Astrid was glad for the day to be over, at least the first part of it. As soon as the trainees were dismissed, she made a mad dash to her room. She had over an hour to get ready for her shift at The Vixen Den and gobble down dinner somewhere along the way.

Somehow, she made it to the subway, running into the car just as the doors were closing. It was packed, and she found a quiet corner in the back and leaned her head against the wall. This was the first time today she’d even had a chance to think, and the problem with that was once she started, it was like a floodgate opening, and her thoughts came back to that afternoon.

Her mind was still reeling, one moment wondering if that did really happen and that they had kissed, or was it her imagination? Because never in a million years would she thought she would be making out with Zac Vrost.

Well, more than making out. Her body was still buzzing from that orgasm. Oooh, boy. The memory of his substantial erection pressed up against her core made her shiver. If things had progressed any further, she was pretty sure she’d be walking funny for two weeks.

It had been too long; dating had never been a priority for her, and save for a few drunken fumbles over the past few years, her sex life was pathetically lacking. Maybe that was the reason she’d thrown herself at him. Maybe she should start putting herself out there again.

Her wolf growled at her, making her startle. Horny little bitch. Her animal reveled in Zac’s kisses and the way his body felt. Her animal side was partly to blame, as it whined with need when they were interrupted. Well, too bad. No way that was happening again. She just couldn’t do that to herself. Not again.

The PA system called out her stop, and Astrid pushed her way to the front of the car, hopping out and running up the stairs to the street. She ran all the way to the club, which was still two blocks away from the stop. She made it inside, fifteen minutes past the hour she was supposed to have clocked in.

“Yo, girly! Late again. You’re fired.”

Astrid sighed. Her father told her that the forgetting potion worked as expected, and no one who had witnessed her shifting or using her powers remembered any of it. Maybe she should have asked him to make Mr. G’s a little more potent so that he didn’t remember all those times she was late. “I’m sorry, Mr. G, I promise—”

“Hey, hey, I was kidding!” Mr. G took his cigar out of his mouth and chuckled. “You think I’m gonna fire one of my best bodyguards? You saved Petal. And besides, the girls would riot if I let you go. I owe ya one. Whatever you need, you ask, okay?”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Mr. G. Actually, would you mind if I bounced a little early tonight? My friend’s having this party and—”

“Sure! Just have one of the guys cover the backstage entrance, okay?”

“Thanks, Mr. G, you’re the best.” Now that she was sure she wasn’t going to be fired for being late, she slowed her pace as she made her way to the dressing room. When she entered, she saw most of the girls gathered together, talking quietly.

“Hey, ladies, I’m b—Petal?”

The crowd had parted in the middle to allow Astrid to walk over to Petal. When she saw the girl’s face—healing, but still bruised, she let out a soft cry. “Oh, Petal, I’m so sorry. This is my fault. I should have—”

“Your fault?” Petal stood up. “None of this is your fault, Astrid. This is all on me for being a damn fool.” She embraced Astrid and drew her close. “If anything, I’m still here because of you.”

Astrid felt the burn of the tears in her throat. The look of horror on Petal’s face that night was still fresh in her mind. Thank goodness she didn’t remember a thing. That was the reason Lycans had to conceal their true selves from the humans, but it didn’t seem fair. “I let him hurt you,” she said. “I should have—”

“Shush.” Petal put a finger to Astrid’s lips. “Maybe this is what I needed—no, I mean, really. For me to hit rock bottom and finally have the guts to put Leon’s sorry ass in jail. I’ll be testifying at his trial and making sure he’s put away.”

“I know a lawyer,” Astrid said. “He’s my cousin, and he’ll help you out. Anthony’s the best.” She made a mental note to call her cousin, Anthony, in the morning.

“You’ve done enough, Astrid.” Petal assured her. “I can’t let you—”

“Don’t even think about saying no. I’ll take care of it.” She frowned. “What are you doing here, by the way? Shouldn’t you be at home resting?”

“I can’t afford to be out of work,” Petal said. “So, Mr. G said if I can come in and keep the dressing rooms tidy, he’ll give me a paycheck until I’m ready to come back on stage.” She wrinkled her nose. “But, with all these slobs here, I hope I heal sooner rather than later!”

All the girls laughed, and Astrid couldn’t help but chuckle too. “That’s great, Petal, I’m glad. But if you need anything—”

“Girl, I’m fine.” She waved Astrid away. “Go and get to work before Mr. G chews you out again!”

“Yeah, we don’t want the man to have an aneurysm or something.” She waved to the girls before she headed to her locker to put her stuff away.

Astrid’s job was actually pretty boring. Mostly, she patrolled around the backstage area, checking in with the other security team members. Sometimes, if some very insistent customer tried to sneak in, she would call one of the burly bouncers out front using her walkie-talkie and the customer would be escorted out and banned from ever coming back. Mr. G ran a very tight ship; it was a business, after all, despite whatever went on in the front of the house.

She finished her rounds when she decided to swing by to the dressing rooms for her break. Once again, the girls were gathered together, chatting and gossiping, but this time, they all stopped when Astrid entered.

“Do I have something on my face?” Everyone remained silent. “What’s going on?”

“Just tell her, Rose,” Coco said.

“What’s going on?” Astrid turned to the petite redhead in the leather bustier. “Rose?”

“Well …” Rose hesitated. “This guy comes in and asks for a lap dance, right? So the boss calls me and I go into the room and he’s there. Fancy executive type, dressed in an expensive suit. But before I even start, he stops me, won’t even let me near him.” She shrugged. “I ask what’s his damage, and he says he doesn’t want a dance from me, but he gave me a couple hundred to go backstage and deliver a message. To you.”

“Me?” Astrid swallowed a gulp. “Who was it?”

“He didn’t tell me his name.” Rose shrugged her shoulders. “He just said, ‘Tell Astrid that fifteen minutes in the closet wouldn’t have been enough.’”

That dipstick jacker. What the hell was Zac doing here? “Is he still there?”

“Yeah. Room three.”

Her fury barely contained, she made her way to Room three. She threw the door open, and there, sitting on the red velvet couch, was Zac Vrost, looking entirely too pleased with himself when he saw her enter.

“You got my message?”

“Yes. And how. Dare. You!” She stomped over to him. “You can’t just come in here!”

“This is a place of business, right?” Zac looked up at her innocently. “And I’m a customer.”

“Fine, then I’ll call Rose and you can get your lap dance!” She turned to walk away, but Zac used his Lycan speed to get in front of her. “Get out of my way or—”

“Astrid, please.”

“Wasn’t I clear enough today?”

“Actually, you weren’t.” He straightened his shoulders. “Those things you said about not doing this to each other and knowing the drill didn’t make any sense. We’re adults, we can do what we want.”

Oh, why was he making this difficult? It was embarrassing enough as it is. She didn’t want to think about the past and what they were. “Zac, you and I move in different circles. You’re the Beta’s son, not to mention, your dad’s like a bajillionaire and your mom’s Cady Vrost, the most classy woman on the planet. You went to Harvard, then Oxford, and now you help run this huge company, not to mention, you’ll probably soon be second-in-command of the largest Lycan clan in the world.”

“So?”

“So? I’m just a fuckup nobody. I dropped out of college after one semester, and I’ve been drifting from job to job, year after year, pretending I’m an adult.” Reliving how much of a failure she was wasn’t really helping her confidence, but she was trying to make a point. “I finally find a job I like and I fuck that up too, and nearly expose our kind to the humans. I’m just no good for you, Zac.”

His expression turned dark. “First of all, you’re not a fuckup and if you say anything like that again, I swear I’m going to put you over my knee and spank you. Your parents are respected in the Lycan community, but even if they weren’t, I don’t give a shit about that. Second, it’s not like I’m asking you to marry me.”

She tried to ignore the sting of those words. “If you want a quick fuck, I told you, I’m not that kind of girl.”

“For God’s sake, Astrid.” He rubbed his palm down his face. “That’s not what I want.”

“Then what do you want?” She was getting frustrated. “Why did you kiss me?”

“I don’t know … I just … I had to.”

“Had to?”

“Well, why did you kiss me back?” he countered.

She didn’t have a comeback for that one. “Zac, I’m tired of going in circles with you. What will it take to make you go away?”

He was silent for a moment. “Kiss me again and then tell me you don’t want me.”

“Fine.” She reached up and pulled him down to give him a quick smack on the lips. “Now go.”

His eyes darkened. “You didn’t say you didn’t want me. And that’s not the kind of kiss I meant.”

Before she could protest, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her against him. Shock ran down her spine as his lips landed on hers in a fierce kiss. Her knees immediately went weak, and she lost all will to fight him off, despite the ringing alarm bells in her head. A hand moved up her ribcage to cup her breast, and she moaned into his mouth. She had no choice but to cling to him, as she surely would have melted into a puddle by now.

Zac maneuvered her around and walked her back against the wall, trapping her. Escape was the farthest thing from her mind, especially when all the pleasure centers in her brain seemed to have lit up like Christmas lights. She moved her hands down, feeling his hardened cock through his jeans, and this time it was his turn to moan and thrust his hips against her hand.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

Mr. G’s furious voice was like getting doused with a bucket of ice water, and Astrid quickly pushed Zac away. “I’m sorry! Shit, I’m—”

“You!” Mr. G pointed a meaty finger at Zac’s face. “She’s not one of the dancers. I sent you Rose. What the hell happened to her?”

“I can explain,” Astrid began. “I—”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Garavaggio.” Zac’s voice was cool and collected. He didn’t even flinch at Mr. G.’s accusatory glare. “It’s all my fault, I’m afraid.”

“You can’t be touching none of my staff, whether they’re dancers or part of the crew. We got rules here.”

“I know, sir. Again, my apologies for the misunderstanding. I thought Astrid had told you about me.”

“Oh, yeah?” Mr. G chomped on his cigar. “Who the hell are you?”

“I’m Astrid’s boyfriend. Zac Vrost.” He held his hand out.

“What?” Oh God, this is what going crazy felt like.

“Boyfriend, huh?” Mr. G looked Zac up and down.

“Yes, sir. It’s our anniversary tonight,” Zac explained. “But you know, Astrid’s such a hard worker and really cares so much about your girls, she didn’t want to take the night off. Especially after what happened last week. Poor girl, that Petal.”

Mr. G eyed Astrid. “Girly, if you wanted the night off, ya could have said so, instead of asking to bounce early.”

“Er, well. See, I didn’t need—”

“All right, all right, you twisted my arm.” Mr. G waved his hands dramatically. “Go on, girly, get your things and go have fun with your man.”

“But, Mr. G—”

“Ah, stop or you’ll give me agita! I ain’t letting you spend your anniversary with your handsome boyfriend here in the lap dance room,” the old man exclaimed. “Now go before I change my mind. Sheesh!” He shook his head as he pivoted on his heel. “Whaddaya got to do to give someone a night off around here?”

As soon as the door shut, Astrid’s gaze narrowed at Zac. “You did not just do that!”

“What?” he asked innocently. “Get you the night off?”

“No! Call yourself my … my …”

“Boyfriend? It got you out of trouble, right?”

“It got you out of trouble, mister!” She poked at his chest for emphasis, but he caught her hand. She ignored the sparks of electricity the contact of his skin sent along her fingers.

“Seeing as you are now free and clear, shall we head over to Blood Moon? Deedee’s waiting.”

“I’m not going.” She pulled her hand back and put her hands on her hips.

“Deedee’s your best friend,” Zac pointed out. “She’d be crushed if you didn’t show up tonight.”

“I—” She let out a frustrated sound. Deedee would never forgive her if she didn’t show up, plus she’d have to explain. “Fine. But I’m not going with you.” She ran out of the room before he could protest.

After gathering her things and changing out of her work clothes, Astrid left the building through the employee’s entrance in the back, hoping to avoid Zac altogether. She thought she was home free, but when she got to the end of the rear alley, a sleek black Porsche blocked her way.

The door swung open. “Get in,” Zac said from the driver’s side.

She narrowed her eyes at him. “If this is you trying to show me I’m wrong about how different we are, I’m afraid it’s having the exact opposite effect.”

“I know,” he said in an uncharacteristically cheerful manner. “Are you getting in or not?”

Astrid had two choices: slide over the hood of the sports car and escape or get in. “Fine.” She slid inside the car. “Oh God, these seats are amazing,” she sighed. They were buttery soft and luxurious.

“They’re heated, too.” He turned a dial on the dash.

She sank into the seat. “Oohhhh. I could live right here.” She gave him a smirk. “So, Mr. Vrost, is this how you get unsuspecting women into your car?”

“Only you, Ms. Jonasson,” he said with a devilish smile before turning his gaze back on the road. He had his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the muscles of his tattooed forearm flexing as he put the car into gear.

Astrid groaned inwardly. Jesus H. Christ, did everything the man do have to turn her on? Everything about Zac reminded her of this car—it screamed sex and was totally unattainable to her. Why she even let him manipulate her into this situation, she didn’t know. It was like all she had to do was smell his incredible scent and look into those sexy ice blue eyes, and she would do anything he wanted. Just the thought of him dominating her—

“Penny for your thoughts?” he said.

“I’m sure you could afford more.” She crossed her arms and turned away from him, instead, focusing her attention on the road.

In his sleek little car, they made it to their destination in no time. Blood Moon was a night club in midtown Manhattan, one that catered to Lycans and magical people. It was partly owned by the Alpha himself, and while they weren’t allowed to shift inside the club, many Lycans went there to mingle and socialize with their kind. Zac stopped the car in front of the entrance.

“Parking’s a bitch in midtown, so I guess I’ll see you later.” Or never. Astrid unbuckled her seatbelt. “Thanks for the ride.”

“They have valet—”

She didn’t let him finish, but instead hopped out of the car and dashed straight to the club entrance. She hastily gave the hostess her name, and as soon as she crossed the velvet ropes, headed straight for the doors that led to The Lounge in the back of the building.

Blood Moon’s ultra-plush VIP room was closed off from the main section of the club, and as the name implied, was a secret lounge area for the club’s most important guests. It was more calm inside, which was probably why Deedee decided to have her party here, despite hating night clubs. As she crossed the room, she said hello to a few people she recognized, but kept craning her neck, trying to look for Deedee. Finally, she spotted the guest of honor coming out of the bathrooms.

“I need a drink.” She grabbed her best friend’s arm and dragged her over to the bar. “Dirty martini,” she said to the bartender. “Extra martini. Extra olives. Extra alcohol.”

“What in the world—I thought you weren’t coming until later,” Deedee said.

“I thought so too. But I got the night off.” She trained her eyes on the bartender, watching as he prepared her drink. It barely landed on the bar before she picked it up and knocked it back.

“Then why are you drinking like your puppy died? Oh my God, Astrid, did you get fired again?”

“I’ll have you know, I only get fired from my jobs about 47 percent of the time.” She pushed the empty glass toward the bartender. “One more, please. And one for my friend. Thanks.”

“What in the world is going on then?” Deedee asked. “Are you upset about last night still?”

“Last night?” She wrinkled her brows together.

“You know. Isabelle.”

“Oh, her.” She’d actually forgotten about Isabelle.

“In case you were looking for the lovely Miss Anderson,” Deedee began, “her invitation might have gotten lost in the mail.”

Astrid’s jaw dropped. “You didn’t.”

Deedee feigned a sigh. “Oh, technology these days. Text messages could easily get lost in cyberspace.”

“You sneaky bitch.”

“Meh, I never liked her.” Deedee smirked. “Do you know when I told her I was going to school for archeology, she asked me if a Sagittarius would make a good boyfriend for a Leo?”

Astrid howled in laughter. “She didn’t.”

“Oh, yeah.”

“What did you say?”

“Well, I—”

“Hello ladies.”

Crap.

Zac sidled up to them. “Congratulations, Deedee.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“Thanks, Zac,” Deedee replied. “What are you doing here? I thought you said you couldn’t make it?”

“Wait, you weren’t even planning to be here?” Astrid asked, her voice rising.

“What can I say? You convinced me to come.” Zac’s gaze became heavy-lidded. “Plus, I know you enjoyed that ride I gave you.”

Heat crept up her cheeks and she knew he wasn’t talking about the Porsche. “I did not—”

“Zac!” Lucas grabbed his friend’s shoulder. “You made it. I told Adrianna you wouldn’t show up. C’mon!”

“I—” Zac tried to protest, but Lucas tugged him toward one of the couches where Adrianna and a few of their cousins and friends were waiting.

Astrid breathed a sigh of relief when Zac let Lucas drag him away.

“You convinced Zac to come?” Deedee raised a delicate brow at her. “Something you want to tell me?”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Somehow, I doubt it.” She grabbed her hand. “What’s going on with you and Zac? When you left last night, he tore after you like his life depended on it. Then, he came back inside, looking for you.”

“I don’t—”

“Spill, Miz Jonasson,” Deedee demanded.

“Fiddlefucker.” She took the two drinks the bartender put in front of them and gulped both down. “Zac and I … he kissed me.”

“He what?” Deedee looked at her in disbelief. “Where? When? How?”

“In the closet. This afternoon. With, er, his mouth?”

“Oh. My. Freaking. God.” Her eyes went wide. “You and Zac made—”

“Shush!” She covered Deedee’s mouth with her palm. “If I tell you the whole story, do you promise to keep your voice down?” The other girl nodded. “All right.” She took her hand away and proceeded to tell Dee the story about the broom closet and the private room at The Vixen Den.

“Holy Moly.” Deedee’s mouth was formed into a perfect O. “What are you going to do now?”

“I don’t know.” Astrid buried her face in her hands. “Avoid Zac for the next year or so?”

“Fat chance,” Deedee snorted. “While he may have this cool exterior, I know that when Zac wants something, he’s like a rabid dog. He’s not going to just let this go.”

“Then what should I do?”

“Don’t you like him back? Why did you make out with him twice today then?”

“I told you why. It’s just … he’s him and I’m me.” She chewed on her lip. “It’s just … impossible you know. Could you imagine what Cady Vrost would think? Her golden boy and me? Plus, Nick would shit a brick.”

“What? Cady and Nick are the nicest people in the world,” Deedee said. “Why would they think bad of you?”

“Well, you know …”

“I don’t.” Deedee crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re my best friend and I think you’re fabulous.”

Astrid gave her a weak smile. “Thanks. But we’re just from different worlds. And he’s way out of my league.”

“How very classist of you,” Dee snorted. “What are we—in the dark ages? Do you need to seek Nick Vrost’s approval for his son’s hand in marriage? Will you be bringing an appropriate dowry?”

“You don’t understand.” Of course she didn’t; being older than her and with her father’s close ties to the Alpha, plus being the daughter of the only billionaire dragon shifter in the world, Deedee had a certain standing in the community, just like Zac.

Astrid’s parents, on the other hand, didn’t hold any type of honor or title in the Lycan community. Her mother was basically Nick’s assistant and her father … well, she didn’t know what Daric did exactly, except that the Alpha would often send him away on errands.

“So, you don’t like him and you don’t want to be with him?” Deedee asked. “If that’s the case, then that’s different. Just tell him you don’t want him.”

For the second time that night, she couldn’t deny that she wanted him. She wanted to say it, but the words just wouldn’t form in her mouth. “I … look, I should get some fresh air.”

“Astrid—”

“You should see to your other guests.” She motioned to the group of people coming in. “I’ll be fine, I’ll chat with you later okay?” She walked away from the bar and headed out toward the stairwell that led to the rooftop deck. Since it was still wintertime, the area was closed, but she ignored the sign and went out anyway.

It was cold outside, even for a Lycan, and the wind made the temperature drop even further. She shivered visibly, mist forming in front of her when she breathed. She walked to the edge and peered down, watching the street below.

“What are you doing out here by yourself?”

Astrid froze, recognizing the voice. She whipped around and stood there, stunned, not sure if she was seeing things. “Cross?”

Her brother stood there, his face clear in the moonlight. “Hello, Astrid.”

“Cross!” she flung herself into his arms. She bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to cry. “I’ve missed you.”

His strong arms wrapped around her. “I’ve missed you too, Astrid." When she pulled away, he looked down at her with those blue-green eyes which reminded her so much of her dad. “Why are you crying?”

She wiped the tears from her cheeks. “It’s nothing. I mean, I’m just happy to see you. You’ve been away for months, and Dad won’t tell anyone where you’ve gone.”

“I’m sorry, Astrid,” he sighed. “It’s … I’m doing some important work.”

“Then why won’t Mom or Dad say anything?”

“It’s for your protection,” he said. “For everyone’s protection.”

“What are you doing here, then?” she asked. “Why show up now?”

He brushed away the remaining wetness on her cheeks. “I’ve finished part of my work. Plus, you know how insistent Deedee can get.”

Astrid chuckled. “Yes, I do.” She sucked in a breath. “You came back for her?”

“It’s not what you think,” Cross said. “I am back for many reasons.”

“But—”

“You’re cold,” he said suddenly. With a wave of his hand, a fur-lined cloak appeared around her shoulders.

“Oohhh.” She wrapped the cloak more firmly around her. “Thanks.” Like her, Cross had inherited some of their father’s powers. But, while she only got a portion of Daric’s magic, Cross received a majority of them, including the power of transmogrification, or changing the form of matter. It was one of the more difficult types of magic to master, as it required a lot of knowledge of materials and practice.

“Is that better?” he asked.

“Yes.” She hugged him again, smelling his familiar, comforting scent. “Well, I don’t care why you’re back. I’m just glad you are. And—”

“Get away from her.”

Both she and Cross went rigid.

“She’s mine,” Zac growled. “And I won’t let you—Cross?”

Her brother released her and turned around. “Zachary.” He stretched out to his full height, which was a good three or four inches more than Zac.

“Cross? Where did you come from? I didn’t see anyone come up here except Astrid,” Zac said.

“I was invited to this party,” he said. “And what do you mean when you said my sister was yours?”

Astrid could feel both their wolves now, snarling and staring each other down. “Cross, stop,” she said, tugging at her brother’s arm. “Please. We should go back and—”

The sound of an explosion cut her off and made all three of them stop dead. An ice-cold feeling gripped her, and it wasn’t the sub-zero temps. “The Lounge.”

Zac’s face darkened. “Astrid, stay here.” He looked at Cross, who nodded and grabbed Zac by the shoulders.

“Motherfu—No!” She reached out to grab onto her brother, but it was too late. They were gone. “Stupid, Cross!” Her brother had also inherited Daric’s ability to cross long distances and bring people along.

Well, if they think I’m going to stay here, then they’re both stupid.