“Of course not.”He flashed a lopsided grin.“I’m a shifter too.”
“Well.”I shrugged.“You never know how someone will respond when you sprout fur and fall on four legs.”
His eyes twinkled.“Same when you grow massive with wings and scales.”
I couldn’t hold back a grin.“Then I want to meet your dragon.”
“You will,” he assured me with a solid nod.“One night.”
I undressed slowly, not to seduce Darius, but because he appeared to drink in every inch of skin I exposed, and I liked the way his eyes felt on me.Once free of all clothing, I met his eyes once more, feeling a shade more vulnerable.That was odd—nudity didn’t bother me.But I sensed it had nothing to do with being nude and more to do with sharing more of myself with him.
Closing my eyes, I crouched lower and initiated the shift.Energy rolled through my muscles, reshaping them, and reforming bones.Black fur sprouted along my skin as I fell onto all fours.When I reopened my eyes, the forest sharpened into brilliant focus—every scent, every heartbeat amplified.I stretched in panther form, sleek muscles rippling under sunlight.
When I glanced at Darius, his eyes widened in wonder.“Beautiful,” he whispered.
I padded closer to him and rubbed my head against his thigh, marking him with my scent as I inhaled the spicy scent of his.He brushed his fingers over the top of my head, trailing them down my shoulder.
“So soft,” he murmured.“My magnificent black velvet panther.”
My panther purred at the praise, reveling in his touch.
We walked together down the path.My panther typically ran through the brush, but she prowled close to Darius.
I thought you wanted to hunt, I said.
She sniffed.I’m not leaving our mate.
Well, don’t blame me when you get the itch to prowl when we’re on the ship.
We continued to walk together through the forest, and the sense of just how right this felt unraveled me.The danger wasn’t just in losing him when he left the ship.It was in how much I wanted him to stay.
CHAPTERTEN
DARIUS
Back aboard the Moonlight Siren, Bria kissed my cheek before slipping down the corridor to prepare for her evening show.I watched her go until she disappeared from view, but her alluring feline scent lingered, drifting around me like smoke.
I headed back to my suite to take a shower.While the hot water slid down my body, I began to sing “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”My little songbird had gotten into my head, and here I was singing without a care, thinking about her, thinking aboutmebeing the shifter on stage with her, not that silly jaguar.It wasn’t jealousy—was it?He was clearly smitten with a dark-haired vampire, and Bria had been with me.Still, protectiveness grew when it came to her, and with it the primal claim—she wasmine.
The events of the day tumbled through my mind.From waking up with her in my arms, never feeling anything so right, to exploring the island with her.When she’d shifted into her sleek black panther form, she’d left me breathless.She was incredible.Every move exuded grace and power.And when she’d brushed up against me as if marking me as hers, hope flared inside me.
But when I remembered her toasting to “temporary pleasures,” those words knocked me off balance.
Only one thing to do—I had to win her heart.Convince her we were meant to be together.And why not?I just had to approach it like a business deal.That was the language I spoke and the game I knew how to play.Master the art of negotiation until we both felt we walked away winning.
And we would if she’d just give us a chance.
While I worked on my strategy to win Bria, I also had to focus on my initial goal.And that meant it was time to find Cedric.
* * *
I spottedhim and Marlene an hour later at an art auction.
“Welcome.”A witch with pink hair and a nametag reading Piper handed me a glass of champagne and a sign with a number.“Please feel free to look around and ask me questions.We’ll start the auction in about half an hour.”
“Thank you.”I accepted both and moved on, half-examining paintings while my awareness was on Cedric.
Several minutes later, I moved into his sphere and pretended to be interested in an abstract painting.
