Free Five (Elemental Enmity Series Book I) by Christie Rich Page B

we were going to get something for you, too,” Cassie said. Her curious eyes studied me as if I’d gone crazy.
    Didn’t they affect her like they did me? She stood there casually with a glazed look in her eyes. “Nope. I’m good.” I nodded toward the door, giving her another look.
    “Let us help you,” one of the other men suggested in a satin tone that fell on my senses like a feather-light kiss. My body shifted to his signal. Although extremely different in appearance from the guy standing next to me, my awareness of the speaker affected me in the same odd way. His call took over my senses as though he were the only man on earth.
    His eyes were deep-set caramel pools, his skin russet velvet. His thick black tresses were pulled back in a crisp queue: The perfect Latin lover. His sumptuous lips turned in an inviting smile. I looked away shyly.
    “Are you all players?” Cassie asked innocently. Her gaze darted from each one and back again as though she was having trouble determining which of them was best.
    The last man in the group burst out in a husky laugh. I shivered as he became my new world. His rich obsidian eyes pointedly surveyed the scene. I doubted he missed much.
    He was a few inches taller and quite a bit larger than the rest of them even though each man was very nearly a giant and perfectly muscled in the way of Adonis. Flawless mocha skin and long dark braids completed his exotic look: The ultimate jungle warrior.
    “Of a sort,” he replied in a tone that sent a quake of sensual expectation through my entire frame. He smiled at me possessively, as though I were his somehow.
    Aunt Grace’s words were tattooed in my memory. These men fit the description. They were all exquisitely, inhumanly stunning. I wasn’t sure about the cunning part, but I didn’t want to get anywhere near them if they could be lethal.
    I made a mistake by coming here. I should have never come to Notre Dame.
    The blonde came closer. “How about it, Rayla? Will you let us help you?”
    The way he said my name revved my pulse like a V12 at full throttle, but just as quickly a calming sensation washed over me, settling my nerves. I wanted to give him anything he asked for. I wanted to toss my hair, bat my eyelashes, and accidentally brush up against him just to feel his body next to mine. I could never be close enough.
    I might have actually done it if I hadn’t gotten a kick in the pants from my mind to grab Cassie and sprint back to our dorm.
    I gave myself an inward shake, closing off my emotions. If he was fae, I couldn’t let him know I was on to him. That would be the stupidest thing I could do. What would keep him from throwing me over his shoulder and bounding out the door? It sure wasn’t going to be the scrawny cashier. Thinking about me or Cassie fighting him off was laughable. Besides, with the way that red-haired dude had her in his sights, she’d be right beside me.
    “I suppose,” I said calmly. That came out better than I had hoped, especially considering my battling emotions.
    The sun god lifted a blue shirt from the rack, holding it up to me. He didn’t even bother looking at the tag, yet it was exactly my size. Soft as a feathery boa, his knuckles brushed my chin. I nearly doubled over from the strangest sensation I had ever experienced. A storm of emotions threatened to drown me: passion, fear, excitement, anxiety, longing. You name it. I was feeling it all at once.
    If that wasn’t bad enough, sharp pain erupted in my scar. I stepped back, trying to cover my escape with a smile.
    His tropical eyes narrowed slightly. With a small grin on his face, he stepped nearer, entrancing me where I stood. “If I could, I would drape you in the finest silks. I would gift you with pearls, adorn your body with precious gems, and set you on the throne you deserve. Unfortunately, this will have to do.” The corners of his mouth lifted further in an earth-shattering smile. His gaze darted to the floor and back to