"I would like to believe that." She glanced away. "But you don't understand how strong they are. Rue will go to the ends of this Earth to retrieve the magick he stored in me. The fate of the Ytrayi and the other daaeman breeds depend on it."

"Yeah. Well, they don't scare me. I've hunted worse things to the ends of the Earth."

She looked back at him. Mentally, he tripped and fell into the serious, beautiful, dark pools of her eyes. "No. You haven't."

Claire hap watched Adam slide the long copper knife under his pillow before he flipped off the light. Did he really think that would work against these Atrika?

She stared at the silver moonlight bleaching the light from the planes and hollows of his muscular body, sprawled blanketless on the bed above her.

Of course, even as she sneered, she knew exactly where the copper sword in the room was—nudged up against the wall between Adam's bed and the night table. If the Atrika showed up in the night, it would be the first thing she went for.

At least until she got her magick under control. If she could get it under control.

In the bed above her, Adam shifted onto his back and groaned. The deep, masculine sound shot through her body like a bullet. Adam was intriguing.

Claire squeezed her eyes shut. What in the Houses was wrong with her? She couldn't go around being intrigued by every male she met.

It was true she'd had little enough romance in her life. Hardly any, in fact. And the first—and last—time she'd had sex, it had ended very, very badly. Bloody badly. It made her gorge rise to remember.

Maybe, since she'd had such a lack of contact in that way, she was a little affected by every man she met. She frowned. Okay, that wasn't true. She'd come into contact with lots of policemen, doctors, orderlies, and other males since Rue had pushed her through and she hadn't been attracted to any of them. She hadn't thought of Theo in that way, even though he was physically very good-looking. Only Thomas and Adam had pushed her buttons so far.

Thomas was off limits. She knew that only too well, having saved his life and sent him home from Eudae for Isabelle. Plus, he was married.

Anyway, Adam intrigued her more.

When she'd been in her early twenties, she'd longed for sex. Wanted more than anything to feel a man's skin sliding against hers, his breath on her throat, lips on her stomach, thighs, breasts. Every night she'd fantasize about it until she could barely function during the day.

She'd hidden her desires from Rue, who would have told her what she already knew—it was just hormones. Silly chemicals in her woman's body driving her to procreate. A throwback to the caveman days to ensure the survival of the species. Then Ty had shown interest in her, answering all her carnal wishes.