CARLYLE

The safe house was nothing but a spacious, sparsely-furnished shell right now, but Kana assured me the guys had plenty of money and skill to fill it up in no time. Not that I cared much for extra possessions - I had my bag of clothes from Dair, and that was a lot more than I was used to having.

We chose second-floor rooms beside each other, with a massive connecting bathroom. If the beach wasn’t just steps away, I would have already been soaking in the two-person jacuzzi tub.

Kana was right about one thing - I needed to give my brain and my conscience a break. If I cracked and gave in to the panic still wrapping my ribs, I’d be no use to anyone.

I dropped my single bag on the floor and explored my room, throwing open the sheer white curtains to get as much light as possible. There was indeed a white four-poster canopy bed, and my stomach flipped as I remembered Dair’s sultry promises. A sleek white dresser with vanity mirror and a slender writing table with a padded stool rounded it out. The walls and the plush carpet were both the same light dove gray as the leather couches downstairs - calm and neutral, like a blank canvas.

I shook my head in a bit of disbelief at how much my life had changed from my time with LuAnn, just as Kana entered.

“I’ve never had a lot of friends,” she announced, bouncing down on my new bed with a grin. “So, sorry if I’m a little bold. But I want a piece of you, too - just not in a sexy way.” She giggled, and I felt my eyes widen.

“Ah, I’ve never had a friend either, really,” I added, feeling lame. I was glad she seemed to like me, because the team’s testosterone was sometimes a little much.

Plus, I’d really fucking hate to be on her bad side - she wasn’t a silent assassin type like her brother, but he’d called her a blade master, and I’d seen a taste of her temper when she dealt with Killian.

“So, are we supposed to paint each other’s nails now?” Shit, this was so awkward. This was worse than fielding flirtation from the boys.

“Fuck no,” she said and laughed, rolling off the bed. “Let’s go to the beach and sleep until we burn, then make the guys cook us dinner.”

I grinned and yanked the flat white sheet from the bed. I liked the way the vampire thought. “Absolutely. I want to spend as much time as I can by the water.” I wondered exactly how she was going to hang out in the sun. Jai rarely went out during the day, and even though the guys had brushed away my Hollywood fake news, I’d still sort of assumed daylight sensitivity actually was a vampire thing.

“Ooh, Toro will love you.” Her smile faltered a bit, though, as she mentioned the missing team member.

Wondering how well she knew him too, I followed her down the stairs, through the open-plan house, and down another flight of stairs to the sand. Well, at least my legs would be in shape here.

Until someone told me differently, I planned to soak up as much of the clean salt air and the sounds of crashing waves as possible. Hopefully, we’d be spending my twenty-first birthday here, too. It was less than two weeks away now. I grinned to myself, imagining eating cake by the ocean with six sexy men and my new best friend.

We settled on the white sand, patting it smooth beneath the sheet.

“I don’t have a bathing suit,” I warned. Kana shrugged in agreement and stripped off the boy’s shirt she’d been wearing, then shimmied out of her pants. She was naked except for her underwear, and she definitely didn’t give a fuck about it. Then again, she had even fewer possessions right now than me, and she didn’t seem bothered by that, either.

She smeared some sunscreen on her skin, then tossed me the bottle. “From Dair, of course.”

“Of course.” I snickered that he’d spent the energy to procure sunscreen but not a bathing suit. “Well, I guess if anyone wants to complain, they can buy me a suit,” I said, laughing at how unlikely that would be. Well, Killian might.

I slid off my shirt and leggings, my skin thrilling at the warmth of the sun and the lift of a bit of breeze. Oddly, I still didn’t see any evidence of my new dragon scales, even now that I was so exposed.

When I’d seen them last night, they had looked like they were floating just beneath the surface of my skin. Maybe it had been a temporary thing - a residual burst of power I’d taken from Jack while we kissed.

“Trust me, none of those horndogs will complain about you taking off clothes. Maybe about me - I’m just the fucking kid sister.”

I could tell she didn’t actually mind that, though, and I decided I’d get her full story as soon as possible. The little bit I’d had from Killian was definitely not the full truth.

For now, though, I just wanted to let my tired brain rest.

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SOL

I was as worried as anyone about our next steps, but goddamn if seeing Carlyle strip down on the beach didn’t make the world a better place.

“Quit droolin’, lion boy,” Killian taunted as he walked by, his shoulder hitting mine with a good bit of force.

“Jealous much?” I ribbed him back. He needed to get over whatever shit he was holding close and realize the fucking opportunity right in front of his fae face.

“Nah. I’ve seen what I need to see from Kana.” He totally sidestepped the issue of Carlyle’s pure white skin in the sunlight, and it was with that omission that I knew. He wanted her, but he’d rather be miserable than fucking admit it.

I’d known Kills a long time - the more he wanted something, the more he denied himself, until he was so twisted around he would lash out at anything. I’d need to get a claw in that, and soon.

“What do you see from Carlyle, though? What’s behind her glamor?” I asked, throwing an arm around his shoulder before he could hightail it out of the room. He hadn’t shared much with me since we’d found her, and I needed to peel back a few layers to get to the heart of his fucking fae dramatics.

He shrugged me off, his movements rigid. “You know what a fuckin’ Qilin looks like.”

I nodded, but I didn’t - not really. I’d only seen them in artwork at home - my lands weren’t much of a draw to their race. Before Carlyle, I’d never seen a Qilin in person. I definitely hadn’t seen a fully-shifted one.

“Her form’s na solid,” Killian said, an edge of warning in his words. I kept quiet, willing him to continue. “She has Jack’s scales, though. White hide and garnet scales. Your lion mane,” he added, his voice soft.

“My mane?” I twisted to look him straight in the eyes. He held my gaze with a glare. “How?”

Female Qilin always took their own unique, shifted form, but it was always a reflection of their mates’ power. What was Killian’s Second Sight truly revealing?

I would mate with Carlyle in a fucking heartbeat, but I wasn’t arrogant enough to assume she felt the same way now, or ever would. Mating was serious shit, and we were all struggling with Jack’s decision to push her into it.

Desperate times and all, but fuck... what a mind job.

“Donna know how,” Killian finally replied, his voice rough. He sauntered out of the room, turning his back on the beautiful view of sand, sea, and Carlyle.

Not for the first time, I realized I might have to be the one to pull this team into a circle around this woman. Sure, right now we were all protecting her from harm because she could get us home to Haret.

I didn’t plan to end things there, though. I wanted Carlyle in my life forever and for everything.

Jai was certainly our team leader, and he was my true alpha for the duration of this mission. In Haret, though, I was a king in my own right - or I would be, one day. A king took care of his kingdom.

If Carlyle ever grew to care enough to accept more of us as mates, she would be a queen in more than one way.