Although possessing the natural strength of a pureblooded Were, Cassie had not only been altered in the womb not to shift, but she was as innocent as a babe and twice as vulnerable.
Add in the fact she was the first true prophet born in centuries, and currently being hunted by every demon loyal to the Dark Lord, and she was a disaster waiting to happen.
She desperately needed a protector.
And since Caine, once a mere cur, had died and been resurrected as a pureblooded Were in her arms, he’d assumed that protecting Cassie was the reason the fates had returned him to this world instead of leaving him to rot in his well-deserved hell.
Unfortunately, his miraculous return to life hadn’t included a sainthood and he remained a fully functioning male with all the usual weaknesses.
Including a rampaging lust toward the tiny female currently wrapped in his arms.
As always completely impervious to his torment, Cassie breathed a soft sigh of wonder. “Oh . . .”
“Cassie.” Bending down, he spoke directly in her ear. “Cassie, listen to me.”
She tilted back her head to meet his narrowed gaze and Caine briefly forgot how to breathe.
Holy shit, but she was beautiful.
Her hair was pale, closer to silver than blond, and pulled into a ponytail that fell to her waist. Her skin was a perfect alabaster, smooth and silken. Her eyes were an astonishing green, the color of spring grass and flecked with gold.
Her face was heart-shaped with delicate features that gave her an air of fragility that was only emphasized by her slender body. Of course, beneath her jeans and casual sweatshirt, she possessed the lean muscles of all pureblooded Weres.
“What?” she prompted when he continued to gawk at her in mindless appreciation.
He sucked in a deep breath, savoring the warm scent of lavender that clung to her skin. “You promised me that you would blend.”
She wiggled from his grasp and darted toward the nearest store to press her face against the window. “Mmm.”
Caine rolled his eyes. “I knew this was a mistake.”
“There’s so many,” she murmured as he moved to stand beside her. “How do you choose?”
“We’ll go into a store, pick out a few of your favorite clothes and try them on—”
“Okay.”
Without waiting for him to finish, Cassie was darting through the open doorway. Caine was swiftly on her heels, but with immaculate timing a buxom nymph with dark hair and brown eyes pretended to stumble and landed against his chest.
Instinctively, his hands reached to grasp her shoulders, his sapphire blue eyes narrowed with irritation.
Once upon a time he had appreciated beautiful females tossing themselves into his arms. Even though he’d been a mere cur, his short blond hair that fell across his brow and tanned, surfer good looks ensured he had more than his fair share of babes. And it didn’t hurt that his body was chiseled muscles beneath the low riding jeans and muscle shirt.
And oh yeah, he’d made an obscene fortune cranking out prescription drugs from his private lab.
Now it took every ounce of willpower to politely set aside the damned nymph and not toss her into the line of sleek metallic mannequins showing off the latest designer swimwear.
“Didn’t we meet in . . .” she began, but Caine wasn’t listening as he swept past her and headed straight toward the tiny blonde who was fingering a pretty white sundress with black polka dots.
“Cassie.”
He had barely reached her side when her hands grasped the bottom of her sweatshirt and began pulling it over her head.
“I want to try it on.”
“Holy shit.” He grabbed her hands, yanking the sweatshirt back into place. “Wait.”
She frowned in confusion. “But you said—”