat on the back.

  "The jewels," Thane prompted. If he mentioned Merrick...

  "Bellorie and Savy made a bet with the human," Adrian said. "If she could get more than ten dollars from a trio of Fae, she would win their tips for the evening. In only an hour, she got far more."

  She'd won a bet against two fierce competitors? Pride joined the ache in his chest, baffling him.

  Pride? Why pride?

  "She's wearing three months' worth of tips," he pointed out.

  Adrian lifted his wide shoulders in a shrug. "Patrons were extremely generous tonight."

  Why? Were males already trying to win the human's favors?

  The ache intensified.

  Adrian walked away.

  "The girls are in the opposite direction," Thane informed him.

  "I know. I must speak with Xerxes first."

  "About?"

  Adrian stopped, sighed. "He told me to inform him of any inappropriate advances made toward the human."

  Thane's blood flashed ice-cold in less than a second. "Inappropriate advances were made?"

  "In a sense. She was grabbed."

  His budding rage fed off the ache, both growing exponentially. "Where? How?"

  Adrian told him of the three Fae regulars who'd clasped her arm and sniffed her, then pushed her away.

  It was something the other barmaids endured every day. Something he had always overlooked and the girls had handled. Just then, he wanted to commit murder. "You will toss the trio over the edge of the cloud the next time they enter the bar."

  Surprise darkened Adrian's navy eyes. "You risk war with their families."

  "I have more stakes."

  "I don't think--"

  "This isn't a negotiation, Adrian. You have your orders."

  The berserker gave a stiff nod.

  No other employee would have dared to speak out of turn--or to delay the completion of his orders--but Adrian had more liberties than most, and they both knew it.

  After Thane and his boys had physically recovered from the worst horrors of their imprisonment, they'd returned to the demon dungeon and freed the other prisoners trapped inside. Adrian had been among them, captured soon after his family had cut him off.

  Thane stalked around the corner and came up behind the human. Her gaze met his in the glass, and she gasped, spinning to face him. She was prettier than he remembered. Prettier than a few hours ago, even. How was that possible?

  From her silky fall of dark hair, perfect for fisting, to her wide, gray eyes that held a mixture of awe and fear, to the Cupid's-bow lips he would have given anything to have wrapped around his shaft, to the freckles dotting her skin.

  How did she draw him in a way no one else ever had?

  Differing shades of pink infused her cheeks, each one lovely, utterly captivating.

  Would she look this way after climax?

  He bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. Calm. Control.

  "What's your name?" he barked more harshly than he'd intended.

  Panic flared in eyes that seemed to shadow with a thicker waft of smoke before she stared down at her feet, blocking her emotions. Her fear and panic actually doused his desire.

  "I'm Elin."

  E-lynn. Lovely. Delicate. Fitting. "And your last name," he said, consciously using a much gentler tone.

  She shifted several inches away. "Uh, well, it's Vale."

  Why the hesitation? Because she didn't want him to do any digging, find her family, and send her away?

  An excellent idea. Finally the madness would stop.

  Except, fury was like gasoline being poured over him, and dread was the match. Put her in the line of danger? No. Here, he could protect her. Here, he could watch over her the way she had watched over him at the Phoenix camp.

  He owed her. Yes, that was the reason he sought to protect her, when he'd never done the same for another.

  "Why did you help me?" he asked. "How did you help me?"

  She blinked, seemingly surprised at his questions. "You were trapped, like me, and I didn't like it. I thought we could save each other." She nibbled on her bottom lip. "I stole Frost from Kendra."

  "Frost?"

  "A new medication that combats the effects of poison like hers."

  He would have a supply of Frost delivered by the end of the day. "How did you manage to steal it?"

  "I snuck into Kendra's tent while she was sleeping. And just so you know, it was a one-time thi
ng. I won't steal anything from you, promise!"

  Was that what her unease was about? "I'm not worried."

  "Oh. Okay." Her shoulders sagged with relief.

  "You have nothing to fear from me. I'm grateful to you, Elin," he said. "What you did for me..."

  Her jaw dropped. "Uh, no sweat. Really. We're even."

  He wished she had asked for a boon. He wanted to give her something, anything. "How did you get the Fae to tip you so well?" he asked, changing the subject. He dusted a fingertip along the edge of the ruby choker.

  The flush returned to her cheeks, tantalizing him. My human is sensitive to touch.

  No. Not my human.

  "Not because I did to them what you supposedly did to the Harpy," she muttered.

  The bravery was welcome. The attitude, not so much. He ran his tongue over his teeth. Someone told her of his sexual preferences.

  That someone would die.

  Who was he kidding? Everyone had probably talked.

  The fact that she knows doesn't matter. You weren't going to seduce her. Her disgust is meaningless.

  True. But still it bothered him. "No one is allowed to question my choice of partners--or my actions."

  She met his gaze, unflinching. Her lids narrowed, her lashes almost fusing. "Gotcha. Won't happen again, sir." She gave him a jaunty salute.

  Was she...mocking him? "Besides, what do you know of such things, hmm?"

  "I know quite a bit about getting it on, thank you," she said, her tone prim. "But you're right. Who you do isn't any of my business."

  Who, she'd said. Not what. She didn't know the particulars. His relief was palpable.

  Living here, however, she would find out. And soon. Any ease she had with him would cease.

  But what did she mean, she knew quite a bit about "getting it on"?

  "Why did the Fae tip so well?" he repeated.

  Clearly uneasy, she shifted from one foot to the other. "Well...you see...it's like this. I told them that you...well, that you had a few extra stakes and the stingiest people at the bar were going to be extended an invitation to join the Phoenix on the lawn."

  He suddenly wanted to...grin? "You lied?"

  "Never!" She crossed her arms, now defiant. "After everything I've witnessed, there's a good chance I'm right."

  And now she won't back down. Fascinating.

  "The girls made more money than ever," Adrian called. He hadn't yet moved from his perch. "But I'm not sure we'll have customers tomorrow."

  Had Adrian taken Elin under his protection? Was he hoping to shield her? Even from Thane? Or did the male desire her, the way a normal man desired a woman?

  The thought settled Thane, even as it angered him. Another defender would ensure she remained safe. But another admirer would try to tempt her into bed...and that, Thane would not allow. She needed to be focused on her job.

  Yes. That was why.

  He would deal with Adrian in a minute.

  "Besides the Fae, has anyone given you any trouble?" Thane asked her.

  Silence reigned as she again nibbled on her plump bottom lip.

  Want to do that for myself. Want to nibble on other parts of her, too. No! He squared his shoulders, the feathers in his wings ruffling. "Elin?"

  She...was staring at his wings, he realized. Curious about them? Wondering how soft they were? Everyone did. He curbed the urge to proudly flare them, to show her just how long and strong they were. To preen and impress her. Instead, he drew one forward, closer to her.

  "Uh, you asked a question, I think," she said, watching the motion with wide eyes. "Yes. Yes, you did. And it was... Oh, yeah. For the most part, everyone has been really nice." As she spoke, she reached toward a patch of golden down. Just before contact, she swung both arms behind her back and kept them there.

  He frowned, not liking such a reaction from her. It was as if she'd suddenly found the thought of touching him repugnant. "Feel the wing."

  She vehemently shook her head. "No way."

  "This isn't a debate." He never debated. He ordered. And expected. Using the muscles in his back, he caused the end of a wing to shake ever closer to her. "Feel." A command.

  A command she did not heed. "Is this a trick?"

  Why would-- Ah. Realization dawned. She'd seen him break the dragon warrior's hand, and could only assume he would do the same to her.

  "No trick. You have my permission; the shifter did not. But you are not ever to touch another Sent One this way. Or any way. Not even Bjorn and Xerxes. Understand?"

  "Yep. Copy that." Still she didn't touch him.

  "I won't harm you, female. Feel," he demanded. "Now."

  "Why?" she insisted.

  Continuing to defy him. What a strange mix of bravery and fear she was.

  "Well," she prompted.

  Because he would discover his reaction to her was the same as his reaction to the Harpy in his bed--not that he'd allowed the Harpy to come into contact with his wings. As her skin had rubbed against his, he had remained distanced. Bored.

  "Do it," he replied, ignoring Elin's question.

  At long last, she obeyed.

  Not the same, he realized immediately.

  Trembling fingers stroked over his feathers in a single, innocent moment of communion, flooding him with sensations he'd never before experienced. Sultry heat arced through his wings, spread through his body. His blood crackled and fizzed with something akin to contentment. An impossible contentment. His shaft was filling, threatening to burst.

  This was pleasure, he realized, dazed. Pleasure without a hint of pain.

  His first true taste. Another impossibility. Yes? And yet, everything he'd felt before had been a weak dilution.

  No. Surely not. He had this wrong.

  He had to have this wrong.

  No woman would affect him so powerfully with so little.

  "Elin, you are human, yes?"

  The color he'd so admired in her cheeks drained, and she smoothed several errant strands of hair behind her ear with a shaky hand. "Yes. Of course."

  He tasted no lie.

  "Why?"

  "Doesn't matter," he grumbled. It was just her, then. She affected him.

  His gaze homed in on her hands. Six jagged scars crisscrossed over the tops, the raised flesh red and angry, clearly from recent wounds. They must have come courtesy of one of the Phoenix.

  Before he realized he'd moved, he took her by the wrists to bring her hands to the light. Not six scars, but eleven. Each was long and thick.

  Hands were sensitive, layered with nerves. Oh, how she must have suffered.

  "Who did this?" he demanded quietly.

  She tugged from his grip and once again snaked her arms behind her back. Embarrassed?

  He...mourned the loss of her warmth and softness.

  It was irritating. Confusing.

  And not to be tolerated.

  "Who?" he insisted, determined to mete out punishment. And he didn't miss the irony. He, of all people, had no right to condemn another for causing a female pain.

  She thought for a moment, shrugged. "It's not like I have any loyalty toward her. It was Kendra. After you brought her back to camp, but before she snuck out and returned with you."

  Vile witch. Tonight, he would administer like for like to the princess. "Why did she do it?"

  "I mouthed off."

  Well, then, after Thane sliced up Kendra's hands, he would cut off her ears. Perhaps growing a new pair would help her appreciate the gift of listening to others.

  It's almost time. Xerxes's voice drifted through his mind.

  "I must go," he said, "but when I return we will speak." And he would force--allow Elin to touch his wing again. He would realize she affected him as little as everyone else, that the first contact had been a deviation.

  She gazed up at him with dawning horror. "Speak about what?"

  He wasn't used to being questioned but opted to indulge her. Just because. "You."

  She backed away from h
im until her thighs hit the edge of the table. "Are you going to stake me?"

  He frowned. "No. I have more questions for you."

  "What kind of questions?"

  "The kind that will help me get to know you better. You are my employee, after all."

  "Oh." She released a heavy breath. "Okay, then."

  What, she'd expected him to attack her? "I have told you before, kulta, I'm not going to harm you. I'm going to take care of you."

  The admission startled her as much as it did him.

  Him? Take care of a female? Something that went far beyond mere protection.

  But even as it surprised him, it felt as natural as breathing.

  "What does kulta mean?" she asked.

  Honey. Baby. Darling. Precious. Any of those things. All of them. Take your pick.

  Little wonder he'd never used the endearment before. He wasn't sure why he'd used it now.

  He was the one to back away this time. Only, he didn't stop. As he strode from the room, he snapped, "Adrian, I don't recall telling you to wait before overseeing my orders. Go. Now."

  CHAPTER SIX

  FINALLY, ELIN COULD BREATHE.

  Thane's presence somehow sucked the oxygen out of her lungs. He was just so much...man. Big and hard, undeniably dangerous, he soaked the atmosphere with the fiercest testosterone, making every woman in his vicinity downright giddy with an intoxicating rush of hormones, endorphins and chemicals.

  Seriously. She'd wanted to have him for dinner. No crumb left behind.

  She imagined him spread out on a buffet table. If he were a food, he would be a Grade A fillet, marinated in a rich sweet-and-tangy sauce--and sprinkled with enough cayenne pepper to burn just right.

  No. No! Bad Elin. But...he'd looked at her with dark intent, only to touch her with tender kindness. He'd broken a man's wrist for grazing his wing, only to demand Elin caress it.

  He was a bundle of contradictions. But then, so was she, both frightened of him and attracted to him. An attraction that would only get her in trouble. He held her future in his strong, snap-her-neck-with-a-single-flick-of-his-wrist hands.

  Even still, there was no controlling her body's reactions to him. In his presence, wanton heat liquefied her bones. And her brain! She forgot who she was, who he was, saying "screw you" to the vast gulf between them and the danger he represented to her, focusing only on the things they could be doing to each other. Kissing, tasting. Licking. Touching. Stroking.

  Devouring.

  She shivered at the thought. Then she cursed.