Duncan wanted to grind his teeth at her stubborn stance. Somehow she'd managed to turn the tables on him and wear him out. Again.

He needed to gain the upper hand. Rolling over, he took her with him and pressed her head against his shoulder. "There was no protection between us, a ghra."

He felt her tense and then relax with a shrug. "I'm no longer ovulating, so it doesn't matter."

Duncan's jaw clenched. Damn the woman.

"Sleep. I know you're tired."

Her head popped up and she gave him an impish smile. "Actually, I'm feeling rather refreshed." She started to push away from him as if she was going to get up, but Duncan clamped his arms around her body, locking her to his side.

"No way. You're resting."

"If you're feeling wiped, feel free to rest," she insisted, trying once again to get up.

He held fast, growling out as he stared her down, "You might think you're more stubborn, but you haven't begun to see my stubborn side."

Rose sighed and laid her head back down. "Fine. If you need my warmth to sleep, it's the least I can do."

"Thanks for your generosity," Duncan replied in a dry tone.

"No problem." She ran hand across his glistening chest "Plus, I like the way you smell after we've had sex."

Duncan chuckled. No matter how much she infuriated him, she still got to him, right in the gut. He kissed the top of her head. "I do what I can to please, a thaisce. Now rest. We'll talk later."

As worn out as he felt, Duncan forced himself to stay awake until after Rose had fallen asleep. Then he'd dragged his tired butt out of bed and went downstairs to see Ian.

"Did Rose kick your ass?" Ian teased. "I've never seen you looking like someone beat the piss out of you before."

"Bite me," Duncan snapped as he flopped onto the couch. He ran a hand through his hair, frustrated. "What's the status on James?"

Ian shook his head, a grim look on his face. "I haven't had any luck finding him yet, but I do have some news."

Duncan perked up. "What news?"

"Eamon died from the wounds James inflicted."

Duncan tensed. "Did Mom find out what he wanted to tell her before he died?"

Ian nodded, a solemn look on his face. "You're not going to like it."

"What else is new lately?"

"Mom and Dad put Lucian on the speakerphone while Eamon told them some disturbing news." Ian wrapped his arm around Jax's shoulders as she entered the room from the hall. "You should hear this too, a ghra. Where'd Mark go?"

"He went to eat, then to call in to work to take a few days off so he can help us track down James."

Ian's gaze narrowed on Duncan. "You really owe Mark, Dunc. He'd gone above and beyond for you on this."

Duncan nodded. "I know. Over the past few days, I've come to appreciate what it means to have friends you can depend on."

Ian gave him a curt nod, letting the subject drop.

"Tell us your news," Jax encouraged Ian.

"Remember when Mom said there were two Guardians for each priestess and that James and Ronan were Anna's Guardians?"

Duncan nodded at his brother, his stomach tensing.

"Before James left Eamon to die in his own pool of blood, he told Eamon that he was the Guardian who'd attacked Anna, not Ronan. He laughed at the irony that the Goddess had cursed and condemned the wrong man."

Duncan's gut clenched at the news. While his mind raced over what Ian had just revealed, his twin continued, "Mom said the Guardians were the most familiar with their priestess' scent. My guess is...James ran into Rose, caught Anna's latent scent, and his desire for more power, to succeed where he'd failed in the past, caused him to disregard the Kendrians' rules for dealing with humans."

Duncan clenched his fists then finished Ian's thought process. "He plans to take over where he left off."

"Are you absolutely certain Rose is Anna's descendant?" Ian asked.

"Yes. I found her at the cemetery, visiting her mother's grave. The name on the headstone read Anna Brennan Sinclair." Duncan contemplated what Ian had told him, then narrowed his gaze. "Ronan may have been innocent in the past but the vamp attacked Rose. He'll die for his actions."

Ian gave a heavy sigh. "Then you're not going to like the rest of what I'm about to tell you. Eamon insisted Lucian appoint you the new leader of the Sythens."

"I'm a Ruean, not a Sythen," Duncan countered in a terse tone.

"You're half Sythen, Duncan," Jax reminded him.

"That wasn't the part I thought you'd have a hard time with."

"There's more?" Duncan addressed Ian, his voice turning harsh in his anger.

Ian nodded. "Not only did Eamon ask that you be appointed leader of the Sythens, he asked that Ronan be appointed as your second-in-command."

"Is he insane?" Duncan jumped up from the couch to pace the floor.

Ian shook his head. "He was quite lucid and rational in his request. He regretted the injustice that had happened to Ronan. Apparently, James also revealed to Eamon that he was the one who told the Goddess he'd tried to stop Ronan from taking Anna when she'd found the two men locked in battle over the priestess.

"According to what James told Eamon, he attacked Anna from behind. While Anna still lay there unconscious, Ronan attacked James, trying to protect Anna. They fought and James had just landed a powerful blow to Ronan, knocking him out, when The Morrigan arrived. James convinced the Goddess he was the one trying to protect Anna from Ronan. I guess since Anna never 'saw' her attacker that's why she didn't refute The Morrigan's decision."

"Ronan has not shown himself to be protective over Rose," Duncan said. "Quite the opposite."

"Eamon's rationale is that Ronan needs to know he's been given another chance. And as a second to you, you can keep a close eye on him to make sure he's toeing the line, so to speak."

"Lucian believes this load of shit?" Duncan stopped pacing and faced his brother.

"Lucian trusted in Eamon's integrity."

"What integrity? He'd hidden some of the Sythens' powers as well as their true origin from the entire council."

"He did it to protect his Sythen clan as a whole from prejudice for the past sins of a few. The Kendrians have benefited from the Sythens, not suffered, Duncan," Ian reminded him.

"You buy into this bullshit, too?" He couldn't believe his own brother agreed with this nonsense.

"Ronan's status remains to be seen, but yes, I agree you should lead the Sythens. You're the perfect person to do so. With your mixed RueanSythen status, you could help bridge the gap and mediate the fallout from the other clan members that will surely come when the Sythens' past is revealed. You know it'll have to come out."

Duncan shook his head at his brother. "Seven months into your new role as Ruean leader and you're as brainwashed as the rest of the clan leaders. I prefer not to get involved in Kendrian politics."

Ian's face darkened and he took a step forward. "Watch what you say, little brother."

Jax placed a hand on her Anima's chest. "Calm down you two." She met Duncan's gaze with a steady one. "You're not thinking clearly because you haven't fed in a while. I hear your stomach rumbling. Go eat. I promise we'll keep an eye on Rose. She won't slip out without our knowledge again."

Ian and Duncan stared each other down. The battle of wills between the two brothers continued at a subconscious level.

After a full minute of tense silence, Duncan nodded his agreement with Jax's suggestion and turned to leave. Glancing back at his brother, he said, "Tell Lucian I refuse to lead the Sythens."

Anger swept through Duncan as he pulled off his clothes and dropped them on the porch. Shifting to a raven, he flew to the nearest park to eat. Once there, he had to feed from three humans before he felt back to his normal self. What the hell was wrong with him? He'd never felt so hungry and drained in his life.

Once his stomach no longer rumbled, Duncan erased the humans' memories of his presence, then took off running as hard and as fast as he could through the woods that lined the park. He needed to expend his anger.

All these years he'd thought he was someone else. All this time he'd felt like an outsider, never getting involved. Now he was expected to direct and lead a clan? Sheer anger and frustration raged within him.

As his emotions spiked, Duncan pushed his body harder, running until he felt sweat trickle down his temples.

When exhaustion finally made his legs give out, Duncan collapsed in the dense woods and rolled onto his back to lie staring up into the canopy of trees above him. For a while his labored breathing was the only sound he heard until his heart rate slowed. Then the sounds of the birds chirping and water racing down a creek bed entered his consciousness.

He turned and lifted himself up on his hands and knees as he thought about his mother's comment about his shifting ability.

Duncan closed his eyes and concentrated on the form of a lion, just like he did when he shifted to a raven. Nothing happened. Not a twinge or a shudder of change.

Frustration mounted and he pounded the ground with his fist. A rustle of underbrush drew his attention and Duncan opened his eyes to see a cougar staring at him from atop a fallen tree.

The cat's ears twitched and he sat down on his haunches, clearly curious of the naked human in his domain. The cougar's long tail flipped back and forth against the log as if he were evaluating Duncan. Duncan let his gaze travel the animal's tawny coat. He listened to the cougar's heart beating at a rapid pace in his chest. Closing his eyes, Duncan let the cat's form reappear in his mind, concentrating on every nuance he could absorb.

When his body began to shake and shift, Duncan heard the cat let out a cougar cry and run off. Duncan smiled when he glanced down at his tawny-colored paws. He looked back and flipped his long tail. He trotted in a full circle and leapt upon the fallen tree where the cougar had been, elation sweeping through him. He'd done it. He'd shifted to a cougar.

Duncan's euphoria died a quick death. Since he couldn't shift to a lion, he considered the fact his shape-shifting must be bound to animals of less than or equal to his similar weight and body mass. There was no way he could compete with Ronan and James with their vast shape-shifting. All he knew for a fact was that a lion or a jaguar would certainly have an advantage over any animal he could convert due to his weight limitations.

The lone cougar poked his head out from behind a nearby tree, a deer's leg dangling from his mouth. Then he bolted back into the woods, dragging the leg behind him. Duncan ducked when a much larger cougar jumped over him to take off after the cougar. His heart raced at the near-miss, but the sight of the two animals made him chuckle mentally. It was as if the cougar was telling him, "It's not the size that matters, but who ends up with the spoils."

Duncan stared into the woods where the larger cougar had chased after the smaller one and a sudden revelation occurred to him. He didn't have to be bigger to defeat James and Ronan. He just had to be smarter and use his skills to his advantage against the two Guardians. Duncan was nothing if not devious.

Feeling more confident in his capabilities, Duncan shifted to a raven's form and took flight to return back to Ian's. When Rose awoke, they needed to talk.

Hot, moist decadence lapped at her body. Rose moaned in her sleep and intuitively rocked her hips closer to the source of pleasure.

She came wide awake with a gasp when she felt something swipe against her slit, then plunge inside her channel.

Afternoon, a ghra, Duncan spoke in her mind as he palmed her buttocks and gave her sex a wet, openmouthed kiss.

Rose's toes dug into the sheets and she arched her back when he sucked at her sensitive clit.

How hungry are you? He seduced her with his sexy voice as well as his talented mouth and tongue.

Her fangs scraped against the insides of her lips, not so much for food, but for a deeper sexual bond. She shook off the thought that entered her head and breathed out, "I'm good. Not hungry at all."

Duncan raised his head, a frustrated look on his face. "How can you not be starving? You haven't fed."

"There was that male nurse Ronan compelled..." she began before she thought better of it.

Duncan moved over her quickly, caging her in, his eyes glowing red in his anger. "You take blood from no one but me, Roisin," he growled.

"Get over it. I'll take blood from whomever I damn well please."

"Try it and I'll kill him before you get your first swallow."

The look of jealous fury on his face made her hold back the flippant remark she almost made. The man was dead serious.

"You can't mean to starve me into mating with you."

His golden gaze narrowed on her. "That isn't my intent, but Kendrians are very possessive of their Animas. The thought of you taking blood from another goes beyond anything I can accept."

"Again, I'm-not-your-Anima." She spoke slowly as if she were talking to a child.

Duncan's gaze searched her face as he speared his fingers through her hair and cupped the back of her head. "You admitted the connection we had. How can you deny it, Rose? How can you deny us? Do you not feel we are the same?"

His last sentence caught her attention. She frowned. "What do you mean 'the same'?"

He rubbed his thumb along her jaw, letting his gaze turn tender. "Every time I touched you, there was a spark, a familiarity I couldn't deny. Rose, you're a descendant of the Sythen clan. Your mother was known as an Atruan priestess, a member of the Irish Atruan vampire clan."

Rose's heart jerked at his comment. Pulling away from his touch, she crawled backward until her back pressed against the tall headboard. She clutched the pillow against her chest, her eyes wide and full of disbelief.

"How do you know all this? Did you read my paperwork?"

Duncan frowned at her accusing tone and the sound of her heart rate picking up. "What are you talking about? What paperwork?"

Rose looked away, mumbling, "Never mind."

He moved closer and touched her chin, turning her face back to his. Regarding her with a steady, intense gaze, he repeated in a determined tone, "What paperwork, Roisin?"

Her back stiffened and she narrowed her gaze on him. "What makes you think I'm a member of this Atruan clan and what does that clan have to do with the Sythens?"

He literally felt the distrust emanating from her. "My mother told me."

"Your mother?" A confused expression crossed her face.

Duncan nodded and shared the entire AtruanSythen history his mother told him yesterday. Rose sat there quietly while he talked. When he finished and she didn't say a word, he finally asked, "Are you okay?"