Velvet Haven

impossible. It was a futile wish to desire the humans. It was only the need for power that aroused him.
    “I don’t know about mousy,” Sayer murmured with obvious appreciation. “Her body is rather delicious. All those curves.”
    She moved to the left, out of the way of some shoving mortal males. She nearly disappeared among the crowd. From his vantage point, Bran tracked her. A cloud passed and moonlight suddenly illuminated her aura.
    “Her name is Rowan. Keir introduced us this morning. He goes into her shop all the time. I thought she—”
    “She won’t do,” Bran said, leaning closer to the window to get a better view.
    “And why not?”
    “She’s marked.”
    “Marked?” Sayer squinted, his eyes narrowing, the pupil-like slit elongating, allowing him keener sight. “I don’t see anything.”
    “Her aura.” Bran motioned to the halo of color that arched around her body. “I’ve never seen a mortal with two colors before.”
    “Well, I’m no Sidhe, so I can’t see auras. In fact, I can’t see a damn thing, other than a pair of fine tits in a corset.”
    Bran furrowed his brow in annoyance. Sayer would notice those. “The colors meld, black and indigo. Black means illness, possibly imminent death. Indigo represents a highly intuitive and spiritual nature. A seeker.”
    “And you can’t sleep with her because?”
    “Because it is a bad omen to take a woman who is marked for death. And even if she is not, then the intuitive side of her is dangerous. What if she senses I am not like the men she is used to?”
    Sayer looked him up and down, noting his height, his long hair, the glittering markings at his temple, and the ones on his neck that disappeared down the front of his black T-shirt. “I think it’s safe to say that any female will find you different, seeker or not.”
    “I’m not taking risks. This one won’t do.”
    Sayer sighed with displeasure. “Well, then, what about her friend? Here, I’ll show you.”
    Closing his eyes, Sayer lifted his chin. His skin changed from its golden hue to a luminous mix of gold and orange. Pink flickered over the cords of his neck as the strobe light waved over them, the luminescence of the Selkie shifting and writhing over Sayer’s human form.
    “You’ve enchanted her already?” Bran asked with disgust.
    “I’m not opposed to your leftovers,” he said with a sly grin. “Now look down. I think I have persuaded her to show her friend.”
    Bran felt her before he saw her.
    Hiding the way her aura hit him in the gut, he gathered his control. He trusted Sayer, but not completely. Alliances only went so far in the world of Annwyn. There was no need for anyone to know just how weak he became without his mortals.
    “What do you think of her?”
    A woman with long black hair stepped forward, and he struggled to pretend indifference. The white shimmering band of her aura weaved its way over to him. Through the window it came, his magic calling it forth, beckoning it. She was strong, but there was a vulnerability there as well that engaged him, made him want to explore it. And she was passionate. He felt the desire, the longing for pleasure. The ache for sex. She wanted it but she would fight him, make him work to convince her to accept him. There was something so raw and primal about her; if he could make her submit to him, he felt he could survive off that energy for years.
    Scanning her frame, he saw that she was of small stature, even with the heels. Her body was curvy, with heavy breasts and rounded hips. Her shape was so very different from the females of his kind, who were tall and lithe, with small breasts and narrow hips. He’d always preferred the Sidhe ideal of beauty, but suddenly he was considering the merits of feeling those soft curves beneath his body.
    From where he stood he could not tell if she was pretty or plain. But that did not matter. What mattered was her aura. White meant perfect balance. It was so rare, a pure white aura. He should probably fear it, but he was drawn to it— to her . He suddenly wanted nothing more than to take all her pleasure inside his body and convert it into magic.
    Yes, this mortal female would give him great power. Tonight. “And where are you going?” Sayer called as Bran left him standing at the balustrade.
    “Outside. To have a closer look at my evening meal.”
    “And you think this place is a den of inequity? Wait till you get beyond the doors and into their world.”
    “I assure