“Can I take you home?” Adonis asked softly.

Raven’s eyes widened. “I don’t even know your name,” she said, sensing Bo’s watchful stare on her back, feeling the heat of it penetrating inside like invisible fingers. His gaze sent waves of pleasure through her body.

She relished this taste of things to come.

He looked down at his feet. “I’m sorry, you’re right, that was rude. It’s Derrick. My name’s Derrick.”

Raven felt torn. It seemed to be the theme of her entire life: torn between one world and another, one man and another. She’d had other relationships, but Bo was always there in the back of her mind, like a song that refused to stop playing. She wanted stability in her life and, up until now, Bo had been far from stable. To her, Derrick felt grounded, dependable. Raven needed dependable-she craved it like the blood lust.

The wild times of her youth had passed, and now she longed for a life she could nestle into, perhaps even have children someday. Raven had always pictured that life with Bo in it. That would require great patience on her part. He would always be a proud shifter, and when the blood called out to him, he would long to run with the pack. Raven knew how he rejoiced in the feel of the wind gliding across his black fur, the sun beating down, warming the ground beneath him.

He loved the camaraderie of the pack-the same pack that included Bethany. She still had her sights set on raising a family with Bo as well, and she made that crystal clear.

“I’ve got my car,” Raven said. “I’m pretty tired.” Derrick was a tempting morsel of male sexuality.

Derrick smiled. “I’ll walk you to it.” When he put his hand on the small of her back, she felt a jolt. A snap of energy passed between them.

“Goodnight, Solaris, Boo.” Raven turned to look into Bo’s deep sable eyes. “I will see you later.”

“Later,” Bo replied.

As the two stepped outside, the frosty October winds blew across the Atlantic and harshly slapped their faces, a reminder that winter would soon be on its way to Mirabelle Cove, which was situated eight miles off the coast of Massachusetts. The night was clear and crisp with pinpoints of lights in the sky. Some of the trees that had shed their colorful leaves reached skeletal arms to the heavens as if attempting to pluck a few glittering jewels.

At night, one couldn’t appreciate the painted landscape Mother Nature provided this time of year. Once more, in the dark, everything looked grey.

Barn owls screeched in the distance, and kamikaze bats flew across the purple sky. Raven shivered. It wasn’t from the cold. Her hunger was awakening.

“I hope I can see you again. I would’ve wanted to spend more time with you tonight,” Derrick said as they braced themselves against the wind. They stood next to Raven’s car.

In heels, she was five feet seven inches, and Derrick still had at least six inches on her. The cold didn’t affect her much, though she could see Derrick shivering underneath his Irish knit sweater. Expensive taste.

“I’d like that, too,” she admitted to her new acquaintance. There was no doubt she was attracted to him. It had been too long since she’d lain in another man’s arms. It would serve Bo right if I left with this man, after all the times he’s picked up and disappeared.

But she knew in her heart she couldn’t do it.

Derrick shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “I know it’s none of my business, but I sensed something between you and the bartender, Bo.”

Hmm. She laughed. “You are psychic.” Her gaze darted away from his intense glare.

His head dipped down. “Am I wrong?” He leaned in as he rested his hands, warm despite the cold, on her shoulders.

Damn, I can’t do this. She wanted to kiss him. Tell him about Bo. Tell him he’s right. Her body raged with the lust for blood and sex. In the middle of the frosty October winds, she fought the attraction. The sound of his heartbeat pulsated in her head. His scent was intoxicating.

The desire would take over soon. She could see the rush of his blood coursing through his veins, almost taste it. She swallowed hard.

He must have sensed that.

Tell him. She whispered, “No…” His lips were on hers, and he pulled her into his embrace. Raven’s head throbbed as the hunger grew, and she kissed him back, pressing herself against him, feeling his desire. Her lips parted, and she tasted him fully before breaking contact.

“You’re gorgeous,” he murmured.

No. No. No. Get away. Go home.

The music from inside the bar pounded louder in her head as customers opened the back exit doors and raced to their cars, clutching one another against the cold.

“Let me take you home, Raven,” he pleaded.

A war raged inside her head. Go. No, stay. Take him. You want him.

Raven hated herself right then, but she couldn’t help herself. The hunger was winning over self-control. She kissed him, this time taking his hand and placing it between her legs where her desire pooled. He did the same, and she felt his erection through the blue denim. Her body flooded with warmth. Feels so good.

She silently cursed Bo for staying away so long.

A moan escaped Derrick’s lips as his other hand slid under her jacket and palmed her breast. She wished it was Bo’s hand, his lips.

Finally she spoke, her voice raw. “Shit! I can’t…I’m sorry.” She stepped back from him, her face burning, her gaze cast downward. Her thick lashes hid the change beneath them.

Her eyes always gave her away, turning from their natural smoky color to icy silver. Desire did that to her as the Lamai part of her took over.

He spoke softly. “I know what you are…who you are, and it’s all right. I want to…I need to…”

She turned her head away from him. “I-I can’t. I’m sorry,” she said. She willed her body to return to its human features. Her incisors, which had begun to lengthen, retracted.

He stood there in the cold, looking like a lost little boy.

I let this go too far. “I’m sorry,” she repeated.

Raven got into her car and watched as he headed back into the bar.

You’re such a tease, Raven. This time it was her inner voice scolding.

After a long day and even longer night, Bo entered Raven’s home. He was comforted by the familiar surroundings of her place. Seeing the little things she kept around like her favorite vase or scented candle helped center him.

He had seen too much horror for a man so young. For fifteen years, he’d worked in law enforcement and seen events that belonged in nightmares. And that didn’t include what he’d witnessed running with the pack.

Making a conscious effort to leave thoughts of death at the door Bo made his way down the hall, undressing as he went.

He slipped between the sheets in the early morning, his skin cold from the brisk winds outside. His arms wrapped protectively around Raven’s tiny waist from behind. “Tewahila…”

“I love you, too,” she murmured sleepily.

And then there were no words. He was ready to bring her to a place where few mortals ever traveled, lost in the passions only he could provide. Bo could be free with her, entirely uninhibited. She had no need to hide her inner nature from him. And he had no fear of losing himself with her. They could be exactly who and what they were with each other, passionate and sometimes violent. It was their nature.

His hands traveled up toward her breasts and cupped them gently. She felt the strength in his powerful muscles. Bo’s legs wrapped around her and his lips nipped at her neck. His wandering hand squeezed her buttocks as he ground his hips against her backside. A faint moan escaped her lips and she spread her legs to welcome him inside. She was visibly on the edge and couldn’t take much more foreplay, but he wanted to enjoy her first. She turned to face him, placing his hand between her legs.