Nic arced in and out of the waves, reveling in the slide of salt water over his skin. He had rudimentary wings and could fly in short spurts, but the ocean was his element.
A school of common dolphins scattered at his approach, chittering anxiously to each other. In this form, Nic measured twenty-five feet from nose to tail, and he had the teeth and claws to match.
Nic ignored them. He might be a half-savage dragon, but he drew the line at eating something as intelligent as him.
In the sky above, lightning flashed, followed by a crash of thunder. Rain slashed down, pelting his dark gold hide.
He dove beneath the waves. The ocean here reached depths as much as eight hundred feet, but he stopped a couple hundred feet down. Above him, the storm still raged, but this deep, the sound was muted, the black waters calm.
He glided through the midnight liquid, the premonition riding him like an itch that couldn’t be scratched, teasing at a part of him buried so deep, he could go weeks without thinking about it.
Trouble.
Cassidy O’Byrne.
Pain sliced through him, fresh as the day he’d left Ireland—and her. He gritted his teeth and bore it.
Then his spine prickled. His dragon was racing for the surface before his mind caught up.
Cassidy was here—and she was in danger.
Chapter 3
Cassidy knew where Nic was. She’d always known where he was—approximately, anyway.
The two of them shared a bond, even if Nic had blocked it from his side.
As she dove beneath the waves, she shifted to her bottlenose dolphin. The shift took longer than it should have, but she was exhausted from the last few weeks on the run. On edge and snatching sleep when she could. Eating less than she needed because her money was running out and her daughter came first.
Behind her, Rianna let out a gleeful yip and shifted. Tiny claws dug into Cassidy’s back. She focused on her own shift, wrenching herself with grim determination into her dolphin form.
Ah, that was better. She rose to the surface and the two of them sucked in another breath as the straps adjusted to Cassidy’s new shape, and then she jackknifed in the water and went deep.
She opened herself to the mate bond. It existed, whether Nic wanted it to, or not. Slender as a thread, but still alive.
Cassidy’s heart constricted at its beauty—a shimmering spiral of rainbow colors. With it came the familiar hurt that Nic could deny this beautiful thing between them. But the mate bond only came into full flower if both members of the pair accepted it—and Nic had refused.
Cassidy shoved the hurt back into the corner of her heart where it lived and turned in his direction. She swam hard, her powerful tail propelling her through the water.
Above them, lightning bolts lit up the sky. Cassidy kept swimming and prayed the bolts wouldn’t strike the surface near them.
But Nic was farther away than she’d realized, and Cassidy was weighted down by Rianna and the rucksack. They passed through the Channel Islands. Cassidy had expected to find Nic on one of the islands, but the bond tugged her onward.
She’d traveled another mile past Santa Cruz Island when a rogue wave scooped them up like a monster hand and slammed them back onto the surface.
Rianna whimpered, her excitement gone. She flopped limply in the straps on Cassidy’s back.
Cassidy had no choice but to shift back to human. She shrugged out of the rucksack and grabbed Rianna. “Hang onto my neck, baby.”
The rucksack sank out of sight as Rianna gamely obeyed. The little girl was dangerously exhausted. Her eyes closed and she shifted back to her human form.
Where the bloody hell was Nic anyway?
Anger twisted through Cassidy, followed by despair.
She should’ve stopped at Santa Cruz, but their pursuers were too close. They might not be able to travel in this storm, but tomorrow, they’d be after her and Rianna again. She needed Nic’s protection. Not for her, but for her daughter.
But pushing past the Channel Islands had been a mistake. They weren’t going to make it.
Rianna tightened her grip on Cassidy’s neck. She shook off her despair and somehow found the energy to keep swimming.
In their human forms, they had to stay closer to the surface. The waves battered them. Water fada didn’t feel the cold like humans, but they’d been in the ocean for over an hour now. Rianna started to shiver.
Cassidy enfolded her in her arms. “Hang on, baby. We’re almost there.”
She slid into unconsciousness—or maybe she was dreaming.
Because it had to be a dream when strong arms enfolded them and bore them to the surface, and a gruff voice said, “I’ve got you safe.”
Chapter 4
Nic set Cassidy and the girl on the dining hall floor and vaulted out of the water next to them.
The men threw down their cards and hurried toward him. Ben arrived first. He reached for the little girl, who even semi-conscious was holding onto Cassidy for dear life.
At Ben’s touch she roused. “Mam!” she cried. The fear in her voice made Nic’s heart wrench.
Cassidy muttered something and tightened her arms on the child.
Ben patted Cassidy’s shoulder and murmured in his deep voice, “It’s okay—I’m here to help. Give your daughter to me.”
“No,” Cassidy whispered, but her arms released.
Cassidy was a mother? Nic’s stomach sank, even though he had no right to be upset.
“Come here, little one.” Ben reached for the small, dark-haired girl. “I’m going to wrap you in a warm blanket. How does that sound?”
The kid’s eyes were big and alarmed, but she didn’t protest as Ben eased her from her mother’s arms and cradled her against his big chest.
Nic picked up Cassidy again as Marlin stepped forward with two wool blankets. He wrapped one around the girl while Joe tucked the other one around Cassidy.
“My room,” Nic said. “They can use my bed.”
He’d claimed a spacious cavern a little way off the dining hall as his quarters. Split into two rooms—a living room and a bedroom—it was big enough for his dragon, although he rarely shifted inside. One end of the bedroom dipped to form a saltwater pool with a tunnel to the Pacific, serving as both a private bathing place and an escape route.
Thank the gods he’d furnished the place. He’d rented a boat and brought over a couple of futons—a king-size futon for him to sleep on, and another that served as a couch in the outer room. His dragon could spew lava, and he’d used it to form a couple of stools, a nightstand, and shelves to store his few belongings.
Joe pulled down the covers on the king-size futon and Nic set Cassidy onto the mattress. Ben placed the girl next to Cassidy, and she wrapped her thin arms and legs around her mother like a monkey. Her breath sighed out.
Nic tucked the sheet and another thick wool blanket around both of them, and then stared hungrily down at Cassidy.
She was different. Too thin, with her fine red hair cut so short he could see the shape of her skull. She had dark smudges beneath her eyes and a bruise marring one creamy cheek. A narrow foot peeked out from beneath the covers. He frowned at the wicked wound on her right calf. That starburst shape had been seared into her skin by a fae ball.
What in Deus’s name was going on?
But it was Cassidy, the woman who haunted his dreams…and a small girl.
He turned his gaze on the pup. As her hair dried, it formed dark corkscrews around her piquant little face. She had olive skin, a pert nose and a round chin. She whimpered and pursed her rosebud lips in a worried frown that did funny things to his heart. No child should be so anxious that even in sleep they couldn’t relax.
Turning back to Cassidy, he stroked the backs of his fingers down her cheek. He couldn’t believe she was really here, that this wasn’t a figment of his imagination.
He scowled at how chilled her skin was. A water fada’s metabolism ran cool, but Cassidy felt like ice.
“She’s too cold,” he gritted. He grabbed another blanket and tucked it around the two of them.
“I’m on it.” Marlin entered with the portable fire pit they used for cooking and set it up near the futon. Joe added a couple of logs, and then the two men stepped back.
Nic shifted just enough to shoot a stream of fire at the logs. They burst into flame.
Marlin’s mouth quirked. “Damn, that’s handy.” He set the mesh lid over the metal pit and dragged it closer to the futon.
Joe noticed first. His nostrils flared as he used the incredible sense of smell he’d inherited along with his shark genes. “She’s your mate,” he said in his flat voice.
“Not claimed,” Nic returned.
But the possibility was there. That one night, when he’d said the hell with it and loved Cassidy all night long, they’d both felt the connection.
His gaze kept going to the dark-haired pup.
It wasn’t possible. The fada rarely had children outside the mate bond.
Marlin stepped closer and drew a deep breath. He gave Nic a quizzical look. “You didn’t know?”
“That she’s my mate?”
“Not her. The girl.”
“What do you mean?” Nic asked without taking his eyes from the two females.
“She’s yours,” Marlin said.
Nic’s lungs seized. He shook his head slowly from side to side as the truth crashed in on him. Every single one of them scented it. The girl was his daughter by Cassidy.
“No,” he managed to say. “I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true,” Joe said.
“The woman didn’t tell you?” Marlin’s tone held disapproval.
“No.” He scraped his fingers through his wavy brown hair—hair that the tiny person snuggled up to Cassidy shared. When he’d last seen Cassidy, her hair had been long and red and waterfall straight. “But that’s my fault, not hers. I didn’t stay around long enough for her to tell me.”
“What’s her name?” asked Marlin.
“Cassidy. She’s a sea fada from Ireland—the Shannon Clan.”
His friend whistled. “They’re a long way from home.”
“I know.” Nic shook his head. “I don’t even know how in Hades she found me.”
“Through the mate bond,” said Ben.
Nic’s hand went to his chest. He’d thought he’d shut down the bond, but now it twanged as if to call him a fool.
Marlin stepped forward to scrutinize Cassidy. Nic was moving before he realized it, elbowing his way between Marlin and the bed. “Stay away from her.”
He might not have mate-claimed Cassidy, but his dragon wouldn’t tolerate another male touching her.
“Hey, no problem.” Marlin backed off. “But you should check her for injuries.”
Nic was no healer, but he had a small Gift—enough to detect anything major, like broken limbs or internal bleeding—and to boost healing. If Cassidy had been able to swim from the mainland, she was probably okay, just exhausted.
He pulled on a pair of shorts and ran his hands over her. As he’d thought, Cassidy was fine, just at the end of her resources. He sent a pulse of healing energy into her chest where it would do the most good, starting with her heart and lungs and then spreading to the rest of her body.
“She’s worn out and half-starved, but okay otherwise.” He frowned.
Why was Cassidy so thin? The Shannon Sea Fada were one of the largest and richest water fada clans in the world, and all shifters cared for their women and children. The males and older females would’ve gone hungry themselves before letting a mother with a young pup go without.
Marlin leaned in again, and Nic snarled. “I’ve got this.”
His friend smirked. “You’re fucked, man.”
The kid chose that moment to open her eyes. Her small mouth trembled at the sight of the four strange men standing in a circle around the futon, staring down at her.
“It’s okay,” Nic hastened to say. “You’re safe.”
Big green eyes widened. She stuck her thumb in her mouth and sucked hard as she shook her head, tears leaking down her cheeks.
“Hell,” Nic said, but that only made her cry harder. He patted her back helplessly. “It’s okay, little one. Don’t cry.”
Marlin and Joe looked as uncomfortable as him, but Ben said, “Maybe she’s hungry.”
“Is that it, querida?” Nic slipped for a moment into his native Portuguese. “Do you want something to eat?”
A vigorous nod. “I’m hungry,” she said around the thumb.
“I’ll get her something.” Ben slipped out of the room.
The kid gave another sniff and rubbed her eyes with her fists, but mercifully, she’d stopped crying. Sitting up, she touched Cassidy’s shoulder.
“Is Mam okay?” she asked in an adorable Irish accent.
“She’ll be fine,” Nic replied. “She’s just sleeping.”
She turned her big eyes on him. “The bad fae won’t get me?”
Nic’s heart squeezed. He exchanged glances with Marlin and Joe. What the fuck was going on?
“No, sweetheart,” he said. “No one is going to get you. I promise.”
Her eyes narrowed. “You sure?”
“Yes. When I make a promise, I keep it.”
“Mam, too?”
Nic realized she was asking if he’d keep Cassidy safe, too. His chest tightened even more. “Of course,” he said around the grapefruit-sized lump in his throat.
Ben returned with a metal plate heaped with leftover fish, a skillet biscuit and a sliced apple. He set the plate on the little girl’s lap. “What’s your name, honey-bear?”
She looked from the food to Ben, and decided to trust him. “Rianna.”
“Rianna,” the big Navajo repeated. “That’s pretty.”
“Thanks.” She popped a piece of the fish into her mouth. The four of them watched while she demolished first the fish and the biscuit, and then started in on the apple slices.
Ben chuckled. “You were hungry. Do you want any more?”
“No, thank you.” She popped the last apple slice into her mouth and handed him the plate.
“Would you like some water?” Nic asked.
She shook her head. “Milk, please.”
“I’m sorry, but we don’t have any milk. Here.” He handed her the glass of water that Joe had produced. “Drink this.”
She crinkled her nose but drained it.
With the females warm and safe for now, Nic turned to the others. “Cassidy had a backpack. I’m going to get it.”
They nodded. He was the only one who could retrieve it. The ocean out here was too deep for Marlin and Joe’s animals, and Ben was a cougar.
Rianna’s small face screwed up again. “No. Stay with me and Mam.” She patted the mattress.
“It will just take a few minutes.”
His daughter’s mouth set. She shook her head.
With a shrug, Nic sat next to her. She crawled onto his lap and he froze. It had been so long since he’d held a child. He’d been on this island for over three years, leaving only occasionally to work one of the fishing boats based in Ventura. When he had enough cash for staples, he retreated to his sea cavern hideaway.
His dragon craved the solitude.
But this wasn’t any child. This was his daughter.
It didn’t seem possible, but it was.
Rianna laid her head against his bare chest and put her thumb back in her mouth. Slowly, carefully, he lifted a hand to stroke her curls. They were still damp and stiff from the salt water. He should rinse her off, but he was afraid that if he took her from Cassidy, she’d start crying again.
Rianna’s breath sighed out and her body went limp. She’d fallen asleep.
In that moment, Nic tumbled head over heels in love with her. He gathered her closer and blinked tears away. He looked up at his men, unashamed.
“She’s beautiful, bro,” said Marlin.
“She is.” His chest
was hollow with love—and fear. “What in the name of Deus am I going to do with them?”
Cassidy’s eyes flew open. She struggled up on her forearms, alarmed.
“You don’t have to do…anything,” she rasped. “We just need…somewhere to hide…for a few weeks, and then…we’ll be gone.”
Chapter 5
Cassidy fought her way to consciousness. Rianna—she had to save Rianna.
Her hand touched a small foot. She closed her fingers around it as she struggled to wake the rest of the way up.
She was in a bed, and Rianna was next to her. And Nic.
Thank the Goddess. Nic had found them. They were safe for now.
Then Nic asked what he was going to do with them.
No.
Alarm made her force open her eyelids.
Nic wasn’t going to take over—they just needed somewhere to hide. She told him so, her voice hoarse from swallowing seawater.
“Cassidy.” Nic met her eyes over Rianna’s curly head. “Take it easy. You’re both safe.”
Tears leaked from her eyes. She’d been running for so long. Even now, she knew they weren’t safe. Still, maybe, just maybe, they had a fighting chance.
She knuckled the tears away. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Nic’s brow furrowed, but before he could act, a big, square-faced man with a long black braid moved into view. “Shh. Don’t try to talk.” He held out a metal cup of water.
She struggled to sit up, the sheet clutched to her bare chest. Besides Nic and the big man, two other men were in the room, standing at the foot of the bed, eyeing her with varying degrees of suspicion.
The big man held the cup to her lips and she gulped the water down. It was heaven—cool and fresh, soothing to her scratchy throat.
“Here.” He refilled the cup from a canteen, and she drank that down, too.
“More?” he asked, and she shook her head.
“No, thank you.” Her gaze went to the quartz around his neck. “You’re an earth fada?” She couldn’t keep the surprise out of her voice. Water and earth fada were natural enemies.
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