The Billionaire Werewolf's Princess

“You’re welcome. I’m not much for leaving a helpless woman in a dangerous situation. I hope you weren’t too freaked to wake here in the morning.”

“I was, but that’s to be expected. And speaking of dangerous situations, I do have questions.”

This was the part Ry should have foreseen, but still it had snuck up on him. Questions. Always questions. And they were never easy to answer. “Like what?”

The oven timer went off and, thankful for a moment of respite, he rushed over to pull out the nachos. He’d made a whole pan of chips with jalapeños, tomatoes, onions, shredded chicken, black beans and heaps of cheese. His favorite comfort food. A guy could never find good nachos in Paris.

“You have to share these with me,” he called over his shoulder, and was surprised when she answered from close by.

Indigo leaned over the pan of steaming nachos and inhaled. “That smells heavenly. Last time I had something like this was when I visited a girlfriend in the States. You can’t find good nachos in Paris.”

“Exactly. I use pickled jalapeños on them. That’s the secret recipe.”

She rubbed her palms together. “Dish me up!”

Could he get so lucky that she’d forget she’d come here with questions? With hope, maybe she would.

Chapter 4 (#ucb55dd12-1f56-5278-b0ae-28279fd7849d)

It had been a while since Ry enjoyed the company of a woman so much. And since he’d felt so comfortable with one. Usually his dates were high-maintenance, slipping into the bathroom every half hour to check their makeup, texting or doing God knew what on their ever-present cell phones. He had yet to see Indigo glance at her phone.

They both sat on the sofa, facing the slanted windows that lined the east side of his flat from the floor, where they rose vertically about six feet up the wall, then angled at forty-five degrees to the top of the high ceiling.

Indi’s hand rested on her stomach and she’d slouched down and declared, “You’ve ruined me for any other kind of nachos. I am your servant for life. Pay me with melty cheese and those fabulous pickled jalapeños.”

“I have never seen such a pretty, petite woman put down the cheese and chips with such gusto. I promise to call you next time I have a nacho craving.”

She met his fist with her own. And Ry tilted his head against the back of the sofa and slouched down as well. He’d had a couple of beers in the fridge, and the now empty bottles sat on the coffee table. An evening sharing brews and junk food with a pretty woman? This was a hell of a lot easier than doing the fancy-restaurant thing and then trying to figure out if he should suggest a museum or a boring concert. And how to read a woman regarding whether she was on board for sex or if she was the sort who had a three-date minimum or even longer.

But he reminded himself this wasn’t a date. The woman had been dumped by her boyfriend. And Ry did not do the rebound-guy thing. No way. He didn’t need that kind of baggage to sort through.

He wasn’t sure what was going on besides that he was warming to Indi fast and hoped they could get to know each other better. As more than friends, if that appealed to her. It did to him. When she decided to start dating again, he wanted to be tops on her list of potential dates.

Indi suddenly sat upright, turned to face him and asked, “Now about what I really came here for.”

Ah, hell. The fun couldn’t have lasted forever. Ry sat up and set the empty plate on the table, then prepared to face the tough questions.

“This is going to sound strange,” she began, “but...why do I feel as if I was drugged the other night?”

Because she had been. “You did say champagne goes straight to your head.”

“True, but I’ve been on a champagne bender once before. This was different. The aftereffects have been exhausting. I’ve slept like Sleeping Beauty minus the beauty part. I didn’t even get up until three today. It’s like I’m fighting to come back from an illness, or something. And I still don’t feel right. Tired and achy. Usually after a bender I puke, pass out, then wake with a headache. But a few hours later, I’m good to go. You didn’t... I mean, I don’t think you would. You seem like a nice man. But... I have to ask.”

He picked up on where she was headed. “I did not roofie you, Indi.”

“Oh. Right. I mean, it’s never happened to me before, so I wouldn’t know what to expect. I’m sorry, but I had to ask.”

“Understandable. Let me see if I can help you to sort out things.”

Ry shoved a hand over his hair, then pulled it back and held his hand at the back of his head. How to explain this to her without going into so much detail she’d develop even more questions... Could he trust her with the details? She already knew some things, so he’d only get caught if he tried to twist them into something they had not been.

“And while you’re at it, what were those black things?” she asked. “I saw them. They were...creatures. Totally black and creepy and yet weirdly sparkly.”

Ry blew out his breath and dropped his hair. No way around this one. And lying never felt right to his soul. He’d have to give her the truth. Some of it. She seemed smart and capable of handling such information. And if not, she could run away from him again, and he wouldn’t go after her. She’d just think she’d met a totally whacked guy with a weird way of looking at the world.

“You were drugged,” he said. “Or rather, you were treated with a complex healing process that involved herbs and some...” He couldn’t say faery magic. No human was that open-minded. “And I’m sure that was what has you feeling so blown now.”

“Herbs? What the hell?” She pressed her palm over the base of her throat. Today there were no signs she’d even been injured by the collector. “I remember something about getting cut. Maybe from the creature’s claws? Then you picked me up and carried me... And then I draw a blank. Ryland, please. I know this is crazy, but I need to fill in the blanks so I don’t think I’m going nuts.”

“You’re not nuts. At least, as far as I know. I don’t know you well.” He winked, but she didn’t return the playful vibe.

Right. She was worried, and he had no right to keep her in the dark.

“There was a creature,” he confessed. “Two of them. I was there to slay them. Which I did. Because if I had not stopped them they would have entered the mortal realm fully and done some terrible things.”

Indigo thrust up a palm between them. But she didn’t speak.

Ry felt compelled to clasp her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze, then he set it on her leg. “This is going to be tough to hear, but you have to keep an open mind. Okay?”

She nodded. Winced. Closed her eyes tightly. Then opened one eye and nodded again.

“First,” Ry said, “I need to know if you’ve been in that area of the eighteenth before. At night?”

“A lot of times. I used to party there with friends a few years ago. Janet and I did the Club Rouge for her going-away party this spring. Why?”

“No reason. Well, yes, there is a reason. That particular section of Paris is a strange place. Actually, it’s called a thin place. Two worlds overlap.”

She didn’t react, but her attention grew fierce. He was jumping deep, but something about the woman made him feel as if she wouldn’t be satisfied with anything but that dive, so Ry continued. “Do you know about faeries?”

“You mean like the little twinkly ones I see in my garden?”

He bent to level their gazes. “You see faeries?”

She shrugged. “Not all the time, but I have. And just that you’re asking about it means that I don’t have to say to you ‘don’t think I’m weird.’”

“I don’t think you’re weird. You’ve seen actual faeries before?”

“I guess so. Out of the corner of my eye. I believe in faeries. Just like I’m sure all the other mythical creatures exist in the world. Not that I’ve seen anything but a few faeries. I’ve have never run in to a vampire, but until something is disproven, I keep an open mind.”

Ry’s exhale released a lot of tension. “Good. Because those black sparkly creatures were from Faery.”

“Really?” Her response was so enthusiastic Ry leaned away from her. Would it have been easier if she’d laughed at his fantastical suggestion and walked out on him? Much less to explain that way. “But those creatures were big. The same size as you. Can faeries be all sizes and shapes?”

He nodded. “Basically. They are a species, and within the species are hundreds, probably thousands of breeds.”

“Cool.”

So far, so good. Time to hold his breath and do the free dive to the deepest depths.