Drake leaned against the mantel, watching as Tansy leafed through the pile of security job applications on his desk.

“Maybe,” she muttered, placing a sheet of paper on a small stack. Her nose crinkled as she lifted the next application. “Definitely not,” she pronounced, tossing it in the trash.

The huge ruby solitaire on her left ring finger glittered under the chandelier. Immense pride and satisfaction washed through him. His eyes drifted to the lighted glass cabinet where the Heart of Courage ruby glowed in its usual place. After much banter, they’d finally reached a compromise. Tansy wouldn’t accept the huge gem, but she’d consented to an engagement ring forged from one of the ruby’s facets.

“Ah, here’s a good one,” she said, waving an application in the air. “Come take a look and see what you think.”

If she thought the candidate was deserving, that was good enough for him, but he walked over and made a show of glancing through the man’s credentials . . . wait, what?

Tansy quirked a brow. “Surely you don’t have a problem that she’s female?”

“No, of course not. We’ll invite her in for an interview.” He returned the application to Tansy and their fingers brushed, shooting a tingle up his arm. If she often noted that his skin was hot to the touch, he’d always noticed her skin emitted a faint charge. And now that she wore a chip from his ruby, that electrical charge had intensified. The woman radiated magic and power.

“I predict this applicant will impress you. Maybe enough that you’ll immediately hire her as your security supervisor.”

Remembering his former supervisor, Charlie, his jaw clenched. He couldn’t afford to mistrust the wrong man—or woman—ever again.

“If you say so,” he rasped.

Tansy winked at him. “Sometimes I wonder if you asked me to marry you just so I can vet your employees.”

“You’ve discovered my evil secret,” he joked.

She returned to the papers and he watched her, enjoying the sight. After a few minutes, Tansy laid her hand atop the pile of papers and looked up, her head tilted to one side.

“What is it?”

“I’m going to check on Daphne.”

A frisson of fear shot through his gut. “What’s wrong?”

Tansy laid a hand on his arm. “Nothing major. But I have the feeling something isn’t quite right.”

He let out a deep breath. One day his fear for his daughters would return to a more normal, pre-kidnapping level, but he had a long way to go. He followed her out of the office and down the hall to the twin’s room. Daphne sat in front of a vanity table, blinking back tears.

“Want to hold Squiggles?” Ruby asked, depositing the hamster in Daphne’s lap. But even her beloved pet didn’t staunch the sudden tears that spilled down Daphne’s cheeks.

Damn it. What had happened now? His daughter had actually recouped remarkably well following the kidnapping. The counselor had warned him though that she might have difficult days ahead, a sort of delayed reaction. Drake bit his tongue to keep from demanding an explanation. After all, hadn’t he vowed to be more patient—a more sensitive, understanding parent?

It was killing him.

“Are you okay, Daphne?” he barked out, wincing at his authoritarian voice. He cleared his throat, aiming for a more compassionate tone. “Would you like to, um, talk about what’s bothering you?”

“My-my hair,” she sobbed.

What the hell? Her hair? And here he’d been imagining she was re-experiencing trauma.

Tansy strode across the room and stood behind the seated Daphne. “Your new cut becomes you though, hon. I thought you liked it.”

“Its . . . okay. But I want it to be long again. Like Ruby’s.”

Ruby and Tansy exchanged a perplexed look. What had brought this on?

“I bet Tansy can help,” Ruby said thrusting out her hands, palms down, for Daphne to inspect. “Look what she did for my nails.”

Daphne cast Tansy an imploring look.

Tansy laid her hands on Daphne’s shoulders. “Let’s see what I can do. But how about a little experiment first?”

At Daphne’s quick nod, Tansy ran her fingers through Daphne’s bobbed cut, weaving streaks of lavender and pink highlights in his daughter’s red hair.

“Ooh, that’s so pretty,” Daphne cooed.

“Mermaid hair!” Ruby shrieked. “I want it too.”

He met Tansy’s eyes in the mirrored reflection. “What do you think Drake?” she asked.

He hated it. But if candy-colored hair made Daphne happy . . . well, he was in training to learn not to sweat the small stuff, right? The twins regarded him beseechingly.

“Please?” Ruby squeaked.

He gave a brisk nod and Tansy set to work. Drake leaned against the doorframe, watching his girls and his fiancée. Until now, he hadn’t even realized how barren and isolated his existence had been living alone so many years in a secluded mountain estate, needlessly collecting gems and growing his stock portfolio to increase his wealth.

He’d been lost without even knowing it. Now, he couldn’t even imagine life without his true wealth, his heart, his love.

Bestselling and Award Winning Paranormal Romance authors are bringing you the baddest of the bad ALPHA dads. Keyword bad. So sexy, you’ll want to teach them to be good. These shifter dads need all the help they can get, and we want to give it to them.

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Debbie Herbert writes romantic suspense and paranormal romance novels. She's always been fascinated by magic, romance and Gothic stories. She is traditionally published through Harlequin as well as Indie published and is a USA Today bestselling writer. For more information, and to sign up for her newsletter, visit . Or connect with her on social media:

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