“I’ve fallen through the looking glass,” I whispered. My head ached and I wanted a drink. I wanted it so bad, I could taste the burn of whiskey going down my throat.

But when I took a step toward the end of the alley, the leanly built man with a face that was almost painfully handsome stepped into my path. “After all that, you’re just going to walk away?”

I went still, tightening my hand on the strap of my knapsack.

“None of it concerns me so why shouldn’t I walk away?” I said and my voice was so calm, I wanted to pat myself on the back.

He folded his arms over his chest and leaned forward a bit, a charming grin crooking the corner of his lips. “Oh, so you’re going to pretend you didn’t see my mate’s wings or feel any of that crazy mojo in the air?”

My breath caught in my chest.

“Finn,” the bigger man said, sounding a bit amused and a bit annoyed. “You’re going to scare the poor woman.”

“Am I?” He scraped short, neatly clipped nails along his cheek, the stubble making a rasping sound that made me want to shiver. “Am I scaring you, pet?”

“I’m not your pet,” I said, narrowing my eyes. Even if I did like how it sounded in that sexy-as-sin accent of his. Irish…Irish spoken in a deep rumble that was like velvet over my skin.

“Too bad.” His eyes darkened and his voice deepened. “You’d be a delicious thing to pet…warm, soft…female.”

Liquid heat rushed to gather between my thighs.

His lids drooped and his lips parted. “Oh, now that’s just daring me, darlin’. How am I supposed to let you walk away without having even a single taste…”

A strangled moan tried to tear out of me. Swallowing it, I took a wobbling step backward, but my knees tried to melt and I wavered.

The other man was there in a blink, catching my elbow. He reached out and shoved the one he’d called Finn hard on the shoulder. “Tone it down, you arse.”

Tone what down?

I had no idea.

My bones felt all loose and limp, like they were made of taffy and I wanted to sink into the man in front of me. But the other man—Sebastian—his name was Sebastian—took my arm. “You look flushed, ma’am.”

It came out as mum and he offered a dazzling smile.

“Maybe you need a drink. The sun’s warmer today than we expected. Have you eaten anything?”

“I…um…no?” I couldn’t remember. Surely, I had. Skipping meals was ill-advised because it made other appetites harder to control. Maybe that’s all it was. I should sit down and eat something…then I’d feel better. Less like I needed to let the one with eyes like dark velvet do whatever he wanted…

No. My body might want to melt, but he wasn’t thinking anything like that, my mind insisted. Not about me.

“Then come inside my pub. I’ll get you a drink and you can have a snack. On the house.”

“I…” Shaking my head, I looked back over my shoulder. “No, that’s not necessary. I was going to try—”

“I insist.” He smiled again and it was warm and inviting. Impossible to deny, really.

My stomach grumbled then and my knees did another dip and wobble. Okay, food would probably be smart.

* * * * *

Ten minutes later, my head was clearer but I still couldn’t quite recall exactly how I came to be in the pub. Sebastian had offered an arm and then it was like…poof. Magic. We were inside.

Now, sitting in a small bar, I sipped from a glass of ginger ale, waiting for the sugar to hit. I was munching on tortilla chips with some of the best spinach dip I’d ever had as well. Sebastian kept disappearing through a small door, returning after just a minute or two.

Before I finished the ginger ale, he was back with a plate of cheese, fruit and crackers.

“I…” My mouth watered at the sight of the strawberries but I’d seen some of the prices around here. This place wasn’t in my budget. I wasn’t hurting for money, but if I wasn’t careful, that wouldn’t last.

“Share it with me,” he said, a charming smile on his face. “Perk of being the owner. I can eat whatever I want—and share it.”

I slanted a look at him, suspected I was being maneuvered but damn, I was hungry. He took one of the berries and bit into it while I debated.

Finn strolled over and leaned against the bar, selected another. “You should have used more strawberries, luv,” he said. “I could eat every last one—”

I grabbed the largest one on the plate and bit into it without even realizing I’d done it. A husky wolf’s rumble of amusement echoed in my mind and I swallowed a curse, realizing that greedy grab hadn’t entirely been me.

“Maybe I should get more strawberries,” Sebastian said with a chuckle.

I was definitely being maneuvered. But it was just food…right? What was the harm in letting a couple of attractive men give me some food? Even if one of them was a …seriously, a faerie? I couldn’t remember any of the stories I’d read as a kid about the fae and food but my wolf would warn me, wouldn’t she?

Slowly selecting a piece of cheese, I let the wolf creep closer and she peered out through my eyes, taking in everything I saw, smelled.

She breathed in and liked what she scented in the air—and it wasn’t the food that appealed. Nice, she murmured. Strong.

An image formed of male hands running over our flesh—two sets of hands, both sensual and strong as they touched us, stroking our breasts and thighs, tangling in our hair and spreading our legs.

I shoved her back.

Stop, I ordered.

Mate…they want to mate with you.

I grabbed my ginger ale and drank, wishing it was something stronger.

As I lowered the glass, another was put in front of me.

“Irish whiskey,” Finn said, voice husky and thick. “I think you’ll like it.”

My hand shook as I took it, sipped. It was smoke and fire as it slid down my throat.

“I should go,” I said, moving to slide off the high-backed bar stool.

Sebastian lifted his heel and planted it on the rung of my seat—if I slid forward anymore, I’d be riding his hard, massive thigh. It wasn’t an unappealing picture, either.

“Do you want to?” he murmured.

I couldn’t look at him. I was wet between my legs and aching, so aroused I could smell it. If these two were anything like me—

A low groan came from across the bar, followed by a rough curse and I jerked my gaze up. Finn was staring at my mouth. Sebastian put a broad palm on my thigh and squeezed with firm, yet gentle pressure. “Answer me, sweet…do you want to go?”

I dragged my gaze to him and saw that his rich blue eyes were glowing—really glowing— and specks of gold lit up the blue like hints of sunlight in a nighttime sky.

“Your eyes,” I whispered.

“What about them, my pretty little wolf?”

Sucking in a breath, I grabbed onto the chair beneath me. My head spun in dizzying circles. I don’t know what surprised me the most…that he’d called me a wolf…or that he’d just…changed.