Nic watched with satisfaction as Cassidy and Rianna downed the pancakes. This much he could do: keep them safe and well-fed.

When he’d left the caverns last night, his heart had been heavy. He’d shifted to his dragon and disposed of the tracking device, then swum far out into the ocean, chest tight and his tail dragging.

His dragon didn’t understand the problem. She’s the mate, it hissed. Take her.

She has to choose us, Nic had shot back. According to tradição—the fada system of law—the female had the right to accept or reject the bond.

The dragon had snarled. She did. And you left her behind.

I fucked up. You think I don’t know that?

The dragon huffed, but subsided. Nic had appeased it by chasing a school of fish. If they couldn’t have sex, at least they could fill their bellies.

But the long, hard swim gave him time to think. By the time he returned, he’d known Cassidy was right. The problem was deeper than her forgiving him for leaving four years ago. He’d rejected the bond between them and he had no idea how to fix things.

He’d entered the caverns through his secret entrance, so many fathoms deep that only a marine animal could bear the pressure, and followed the tunnel through the center of the island to the pool in his quarters. There he’d sought out his treasure, a teak chest filled with precious jewels and coins salvaged from shipwrecks. Over the years, a fortune had been lost off the coast of California and Mexico.

If Nic wanted, he could live like a king, but things meant nothing to him. It was the beauty of the gold and jewels that his dragon’s soul craved. He’d curled his body around the chest and nudged it open, sifting a claw through the glittering contents—rubies, emeralds, diamonds…semi-precious stones…heavy Spanish doubloons.

But for once, he took no joy from his hoard. He was too aware of Cassidy and Rianna, sleeping in the room above him. For them, he’d trade the entire contents of the chest in a heartbeat.

He amused himself by selecting jewelry for them. For Cassidy, a delicate gold anklet. For Rianna, a showy tiara.

He let the jewelry drop. Someday, he would adorn them with his treasure, but right now he suspected Cassidy would merely sear him with a scornful look and ask if he was trying to buy her love.

Then Rianna had whimpered and he’d had an excuse to go to them both. Sleeping beside Cassidy without touching her was a special kind of torment, but he’d gritted his teeth and born it.

And then, this morning, she’d stunned him by telling Rianna to call him Daddy.

Joy had flooded him. She trusted him with Rianna, her most precious possession. That was huge, something he could build on.

Now he watched the pair of them, trying not to hover while they ate.

Cassidy finished her pancakes, and he picked up the platter in the center of the table and urged her to have some more.

She held up a hand, laughing. “I’m good, thanks. You’ll be making me fat.”

He shrugged and set down the platter. In his opinion, she could use a few pounds, but he wasn’t stupid enough to tell a woman that.

“I’m done!” Rianna hopped off her stool, leaving half her food untouched.

Nic frowned. “Did she eat enough?” he asked Cassidy.

Cassidy nodded. “She has a tiny stomach. That was a lot for her.”

Rianna raced to the cavern’s edge and stared into the ocean water surging in and out of the exit tunnel. The sun had come out, and a sliver of blue sky was visible at the tunnel’s other end.

Nic rose to his feet and strode after her. She was a good swimmer, but the tunnel had a dangerous current at times. A small pup like her could be sucked into the Pacific before they knew it.

“Don’t go into the water without an adult,” he told her. “The ocean is too strong for you.”

“Okay,” she replied with a sunny smile. She pointed at the gold kelp strands that the storm had pushed through the tunnel. “I see something pretty.”

His mouth quirked. The little girl was a dragon through and through, with their animal’s love of bright, shiny objects. “That’s kelp. It’s gold here in the islands. Lots of animals live in it—fish, shellfish, even otters.”

Her mouth rounded.

Cassidy came up on Rianna’s other side, and he explained about the current. “Why don’t you take her to the pools?” he said.

“While you men plan this thing without me?” Cassidy set a hand on her hip. “I don’t think so. You need my input. Don’t forget, I’m the one who outran them for the past three weeks.”

Behind them, the other men busied themselves cleaning up, but he knew they were listening. Frankly, he was relieved Cassidy had gotten her spunk back. That exhausted, weepy female of yesterday wasn’t the woman he’d known in Ireland

“I know, and anything you can tell us would be helpful. But no way in hell you’re going out with us.” Rianna turned to look at them, so he lowered his voice to subvocal levels so she wouldn’t overhear. “Your job is to guard Rianna—if things go wrong, you can hide her in the tunnels. I’ll show you a couple of places.”

The little girl tugged on her mother’s arm. “Daddy said a bad word.”

Nic grimaced. “Sorry.”

Cassidy concealed a grin. “He’s an adult. He can use those words if he wants.”

She folded her arms over her small chest. “Why?”

“Because. He’s big and you’re not. Now, why don’t we go swimming?”

“But Daddy promised to take me to see the goats after breakfast.”

“I will,” Nic said. “I have to speak to my men first, and then we’ll go see the goats. Okay?”

Rianna’s lower lip pushed out in a pout.

Cassidy started to say something, but Marlin stepped up. “If he doesn’t, I will. Okay, princess?”

“I’m not a princess,” she said, but the pout disappeared.

Cassidy shook her head. “Someone’s going to be spoiled if we stay long.”

“She could use a little spoiling,” said Nic. “You both could.”

Cassidy ignored that to set her hands on her hips. “I want to know everything you decide, got it?”

“I will. That’s a promise.”

She searched his eyes and then gave a satisfied nod. “Don’t be forgetting about my tracking Gift. It’s like an early-warning system.”

He had forgotten. He made a mental note not to overlook it again. “Can you sense anything right now?”

“No—I would’ve told you. I have my Gift amped up, though. I’ll stay on it.”

“Good.” He watched as she and Rianna entered the center tunnel. Her limp had almost disappeared, and there was a sway to her hips that hadn’t been there yesterday. She might not want to admit it, but her animal was reacting to his.

Ben and Marlin gave him knowing smiles, while Joe just raised a single black brow.

“Better work on that groveling,” Marlin said.

He snarled. “When I need advice on how to handle my woman, I’ll ask for it.”

His friend just chuckled.

The four of them drew up stools by the firepit, the site of all their serious discussions. The embers still glowed from cooking breakfast. Nic stared into the flickering red-and-orange light, gathering his thoughts. Fire always settled him.

Around him, the other three sat in various positions: Ben relaxed and easy, big hands resting on his thighs, and Joe straight-backed, arms crossed over his chest. Marlin slouched, his right foot tapping a rapid rhythm on the cavern floor—the man couldn’t sit still to save his life.

“So,” Nic said, “this is what we’re up against—four fae of unknown origin. We don’t know what their Gifts are, or even if they’re all fae. They could have a fada tracker with them, for example. But at least one of them is powerful—that tracking device was created by someone with a strong Gift. And as we know, at least one of them is capable of making a fae ball.”

They nodded.

“When I left here, I intended to drop the device somewhere far out in the ocean where they could never retrieve it. But sooner or later, they’d realize it wasn’t in Cassidy anymore. And I want these S.O.B.s.” He gave them a toothy grin. “I vote we set a trap—on our own territory.”

Marlin gave him a thumbs up. “We’re with you, bro.”

“Thanks, but I want to hear from everyone.” He looked at Ben and Joe. “You’re welcome to leave. As my dragon, I’m immune to fae balls, but the rest of you…” He didn’t have to say more. They all knew a fae ball could incinerate a man.

“You have to ask?” Ben’s soft voice was dangerous. “You took an earth fada in when I had nowhere else to go. That makes you my brother. My cougar is itching to rip out their fucking throats.”

Joe had produced an iron dagger with an ivory handle from somewhere and was honing the already sharp blade against a whetstone. An iron blade to the heart was one of the few ways to kill a fae.

“I’m in.”

Nic’s chest warmed. He’d been a loner for more than a decade. It had been his own choice—his brother Dion had asked him to stay at Rock Run, but Nic knew he could never live under the rule of another man.

He’d thought he couldn’t trust anyone, but now he realized that he trusted all three men with his greatest treasure—Cassidy and Rianna. If something went wrong, they’d keep his family safe. Somehow, these men had become his friends, and he was grateful.

“Thank you,” he said gruffly. He took a charred stick from the fire and drew a rough map of the island on the floor. “The device is on the north side of the island about two hundred yards offshore.” He tapped the approximate spot.

“In that rocky section,” Marlin said.

“Exactly. I attached it to a spiny lobster twenty-five fathoms down.” Spiny lobsters preferred deep waters with hidden crevices where they could hide during the day. “You don’t need to know exactly where it is, just keep an eye on that area.”

Marlin guffawed. “Genius. The lobster will move around, so—”

“—they’ll think that it’s Cassidy underwater. It won’t fool them for long, but it will buy us some time once they arrive.”

Joe’s eyes were the unnerving coal-black of his shark. “I’ll take surveillance duty. I can patrol the area as my mako. They might be expecting a dolphin or even your sea dragon, but they won’t be expecting a shark. I can sleep with half an eye open. And other than you, I’m the fastest swimmer here. I can be back around the island in minutes to warn you.”

Nic nodded. He would’ve liked to take patrol himself, but he intended to stay close to Cassidy and Rianna in case the fae didn’t take the bait. And Joe was right. Sharks were rare in the fada world—a fae would never suspect that a solitary mako was actually a shapeshifter.

“I’ll send someone for a report every day at dusk,” Nic said.

“That works,” the shark replied.

“But,” said Marlin, “the real question is, what do we do once they’re here?”

Nic lifted the stick and with a short exhale, set it on fire. He tossed it into the firepit and bared his teeth in a predatory smile.

“They know the rules. If you can’t stand the heat, don’t fuck with a dragon.”