He despised how charmed he was by this exchange. More to the point, how charmed he was by her presence. “Why are you here?”

“I wanted to make sure you and Vane were good.”

“Yeah.”

She looked at him suspiciously as she neared the bed. “You don’t sound sold on it.”

“It’s not that. I love my brother. I’m just…” Bitter. That was the only word to do any kind of justice to his surly mood. He only hoped it was temporary. “It’s nothing that I won’t get over.”

She handed him a beer. “If you say so.”

He took it from her and eyed the tray of food she’d parked on his dresser. “I thought I told you I wasn’t hungry.”

“I figured you were lying.”

He laughed. “Thanks for the faith.”

Wrinkling her nose at him, she uncovered a plate to show him ham, turkey, dressing, and potatoes. “Do you need anything else?”

You…

Gods, he was such a fool. Her rump was the only roast he wanted to take a bite out of. Even now he could imagine stripping her bare and making love to her until they were both blind from it.

He cleared his throat, wishing he could clear his mind just as easily. “No, and I’m really sorry for the way I treated you earlier.”

“You should be, but I understand. I have the same feelings, which really piss me off.”

He took a deep draft of his beer. “There’s something wrong with us, isn’t there?”

“Yes. We’re broken.”

Setting the beer aside, he pulled her toward him until she was standing between his spread knees. Her scent wrapped around him like a warm cloak as he imagined sliding her T-shirt over her head and freeing her breasts. “I’ve never wanted a woman as badly as I do you.”

She rested her hands on his shoulders as she looked down at him, her gaze scalding hot. “I’ve never wanted a man until you.”

He leaned his head against her stomach while she brushed her hand through his hair, then down to his shoulders. “What are we going to do?”

Her touch sent chills over him. “We have to stay away from each other. I’m my mother’s heir. I have to find a bearswain to mate with.”

Anger shot through him at those words. He couldn’t stand the thought of another man touching her. But he let the heat of her body soothe him until he was calm again. “We can be adults about this.”

“Absolutely. We’re just friends.”

“Friends.” Had there ever been a more disgusting word invented?

Aimee looked down at him as he pulled away to gaze up at her. His hair was shaggy and his whiskers were already starting to darken his cheeks again-it gave him a feral sex appeal that was hard to resist. And those beautiful eyes of his… she could lose herself to him so easily.

Don’t…

“I’m going to my room now.”

Fang nodded and released her. His heart heavy, he watched her leave even though what he really wanted to do was call her back and run off to a place where no one would care that he was a wolf and she a bear.

“What have I done?”

Made a complete and utter wreck of your life.

It was true. Everything was screwed up and he had no idea how to make it right again.

Sighing, he went to the tray Aimee had brought and sat down to eat.

Aimee tried her best to sleep. But for some reason, she couldn’t. It was around three in the morning when she went to the bathroom and saw the light shining from underneath Fang’s door.

Against her better judgment, she padded down the hallway to knock lightly on his door.

He didn’t answer.

“Fang?” she whispered.

Again he didn’t answer.

Closing her eyes, she looked inside the room and found him there. He was pacing the room like a caged animal. Wild. Cold. Deadly.

Something was wrong.

Without considering the danger, Aimee went inside to check on him.

He whirled on her so fast, she couldn’t even protect herself. He pinned her to the wall, his hand on her throat as if he would kill her right where she stood.

But the moment he touched her, his gaze cleared and he focused on her face. “What are you doing here?”

“I saw your light and I was worried about you.”

Fang pulled back, his features tormented as he raked one hand through his dark hair. “I can’t breathe, Aimee. I can’t relax. I’m terrified of going to sleep. What if I don’t wake up again?”

The fact that he confided that to her told her exactly how upset he was. “You’re all right. You’re back and you’re safe.”

“Am I? I couldn’t wake up earlier.”

She pulled him into her arms and held him close. “It’s over, Fang.”

Fang wanted to believe that, but how could he? “No, it’s not. I can still feel them clawing at me. I can hear the flapping of the Reapers’ wings and see the Harvesters looking for victims. They’re coming for me. I know it.”

She pulled his face into her hands and made him look at her. “I will stay with you and make sure no one takes you back.”

He scoffed.

“Listen to me,” she said firmly. “You don’t seriously think that I went through months of hell, stalking Daimons and descending into Kalosis to let them have you again, do you?”

Well, when she put it that way. “No.”

“Then trust me. I’m not going to let them come for you. If there’s one thing a bear can do, it’s fight.”

Fang nodded. He returned to bed. Aimee pulled the blanket up over him and sat down on the edge.

He took her hand into his and held it close to where Thorn had branded him. But she couldn’t see the mark through his T-shirt. He wanted to tell her about the bargain he’d made.

If only he could. The truth was, he was ashamed that he’d been unable to protect her without it.

Most of all he was scared the demon inside him would manifest and hurt her.

“If I do anything strange, you leave me immediately. You understand?”

Aimee furrowed her brow in suspicion. “Strange how?”

“I don’t know. Try to eat you?”

She arched her brows at that. “Ooo-kay. You do that sort of thing a lot?”

“Not really, but who knows after all this. I might even sprout horns and turn into Simi when you’re not looking.”

“Well, I promise if you come at me with bad juju, I will tear out your guts. And if you transform into a teenaged female Goth demon, I’m going to laugh my butt off.”

“Good.”

She laughed. “You’re the only one I know who could find that threat a relief.”

Fang tried to smile, but his exhaustion was overtaking him. There was something about Aimee that made him feel safe. Before he knew it, he was finally asleep.

Aimee sat there for an hour, watching Fang sleep. It was so strange to see him like that. He reminded her of her nephew who didn’t like the dark.

Only Micah was four.

What horrors had Fang been through down there that he was still so haunted by them?

“I wish I could help.” But only time could heal what had been broken inside him. All she could do was be there when he needed strength and friendship.

What are you thinking?

She needed to keep her distance from him. Yet it was so hard when all she wanted was to strip her clothes off, slide into bed beside him, and pull his body deep inside hers.

There was something so infectious about him.

What if he’s my mate?

Surely the Fates wouldn’t be that cruel.

Oh, what was she thinking? Of course they would. They’d conspired to have men eat their own children. Mothers kill their babies. There was no one more treacherous than the Moirai.

Her heart heavy, she ran one finger over his grizzled cheek. She loved how he felt. How he looked.

Most of all, she loved his sarcastic, bitter humor.

Letting out a tired breath, she leaned back against the wall. “What’s going to become of us?”

Eli looked up as Cosette entered his study. The light-skinned Creole woman was as beautiful as her ancestor, Marie Laveau, one of the most notorious voodoo priestesses in the world. A mere slip of a woman, she wore a white flowing skirt and pale blue peasant top that fell off one shoulder. Her blond hair was pulled back from her face by a red scarf so that the tight curls fell out of control to her shoulders.