Page 294 of Primal Bonds

Traffic was light. It wasn’t long until they entered Delaware and turned south toward the beach. Adric fiddled with the radio while the flat terrain unspooled on either side of them, winter fields of tattered cornstalks and soybeans interspersed with shiny-new housing developments.

As they entered Lewes, the billboards and pizza places gave way to charming wood-shingled homes and hip little shops and restaurants. Crepe myrtle, bare for the winter, arched cinnamon-colored branches in front of painted Victorians with lacy trim. In the summer, she knew, the tiny yards would overflow with flowers and pots of fragrant herbs.

They took the drawbridge over the Lewes and Rehoboth Canal. The B&B was between the canal and the Delaware Bay. Three stories high and painted an eye-popping turquoise, blue and peach, it was as if a piece of Key West had levitated and flown north to Delaware.

Rosana slung her canvas bag over a shoulder while Adric took a leather jacket and a duffel bag from the backseat. The building was on stilts to protect against flooding. To reach the front door, they passed beneath an overhang guarded by a busty carved figurehead like the kind you saw on the prow of a ship, and wound their way through three kayaks, two surfboards and a stand of rusting beach bikes.

Inside, Adric led the way up a stairwell crammed with quirky art—an outsized pig in a red tutu, the head of a laughing cow, a seductive mermaid. They found the proprietor on the second floor in a small, open office, feet propped on his desk, watching a video on his computer.

He came unhurriedly to his feet. Solidly built with salt-and-pepper hair, he was dressed in pink board shorts and flip-flops despite the near-freezing temperature outside.

“Lord Adric,” he said with an easy smile. “You’re right on time. The room’s all ready.”

Adric inclined his head. “Mark. Peace to you and yours.”

“And to you and yours.” Mark turned his smile on Rosana. “Welcome to Lewes,” he said as he took Adric’s cash and noted something on the computer.

She smiled back. “Thank you. And peace to you.”

“You’ve got the Hemingway Suite. Right down that hall.” The innkeeper indicated the hallway to the left as he handed Adric the key. “There’s only one other couple staying the night, and they’re on the third floor. Other than me, you have the second floor to yourself.”

Adric thanked him and, taking Rosana’s hand, led the way down the hall to their room.

“He doesn’t mind us being fada?” she murmured. Humans tended to be wary around shapeshifters, especially dominant ones like Adric.

“Nah. He says my money’s as good as anyone’s. I don’t bother him and he doesn’t bother me.”

“So you’ve stayed here before.”

“A couple of times. I mind my business, and he does the same.”

Rosana quelled a twist of jealousy.

Who? she wanted to ask. Who did you bring those other times?

But she refused to go down that road. She’d known when she walked into the bar last night that Adric wasn’t celibate.

Unlike her.

The Hemingway Suite was dominated by a king-sized bed covered with fake leopard-skin and flanked by two rattan lounge chairs. A photo of Ernest Hemingway presided over a hutch filled with copies of the author’s books and an old-fashioned typewriter, and the sliding glass door was covered with blinds made of wood slats.

“Nice.” Rosana set her bag on one of the rattan chairs and hung her leather jacket on a hook near the door. “I’m impressed.”

She crossed the room, trying not to stare at the huge bed, to open the blinds on the sliding glass doors. Outside, a small terrace ran the length of the room, with steps leading down to a grassy strip behind the B&B.

“And private.” Adric dropped his duffel bag by the door and hung his jacket next to hers.

She turned to face him. Picturing why they might need privacy made her shove her hands into her back pockets, and then take them out again.

Relax, damn it. You want this, remember?

Adric leaned against the door on the opposite side of the room, arms crossed, a small smile on his face. “Want a drink? Mark keeps wine and beer for the guests in the breakfast room.”

“Water’s good for now.”

He nodded, and going to the small refrigerator near the door, removed two plastic bottles and held one out to her.

“Thanks.” She forced her feet to unscrew from the floor. She took the bottle and gulped water, avoiding his eyes.

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