Genevieve didn’t appear to care. She gracefully drifted down the steps with the strength of her magic. Her motions were smooth, but the magic that enveloped her was as lethal as a field full of axe murderers. “Admit it, Agnes. Your master wants Shah for himself.” She tilted her head, appearing simply inquisitive, but I could sense the challenge brewing beneath the gesture. “Or is it your grandmaster who desires the stone?”

Agnes flashed her a grin. “I don’t have to tell you anything, Glinda. Besides, if ever a head witch needed more power, it’s you. Face it, Genevieve, with so many inferior witches beneath you, neither you nor your coven holds the command it once did. My master, and our grandmaster? Now, their strength is unparalleled and will soon be unmatched. Such a shame you can’t say the same.” Her smile widened. “Such a shame you’ll never be as good as you once were.” She tossed her hair and hopped into her boat without another glance back. I wasn’t sure who was more pissed, the witches or Aric.

“Let’s go,” I told Aric.

His gaze skipped over my body before he turned back to Genevieve. “I take it you’ll handle it?”

Genevieve lifted her perfect brows. “Don’t I always?” She’d answered Aric, but kept her attention on Agnes as her boat pounded against the waves and into the moonlight. Genevieve’s expression appeared unaffected despite Agnes having kneed her in the magical groin. But I knew better. For all that Agnes said about Genevieve’s lack of power, Genevieve still had the goods to burn her to ash with just a bat of her long lashes.

Aric watched her, but said nothing more. Instead he took my hand and led me onto his borrowed Jet Ski. I wrapped my arms around his waist and kissed the spot between his shoulder blades, my gentle contact appearing to ease some of his tension. “Are my sisters safe?”

He scratched his chest. “Yes. Taran’s a little hostile, but otherwise safe.”

Taran…what was it that she’d done that bothered me? I wrinkled my brow, trying to think, only to have my concerns quickly fade. “What about the wolves and everyone else?”

His hands gripped the handlebars. “They’re fine. A few injuries here and there, but nothing fatal or that can’t heal. We didn’t lose any more….” He shook his head as if attempting to clear it, then said, “The crocodiles, or whatever the hell they were, morphed back into ferrets almost right after you and Dilip left. I’ve been looking for you since.”

I rubbed my face against his back. The contact was meant for me so I could take in more of his comforting scent, but my actions seemed to stir us both. “How did you find me?” I asked, my eyes taking in the vast ocean. “It’s not exactly a small area to cover.”

“Our bond as mates led me to you,” he said, his deep timbre acquiring more of an edge.

“Good,” I whispered against his skin. For whatever reason, my thoughts grew cloudy, but not my need for Aric. “Are we done for the night?” I asked, well aware of the purr to my tone.

Aric stilled. “Yes. We’re done.”

“So my room or yours?” I asked.

“Mine,” he said, growling softly.

With that, he started the motor and propelled us forward.

His fear for me kept his conversation short. I didn’t push and cuddled closer against him. The heat between us surged long before we returned to shore and back to his hotel room.

Chapter 12

Aric didn’t speak to me, even as we crossed the lobby of the luxury hotel he’d been assigned to. It didn’t bother me, especially with how close he remained at my side. I suspected his wolf needed to calm after fearing for my life, again. And after my experience in the club and my boat ride from hell with Dilip, the silence helped me focus solely on him, allowing his presence to soothe my tension and maybe rile something more.

My ultrahigh sandals continued to add more swing to my step, bringing me more attention than I needed or wanted.

Then again, all the eyes peering my way could have been trained on the damn dress and my exposed ass.

Aric’s scowl forced everyone to steer clear, as did his possessive claim to my waist. We stepped inside the elevator. The bellhop, well, he stepped out.

Aric kept his attention straight ahead. “That dress leaves little to the imagination,” he muttered.

I could hear the bite in his tone, but it did little to tame my response. My fingers trailed between my breasts. “You don’t like it? Hmm. I thought for sure you would.”

“Not when it jeopardizes your life,” he snapped. “The vamps shoved you in that thing and made you a damn prostitute. Anything could have happened to you.”

Okay. Maybe he was a little mad.

The doors parted with a ding on the tenth floor. Aric led me to his suite and unlocked it, allowing me to pass ahead of him. I strutted forward, giving him another full view of my bare backside. He may have been furious, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t distract him or make him feel something more….

He swore as I sashayed along the short hallway leading into the suite. He was fighting to hang on to his anger. But it was a fight I wanted him to lose. We’d been apart too long, and as far as our love life went…yeah, it needed to be recharged.

I turned when I reached the long row of glass doors leading out to the terrace. I flipped the switch that lowered the privacy screen and simply leaned against the wall, waiting for him to prowl forward.

His scent of water crashing over stones mixed with the aroma of his growing arousal, causing the points of my breasts to tighten and ache. My eyes sought his face. His sought my more intimate body parts.

Aric jerked his head up when he realized I was watching him watch me. He knew I was ready for him, but he stubbornly clung to anger.

He stopped a few feet from me. The muscles of his arms bulged as he crossed them over his massive chest and his brows furrowed deep. Damn, my mate did sexy brooding well.

He cleared his throat when he caught my smile. “Go wash that crap off your face. We need to talk,” he snarled at me. Or at least he tried to.

My smile widened. “I’ll make you a deal, wolf. First, I’ll go wash the crap off my face—like you so politely suggested—then we make hot passionate love together. We’ll talk later.” I shrugged. “If you still want to.”

His eyes widened briefly before glazing with desire. “Fine.”