“But Nadia…”
He pressed his index finger against her lips. “She doesn’t want me. She wants the idea of me.”
“How do you know?”
Prince was just a breath away from her lips. “Because she doesn’t look at me the way you do. I don’t feel her soul staring into mine like an imprint on my existence. You’re brutally honest with who you are, and I find that incredibly attractive. I have no desire to pursue your sister any further than it’s gone tonight. I don’t wish to mislead anyone.”
“You never did tell me about your parents.”
Prince kissed her feverishly, and Kat gave in, closing her eyes and slowing down until the kiss became demanding. Her body hummed with energy, and the next thing she knew, he was standing up and pulling her into his arms. The wind blew her hair to the side, but she didn’t care. All she wanted were moonlight kisses.
His dark hair twisted into tousled strands, obscuring his eyes and then revealing them once more.
“Don’t look at me like that,” she said on a breath.
“Like what?”
Like you love me, she thought. Kat had seen that look plenty of times among mated Shifters. Courtships were so different than in the human world, and some believed in life mates, which was the equivalent of a soul mate. If that were true, then what about her father and mother? If they weren’t life mates, why would they have settled?
“What are you thinking?” he asked. “I don’t like it when you’re quiet.”
“No one’s ever said that to me before.” Kat smiled and broke into a soft laugh. “I just crashed on top of your dinner table and ruined your night, and now you’re telling me you can’t wait to see what I’ll do next? I’m like one of those TV shows, Charming. Don’t mix feelings of love with the thrill of watching a car chase.”
His brows knitted together. “You don’t understand.”
“Trust me, I get it. Your life has gotten a little monotonous and safe, and I’m a carnival ride. I live a crazy life, and people are attracted to that, but the novelty wears off after a while. You’re going to realize this is too much craziness for your taste, so don’t declare something you’re not ready for.”
He encircled her waist with his strong arms, and the intense look that crossed his face frightened her. Prince had all the manners of an aristocrat, but she couldn’t forget for one second that he was an ancient alpha who might revert back to barbaric ways and toss her off the building.
His gaze never wavered. “Trust me, I’m more than ready.”
“You don’t want this.”
“Shut up, Kat.”
Her eyes widened. “Did you just tell me to shut up?”
“Yep.”
She hooked her right leg around his. “Ooo, I love it when you speak like the commoners.”
She kissed his neck and relished the feel of his whiskers against her lips. “You’re vibrating,” she whispered.
“Mmm, yes.”
Kat stepped back. “No, your phone. It’s vibrating.”
Prince pulled his phone out of his pocket, a look of annoyance on his face. “Yes?”
While he answered, she lifted the fallen table and set it right, whispering to herself, “Kat, you have completely lost your mind.” She briefly eyed the small cakes and wondered if the five-second rule applied on a rooftop. Although five seconds had already elapsed into five minutes.
When she looked over her shoulder at Prince, he was frozen beneath a shower of moonlight, his dark hair rippling in the wind. He held the phone at his side, and an emotion flickered in his eyes that sent a shiver down her spine.
Kat pivoted around and closed the distance between them, her heart beating in double time. “What’s wrong?”
Prince kept his eyes on the shattered plates, his voice gruff. “There was an ambush.” After what seemed like an eternity of silence, his eyes dragged up to meet hers. “Nadia was taken.”
Emotions erupted so suddenly that she couldn’t contain the sorrow and rage swirling together like an imminent storm. Kat lifted the wine bottle and hurled it so violently that it smashed on the neighboring rooftop.
