Visions of him exiting the pub with a parade of women tramples through my head. My stomach lurches. I jackknife up and stumble from the bed, grabbing my middle as my heart lurches with pain.

  I can’t see that again. Ever. Being with Ronan so intimately last night, him touching me as if I was the only woman who matters… I fell more in love with him. Head over heels, if I’m honest.

  But I’m not his mate, and now that he’s added my notch to his bedpost, he’ll probably never touch me again.

  I have to get out of here. I can’t see him open his eyes and stare at me with indifference.

  Frantically grabbing my clothes, I shove them on. The sun is making a gray dent in the black sky, so it’s pitifully early. Still, I have no idea where I am. I have no car and no money for a taxi. Bloody disaster!

  Once dressed, I take a last regretful look at Ronan, try to lock away my feelings, then slip out of his bedroom.

  I emerge into a long, shadowy hallway. Immediately, it’s clear the stately house is old.

  A bit of weak gray light coming from the room beside Ronan’s draws my attention. Maybe a glimpse out the window will tell me where Ronan brought me.

  Inside, I find a masculine bedroom full of dark colors and bold lines with every modern convenience: flat screen telly, gaming console, and a new laptop.

  A glance outside has my eyes popping. Ronan doesn’t live in a mere flat or even a cushy suburban house but a bloody estate. The expansive grounds with their statues and gazebo alone prove that. Not only am I merely human, but I’m a barmaid who grew up on the docks and never attended uni. I don’t belong here.

  Ronan must have realized last night what my foolish heart refused to before now. We aren’t a match.

  Dreadful to realize that truth after falling helplessly in love.

  I whirl to leave so I can find my way back to my cramped London flat. Instead, I bump into a hard, naked chest. Based on the musky-pine scent, it’s not Ronan.

  Gasping, I glance up at the male face in the semidark room. Same shape, same intent gaze…but the golden hair tips me off.

  Raiden.

  “What are you doing here?” His voice cracks sharp as a whip.

  “Is this your bedroom? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to intrude.”

  “What are you doing in this house?”

  “Leaving, actually.” I try to dodge him.

  He grabs my arm. “Did Ronan bring you here?”

  Raiden’s brassed-off expression tells me he knows the answer, and he’s not pleased.

  “Isn’t this where he brings every stupid girl he shags?”

  Raiden pauses. “Yes.”

  I feared that, but hearing the truth still hurts. “I’m presuming all the others made their way out of this fancy maze. Care to tell me the secret?”

  Another hesitation. Then he snaps his fingers. The towel around his waist disappears, replaced in a blink by denim, a black jumper, and trainers. He sighs as he wraps his arm around my waist.

  “Don’t touch me! I may have been empty-headed enough to bed down with one of you, but that hardly makes me eager to shag you both.”

  He presses his lips together. “Keep your voice down. I can’t teleport you to your flat if I don’t have a firm grip on you. Otherwise, you could disintegrate into a million pieces, never to reform. Painless way to die, but what would become of the Brew?”

  Is he lying? I have no idea. But Ronan did hold me very tightly while bringing me here.

  “All right. Do what you must.”

  Raiden settles an arm around me again. “Ready?”

  No, but I need to go. Waking to realize that I mean no more to Ronan than any other woman bruised my fragile heart. Avoiding that ugly reality is impossible, but it will be easier after I’ve showered him away, cried, and processed my reckless rush into his bed.

  Still, something stupidly hopeful inside me doesn’t want to give up on Ronan.

  “Wait! Is it true that a wizard knows his mate after a taste and uses ritual words to attach his woman to him?”

  Raiden’s face closes up. “That is customary.”

  “Does that usually happen…right away?”

  “If you’re hoping Ronan will speak the Call to you, stop. My brother will never take a mate. I promise you that.”

  Someone waits at the pub’s door as I open for business that evening. Tall, large boots, a hulking shadow through the window. My stomach flips. Did Ronan come for me after all?

  Full of ridiculous hope, I fling open the door with a smile. It falls when I catch sight of Tynan. Quickly, I recover and paste on a welcoming expression. “Come on in.”

  “I’m sorry you’re not more pleased to see me.”

  I wish I was. Someday, I suspect Tynan will recover from Auropha’s horrific loss and devote his whole heart and soul to a lucky someone. On one level, I wouldn’t hate being that woman. He’ll never cheat, like Edward. He’ll never seduce another woman under my nose, like Ronan.

  But Tynan and I… There’s no spark. Besides, he’s still grieving, and I’ve lost interest in every male except Ronan.

  “It’s not you. I’m tired.”

  As I step back to admit him and flip my sign to Open, Tynan shuffles in and studies me. “Tired, is it? Did lack of sleep give you those whisker burns on your neck?”

  I flush hot and ignore his question. “You’re here early.”

  He accepts my change of subject with a wry smile. “Celebrating. Since I can’t tell anyone else, I’ll let you in on another secret. I shouldn’t say anything to a human, but my family won’t understand and I’m bursting to tell someone…”

  “You know me. Mum’s the word…”

  “Indeed. I discovered recently that a group of magical warriors has banded together to fight Mathias. They’re calling themselves the Doomsday Brethren, and one of the Council members, Bram Rion, is secretly helming the group. I bullied my way into joining last night.”

  “They didn’t want you?”

  “They assumed my loyalties lie with my grandfather, who is also a Council member, and that I would be opposed to Bram’s vigilante justice.”

  “So you blackmailed them?”

  He dishes me a grim smile. “Indeed. They’ll learn soon enough that I’m loyal to anyone determined to kill Mathias.”

  “It sounds dangerous, but I hope that brings you peace.” I squeeze his hands.

  When Tynan opens his mouth to reply, the bell above the door trills. In walks the biggest, baddest leather-clad man I’ve ever seen. He’s got long, midnight hair and a bad attitude. Black sunglasses shield his eyes, but it’s clear he’s zeroed in on Tynan. “You O’Shea?”

  Tynan shifts, putting me behind him. He looks braced for a fight. “What do you want?”

  The other man slouches with a practiced air I don’t believe for a second. “Shock Denzell.”

  “Denzell?” Tynan’s tone thickens with distrust. “You followed me here?”

  “I hear you don’t like me.”

  Tynan tenses. “I doubt you’re here because we won’t be best friends.”

  Shock crosses his arms over his massive chest, his smile dark. “You interested in playing the hero or do you have another agenda?”

  “Answering that question may be hazardous to my health. Despite the fact you’re supposedly one of the Doomsday Brethren, you Denzells have a long history of supporting Mathias.”

  The scary stranger raises a brow. “Verbal diarrhea in front of the human?”

  “She knows.”

  Denzell flicks his disapproving gaze my way before ignoring me like lint on his sleeve. “So you don’t trust me because of my family. Do you always blame a son for his father’s sins?”

  “Trying to convince me you’re not following family tradition?”

  “I’m a bitter disappointment to Mummy and Daddy.” His mouth twists. “Why do you want Mathias dead?”

  “Auropha MacKinnett was going to be my mate before Mathias raped and murdered her.”

  Shock didn’t seem at all surprised. “Bram can use more blokes like you. Good luck staying alive.”

  Is that a quip or a warning? I’m still trying to figure that out when Shock disappears—literally.

  I’ve seen a bit of magic, but to watch it, someone here then gone… Wicked.

  “Odd name, Shock,” I remark.

  “From an even odder family. Lots of rumors that he’s half vampire or infected with darklust. No one knows for certain, but everyone gives him a wide berth.”

  Half vampire? Darklust? I’m not entirely sure what all that means, and I’m not sure I want to. Magickind’s world is clearly complex, and maybe ignorance is bliss. Ronan shielded me from most of the details.

  Another indicator he doesn’t see you fitting in.

  “I don’t trust him.” Tynan cuts into my thoughts.

  Shock following Tynan here seems odd, as if Mr. Bad-to-the-Bone was sizing Tynan up, gauging his motives…

  “Watch yourself around that one.”

  “I will.” Then Tynan focuses on me with a concerned scowl. “But let’s discuss you. Dark circles, whisker burn, and a sad frown on that pretty face. Need I ask who put it there?”

  I blush. “No.”

  Tynan leans in, sniffs behind my ear, then he freezes. “I smell him all over you.”

  “I showered! Twice.”

  “He must have been very thorough.”

  Ronan definitely was. I look away, fearing Tynan can read every thought on my face.

  “Which would be all well and good, if you looked happy. What happened? Do I need to defend your honor like any good brother defending his sister?”

  The offer, even if delivered in jest, touches me. “No. I’ve nothing to blame but my own foolishness. I hoped he would discover that I’m his mate, but I was an idiot.”

  Tears sting my eyes, falling before I can stop them.

  Immediately, Tynan comes to my rescue, wrapping his arms around me. “Oh, little one. You love him?”

  I nod miserably. “He doesn’t feel the same.”

  Tynan holds me tight, kissing the top of my head as the bell rings again. This time, the door crashes against the wall.

  Ronan appears, filling the opening with a glare that promises violence before he takes in Tynan’s arms around me and slams the door with a growl. “Get your fucking hands off her, wizard. And come fight me like a man.”

  Chapter

  Five

  Ronan

  Slowly, Tynan pulls away from Kari. She clings to his biceps, her blue eyes wide. They’re red-rimmed, too. She’s been crying.

  I curse.

  “Don’t touch him!” Kari insists.

  Her words twist the knife in my gut. Has she had feelings for him all along?

  Beside her, Tynan wriggles loose with a smile. “You don’t have to protect me, little one.”

  Bloody bastard has an endearment for her? I want to rip the other wizard apart with my bare hands. Using magic wouldn’t be gory or satisfying enough.

  I take a menacing step closer, hate thundering through my veins. “You have no right to touch her.”

  “Nor do you. You issued no Call. She did not Bind to you. Until then…” Tynan pours petrol on the flames by kissing Kari’s cheek and stroking her hair.

  The wizard is messing with my mind. The sight of him touching Kari anywhere, in any way, drives me mad.

  And by Tynan’s smirk, he knows it. “I’ll be back.”

  Why? To put his hands on her? To drag her to his bed? Never.

  I charge Tynan, white-knuckled fists at my sides, ready to kill the bastard. But he disappears, leaving air in his wake.

  Bloody hell! When I catch up with the wanker…

  Still, the other wizard’s words ring in my head. As much as I hate it, he’s right. Kari isn’t mine. I didn’t Call to her. Unless I do, she can’t Bind to me.

  In fact, I woke alone this morning, painfully aware that Kari left without a word. She can spend tonight with another male if she chooses. And every other night. That thought alone unleashes an uncontrollable rage. Entering the Witch’s Brew and seeing her wrapped in Tynan’s arms only made it worse.

  I storm over to Kari, take her in my grip, and sniff. Thankfully, Tynan’s scent only drifts over her clothes before dissipating. So she hasn’t shared her body with him. Yet.

  “Why did you sneak out of my bed this morning?”

  She jerks away and crosses her arms over the sweet breasts I worshipped last night. The mere memory makes me hard, especially since I see my whisker burns abrading her delicate neck. And I still smell myself all over her. Tynan must have noticed.

  Then again, he may not care. Tynan’s magical signature—the aura around him—tells me he has not yet Called to a female. Does he find Kari as irresistible as I do? If he mated with her, would she accept?

  “You got what you wanted.” She raises her chin. “You shagged me, like you have every other woman. We both know that was it. I saw no reason to linger. I have a life here. Responsibilities.”

  “And another magical”—What was the human term?—“boyfriend?”

  “Don’t behave as if I matter to you. I know perfectly well that I don’t.”

  “What the bloody hell are you talking about?” I poured more of my time, attention, and pleasure onto that woman than any other. I woke up craving her. Until I set eyes on her again, I felt as if I was missing something as vital as an arm or a leg.

  Or maybe that was my heart.

  My brain instantly conjures visions of O’Shea divesting Kari of her clothes, pressing his lips to the sweet red bow of her mouth, holding her hips as he sinks deep inside her. My murderous rage returns, along with an even stronger urge to claim her.

  To Call to her.

  Foolishly, this morning I scoured my uncle’s magical reference books and read the ritual words. I’ve only heard them in passing since all other Wolvsey males intentionally forgot them. I did more than read those words; I memorized them. Something compelled me to.

  Calling myself every sort of idiot, I cradle Kari’s cheek in my hand, holding firm when she tries to pull away. “I don’t know what gave you the notion I don’t care. Nothing could be further from the truth.”

  She presses her lips together and closes her eyes, shutting me out. “Don’t. Raiden told me⁠—”

  “What?” I contemplate beating the hell out of my twin. “What did he tell you?”

  “The truth. I’m not special. You take every woman to your room, your bed, then shag them breathless.” She gives a bitter laugh. “The sheets seemed clean, thank goodness. But⁠—”

  “He lied! I have never taken a woman in my bed—until you. I never wanted any of them in my personal space, never wanted to picture them there. You… I had to have you there. I needed you.”

  Kari squeezes her eyes shut as tears roll down her face. Damn it, why won’t she believe me?

  “Raiden already explained. Please…just⁠—”

  “He told you shit!”

  Suddenly, Kari wrenches from me and dashes for the back room. I sprint after her. I can’t let her go, at least until I convince her I’m telling the truth. Then if she still wants me to leave her alone, I’ll respect her wishes, even if it rips my heart to shreds.

  Just before she disappears behind the door marked Employees Only, I snag her arm and spin her around. Her nose has gone red and tears track down her face. Still, she’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.

  My heart lurches at the thought that, in my pursuit to give Kari pleasure, I caused her pain.

  “What?” she snaps. “You wanted to shag me. I let you. It’s done.”

  “It’s not. You’re more than a shag. Far more.”

  She shakes her head. “So you came here tonight for what? To hear that I love you? Will your conquest be incomplete until you rip out my heart completely? Fine. I love you. I’ve loved you for the past six months, at least. Watching you disappear with woman after woman, knowing exactly what you were doing with them… I can’t take it anymore. You and your brother need to set up shop elsewhere. You’re no longer welcome.”

  She loves me? No instinct needed, just the simple emotion filling her heart. And she trusts it, believes it.

  Maybe magickind leans too much on instinct. I know what’s in my heart. After nearly a century of numbness, of living with an empty void between my ribs, everything has changed. Because of Kari.

  I love her, too.

  Deep in my chest where my heart lies, it now beats only for her. The thought of taking another woman to my bed no longer appeals. I want to fill every single one of her days and nights. I want her body and her heart to be mine—and mine alone. I want her to love me back for the rest of our days.

  Everything inside me screams to mate with her. Perhaps the curse was rubbish all along, propagated by ancestors who would rather shag their way to the grave than belong to any one woman. Or perhaps the curse wore off. Either way, as I stand here and lock eyes with the woman who changed me, I know I’m no longer like my sire, my uncles, or my twin. I want only one woman. Forever.

  “Kari—”

  “No.” Her voice trembles. “I’ll miss your friendship, and I don’t want to turn away your business. But I need time apart⁠—”

  “I can’t give it to you.” If “apart” means away from me, no.

  Wrapping my hand around her soft nape, I press my mouth to hers. She stiffens and gasps…before softening against me. Gently, I nudge my way past her lips and nearly drown in her sweet, addicting taste. I’ll never get enough of this, of her.

  I moan and grip her tighter.

  She breaks away. “Ronan⁠—”

  Goodbye is all over her face. I can’t stand it. I won’t last without this woman. I need her in my life, and I only know one way to ensure that.

  Giving into my urge is a relief.

  “Become a part of me, as I become a part of you. And ever after, I promise myself to thee. Each day we share, I will be honest, good, and true. If this you seek, heed my Call. From this moment on, there is no other for me but you.”

  There. I said it. And inside, I’m rejoicing.