The glass fell to the sand, shattering and sending slush everywhere, while Renee just stared, still trying to register what had happened.

The next second, Kai was in front of her, lifting Tad by the collar and tossing him forward onto the beach.

The music was loud and the crowd was too busy to notice what was happening over in the semi-dark by a palm tree.

Kai was breathing heavily, standing over an angry Tad, who glared up in confusion.

“What the hell was that for?”

“You know what you did,” Kai growled. He was truly huge, a terrifying sight when angry, and she had to groan at how many times he could embarrass himself in one day. “Get out of here, assassin, before I give you what you deserve.”

“Assassin?” Tad asked.

“I saw you,” Kai said.

Tad’s eyes darted back and forth, and then he scrambled to his feet and ran. Great. As if nearly drowning her and insulting her wasn’t enough, crazy Kai had just scared away the only guy who had tried to be nice to her.

She turned to him, almost too exasperated to speak. “What is wrong with you?”

“What’s wrong with me?” Kai asked, stepping forward, looming over her. “What’s wrong with you?” The veneer of calm he’d had earlier was gone, and he was the same as he’d been in the ocean, when he’d called her stupid.

Dammit, why did he have to be so mean… and so hot and so crazy?

“There’s nothing wrong with me! You don’t call a girl fat! And you don’t ruin it when a guy is hitting on her!”

“I didn’t call you fat. You did! And that guy was trying to assassinate you!”

She put a hand to her temple, rubbing slightly, trying to remain calm. She was normally such a patient person, but somehow, in one day, this frustrating man had managed to run down all her reserves. “What are you talking about?”

“I saw him,” Kai said, frowning as he slightly calmed. He folded his arms and cocked a hip. “I was… following you. I saw him put a pill in your drink. He was trying to kill you. Do you have any idea why?”

Her jaw dropped, and she realized Kai was serious. “Wait, you saw him put a pill in my drink?”

Kai hesitated, then nodded. “I saw it. Trying to kill you, as I said.”

She looked at the drink shattered on the beach. Was Kai serious or just messing with her? Had someone put a date-rape drug in her drink? An employee?

If so, she needed to talk to someone. She suddenly felt shaky, though.

“Why were you following me?” she asked, looking at Kai in confusion.

“I was worried about you,” he said. “I hurt your feelings, though I didn’t mean to.”

She sighed. She would have to address that later. “Come on. We have to go talk to a manager. We have to tell them what you saw so it doesn’t happen again.”

“If he was an assassin, I doubt he would try to kill anyone else, and I’m here to protect you.”

“He wasn’t an— Oh, never mind. You’re so weird, you know that?”

“I have been told,” he said, falling into step behind her. “But aren’t you glad I rescued you?”

“You scared the hell out of me,” she said. “But yes. If what you said turns out to be true, then yes.”

She walked straight to the customer service desk, hoping it would still be manned even during the luau. It was oddly quiet inside compared to the party, and she was grateful for the break.

Even if Kai was still making her nervous with his large presence just behind her.

A kindly-looking older manager stopped talking to the woman next to him and stepped forward. “Can I help you?”

“Yes,” she said, suddenly feeling awkward about what she had to do. “Um, I’m here to make a complaint about an employee. Well, actually, he is.”

“Kai?” the man asked, and from the wary look in his eyes, she could tell this wasn’t the first time he’d dealt with him. “What is it?”

“One of your employees tried to assass—”

“He saw one of your employees put a roofie in my drink,” she said. “Some guy named Tad.”

“Tad?” The manager looked at his co-worker. “We don’t have anyone named Tad employed here at the moment. Shit.”

“Language,” his co-worker chided. “What did he look like?”

Stunned by the turn of events, Renee gave a description, and Kai reiterated what he’d seen. The manager called security and promised to take care of it. He said it sounded like someone had stolen an old uniform with bad intentions, and they needed to get on it right away.

“I should have captured him,” Kai said. “I didn’t think he was a danger to anyone else. Assassins usually—”

She whirled on him now that they were alone in the lobby. “Why do you think it was an assassin?”

“I’ve seen it in movies,” he said. “People killing someone by putting something in their drink.”

“Action movies, I’m guessing,” she said with a sigh. “Kai, he wasn’t an assassin.”

“What was he doing, then? What is a roofie?”

She frowned as she thought about how to explain it. “I… Anyway, I should say thank you. But it’s a little hard after you called me fat.”

“I didn’t call you fat,” he said with a snort. “You called yourself that.”

“And you agreed. And you expect me to be grateful for pity sex?”

“Pity sex?” Kai said, stopping behind her, hands in the pockets of his shorts. “Why would it be pity sex? I don’t need your pity.”

Her eyes widened. Just who was this person?

“Look,” she said, marching toward him. “You obviously don’t think I’m attractive, and even if you think it’s funny to mess with me, it’s really not. I appreciate what you did tonight, but in general, you shouldn’t be following me. Because even if you aren’t interested in me, someone else might be, and—”

She gasped as he caught her by the wrists, pulling her against his hard body with a thud. She looked up at him, heart beating wildly. He smelled like ocean, and his eyes were turbulent.

“Who says I don’t want you? I have been trying to show you all day that I want you. I suppose there is only one way.”

And then, before she knew what was happening, his mouth crashed over hers, as powerful and all-encompassing as the ocean waves that morning, making her feel just as lost.

Her body went rigid. She had no idea what to do with his firm grip on her hands, his lips forcing hers apart, his tongue diving inside, owning her completely.

She didn’t know what to do about how much she liked it.

She should be mad. He was rude and presumptuous and taking liberties, and she was more aroused than she’d ever been in her life.

When he finally released her, looking down with a haughty glare, her legs felt like utter jelly.

“We are going to my room. To talk.” He quickly bent, sweeping a hand under her knees, and lifted her easily into his arms.

“Don’t give yourself a hernia,” she muttered, too aroused to really resist him.

“What is a hernia?” he asked, striding through the lobby toward the elevator.

“It’s when you hurt yourself by lifting too much.”

He cocked his head, then laughed as if she’d told a particularly ridiculous joke and continued toward the elevator as though she’d said nothing at all.

* * *

Kai wasn’t even sure what was going on right now, but for the first time, it felt as if he’d been able to communicate clearly with his mate. If they had even more time alone, perhaps they could go even further.

He had to know what this “roofie” thing was and why she thought someone might be doing it to her so they could create a plan of protection for her.

She might be reluctant; his mate was clearly an independent female, but he would insist. She’d nearly come to harm tonight. That was certain from the alarm in the hotel manager’s eyes.

Kai intended to ensure that she was never in danger again.

“I can walk, you know,” she said as the elevator dinged, reaching his floor.

“I’m aware,” he said. “But I like holding you.”

She grumbled something to herself, and he grinned. He didn’t mind that she made things a little difficult for him. He kind of liked the chase.

He shifted her in his arms so he could press his key card to the door, making it open electronically. The modern world here on land never ceased to amaze him.

Nothing like the look of the sun from the bottom of the ocean, but amazing nonetheless.

As he opened the door and carried her through it, he paused. “I haven’t gotten your name.”

She sighed. “I guess, at this point, there’s no harm in telling you. You did save me after all.”

“I did,” he said with a wide grin.

“It’s Renee.”

“Renee,” he said, testing the name on his tongue. It was beautiful, like her, he decided. “I like it.”

“I’m glad,” she said, giving him an odd glance. “I don’t know what to make of you. Where are you from?”

“New York,” he said, setting her on the couch in the middle of the living room.

He headed to the kitchen, ready to find something for her to eat or drink, then stopped, realizing how bad things had gone last time he tried to feed her.

He clasped his hands behind his back and strode stiffly back into the living room, standing by the window so he could more easily resist her delicious scent and the urge to go over there and continue their kiss from earlier.

“So tell me, Renee,” he said, testing her name again as he turned to face her. “Why would anyone want to roofie you?”

“I guess I looked like an easy target,” she said softly, her dark-gold gaze darting to the floor.

“But for what purpose? What are these ‘roofies,’ and why are they administered, if not for assassination? You’ll have to forgive me. I wasn’t raised here, and I’m not familiar with certain customs.”

That was one way of putting it.

“Oh,” she said, slapping her knee. “That makes so much sense! Wait, I thought you said you were from New York.”

“I came here from New York, but I was raised on the ocean.”

“What do you mean?” she said. “Like on boats?”

He froze as he realized he hadn’t really thought about how to explain his background. “Something like that. But I didn’t spend a lot of time on the mainland until the last year.”

“Oh, goodness,” she said, sounding relieved. He turned to her and was surprised to find she was smiling. “Sometimes you’re just so odd. I’m glad there is something that explains it. I mean, you thought I was going to be assassinated—”

“I have watched a lot of TV, and—”

“And you don’t know what a roofie is, and you…” She stopped laughing and trailed off. “And you keep running into me, don’t you? Why?”

“I’m not running into you,” he said with a snort, coming over to take the padded chair across from her. She was beautiful sitting there in that stunning blue dress that outlined her curves. It was almost painful being this close, but not able to touch her. “I have been trying to make you mine.”

She choked, sitting up slightly. “You what?”

“Remember what I said when I first approached? ‘Venus, be mine?’”

Her face was turning an odd shade of pink, and he worried about her health for a moment. Then she fanned her small hand in front of her, presumably to cool herself. “I had forgotten that, you know, after fainting.”

“I see,” he said.

“But why? Why me?” she asked. “I’m not used to—”

“Odd men like me coming after you,” he said. “I understand now. I will try to be more normal, but I can’t promise anything. It has been rough trying to adjust.”

She swept soft, golden-brown waves over one shoulder, and her eyes twinkled as she looked at him. He squirmed uncomfortably. She’d better not be pitying him. Kai hated being pitied more than anything else.

And it had happened a lot since he’d been awakened in this world. Poor, silly Kai. Poor, angry Kai.

In his day, he’d been a powerful sea dragon, a god of storms, the savior of countless humans, the enemy of anything evil that would harm them.

“Don’t pity me,” he said. She’d even referred to pity sex earlier. “And what was that you said about pity sex before?”

She might be understanding him better, but he still wasn’t understanding her at all.

“Oh,” she said. “It was the way you said it. Like you wouldn’t mind it. Like you were doing me a favor.”

His jaw dropped. “That is not what I meant at all. I was trying to play it cool. I know you must have many suitors, and I—”

She put up a hand. “Wait. What?”

“Suitors.”

“I heard you. I just…” She sighed, staring at her hands in her lap for a long moment. “No, I’m not going to talk about myself like that anymore. You don’t see me like that, so I won’t either.” She took a deep breath and faced him, and he tried not to drool at her sheer beauty.

Could this exquisite creature really be meant to be his mate? His dragon said so, but it still had to be her choice.

“So you like me?” she asked, her expression more open and calm.

He didn’t know why she was suddenly less guarded with him, but he meant to take advantage of it to keep communicating with her. “Yes. Of course. I mean, I do.”

She nodded. “Interesting.”

“So what is a roofie?” he asked. “You keep dodging my question. Is it better or worse than assassination? Do I need to hunt the man?”

She shook her head. “Security is on it. You have to be careful, you know. You could end up in jail.”

“I can’t just let bad things happen to people either.” He wondered for a minute if a roofie was some kind of spell or something. No, humans used no magic and weren’t aware of shifters unless they were mated to one.

“A roofie is… Uh, I really don’t know how to explain this.”

He crossed one leg over the other and leaned back in the chair, eagerly awaiting more knowledge that would help him understand what he was dealing with in this world.

Anything that would help him understand how to better protect his mate.

“Um. It’s a drug.”

“Like medicine?”

“Not really. It, uh… makes you incapacitated. So you don’t really know what’s going on, can’t fight back. Or sometimes you just pass out.”

His body began to tighten slightly, an odd buzzing of rage slowly escalating all around him. “Why would someone do that?”

“Uh…” She looked slightly panicked now, as if she didn’t want to tell him. But he had to know.

“Go on,” he said tightly.

She threw her hands up. “It’s so people can rape someone, okay? It’s a date-rape drug.”

Rape. That was a word he understood, though the entire world had felt a degree darker when it had first been explained for him.

An ugly act, one he could never have contemplated in his time in the ocean or his time here on land. He’d seen men attack Jenny, though, when they’d first been awakened. Had helped rescue her, too, not just because she was Seaton’s mate, but because it was right.

But this… these “roofies” were something else altogether.

“I don’t understand.”

“I know,” she said, lowering her eyes. “It’s totally wrong.” She looked up at him. “I get it.”

He sat there rigidly, thinking about the man he’d hit, how he’d scurried away into the dark. Kai couldn’t just let him stay out there.

Nor could he leave his mate alone, unprotected. She could leave his room and then maybe run into that rapist again.

Rape. Rape while incapacitated. That some men would actually drug someone, even enjoy having sex with someone who couldn’t enjoy or participate. Who hadn’t said yes. Who presumably didn’t want it.

It defied the whole point, and it was evil on top of that.

He shook his head and went to the door. He shut the deadbolt, did the lock, and then closed his hand over it, working against his collar as he felt heat gather at his fingertips.

Hopefully, he could use his dragon fire for at least this.

Nausea moved through him, as it always did when he went against his collar.

“What are you doing?” Renee asked in alarm.

“I have to go find him,” Kai said as he felt the lock melt and twist under his hands, ensuring she wouldn’t be able to open the door. “Do not leave the room.”

“What?” she asked as he walked toward the window and shoved it open. “What are you doing? Kai!”

He heard her shriek as he swung one leg through. “As I said, I’m going to catch him.”

“Kai, we’re on the third floor! Stop it!”

But he then swung his other leg through, grabbed the edge of the window, and pulled it down as he dropped onto the sand with a thud.

It was quiet and dark with everyone still at the party, so no one had noticed him yet. He sniffed the air.

He saw Renee appear at the window, struggling to raise it before slamming her hand on it. “Kai! Get back here! You can’t just go all vigilante!” He saw her leave for a second and guessed she was going to test the door. Sure enough, when she got back, she was pissed.

“What did you do to the lock!” Her voice was muffled by the closed window, but he could still hear her. “Let me out! Kai! I’m going to call the manager.”

“Don’t!” he said. “Stay there, please! Just trust me!” He couldn’t stand it if anything happened to her, but it was his fault the villain had gotten away. His stupidity about how things really were in this world.

He’d tried to be less naive. Less angry. Less closed off. But now that he was realizing how naive he was, he couldn’t just stand back and let someone like that run around.

He scented the air until he caught the trail of the man who’d put the pill in Renee’s drink.

He’d quickly dispatch him and then go back to his mate and hope she forgave him for locking her in.