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CHAPTER ONE

There’s a bloody unwelcoht

Ronan Wolvesey wandered into his usual haunt, The Witch"s Breith his twin brother, Raiden, close behind The rowdy London pub always drew a noisy, unusual crowd: athletic types, businessickind"s un its oas pure human

It was that very huolden curls and enormous blue eyes, as Kari Keswick leaned over the bar, her brief blue t-shirt exposing a band of soft skin at herdark-haired one with gray eyes and the look of a predator Tynan Someone-or-other, he"d been told

Fighting a gust of wind, Ronan slammed the little pub"s door Kari didn"t look his way

Instead, she gripped Tynan"s shoulder as she looked into his eyes and smiled softly

Bloody hell! He feared this wretched feeling poisoning his blood was the emotion humans called jealousy He"d rather s battery acid

“Your eyes will burn holes in her if you stare any harder,” Raiden murmured

“He"s been here too often this pastto Kari ”

“Why do you care? It"s not as if you"ll spend tonight alone In fact…” He looked away

“I see two splendid possibilities by theCome on ”

Raiden saw such possibilities every place they went, and rarely was he wrong Ronan kneould not spend the night alone…but he fantasized about spending it with Kari If he approached her now, she would likely refuse him—just as she had for the past two years Until now, he"d assumed Kari didn"t want to cross that human-wizard line Given her present company and their coziness, it appeared her refusal was more personal

“In a moment ” Ronan headed for the bar

Raiden grabbed his aret her ”

Ronan refused to concede defeat “Shove off ”

“She"s hardly the most beautiful fe by half What was her name?”

He had no idea, and that was the proble up in a different bed, beside a different body every ickind"s standards He couldn"t live this way for another ten ht or nine centuries

“There"s sooneto discern it ”

“The fact she said „no," a word you never hear?” Raiden shrugged “Plenty of other lovelies Pick one and move on ”

As if all woeable For Raiden—and the rest of the Wolvesey clan—

they were

“Chat up the girls by the , then I want to pop over to the bar, say hello ”

Raiden rolled his eyes “Be quick Besides, she looks…busy ”

At that, Ronan turned back to Kari to find her laying her soft pink lips against the big wizard"s cheek She looked so delicate and fair against his strong, sun-bronzed jaw Then Tynan grabbed her hand and squeezed

The sight ripped a hole in Ronan"s chest He clenched his jaw so hard, it was a wonder he didn"t grind his teeth into powder

Stalking across the bar, he yanked out a stool near Tynan"s It screeched across the old stone floor Still, Kari did not look his way

To his left, the heat fro winter"s chill

Heavy alternative rock played in the background as sohed at their atteic Hu with stout red wine Ronan scarcely noticed any of it As always, Kari drew hiolden hair Her otherworldly blue eyes seelance at her bowled him over

There was soure it out exactly, maybe he could rid himself of this odd obsession

“Kari?” he called