“Morning,” Cole said brightly as he looted the refrigerator. Behind her, she discreetly closed her bedroom door with a soft click—nothing to see here—and then crossed toward the kitchen. Though he’d worked a double, he seemed wired, which wasn’t unusual coming off the night shift. Another hour or two and he’d be passed out like the dead.

She just hoped Cortez would be willing to stay hidden that long. He didn’t seem like the patient type, and she seriously doubted she’d be able to convince him to sneak out her bedroom window like they were two teens trying not to get caught by her parents.

Seconds later, any hope of a clean getaway was dashed.

Cole snapped upright, all tense, and glared at something over her right shoulder. His features twisted into an expression she’d never before seen him use. He looked wary yet ready to fight.

She didn’t have to turn around to know Cortez had unabashedly emerged from her room. Pivoting, she shot him a you-are-dead glare and hoped he could taste her disapproval in the air.

Yet Cortez seemed oddly...upbeat? “Ah, you are siblings.” The way he said it held no mark of doubt.

She and Cole shared a look. No one ever guessed that they were related. They looked nothing alike, a result of differing fathers, and maybe something more with regard to her siren lineage. Whereas her skin was pale, his was tan. Her hair was dark, long, and ruler-straight, his was blond and cropped short. Her frame was small yet curvy, Cole was packed with tight muscles. Aside from the color of their eyes, piercing blue, they could not look more unalike if one of them was a different species entirely.

Which, technically, she was.

But that didn’t stop them from loving each other like full-blood relations, and being fiercely protective of the another. Which was why Cole’s first question wasn’t Who is this man you’ve brought home, dear sis?

He met her gaze head on and asked, “Did you pick up that butterscotch I wanted?”

She smiled and shook her head. “No, they were out.” It was their secret code to let the other know all was well...or if she’d said yes, danger, danger, we need to bounce because all hell was about to break loose. They’d invented the codeword as children and used it when they were misbehaving and wanted to hide whatever deed they were engaging in from their mother. Then later when they were hustling and one of them thought their situation might get too heated. Everyone who knew them thought they just weirdly loved butterscotch. It was a great cipher that no one had ever decoded.

No one until Cortez.

He shifted his weight. “Did you just ask her if I was a threat?”

Her jaw dropped. Cole’s narrowed eyes slanted at her in betrayal. “You told him about butterscotch?”

“No! Of course not. ” she hissed. “But you just confirmed it.”

How had Cortez deciphered their code, in only seconds? Had he jumped to that conclusion because it was the first question out of Cole’s mouth instead of the obvious: Why is this strange man exiting your room at ten in the morning? While you’re dressed like that, I might add.

She realized with a blush how damning her outfit was.

“You dummy,” she said. “It was the first thing out of your mouth. Of course he’s going to figure it out.” She turned on Cortez next. “And you, you ass, were supposed to stay in the room.”

“And miss out on this enchanting meeting? I’m Cortez by the way.” He held out his hand to Cole.

Cole eyed him with suspicion and palpable aggression. She had never brought a strange man home before. Cole must be reeling. But to his credit, and with an encouraging nod from her—the last thing she needed was for Cortez to take insult—he stepped forward and shook Cortez’s hand, offering his name in return.

A hard glance at her from Cole said they were going to talk about this later in private. She expected nothing less. Any guy she dated had to meet his approval or he’d do everything in his power to run him off. And if that didn’t work, he’d been known to utilize seedier tactics, such as getting the guy drunk to see if he could push other women on him...a test of loyalty. Which pissed her off to no end—not a lot of guys passed his tests.

By the way he was eyeing Cortez, Cole was already organizing a plan of action. When they were alone, she’d tell him he needn’t bother. Cortez wasn’t the long term relationship type. In fact, she didn’t really understand why he’d bothered chasing after her at all. Most guys would chalk up her leaving as the perfect end to a one night stand. Yet here he was, invading her space and introducing himself to her brother.

Her musings were interrupted when she noticed the men were still clasping hands...hard. Cole’s arm bulged as though displaying his strength through his grip. Cortez wore a pleasant smile, just a slight curling to his lips, though there was something strangely menacing about it as they silently glared at one another. Cole didn’t realize he was engaged in a standoff with a powerful vampire, and since her uninformed brother wasn’t suffering from a crushed hand, Cortez was holding himself in check.

She cleared her throat. “Uh, Cortez was just leaving.” She placed her hands on their forearms to snap them out of their mini tournament. At her touch, their arms drop.

“We were just leaving,” Cortez corrected, glancing at her as if daring her to protest. “We just stopped by to gather some of Naia clothes. She’ll be staying with me for the time being.”

“Who the hell is this guy?” Cole spoke directly to her, growing angry now. “What is he talking about?”

She was still struggling to pick her jaw up off the floor. He wanted her to stay with him? For how long?

“Would you excuse us,” her brother said to Cortez, employing a lot more civility than she knew he was feeling at the moment. “I need to speak with my sister alone.”

Cortez inclined his head. “Of course, take your time. Naia, I’ll just pick out a few items for you, shall I?” He turned and headed back into her room, not waiting for her response.

“What the hell is going on?” Cole snapped the moment he thought Cortez was out of earshot. “Who is this asshole?”

“He’s the owner of Ever Nights and a vampire, so he can probably hear every word you’re saying.” Hint, hint. Shut up, baby bro.

Cole’s brows shot up. “You’re involved with a vampire?” His tone was so sharp, she almost flinched. Not only were vampires impulsive, volatile, and animalistic to the point of being dangerous, but they were completely immune to her siren powers, same as Cole. In theory, that was a good thing, but if any of them figured out what she could do, it wasn’t a far stretch to assume they’d want to use her to their benefit.

Dante hadn’t figured it out yet, but patrons always spent more money on the nights she sang. In theory, if she really cranked up her powers, she could have humans eating dog shit out of her hands...that is, if she could control it. As of yet, all she’d ever accomplished was turning them into mindless ravaging beasts with nothing but rutting on their minds. Which was why it was so important for her to sing on a regular basis, so she didn’t get to that dangerous point.

Had Cortez figured out what she was? She didn’t think so. She hadn’t so much as spoken in a sing-song voice in front of him. And considering he didn’t even intend to give her a job, there could be only one other reason he’d want her to come stay with him, and it wasn’t for her intellectual conversation.

She tried to muster up some indignation over that, but she could still feel his heated kiss on her lips, and her body sang with thwarted desire. Secretly, she was disappointed that Cole’s arrival had interrupted them. It seemed she already craved what Cortez’s had to offer.

“My god, what happened to your finger?” She reached for Cole’s left hand. He yanked it away, and tried to conceal the splint behind his back.

“It’s fine. I slipped...and bashed my pinky in a cupboard.”

“You slipped?” she said dubiously. “And then bashed it in a cupboard?”

“I mean a door. I smashed it in a door...after I slipped.” He screwed up his face, knowing she wasn’t buying it. Cole had always been an atrocious liar. With a resigned sigh, he admitted, “The twins paid a visit.”

Her voice lowered to just above a whisper. “They did that to you?”

He shrugged as if it wasn’t a big deal, though the clenching of his jaw said he was putting on a brave face for her. She’d heard the horror stories. The twins started with fingers, then moved on to larger limbs...then started cutting things off.

She hugged him so tight it was a surprise he didn’t complain. With her face next to his ear, she lowered her voice to a level only he would hear. “I’ve got a plan. I can’t tell you what it is, but trust me. I’m going to fix this. Don’t worry. But just in case, pack a bag and be ready to jet at any moment.”

He nodded and hugged her back. “I really fucked up this time, didn’t I, sis?”