Adric's Heart

by Rebecca Rivard

  Only her family—and now Adric—knew about her Gift, and she intended to keep it that way. She’d heard the stories of her Irish Seer mother. People might have liked Ula Gallagan, but they’d been wary of her, too. Everyone said they’d like to know the future, but when it came right down to it, no one wanted to be told their own death was barreling down at them like a great white shark, cold-eyed and relentless.

  She turned a corner and stopped dead. She’d touched Adric without setting off her Sight. That was odd, especially after what had happened in December.

  But not unexpected. One thing she’d learned was the Sight was erratic. It came and went at its own whim.

  She continued walking until she reached the quarters she shared with Isa, her childhood nurse. Something else that had to change. She was too old to be living with her nurse, much as she loved the older woman. Everyone else her age had moved to the unmated warriors’ quarters.

  Easing open the door, she slipped off her boots and padded into the small sala.

  “Boa noite,” said a deep voice from the direction of Dion and Cleia’s apartment.

  Her alpha brother loomed in the doorway connecting their apartments, big hands gripping the doorjamb above him, his black hair loose around his shoulders, his only clothing a pair of cut-off sweats that bagged around his muscular thighs. Even fresh out of the bed, the man looked authoritative, in control.

  She stifled a sigh as she set down the boots and stripped off her jacket and gloves. Yep, she definitely had to get her own place.

  Dion was over one hundred turns of the sun, more like her dad than a brother. And like her papai, he’d been born and raised in Portugal with an old-world way of looking at things. He also had that whole alpha-protective-thing going on. He just didn’t understand that at twenty-two, his little chick was ready to spread her wings and fly. And if she fell, well, that would be on her, not him.

  “Olá, Dion. Sorry if I woke you up.” She spoke in Portuguese, the language the clan used at home. She dropped onto the couch to take off her socks.

  Dion sat next to her. “You didn’t wake me. The little one was fussing.”

  “Brisa?” Rosana stopped in the act of removing a sock. Fada didn’t often get sick, even the children. Their touch of fae blood fought off human viruses. “She okay?”

  Brisa was the one thing Rosana and Dion agreed on. The tiny girl had them both wrapped around her plump little finger.

  “She’s fine. Just teething. Cleia gave her a shot of healing energy, and she went right back to sleep.”

  “Bom. I hate it when she’s hurting.”

  Rosana pulled the sock the rest of the way off and wriggled her toes. Deus, she detested shoes, but even a shifter couldn’t walk barefoot around Baltimore.

  “Me, too.” He exhaled. “I feel so fucking powerless.”

  She blinked. Her big brother had admitted there was something he couldn’t fix? The man had balls of steel. Hell, he’d kidnapped the sun fae queen—one of the most powerful fae in the world—and not only had he survived, he’d mated the woman.

  “She’ll be fine.” She awkwardly patted his leg over the cut-offs, careful not to touch his bare skin. “Kids have to go through these things, you know.”

  “I know.” He gave her a lopsided smile. “I remember when you were teething—we all took turns walking with you at night.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Oh, yeah. You were the cutest thing, and usually all smiles. But when you weren’t happy, the whole family knew it.”

  She chuckled. “Sorry. At least Brisa has a mom who’s a healer.”

  “Sim. And a full belly.”

  Their eyes met, and she knew they were both recalling the years when the clan was poor and hungry, the children too thin, sickly. Rosana might have been a pup, but she hadn’t forgotten how hard Dion had worked to save the clan, even while their papai was still alpha.

  And then their parents had gone missing, and Dion had had to step in and raise both Rosana and their brother Tiago while also leading the search for Nisio and Ula. Then, when it became clear their parents had either died or been ensnared by the fae, he’d taken over as the new alpha.

  For the first time, she realized how hard it must have been on him. He’d become both a father and alpha, all within a few months.

  “Brisa’s a lucky girl,” Rosana said. “She has you and Cleia for parents.”

  “You really think so?” A strange, almost diffident look crossed his face.

  She gave an emphatic nod. “I know so.”

  “Obrigado.” Dion stifled a yawn.

  “No need to thank me. It’s the truth.” She made to stand up. “But I should let you get to bed.”

  “Sit.” A soft command.

  She sank back onto the couch, spine stiff.

  “You were in Baltimore.”

  She lifted her chin. “So?”

  “Davi was here earlier. He said you were talking to Lord Adric. That the two of you looked…involved.”

  Her jaw tightened. On the way home from Baltimore, she’d toyed with the idea of telling Dion straight out about her and Adric. Now she was glad she’d kept her mouth shut.

  “Davi should mind his own business.” He was an ambitious young tenente who was only interested in her because she was the alpha’s sister.

  “He didn’t have to tell me. I can smell Adric on you.”

  Her chin jutted. “So?”

  “Rosana.” Dion’s tone made her feel like a pup again. “The man’s a sneaky S.O.B. He wants Rock Run territory for his own clan. He tricked his way inside once—how do you know he’s not trying to do it again?”

  She stared down at her hands. They’d curled into fists. She straightened them out. She was not going to fight with Dion. He might have raised her from the time she was six, but she was an adult now.

  “That was years ago. When was the last time you had any problems with him?”

  “Doesn’t mean he isn’t planning something.” Dion’s mouth turned down. “The man doesn’t have control of his own clan. In the last year alone, he and that sister of his have taken out two of his cousins.”

  She gritted her teeth. Dion was so certain he knew Adric, and sure, he’d done some bad things in the past. But Adric had changed. She knew he had.

  “He’s doing the best he can. It’s not his fault he inherited a mess from that uncle of his. If he killed his cousins, then he had a good reason.”

  “And then there’s his uncle. He didn’t even have the balls to challenge him—Leron Savonett just disappeared. The man has no honor, and he wants Rock Run’s territory. Don’t forget Tiago. Adric played him like a fucking violin—and we almost lost the base because of it. The bastard will do anything to take me down, and you’re my sister.”

  “So he can’t want me for myself?” she asked evenly.

  A muscle ticked in Dion’s jaw. “That’s not what I meant. You’re a beautiful girl. You know that.”

  “I’m not a girl,” she said between tight lips. “I’m a woman.” Which was the whole problem. To Dion, she’d always be a girl, the little sister he’d raised from the time she was a pup.

  “Rosana…”

  She expelled a breath. “You were there for me after we lost Mama and Papai to King Sindre and the ice fae. I’ll never forget that. But you’re not my dad, Dion. Even if you were, I’m all grown up now. I love you, but you don’t get to tell me who I—”

  “And if he’s just using you?”

  The hurt nearly doubled her over. That the big brother she admired more than anyone in the world thought she was so stupid Adric could use her to harm the clan.

  She came to her feet. “We’re both tired. I’m going to forget you said that. Boa noite.”

  “Rosana. Damn it, I—”

  “No. Just…no.” She walked into her bedroom and shut the door. Calm and controlled.

  Then she fisted her hands, arched her back and let out a silent scream.

  3

  Adric tapped
his quartz against the door to Jace Jones’ den.

  He’d been up since dawn, too antsy to sleep. After making the reservation at the B&B in Lewes, he’d headed across town to see Marjani, who, along with her mate Fane, roomed with Jace now.

  The door opened—all the clan’s dens were keyed to his quartz—and he slipped inside. Jace wasn’t home. Another of Adric’s lieutenants, the jaguar shifter was spending the winter in Grace Harbor with his human mate, Evie, and her brother Kyler while Kyler finished his senior year of high school.

  Earth fada didn’t gather in one base like water fada. Instead, the clan lived in underground dens scattered throughout the city. Everyone was still in bed, the living room empty except for the orange tomcat stretched along the couch’s back. Tigger gave an ostentatious stretch—making sure Adric knew he’d interrupted his nap—and leapt to the floor. He butted his head against Adric’s calf, one dominant feline to another.

  Adric knelt to scratch Tigger behind the ears, his gaze taking in the homey clutter that spoke of the clan members who lived there. Jace, Evie, and Kyler when they were in town. Marjani and her mate, Fane Morningstar, an ice fae/human mix who was also Evie’s father. Rounding out the group were three unmated males: a dreadlocked cougar named Horace; a burly tiger named Sam; and Beau, a big, slow-talking bear.

  Sneakers and motorcycle boots were jumbled by the front door beneath the leather jackets and hoodies hanging from pegs on the wall. The couch was big and comfortable, and a sturdy coffee table held three empty beer bottles and a stack of cards. In the fireplace, chunks of amber quartz glowed cozily.

  It made Adric’s own den seem sterile. He frowned. Maybe he should invite someone to move into his sister’s old bedroom. His den was too quiet these days, the two bedrooms more space than an unmated man needed.

  But he was alpha. No one but his lieutenants and a few close friends were trusted with his address. And politics being what they were, he couldn’t invite someone to live with him without appearing to be favoring one faction over the other. The cats would object if he invited a wolf, and the wolves would get pissed off if he invited a cat. And that didn’t even take into account the dozen or so bears and deer. So for now, he lived alone.

  The kitchen was large, welcoming. Jace had inherited the den from his parents, who’d always had an open door. Stop by for a meal or a few days, it was all the same to them. They’d never turned anyone away, even during the Darktime when they’d barely had enough food for their own small family. The stout plank table could seat twelve people, and the counter was tiled in a light green ceramic that Adric remembered from when he was a cub. A wood block held knives of various sizes, and pots and skillets hung over the elderly gas stove.

  While he waited for Marjani, he boiled water for coffee. She would’ve heard the front door open, recognized his footsteps. Hell, she’d probably sensed him from a few blocks away. The two of them had grown up together, survived the Darktime and his uncle. She might be younger by a couple turns of the sun, but the two of them were more like twins, attuned to each other.

  Which was the real reason he hadn’t invited anyone else to take her room. He still hoped she’d move back in, even if it meant Fane came, too.

  Still, he understood why she’d moved out. She was newly mated, and Adric and Fane weren’t exactly good friends. The tall blond male was a little too slick, the kind of man who could charm your pants right off your ass. For his sister’s sake, Adric had accepted Fane into the clan, but that didn’t mean he trusted him.

  Adric took out the French press, filled it with ground coffee. As he plunged the press into the glass carafe, Marjani padded into the kitchen in an oversized T-shirt that hung loosely on her spare frame.

  “Ric. Whassup?” She smothered a yawn and stepped in for a hug.

  “Morning.” She’d gained weight, he noted with satisfaction, and stopped shaving her head. He gave her a hard squeeze and released her.

  She really was better. He owed Fane for that.

  Marjani got out two cups and he filled them with the coffee. She dosed both with half-and-half and handed one to him. “So. Why are you here?”

  He took a gulp of coffee. It was perfect. Creamy, with a dark bite.

  “I’m going to be out of town until late tomorrow.” Gods, he hated having to inform someone every time he made a fucking move, but he was alpha. He couldn’t just disappear for twenty-four hours.

  “’Kay. Where?”

  “Delaware. But unless the city catches fire, handle it. Anything else can wait until I get back.”

  “So this isn’t business.”

  “No.”

  “You going to tell me what it’s about?”

  “No.”

  “Does it have anything to do with the little convo you and Rosana do Rio had at the Full Moon last night?”

  He scowled. The clan grapevine had been working overtime. “And if it does?”

  Marjani had told him straight up that this yen he had for the Rock Run alpha’s little sister was insane. Hellfire, he knew that himself. But he couldn’t let it go. His cougar insisted Rosana was his mate, but that was insane. Adric couldn’t think of one single earth/water fada mating, anywhere.

  What would their cubs be, anyway? Catfish?

  “Because.” Marjani set a hand on his arm. “If she’s your mate, maybe you need to stop fighting it.”

  He almost choked on his coffee. He set down the cup. “Is this the same sister who’s always telling me to forget about Rosana? That it will only fuck things up for me and the clan?”

  Her dark eyes flickered. “I know, I know. It’s the wrong thing for the clan, and we both know it. But Adric, this thing I have with Fane—I couldn’t turn away from it if I tried. If either of us rejected the other, it would literally kill us both.”

  He wrapped his arms around her still-too-thin body. “That’s because you accepted the bond. I haven’t, and I never will. You know I can’t. I’m alpha, and there are still people who are unhappy with that. I can’t give them any more fuel for their fire.”

  She looped her arms around his waist and rested her head against his chest. “So you do feel the bond.”

  He stiffened. “No. Just the…possibility. And that’s all it’ll ever be. I promise.”

  “Oh, Ric. Don’t make promises like that. Because if something changes…” She shook her head against his shoulder. “I just want you to be happy. You deserve it, more than anybody.”

  He pulled back and grinned. “Well, I intend to get very happy tonight.”

  Marjani chuckled, like he’d meant her to—and the sound went straight to his heart. These last few years, there’d been times when he’d wondered if she’d ever laugh again.

  “Good.” She gave him a squeeze and released him. “And don’t worry, I’ll cover for you. For the next twenty-four hours, forget you’re alpha. Just be Ric.”

  4

  Rosana waited until breakfast was almost over before making her announcement.

  They were in the spacious cavern that served as the Rock Run Clan’s dining hall. It was the second breakfast shift—the fishers and marine workers were already out on the river or at the marina, their children in the creche. Now the warriors took their turn before heading off to their duties.

  Dion sat at the table’s head with her brother Tiago on the opposite end. Lucky her—Tiago had stopped by with his dryad mate, so she had not one, but two big brothers to deal with.

  Across from Rosana, Dion’s mate Cleia fed strawberries to little Brisa, back to her usual cheerful, high-energy self. On the bench next to Rosana, Tiago’s mate Alesia dug into a bowl of yogurt and berries. Perched beside her was Tiago’s otter friend Fausto, greedily downing a heaping plate of raw mussels.

  Rosana took a deep breath. “I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m going to the beach.” She spoke in English for Alesia’s benefit. The dryad only knew a smattering of Portuguese.

  “I have a couple of days off and…” Rosana trailed off as Dion
and Tiago turned identical frowns on her. The only two of her four brothers still at Rock Run, they could be scarily alike. Same wavy black hair tied back with a leather string. Same steel-blue eyes. Same disapproving scowls on their good-looking faces.

  Fausto paused in the act of cracking open a mussel to dart a glance at Rosana. He might not understand English, but he could detect the abrupt change in atmosphere.

  “Which beach?” Dion asked.

  She hitched a shoulder. “I don’t know. Somewhere on the Eastern Shore—Delaware, or maybe one of the Maryland beaches. I’ll be back by tomorrow night.”

  “You’re not going alone.” That was Tiago.

  She toyed with a piece of bread. She couldn’t lie to them. Fada could scent a lie, and besides, it would make her violently ill. It had something to do with their fae blood, even though it was just a trace.

  So instead, she went on the attack. “Look, I just want to get away, all right?”

  “Not alone.” Dion’s stern look was spoiled by his tiny daughter wriggling away from her mama and onto the floor.

  “Up, Papai.” Brisa patted his thigh, a sprite in a pink-and-yellow striped dress, her fine gold hair caught up in two pigtails, her eyes the same warm amber as Cleia’s.

  His hard face softened. “Of course, menina.” He cuddled her to his chest.

  “You’ll take a friend.” Tiago again. “Davi would be happy to—”

  “Deus.” Rosana glared at him. “What part of getting away don’t you understand? I’m going. Alone.”

  Most of the clan had cleared out by now, but those still in the dining hall glanced her way.

  “Dion.” Cleia spoke in her throaty voice. “It’s only one day.”

  The sun fae queen was blindingly beautiful, with large tip-tilted eyes, shoulder-length hair in shimmering shades of gold, silver and copper, and a fae’s pointed chin and ears. Rosana still wasn’t sure how her hardheaded oldest brother had won Cleia’s heart, but without the older woman to smooth things over, she just might’ve left the clan by now like her two middle brothers had.