"Loved it," he said softly. "But why now?"

Her throat tightened. "It was a goodbye kiss, because I've made up my mind."

A muscle jumped in his jaw. "About what?"

"I'm leaving the firm, but returning to Portland today." She gave a brittle laugh. "To find another life until I find myself."

"What do you mean, find yourself?"

"Find who I am, where I belong. I don't know if I belong in the Skin world anymore."

"I know exactly where you belong, with me, with your people. You're a Lupine." He reached for her hand, but she stepped back. "Sam, come back with me."

"And what? Endure the primitive ritual of a mating rite? Because that's the only thing that will bond us together as mates, right? And I'll have to remain in your pack for life, right? No going back?"

Darius closed his eyes and nodded.

"I don't know if I'm strong enough to endure it. I don't know if I want a Lupine life again."

"What do you want, Sam?"

I just don't know. Too much had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

She needed time and space, away from Darius' intoxicating, sensual allure. She needed time away from that snake, Ken. She needed to clear her head.

Sam waded into the Pacific. Waves splashed up around her calves. Darius frowned. "That's very cold water. Be careful."

"I know how to swim." She waded in deeper, wishing she were a mermaid. Were there mermaids in the Pacific? If so, at least they knew where they belonged. She didn't know where she fit in anymore.

Sam she felt something brush past on her calves and saw a flash of green in the water.

Maybe there were mermaids in the Pacific after all.

"Be careful of the undertow," Darius called out.

She started to walk toward shore, when something tugged at her leg. Then it gave a mighty yank, dragging her under the water. She fought both it and a primal terror, flailing her arms, struggling to surface, in desperate need of air. And then the edges of her vision grayed.

She was drowning.

Chapter 11.

Darius seldom panicked. When Sam went under, he dove into the surf, his mind shifting to automatic. Salt water stung his eyes as he scanned the water for her, swimming further out. Then he caught a flash of pink. She'd been wearing pink shorts.

Sam floated underwater, her body bobbing along. Darius' heart dropped to his stomach.

Her ankle was in the mouth of a scaled, green sea demon with very sharp teeth. It resembled an alligator, but was a dangerous Torathar. Seeing Darius, the Torathar opened its mouth, bubbles streaming out in a hiss.

Fuck you! You are not having my Sam.

With every ounce of strength, he grabbed onto Sam and pulled hard. Swimming with her to the surface, he gasped for air. Darius started for the shore in steady, strong strokes.

He hauled her onto the sand. She wasn't breathing. Blood trickled from the nasty bite on her ankle. Immediately starting CPR, he gave her his own breath.

C'mon, sweetheart, breathe, breathe.

Finally she coughed. Darius gently turned her onto her side as she retched up salt water.

When she'd finished, she looked at him, violet gaze huge and confused. He helped her sit and rubbed her back.

"Something." She coughed again. "Dragged at me. Undertow."

He wanted to gather her into his arms, hug her tight and never let go. Ensure nothing would hurt her. But others were storming onto the beach now with alarmed shouts, including Sienna.

Darius lifted her into his arms and started back for the house, giving orders in clipped tones to Sienna. Inside, he carried Sam straight to his opulent bathroom and sat her on the lip of the enormous Roman tub. He ran warm water into it, removed her shirt and shorts, and set her inside.

Someone knocked at the door.

"Come in," he yelled.

Sienna raced into the bathroom with a shot glass of amber fluid. "I found the brandy."

Kneeling at the tub's lip, Darius held the glass to Sam's lips. Her teeth still chattered. "C'mon, Sam, drink this."

He tipped the glass back, and she swallowed, coughing more, but finished it. Color finally returned to her face.

Darius stood, took the glass and handed it back to Sienna. Their fingers touched and he felt a sudden current of pure power, as if he'd gotten a small shock from an electrical outlet. Sienna's features seemed to ripple, like the surface of a lake after a stone is thrown in. Gone was the animated, intelligent businesswoman. And then he caught a whiff of damp earth, peeling bark and pine. Her eyes widened.

She knew that he knew what she was. Other.

Instincts on full alert, his nostrils flared. But he would save this for after he'd taken care of Sam.

"Stay in the tub," he told Sam and went into the bedroom, Sienna following him.

"What else do you need?" Sienna asked.

"There's a fresh cut of prime rib in the fridge that I cooked yesterday. Cut it into bite-sized pieces and bring it here."

Without words, she left.

Darius returned to the bathroom, drained the tub, helped Sam out, then threw a thick towel around her shaking shoulders. He examined her left calf, which bore teeth marks, now already healing, typical for Lupines. After treating the wound with disinfectant, he rubbed his cheek against hers, the instinctive action of a Lupine needing to connect with his mate.

Sienna returned with a plate of beef cut into cubes.

"Put it on the desk in the bedroom."

Darius rubbed Sam's upper arms.

"I need a shower," she told him. "Right now."

"You feel strong enough? Or you need my help?" He gave her a critical look.

A delicate blush tinted her cheeks. "I can do it."

He found clean towels and hung his big terrycloth robe on the door peg. "Call if you need my help. I mean it, Sam."

He closed the bathroom door behind him. Sienna paced the big bedroom. She gave the closed door a critical look.

"Will she be all right?" she asked Darius.

"I'll take care of her. I won't let her out of my sight."

"Good." Her gaze narrowed. "If you had her in your sight, it wouldn't have happened. I know Lupines are savage beasts, but I thought they took care of their mates."

"Don't criticize what you don't know. What clan are you from? Woodland? Lakes?" His mouth thinned. "Or do you happen to be a sea Sprite who can call up a Torathar to drown my mate?"

Sienna's green eyes narrowed. "How dare you accuse me?"

He dragged in a deep breath. "You smell like a woodland Sprite."

The trick worked, for anger flushed her face. "Do not insult me, Lupine. We Elves do not like being compared to weak Sprites."

"Now that we both know what you are, let's clear the air." Darius got into her face. "What clan?"

She remained silent.

Temper rising, he allowed his claws to emerge and held up a hand. "Don't fuck with me, Fairy."

"Elf," she snapped.

"What clan?"

"Glen Dire."

Woodland Elves of the northwest. Their clan covered a large territory, both forest and sea. Deeply troubled, Darius allowed his claws to remain. "Did you call up a Torathar to attack her? You have the power."

"If I wanted her dead, she'd be dead already. Put your claws away."

The words chilled him, but he allowed his claws to retract. "Why are you here?"

Her gaze flickered to the closed bathroom door. "I work for Comairise Energy. Many of us have taken jobs in the Skin world to help protect our territory from being polluted by Skins. That is all I will say, Lupine."

Sienna's green eyes flashed bright red. A nagging suspicion seized him.

"James is one as well. He said he was Fae, but the bastard has to be Elf. His eyes do the same shifting in color. How many of you work for Comairise Energy? "

The Elf's cool green gaze met his. "More than you realize."

"If so, I should be able to detect their scent, just as I did with you and James."

"We have perfected the art of disguising ourselves from both Skin and OtherWorlders. It was necessary for survival."

Darius thought hard, his mind clicking over all the executives he'd met since the breakfast meeting at the Heathman. And then it clicked...

They were all blond. And all wore the same damned cologne, Armani, and laid it on heavy to disguise their natural scent and avoid being outed as Elven. He shook his head. No wonder they wanted his account. Elves and Lupines distrusted each other greatly and Lupines seldom allowed Elves onto their territory. By gaining access to the Mitchell ranch, the Elves could inspect the land and even cast warding spells to protect the trees and the small game the pack needed to hunt.

"All of you. You bastards, you want access to our ranch because we're Lupine. Every single manager in this company is Elven. Ken, Sam's boss. HG, Tom, every senior staff member is Elven."

The stunned look in her eyes assured him he'd nailed the truth.

"How did you know?"

"I may be a savage wolf, but I'm not stupid. Why are you here?"

The Elf's mouth turned down. "It has nothing to do with your ranch, wolf. I arrived at Comairise Energy to work with others on clean, renewable energy."

He smelled a lie. "No, you didn't. You're here for something else. What is it?"

The Elf's expression remained smooth. "What makes you think so?"

"Don't answer my question with a question. Who are you, in truth? Give me your true name."

"My true name? Never."

Darius went still, thinking fast. "You're all in the same clan, working together and it's not to advocate clean energy."

Sienna blinked. He'd surprised her.

"If this has anything to do with my Sam..."

The Elf's green eyes glowed with fierce intensity. "I will tell you this, wolf. Get Samantha out of here. The longer she remains in Skin, the more dangerous it is for her at this firm. If you wish to protect her, you will take her to a safe place where we cannot touch her."

Whoa. He narrowed his eyes. "Why do you want to hurt her?"

"I do not. I wish to protect her."

"Then who does?" He wrapped his fingers around her wrist. Darius squeezed tight. "Tell me or I'll break it. And unlike me, you won't heal fast."

Sienna stared at him impassively, but her mouth worked. "Break every bone in my body, wolf, and I will not tell you. We are sworn to ourselves, no other. But you take care to get her out of here. Or next time, she won't awaken from the sting of death, no matter how hard you try."

Darius decided to press harder, but the shower shut off. He released her wrist and watched her rub it. A red bruise marked her pale skin. "I will find out who or what is threatening Sam. Mark my words, you or your people won't lay a finger on her. She's mine to claim and protect. I spent ten long years mourning her death only to find out she's alive, and no one is going to harm her. Get it?"

Something flickered in Sienna's eyes. "She is fortunate to have a worthy male to keep her safe. Do it, wolf. Take her away from here."