Huffing, I trudged forward. Exhaustion weighed down my limbs until it felt like walking through silt. I needed to get some sleep. There was one more block between me and my rental condo.
Large rocks lined the edge of the beach where the sand met the sidewalk. Sometimes tourists left towels or swimsuits on them, but my eyes caught on something unusual.
Frowning, I stepped closer. For a second, I thought it was an animal. Silver fur stretched across the boulder, dotted with lighter patches. Cautiously, I reached for it. My fingers dug into the silky, soft fur, and I pinched it, picking up the mysterious item.
Turning it, I canted my head and squinted. There was no way. Who would leave an expensive fur coat at the beach?
It was undoubtedly real fur. No faux substitute felt this luxurious. I’d felt a few fur coats worn by the wives of executives at my job. They usually made me cringe, but this one didn’t. I ran my hands over the coat, relishing the texture. Something about it lured me in.
What am I doing?
It was late, and I needed to be in my rental in my pajamas, not standing on the beach in the middle of the night, petting a stranger’s undoubtedly expensive fur coat like a weirdo.
But I couldn’t leave something that nice on a rock to getrained on and maybe shit on by a seagull. Vaguely, I remembered something about coats like this having serial numbers inside so they could be registered or something.
Frankly, it would be irresponsible to leave it there. I could take it home for safekeeping and then figure out how to track down the owner the next morning. It was probably a pompous older lady who would want to reward me somehow. Maybe she’d tell me to keep it.
A giggle bubbled out of me, and I swayed on my feet, holding the coat with one hand while the other trailed over the silky fur. I fought the urge to raise it to my face and bury my nose in it. That would be ridiculous.
Fighting back a yawn, I folded the coat over my arm and set off to my rental condo with stumbling steps, completely ignoring the prickling feeling on the back of my neck.
Chapter 2
Finders Keepers
Caspian
I nearly spilled my beer when the woman walked in. Platinum hair spilled over her shoulders in shiny waves, framing beautifully tan skin and dark eyes. I couldn’t tell their color from across the room, but I had a feeling they were blue like storm clouds.
She moved to her table with such grace, she had to be a ballerina, or perhaps something more than human. I checked her ears—rounded. Not a fae, then. When she smiled, her teeth looked normal, so not a vampire or shifter either.
Adrian noticed my preoccupation and punched my shoulder.
My lip curled as I twisted to scowl at him. “What?”
He shrugged, his charcoal hair falling over his brow. “You see something you like?”
“This monk? Absolutely not,” Malik said, leaning over to grin at me. His black hair shone in the string lights. He could pass for human until his smile grew a little too wide and displayed lengthened canines.
“Shut the fuck up,” I muttered, taking a swig from my drink. It took all of my self-control to keep my gaze on my brothers until they were sufficiently distracted.
Finally, I can sneak another look at the woman.
She spoke with a friend, and when her lips curved into a smile, it felt like I’d been punched in the gut. She was unreasonably gorgeous. I wanted a closer look, like sitting across the same table during a date or looking down at her when she was on her knees.
Fuck!
I’d never had that kind of reaction to anyone before. I shifted unconsciously in my seat, my jeans getting uncomfortable the longer I watched her. It took all of my self-control to not jump up and cross the restaurant to her.
“You totally see someone you like,” Adrian hissed, leaning into me. “Those cute witches over there?”
“Witches?” I asked, blinking at him.
“Oh yeah, I’ve met the one with purple hair. We have a mutual friend or two. But I don’t know the other chick.” He shrugged, his gaze lazily skimming over the crowd to come back to me. His mouth twisted into a suggestive grin. “Are you finally going to get laid? She looks like she’d be downto—”
It took a lot to piss me off, but joking that this witch was a meaningless hookup lit up my temper like the Fourth of July.
I narrowed my eyes in warning. “How about you be respectful for once in your damn life, Ari?”
