Tempting the Dryad

by Rebecca Rivard

  He muttered an apology and levered himself off her, turning so his back was against the trunk, Alesia cuddled in his lap. He felt too satiated to move, and the beast was curled up inside him like a contented pup.

  She petted his chest, tangling her fingers in the wiry hair, tracing a finger around the Celtic knots encircling his left bicep. Gradually, their breathing returned to normal.

  Alesia traced a dark smudge on his lower ribcage. “That’s a nasty bruise. You’re not hurting?”

  “A little. Why don’t you kiss it and make it better?”

  She chuckled, a low, musical sound. “All right.” She swung a leg over his and straddled him.

  She started at his head and moved down, kissing each bruise with deliberate care: the gash on his eye, a scrape beneath his jaw. Then moving to his ribs and down to his thighs, ignoring his rapidly growing erection. She even found a bruise on his shin that he hadn’t known he had.

  On the way back, she stopped at his groin. Her mouth was so close he could feel her breath, hot and moist on his straining flesh.

  “Alesia,” he groaned. “Take me in your mouth. Now.”

  She cupped his balls and slanted him a look. Her golden-brown eyes had never looked so fey. “Is that an order?”

  “Yes. No. Whatever.” He’d been teased by some experienced women, but this one had him forgetting his own frigging name.

  She flicked her tongue out and sensation lashed through him.

  “Deus,” he groaned. “That’s it.”

  She wrapped her hand around the base, closed her mouth around him and moved leisurely up and down. Tonguing him. Sucking him. He shut his eyes so he could better enjoy it.

  Warm. Wet. Friction.

  His balls tightened and she hummed against his cock. She lifted her head. “I can feel you,” she said wonderingly. “Like you’re in me. When we were having sex, did you—?”

  “Yeah. It was wild.”

  “Wow.” She went to take him into her mouth again.

  “The hell with it,” he muttered, and grabbing her shoulders, pulled her back up and guided himself inside her.

  After the last time, he wouldn’t have thought it could get any better.

  But it could.

  And it did.

  EPILOGUE

  By the time Adric got home, it was almost midnight. He found Marjani in the kitchen, toying with a bowl of cereal.

  He scowled. It was way past dinnertime. She must be starving—and her cat needed meat to heal.

  “I’ll get you something to eat,” he said.

  She looked up at him. Her gaze was so flat it was like looking into the eyes of a corpse. “I’m not hungry.”

  “But you’ll eat.”

  She moved a shoulder. “Whatever you say.”

  He clenched his fists, helpless and hating it.

  “Shania and Kelvin are dead.” He’d texted her an update on his way to where Luc was holding them in Kelvin’s Sandtown den.

  “Are they?” She stirred the cereal. “How?”

  “Shani killed herself right before I arrived.” There’d been nothing Luc could do; she’d used her own quartz, turning its energy against herself before Luc could stop her. “And I took care of Kelvin.”

  Kelvin he’d executed himself after a long interrogation that hadn’t revealed anything Adric didn’t already know, other than that the night fae had apparently been helping from the sidelines—providing wards and magic dust that they’d used to hide in full sight.

  It had been a quick, clean death—not that Kelvin had deserved it after what he’d set Marjani up for. But Adric was alpha, and after what he’d seen during the Darktime, he was damned if he’d operate outside the bounds of justice.

  Kelvin had protected his co-conspirator until the end. Maybe he’d been incapable of giving the name up; Adric wasn’t the only person in the clan capable of working mind tricks.

  But Kelvin had let slip it was a man.

  “So that’s it?”

  He hesitated. “There was another man, but I don’t know for sure who it was.”

  Marjani glanced at him. Something sparked in their dull depths and he held his breath, but she just nodded and then went back to stirring her cereal, the spoon making slow, aimless circles.

  She knew as well as him that it was probably Corban. But there was no proof, and without proof, Adric couldn’t confront his cousin. Things were still too dicey. If it were anyone but Corban, he could just demand the truth. But Corban had his own following. If he refused to answer, there would be nothing Adric could do except kill him—and that could very well set off another civil war.

  Either way, Adric was fucked. In fact, he wouldn’t put it past his wily cousin to have engineered it that way.

  But he could take a leaf from Corban’s father’s own book, though, and send his cousin on an assignment to the other side of the world. The ice fae king, Sindre, had a job he wanted done.

  Leaving Marjani in the kitchen, he went to his bedroom and shut the door. He took out his cell phone and tapped Corban’s icon.

  His cousin’s handsome face came on the screen. “What’s up?”

  Like the sonuvabitch didn’t know.

  Adric kept his expression neutral. “Nothing I can’t handle. But that’s not why I called. Start packing—I have a job for you. You’re leaving for Delhi on the first flight tomorrow.”

  “Delhi?” Corban repeated incredulously. “Delhi, India?”

  “Yeah. Sindre’s got a rogue female that’s gone to ground in the mountains north of Delhi. We need a good tracker to find her.”

  Corban’s jaw clenched, but all he said was, “You’re the alpha.”

  Adric’s anger got the better of him for a moment. “Just see you fucking remember that.” Then he drew a breath and continued, “And Corban—you’re to go alone, and use an alias. Our employer doesn’t want this connected with him in anyway.” He explained that the ice fae king wanted the female captured unharmed, then said, “Say it, Corban. I want your oath that you’ll go alone and that you won’t return until you’ve delivered her to Sindre in Iceland.”

  “Like hell.”

  Adric just stared at him.

  The seconds ticked past, and then Corban exhaled and sullenly spoke the words binding him to see the job through to its finish.

  Adric gave a curt nod, and then forwarded the ice fae female’s photo to Corban before cutting the connection.

  With any luck, she’d lead his cousin on a merry chase for months—or even better, take him out, saving Adric the trouble. The woman had eluded three previous attempts to bring her in—and all of her pursuers were now dead.

  That settled, Adric ordered a couple of fat, juicy burgers from a nearby bar and made Marjani eat every bite of hers.

  When they were finished, he tried to urge her to get some sleep, but she shook her head. “I slept most of the day. I’ll just lie by the fire.”

  She went into the bathroom to get ready and when she came out she’d already shifted to her cougar. She padded past him into the living room.

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” he said, because he wasn’t about to leave her alone. Not when she was like this. She and Shania had been good friends. This had to hurt.

  He paid a visit to the bathroom himself and then joined her as his own cat. She was curled up on the rug in a tight ball, staring into the fake fire.

  He lay down next to her, offering her the comfort of touch. It was all he could think to do for her right now, but it must have helped because her body went lax and she fell asleep.

  He was too keyed up to join her, so he rested his head on his paws and stared into space. Two more gone. Three if you counted his cousin.

  Corban he’d never trusted, and even Shania he’d kept a wary eye on, but Kelvin had seemed happy to accept Adric as his alpha.

  How many others were there? Lord, he was sick unto death of trying to hold this fucking clan together. There were days he’d give his right arm to chuck it in and head
out West, roam the Rocky Mountains as a solitary.

  Marjani whimpered in her sleep, reminding him of why he stayed in Baltimore. And not just for Marjani, but for all the other members of the clan who counted on him to keep the peace.

  He nudged her and rumbled comfortingly, and she sighed and settled back down.

  Adric was suddenly exhausted. He put it all from his mind; he’d worry about it tomorrow.

  The last thing he thought of as his eyes shut was Rosana do Rio and that promise he’d extracted from Alesia.

  As a guest at her and Tiago’s mate ball—and an honored guest at that, because hell, he’d saved the woman’s life—Dion would have to let him dance with Rosana at least once.

  The corners of his mouth twitched up and then he fell asleep.

  The End

  * * *

  A Note from the Author

  THE FADA SHAPESHIFTER SERIES

  To the Reader:

  Can’t get enough of those sexy fada shapeshifters? If you’d like the series to continue, please consider leaving a review at the e-store where you purchased this novel. Reviews are more important than ever to authors. They help us improve our craft and guide other readers to our books.

  Other books by Rebecca Rivard

  SEDUCING THE SUN FAE: A Fada Novel, Book 1

  *2016 EPIC eBook Awards Finalist for Best Fantasy/Paranormal Romance*

  A Dark Shifter Alpha…

  Dion, alpha of a clan of river shapeshifters, has had enough. The sun fae queen has seduced many of his best warriors, leaving them fit for little but fishing and drinking wine, and draining life-energy from all his clan in the process. Then comes the final straw—she works her wiles on his youngest brother. It’s time to turn the tables on the shallow, pleasure-loving queen.

  A Jaded Fae Queen…

  Cleia is a two-hundred-year-old fae whose powerful glamour gets her any man she wants. But she’s bored. She wants something more—and all she knows is that the river fada men have it. So when she meets the big, untamed river fada, she decides she’s going to have him.

  She all but orders him to her bed.

  That’s just what Dion is counting on…

  SEDUCING THE SUN FAE A Fada Novel, Book 1

  Dion’s breath hitched. Damn, the sun fae queen was hot—and not just because she, like all her people, carried a touch of the sun’s radiance within her.

  No, her body was a feast for the senses: long and lithe, with nicely curved hips and breasts that would fill his hands perfectly—and he was a large man. The queen didn’t bother to conceal that taut, sexy body either. She was wearing a gauzy dress the color of ripe apricots, and as she and her entourage approached the stream where he lurked, the short skirt revealed flashes of smooth golden thighs.

  His whole body heated despite his hiding place in the cool stream.

  He scowled. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen Queen Cleia, but he’d been careful not to get too close, knowing the woman used her looks as a weapon. He’d steeled himself to fight her attraction; the sun fae were famous for their allure, and their queen’s beauty was legendary. Cleia didn’t disappoint: exotically tilted eyes, pouty red lips and hair a gleaming river of sunshine. But he hadn’t bargained on his immediate, intense response.

  The woman was pure, undiluted sex.

  The queen strolled past, close enough that he could have reached up and dragged her into the stream with him. It was late May, and already the weather hinted at the summer heat to come. She paused to cool herself by lifting her hair. The movement raised her breasts as well, the nipples pressing against the apricot gauze.

  He drew a slow breath, his gaze riveted on those tempting points, and she glanced in his direction. Quickly, he ducked beneath the surface so that she saw nothing but a shadowy undulation in the flowing stream.

  Not that she couldn’t have sensed him if she tried. He had a Gift for blending into the waters and wetlands that were his natural habitat, but a woman such as her, his equal in power, could penetrate the illusion if she wished. But she believed herself safe on the lush, flower-filled grounds of her sprawling compound as she strolled with her companions, a regal, copper-haired woman nearly as lovely as herself and a pair of glowering blond guards.

  The queen shrugged and turned back to her friend. Dion slipped between the cattails that edged the stream and lifted his head to watch her pass. Her scent filled his head, sweet and a bit tart, like a fresh-plucked orange.

  She was close…so close. Close enough for him to see the vulnerable curve where her hair had fallen forward over one shoulder, exposing her nape and the delicate pointed ear of a pureblood fae.

  His fingers flexed on the stream bed.

  Not yet.

  It would be easy to take her. He was a master of the quick, silent death. But it was too risky with her guards just steps away. If he was caught, his clan would be embroiled in a war, and weakened as they were, they just might lose.

  Besides, killing a woman didn’t sit right—even a heartless bitch like Cleia. No, he had a better idea.

  Keep reading SEDUCING THE SUN FAE! Amazon

  CLAIMING VALERIA: A Fada Novel, Book 2

  He wants a second chance…

  Rui do Mar has everything he’s ever wanted. He's the Rock Run clan's second and he’s found his mate, the sexy Portuguese shifter Valeria. But it all falls apart when he assassinates an innocent man, leaving the man’s young daughter an orphan. Sick at heart, he brings the girl home to Valeria and then leaves--for an entire year.

  But can she trust him with her heart?

  It was the hardest thing she's ever done, but Valeria has forged a new life for herself and her adopted daughter. She's even found a new man. Then Rock Run’s alpha is kidnapped by the sun fae and Rui steps in to reclaim his position as second. Now he’s determined to win back Valeria as well.

  A dark secret threatens them all…

  But Valeria's new man is hiding a dark Gift. Soon she and Rui are in a fight for not just their love but their lives, and that of the little girl they’ve both come to adore.

  The night fae lord materialized in the darkest corner of the alley.

  But Rui was expecting that. The night fae were creatures of the moon. You rarely saw one in the daylight, and even at dusk they sought the shadows.

  This man could’ve been the pattern from which his people were cut: tall and lean, with chalk-white skin, midnight hair and sharp features. And dressed in tight black jeans and a long duster even though Baltimore was in the middle of a heat wave.

  Rui’s lip curled. He didn’t like any fae, but he especially didn’t like the night fae. Still, a job was a job.

  He inclined his head. “Lord Tyrus.”

  “Do Mar?”

  “That’s me. Peace to you and yours.”

  Tyrus hesitated just long enough to be insulting before returning the ritual greeting. “Peace to you and yours.”

  Rui’s jaw tightened. But he hadn’t become Rock Run second by indulging his emotions. “You wanted to hire me?”

  Tyrus flicked his fingers and an image of a man appeared in Rui’s palm. “His name is Silver. He’s in Baltimore somewhere—my people have tracked him this far, but we can’t get a fix on him.”

  Rui studied the image. The man—Silver—had dark hair and pale skin, although it was clear he wasn’t a pureblood. His face was too broad, his eyes a muddy brown rarely found in a fae.

  “He’s a half-blood,” Tyrus said, confirming Rui’s guess. “His mother was human.” His voice held a sneer.

  “Anything I can use to scent him?”

  “I have a few strands of his hair. You can use it to do whatever it is you shifters do.” The sneer was more pronounced now. The fae looked down on anyone who wasn’t a pureblood, but they had a special disdain for the fada with their mix of human, fae and animal genes.

  Rui ignored the scorn. Tyrus might sneer at his animal genes, but that was why he was hiring a fada assassin. Rui wouldn’t be the hunter he was with
out his animal. And although hunting a man mainly involved old-fashioned legwork—questioning known associates, tracking him through credit cards and bank accounts—even a few strands of hair would make things easier, allowing him to track the man through his scent as well.

  He wasn’t sure why he asked the next question. He’d already talked it over with Dion, his alpha and best friend, and together, they’d decided to take the job. But something made him say, “What did he do?”

  The image in his hand dissolved.

  “The S.O.B. ripped me off,” Tyrus snarled. “He knows what that means. Now, do we have an agreement?”

  Rui stared back at him without speaking, his face expressionless, but he felt his eyes going night-glow gold, a sign his animal was aroused.

  Tyrus took a step back.

  Good. He might be the son of a fae prince, but he needed to remember whom he was dealing with. As clan second, Rui was answerable only to Dion. No one—especially some asshole pureblood from Virginia—spoke to him like that.

  The night fae gave an audible swallow. When he spoke again, his tone was more polite. “You don’t need to know what he stole. All I want you to do is send a message—no one steals from Lord Tyrus.”

  So Silver wasn’t going to be given a chance to make things right. Rui didn’t even blink. If he’d ever been squeamish about acting as a hit man for the fae, he’d long since made his peace with it. Hunger had a way of making a man hard-hearted, especially when his women and children were suffering, too.

  “All right.”

  “Then we’re agreed? You’ll take the job?”

  “Of course.” What did he care if the fae picked one another off?

  “Good.” Tyrus’s black eyes flickered with an unholy glee that raised the tiny hairs on Rui’s nape. Something was off here. But the night fae was tossing him a small black pouch. “That’s the deposit. You’ll get the spell when I confirm the kill.”

  Keep reading CLAIMING VALERIA! Amazon

  Coming soon: Books 4, 5 and 6, featuring Adric and the Baltimore Earth Fada.

  And look for “Lir’s Lady,” a sexy novelette about an Irish sun fae and her shapeshifter lover.