Chapter One
Power swelled inside Lorenzo Venti, tightening his skin. Electricity tingled at his fingertips.
“You aren’t going to escape me. Not today.” His eyes narrowed, his gaze focused on the rough waves of the Mediterranean Sea, whipped into a frenzy by the wild winds. His prisoners were testing their powers.
He watched the winds wheel around to race toward the beach where he stood. His heartbeat was a hard, steady thud in his chest as he held his ground. The wind tore at his clothes, and tossed his hair around his face. He tasted violence in the air.
Assholes. They wanted to test him, the Keeper of the Winds? So be it.
Lorenzo raised his hands to the stormy sea and called on his own wind. It was his responsibility to keep the evil winds in control, and he would not fail.
His wind blew up around him, powerful and primal. Far stronger than anything the wicked Tempest Winds could produce from their jail.
Power sang through his veins. His heartbeat slowed, his focus contracted.
Once he’d been weak and powerless to stop the Tempest Winds when they’d attacked his father. He lifted his face to the sky, a cool smile on his lips. Now he held power beyond comprehension and used it to keep the world safe.
“Arresto.” He threw his arms into the air. His wind swept past him and swallowed the biting Tempest breezes. He heard their frenzied whispers in the wind.
Si, si. They could scream and curse as much as they liked. He didn’t give a damn.
He motioned at the dark clouds building in the sky above his island. Moments later, the wind dispersed them and left only sunny blue skies hanging overhead.
It gave him a perfect view to the west and the distinctive silhouette of the Stromboli volcano on the neighboring island. A plume of dark smoke was visible over the peak.
His gut clenched. The minor eruptions were getting stronger, and the primal power of the volcano was feeding his prisoners. It wouldn’t be long until there was a full-scale eruption…
Which meant the Tempest Winds would be strong enough to attempt an escape.
No. He wouldn’t let that happen. Breathing deep, he let the smell of the sea fill his senses. He hated that the Tempest Winds’ restlessness fueled his own. His emotions were rising to the surface and each time he used his powers, it was a little harder to suppress them.
Lorenzo valued his control. It was what made him a good Keeper of the Winds. He needed to stay calm and focused. He turned and glimpsed the terracotta tile roof of his villa and his horse stables. The prison of the winds.
He would not fail. He’d keep the Tempest Winds trapped. It was his duty.
He shoved a hand through his dark hair. He hadn’t been off the island in weeks and he made a mental note that he needed a haircut. A vibration in his top pocket had him reaching for his cellphone. “Venti.”
“Lorenzo,” a deep male voice said through the line.
He smiled. “Ciao, Luca.”
“How’s the weather?” His brother asked.
Lorenzo could easily picture his older brother in his office in Rome—wearing a tailored designer suit that would do little to tame the raw power that was Luca. He’d be coordinating some part of the vast Venti business empire. Being a billionaire was tough work. Although, being the leader of the Warriors of the Wind was probably harder.
Not that Luca would ever show it. He was either cool and controlled, or flying into an icy rage. Luca did not tolerate incompetence or failure.
“There’s a gale blowing,” Lorenzo said.
Silence through the line. “Do you need help?”
“I can handle them. But Luca, if Stromboli goes…”
Luca muttered a creative curse. “There’s not much even I can do about a volcano. All we can do is wait. I’ll talk to Dante, Antonio and Soren. We’ll be on stand-by, so the instant you need us, call.”
The Keeper was the prison warden for the Tempest Winds. The Warriors of the Wind were the warriors who could hunt them down if they escaped.
“Si,” Lorenzo replied.
Luca gave a deep-throated laugh. “Always a man of few words. I like that about you.”
Lorenzo snorted. “Well, from the women I see you with in the magazines—the glamorous supermodels and society ladies—you don’t select your company for their conversations.”
Another laugh. “Now, onto business. I have a stallion arriving today to service your Eos.”
Lorenzo felt the hairs rise on the back of his neck. “What stallion?” His mare, Eos, was in season and Lorenzo and Luca had discussed breeding her.
“Astraeus.”
Lorenzo gritted his teeth. He knew who Astraeus’ trainer was. “I don’t want that woman on my island.”
“They’ll make a good match, Lorenzo. Think of the end result.” Luca’s tone was unyielding.
Lorenzo kicked a boot at the ground. “Luca, you aren’t listening to me. I don’t like Donovan.” Riley Donovan poked, prodded, and was always in his personal space. Having her on Isola del Vento, with his control already stretched by the winds, was a bad idea. “Now isn’t a good time. Not with the Tempest Winds testing their strength.”
Italian spewed through the line. Luca was never shy about voicing his opinions or giving orders.
When Luca exploded, it was best to let him run his course. Lorenzo looked over the white-fenced fields around him and the horseflesh dotting them. He might own the business with his brothers, but Island of the Wind Estates was Lorenzo’s. It was his sanctuary, his escape from annoying, vapid people. His horses were far better company and the only thing in his world that gave him true pleasure.
“Fine.” Lorenzo sniffed. He knew when to fight and when to conserve his strength. “When is she arriving?”
“Now,” Luca drawled.
The answer had Lorenzo’s head whipping around. “What do you mean now?”
His gaze zeroed in on the whitewashed cottages clustered together at the shore a few miles away. Sure enough, the daily ferry from Sicily was pulling into the tiny harbor.
“Dio, Luca. A little more warning would have been appreciated.” Lorenzo stabbed a finger to end the call. He knew not many people had the courage to hang up on Luca.
Straightening his shoulders, Lorenzo rose to his full six-feet-three inches. There was very little he feared. Since he’d been granted the power of the wind and become the Keeper, he had no need to fear. Not anymore.
Except one reckless horse trainer who made him feel things he preferred to avoid.
Lorenzo stomped down on that thought. Time to prove he could handle all five feet nothing of Riley Donovan.
He summoned the wind. It blew through him, unknotting the tangle in his gut, smoothing his feelings away. It left him cool, bare, and clean.
As he let his body blend with the wind, his soul became as light as air, and his body disintegrated. It was no longer possible to tell where his body ended and the wind began. He swept down to the village.
Lorenzo didn’t worry about the villagers seeing him. They knew of his powers and generations of them had served the Keeper. They kept the secrets of Isola del Vento hidden from the rest of the world. He materialized on the edge of the village piazza, striding forward as his body took form again.
The sight that greeted him made him stop in his tracks. Dammit. It was like a punch to his gut.
The horse was stunning. And the woman riding him just as eye-catching.
The woman and beast moved like one through the cobbled street. The big chocolate-colored stallion tossed his head, willful and wanting his own way. Full of fire.
But the small woman controlled the horse with ease, and despite his best effort to fight it, Lorenzo’s gaze was drawn to her. To the slim, jean-clad thighs gripping the horse, and the rounded breasts filling out a white T-shirt. The thin tattoo of flames banding one toned bicep, and the fascinating face—all angles with a jagged scar on her jaw. The long brown hair streaked with gold and teased by the morning breeze.
Smoke gray eyes locked on him.
Heat tore through Lorenzo and his fingers curled into his palms. He forced himself to stay still.
He had little use for women. When it suited him, he took a lover on business trips to the mainland. But Lorenzo was always in control of things and always walked away. Why did this one woman bother him so much? He’d seen women far more beautiful and polished than Riley Donovan.
Annoyed at the unwelcome flare of desire, he scowled.
She brought the stallion to a stop a few feet from him and rested the reins in one hand. “Hello, Signor Orso. There’s that smiling face I’ve missed so much.”
The amused voice, with its interesting mix of American and Irish accents, irritated. “I’ve told you not to call me that ridiculous name.”
Her smile widened. “But Mr. Bear suits you. You’re all grumpy and brooding. Until you start smiling and talking to me pleasantly, I’ll keep calling you Signor Orso.”
Lorenzo sucked in a deep breath, then released it slowly. “I talk to you as I would any other colleague, Signorina Donovan. And since I run the European arm of Island of the Wind Estates and you run the American one, that’s what we are…colleagues.”
She raised an eyebrow. “How many times do I have to tell you to call me Riley?”
“I prefer to keep things professional.”
“Really?” She slid off the horse in an agile flex of muscles.
Okay, so he noticed the way her shirt lifted a few inches and showed off smooth skin. He might be a powerful Keeper of the Winds, but he wasn’t blind.
She moved forward with a swagger of slim hips and Lorenzo stiffened.
She stopped just inches away. Her scent wrapped around him, a tantalizing mixture of sweat and a tart, fresh perfume.
“I don’t think it’s very professional the way your pulse picks up whenever I get close to you,” she said with a smile.
His gaze narrowed. She couldn’t know how she affected him. Power prickled along his skin. Her power, not his.
Riley Donovan wasn’t a Warrior of the Wind, but she was something. From the first moment he’d met her, he’d sensed she was something beyond human. Detected something powerful and wild simmering under her skin. She kept it hidden under a coat of charm and devil-may-care humor, but it was there. Lorenzo knew better than to underestimate her.
He had no idea what kind of supernatural being she was, nor did he want to know. In the modern age of technology and the internet, no one believed in magic and gods of old. Only a few living people still retained remnants of power in their blood, diluted over the centuries. Fewer still had enough power to protect mankind from the things in the dark that wanted to destroy the world.
Riley stepped closer, their bodies brushing. Lorenzo felt the heat of her and it warmed his cool skin. She made him remember a time when his duty didn’t weigh so heavily on his shoulders.
He ground his teeth together. He didn’t want to remember. His duty was important to him and dalliances with women equaled emotion. Emotion equaled a lack of control.
When she reached out and brushed a speck of dirt off his shirt, he caught her wrist and then pushed her hand away.
“The way your pupils dilate when I touch you—” her fingers brushed against his—“that’s not very professional either.”
He slammed his mental shutters down. Riley was a threat to his control and that was the last thing he needed right now. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Her sexy smile didn’t dim. It was almost like the woman enjoyed it when he snapped at her.
“I have something for you,” she said. “I saw it and thought of you.”
Lorenzo just stared at her, trying to remember the last time someone had given him a gift. His staff respected him, but didn’t give him gifts. It was probably the bottle of cognac Luca had given him for his birthday.
Riley held up a small, shiny figurine. It was a horse.
He stared at it. The little horse was exquisitely crafted from what looked like bronze. His hand itched to grab it but he forced himself to step around her.
“Coward,” she murmured.
A muscle in his jaw ticked. Ignore her. He reached out and stroked the stallion’s neck. “So, this is Astraeus.”
Riley was silent for a moment. “Yep. My boy here is raring to meet the lucky lady.”
Lorenzo felt a quick tug at the thought of mating his favorite mare with the stallion. It would be a winning combination, he had no doubt. “I want this done quickly.”
When Riley came up beside him, once again Lorenzo smelled her and felt the warmth of her body. He looked down at her and she lifted a brow.
“Astraeus is excited, knowing there’s a pretty filly eager for his attention.” Riley’s arm brushed Lorenzo’s.
Arousal was like a jagged knife cutting at his insides. He stepped away from her, suppressing his reaction.
“Let’s get Astraeus up to the stables and get this done. Then I want you off my island.”