Fang entered the bar at the same time Aimee’s older brother Zar, who was almost indistinguishable in looks from the quads, was carrying a tray of glasses into the kitchen.

Zar thanked him for holding the door open. “You can help Aimee finish up. I’m done for the night.”

Fang nodded as he saw Aimee taking the cloth from Wren and pushing him toward the door. Music was playing at a much quieter level from the jukebox. It was the Indigo Girls, which was one of Aimee’s favorite bands.

“Wren, go on. You’ve put in fourteen hours with only a tiny break. Get some sleep.”

Still, Wren hesitated. “You shouldn’t be down here alone.”

She looked past him to see Fang. “I’m not alone.”

Wren turned to see him, then clamped his jaw shut. Nodding at Aimee, he did as she asked.

Fang frowned as Wren flashed out, then he moved over to where Aimee was draping a white hand towel over her shoulder. “I like him, but he’s a strange kid.”

“I know. Trust me though, he has reasons for it.”

No doubt given the stories he’d heard. Half the Were-Hunter staff here thought the tigard had killed his own parents. Nicolette couldn’t stand him and while Papa Bear appeared mostly ambivalent, he did watch Wren a little closer than the others.

“You’re the only one he really talks to.”

Aimee moved to pick up a chair, turn it upside down, and put it on a table. Fang beat her to it.

She stood back with a smile. “I love Wren and he knows it.”

“Yeah, but he seems like he wouldn’t welcome it.”

“Sometimes he doesn’t. But it’s like Cherise says, the hardest ones to love are always the ones who need it most.”

He scoffed at her blind optimism. On the one hand, he admired it, on the other… she was too kindhearted. “Do you really believe that?”

She smiled up at him. “Absolutely. I love you, don’t I? And the gods know you are definitely not easy to deal with.” She stood up on her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss on his cheek before she flounced over to the next table to stack chairs.

How could one comment both warm and offend him at the same time?

But then she was good at that. “Thanks, Aim. By the way I still have a tiny bit of confidence left. Please make sure you stomp on it too while you’re at it. Gods forbid it should actually grow into something called self-esteem.” Fang continued pulling up chairs.

Aimee laughed as she mopped the floor. “Anytime, wolf. Vane told me I’m not supposed to let you get too big a head.”

Papa Roach kicked on next to play.

“Interesting mix you got going there.”

“Just wait. Debbie Gibson’s on there too.”

He froze to look at her as she sang along to the song. “You are joking, right?”

“Nope. I like a wide variety of tunes.”

He let out a deep breath. “You’ve found a whole new way to torture me. Damn, and I thought Misery was bad.”

Laughing, she danced with her mop while he admired the fluid way her body moved. It awoke the wolf inside him and made it howl.

How could he be hard again?

This was getting annoying. Trying to distract himself, he looked around the empty bar. Apparently, they were the only two left down here.

“Where’s everybody?”

“We never work the humans past 2:00 A.M. just in case something really weird happens the last couple of hours of the night. As for my family, the guys always bail as soon as they can. They think it’s funny to leave me here to clean up by myself.”

“Why do you?”

“I don’t want to hear Maman complain. She comes in like a drill sergeant and white-gloves the place every morning.”

The jukebox switched to Badfinger’s “Day After Day.” Fang paused at a song he hadn’t heard in forever. He’d always liked it for some reason.

Aimee danced around while she worked, singing to it.

Enchanted, Fang lost himself in her graceful movements. Before he even realized what he’d done, he was in front of her, holding his hand out for her to dance with him.

Putting the mop aside, she smiled before she accepted. He twirled her into his arms and held her close as they swayed while the music floated around them. They were in perfect synchronization. Her arms felt so good around him as her scent filled his head.

She placed one gentle hand to his cheek. “I give my love to you,” she sang, her voice bringing a swell of emotion high in his throat.

He laid his cheek against hers so that he could savor the feel of her in his arms. This was what had gotten him through the hell of the Nether Realm. Her warmth and tenderness.

Her scent.

Aimee twirled her fingers in his hair. “I like your hair longer. It suits you.”

He didn’t answer as he picked her hand up and led it to his mouth so that he could nibble her fingers. “I want to make love to you so badly I can taste it.”

She dipped her hand down to cup him. “Me too.”

His cock twitched, demanding she touch him without the denim barrier. It also reminded him of the fact that he had no right to her. That they couldn’t be together, no matter how much he ached to have her as his own.

“So how did it go with the other bears?”

She gave a short laugh. “Disastrous. One made a move on me and I coldcocked him so bad for it that they’re having to do a testicle retrieval.”

“Ow!” Fang laughed, cringing at the mere thought of that. “That’ll leave a mark.”

“He wasn’t quite as respectful of my virgin ears when it happened.”

“I’ll bet. Want me to go finish what you started? I’ll be more than happy to geld him… any asshole messing with my girl-”

She silenced his words by placing her hand over his mouth. “Careful, wolf. Anyone hear you say that and you’ll be the one gelded.”

He nibbled her soft fingertips. “I know. It’s just hard on me having to let every hairy-ass bear in the universe come on to you while I can’t even make eye contact.”

“I know, baby.” She kissed him gently on his lips.

Fang leaned his head down and let the peace of this moment wash over him while they danced. He would sell his soul to stay like this.

It’s too late. You already sold it to protect her.

Yeah, he should have put another stipulation on that bargain. One that left him in her arms forever.

I am such an idiot…

Trying to distract himself, he changed the subject. “I was briefly talking to Justin earlier tonight and he said something interesting.”

“That is?”

“That Dev and your father were trained Strati.”

She gave him a look so guarded it could protect national security secrets. “Why is that strange?”

Fang started to divert the conversation, but it was something that had been bothering him about the Peltier bears and it was something he wanted to see if she’d trust him with. “They’re Arcadian.”

Aimee stumbled at the word. Her heart pounded in fear. How could he know that? No one had ever suspected it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He stopped moving to stare down at her intently. “Don’t lie to me, Aimee. I’m not stupid. I’ve been here long enough to figure it out and I protected an Arcadian too long in my life not to know the signs of one hiding in the middle of a Katagaria pack. If you want me to pretend I don’t know, then I will play along. But I wanted you to know that I knew.”

And he was placing his life in her hands. If her family ever suspected he’d figured that out, they would kill him without question. Forget eirini and Omegrion law, he would be skinned alive.

He leaned down to whisper. “And I know your secret too.”

She trembled as a cold sweat broke out on her body. How had he guessed the one secret she’d been protecting all these centuries? A secret not even her own family knew…

No doubt he hated her for it.

“What secret?”

“That Kyle’s an Aristos and you’re helping him train his powers.”

Nauseated, Aimee started to move away, afraid to hear any more.