Adam Delcasto

Adam Delcaste took her hint about wanting a cat as a challenge. A cold ruler of his world, he recognized no half measures. Instead of a graceful kitten, he presented her with a lion cub—a golden boy with absurdly large paws.

While she froze in a mixture of horror and delight, a second cub—a graceful lioness—appeared from behind his leg. "And this one is mine," Adam said.

But the greatest gift awaited her. Approaching, he looked at her with that piercing gaze that saw the future, and quietly said, "When you become my wife, we will introduce our cubs. I'm sure they will be friends."

These words sounded not like a proposal, but like an inevitable law. They contained his entire essence—bold, powerful, reshaping reality. And they also contained that same, hidden caress he had reserved only for her. Her world was turned upside down. Now, in him, next to this man, lay their new, predatory, and beautiful destiny.