Was there such a thing as coincidence, after all, or had there been some other hand at work here?
Cara had anticipated this meeting with her dream man and had vowed to pay him back for the sleepless nights. Now she wanted this moment to go on, and for time to stop with the two of them right here, near the water.
Eventually, she broke the silence. “Six days. I’ll stay here for six days and then I’ll go home.”
He said, “Are you worried about the moon being full right after that?”
Cara didn’t have to look up at the sky to know the exact position of the moon, and that it was half-full tonight. The pull of the moon on her system was a constant reminder of what it could do, and what she could become. She also felt the movement of the tides and the rhythm of the blood in her arteries.
She felt Rafe’s attention on her as if it was another touch.
“It wouldn’t be wise to stay any longer,” she said.
“What would happen if you did?”
He wore a serious expression that made his eyes gleam as he waited for her to explain herself.
“Unwanted guests might arrive,” she replied.
“We’ve had quite a few unwelcome visitors in the past and know what to do with them,” he told her. “Have no doubts about that.”
“These uninvited guests wouldn’t be any of your concern and are merely another part of my existence.”
“Are you talking about vampires and what happened to your parents here?”
“Among other things.”
He leaned toward her. “What would other creatures want if they did come?”
“The same thing you want,” she replied soberly.
“And that is?”
“Me.”
Her answer didn’t seem to surprise him. He didn’t feign ignorance or pretend to misunderstand her meaning. But he took in a breath and held it before speaking again.
“It’s natural, I suppose, that I’m interested in you. Wolf-to-wolf attraction has a heady allure, and being at the beach doesn’t help any, because moonlight on the water is romantic. Then there’s the fact that you’re exceptionally beautiful and half-naked. All of that can mess with a guy’s head. I’ll admit that it’s messing with mine.”
Ribbons of pleasure wound through Cara with an exotic flutter. No one had ever told her she was beautiful. She hadn’t really been sure how others perceived her looks. She’d never understood why other creatures wanted a piece of her, except for the vampires. Her mother had warned her about that. Having a Banshee’s spirit nestled inside her would allow her to lead bloodsuckers to their next meal by pointing out human weaknesses. If caught by them, she’d become a vampire’s dinner bell.
The heat caused by Rafe’s remarks left Cara uncertain about what might happen next, and what she should do. Her legs felt weak, and that was a first. Her stomach twisted as if the thing she housed had come alive. Rafe had an almost mystical allure for someone who had gone without companionship for most of her life.
They had reached the place where she had discarded her clothes, but he hadn’t noticed. Hadn’t he said he liked her half-naked?
“You haven’t seen a naked woman before?” she asked, noting how he stared at her as she started to take off his shirt.
“I’ve seen a few,” he replied. “But none quite like you.”
A shiver moved through her as she brought her head up and whirled around. A new feeling had invaded her senses, and it didn’t register as anything remotely like pleasure. It was an announcement that they had company. The kind she had warned Rafe about. Trouble was coming, and the wolf beside her was about to find out what her world could be like.
* * *
Rafe spun around, his senses on high alert. Cara was already on the move.
He caught up with her in four long strides as his cop reflexes kicked in and he stepped in front of Cara to block her way while he searched the beach and the sidewalk. She placed both of her hands on the center of his back and applied pressure to move him out of the way.
“Wait,” he said to her. “Just wait.”
He didn’t have his gun. Hell, he wasn’t wearing shoes. The shove Cara gave him sent him forward a few inches, but he rallied. Determined to do his job and protect her, Rafe hit a number on his cell phone to call his father and said to Cara, “What’s out here that I can’t see?”
“Fangs,” she replied.
“Fangs, as in vampires?” Could that be right? Had vampires found Cara already? How was that possible?
“One of them,” she said.
“Close by?”
“Very close.”
“How can I find it?” Rafe asked.
“Smell.”
He was supposed to smell a damn vampire when his lungs were filled with Cara’s rich scent?
“Describe the smell, Cara.”
“Dark earth, dirt and other things more difficult to define unless you’ve met with vampires before. They’re masters at masking those smells, which makes them hard to find if you were to go looking.”
“Can we get to the street, or another block down the beach?” Rafe asked.
When she didn’t answer him, he took her silence for a bad sign. Keeping his eyes trained for any movement in the distance, Rafe automatically reached for Cara’s hand. The surge of electricity that hit him when their skin met was a shock. But he couldn’t let it distract him from getting Cara out of there. Even if she had faced these creatures before, he had to guard her with his life. Or try to.
“Follow me,” he instructed, lacing her fingers with his and absorbing charge after charge of electricity that felt like nothing he had ever experienced.
Adrenaline took over. Cara didn’t protest when he pulled her forward. “Warn me if I’m heading for trouble,” he said.
She tugged at him hard enough to stop him after a few steps. Frustrated by this, Rafe turned to face her.
“It’s you,” she repeated, but with a different emphasis this time.
Her face came close to his. As she met his eyes, her wet hair brushed against his bare arms, causing alternating heat and chills. Cara, the hybrid shifter he was trying to protect, could adopt a vampire’s form if one were to appear on the beach, but the need to get her to safety was strong enough for him to override his fear of that happening.
“What is it, Cara?” he asked.
Her next words shook him up more than touching her had.
“You smell like them,” she said.
“What are you talking about?”
Cara didn’t honor him with a reply. She turned toward the dark remains of a hotel under renovation, taking him with her. That’s when Rafe saw what had attracted her attention. Someone was standing on the sidewalk in front of the hotel. Someone Rafe thought he knew.
“No way,” he muttered in surprise. But in the time between that remark and his next breath, the figure materialized beside them...and Rafe hadn’t seen anyone move.
Perfume. He smelled perfume, and it was familiar. Also familiar was the tangle of blond hair and the green shirt that did little to hide an exquisite body.
Holy hell...it was Brandi. She was a goddamn vampire?
Shock kept him from moving