*

Selene is wiped out again. We head straight back to the hotel after dinner. I pull a bottle of champagne out from the mini refrigerator along with two glasses. It doesn't matter where we are, my girl is in love with me. That's something to celebrate.

"None for me," Selene offers a reluctant smile.

I stare at the bottle in my hand, realizing that she hasn't had more than a sip or two of wine since we got here. I don't need for Selene to drink, but it's unlike her, and it only convinces me further that something is seriously wrong.

I set the bottle and glasses down on the counter, and pull Selene over to the bed. I need to get to the bottom of this before I drive myself crazy.

"Come here," I say settling her down on the spot next to me.

Selene looks at me through her long dark lashes. It's like she's trying to hide behind them. I hold her face between my hands and start with a slow and tender kiss.

"Baby, I know something's wrong. I can see it. I'm worried sick about you. Please tell me what's going on."

She nods. "Okay. This is so much easier now that I told you I love you and I know you feel the same."

My heart drops in a free fall. Fuck. Deep down I knew something was wrong, but I hoped it wasn't true.

"I was really nervous about how you'd react." She stands, but I take her hand and pull her back down. "I still am," she says meeting my eyes again.

"No, baby." I take her hands in mine and rub my thumbs over her knuckles. "Whatever it is, we'll get through it together."

A smile spreads across Selene's face and tears fall from her eyes. She lunges at me and wraps her arms around my neck tight. I don't push her back yet. I take the moment to hold her and console her. I want her to know that I'm here and I'm not going anywhere.

"Okay. Here goes," she says, and I feel like she's stalling for time. "Cooper, I'm pregnant."

What. The. Fuck.

I drop her hands. My body goes rigid. Talk about a sucker punch.

Her eyes dart down toward the floor as silence builds and I feel a wall rising between us. Forget a wall, it builds a fucking moat, castle and armory.

"I know this isn't something we planned." She reaches out for my face, but I flinch away, unable to tolerate her touch. "Please say something, Cooper." Her eyes well with tears. "You're scaring me."

I stand and take a step away from her, but she doesn't let me move. She's on her feet and I feel her hand brush against mine.

"Cooper."

"Get the fuck away from me!" I explode. "You stupid fucking bitch! How can you do this?"

Selene's hand covers her mouth, and her eyes pool with tears. She doesn't let them fall though. She takes a moment, fights her emotions and composes herself.

"Why are you acting like this?"

"Why? You fucking ask why you little, lying bitch?" My words assault her. I see their effect on her face but I can't stop. I don't want to. She woke a sleeping dragon. I'm breathing fire, and I'm not going to stop until I destroy everything in my path. Right now that happens to be Selene. "You fucking lied to me. You did this on purpose!"

She shakes her head back and forth. "No. How can you say that?"

"Easy," I say advancing on her. "You told me you were on the pill." I look at her with distain. "If you didn't want to get pregnant you would've made sure you were responsible enough to take it the way you were supposed to. That's all you had to do! Take a little fucking pill every day. I guess that was just too fucking hard for you."

Her hand comes across my face. "I did you jackass."

I grab her wrist post swing. My fingers squeeze and dig into the flesh. "Don't you ever fucking hit me," I hiss. "Not unless you're prepared for me to hit you back."

Selene's eyes grow wide. I recognize everything I've feared seeing. Hurt. Anger. Fear. Good. She deserves to feel every one of those things.

She works hard at wrenching free from my grasp. I don't say anything. I just stand there seething as she rubs her wrist, then wraps her arms across her stomach. Is that supposed to make things better? Really?

"I can't believe you're acting like this," she says sniveling.

"What did you expect?" I hiss, leaning in on her. "Did you think I'd be happy?"

"No. Not exactly happy, but it was an accident."

"An accident huh? Maybe it's such an accident some other jerk-off knocked you up and you're trying to pass it off as mine. You think you're the first girl to pull this shit on me?"

Again her hand flies up and covers her mouth.

"Who hurt you?"

I shake my head. "Don't change the subject. Did you think it would turn out different this time?" I don't ask. I order her to tell me.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Right now I feel like I don't know you at all."

"You don't know. You're a fucking liar is what you are. I need to get the hell away from you."

Needing to get out, to escape, I head toward the door. I don't know where I'm going, but right now the further from her the better.

"This is about Luna isn't it?"

I freeze. She just confirmed what I accused her of. She knows. How the fuck did she find out?

"How do you know that name?" I turn on her, and there's no more hiding, no more pretending to be someone I'm not. The cold, heartless bastard is back I feel the monster inside me surface.

"Please, you're scaring me."

"You should be scared. Now answer the fucking question."

Tears fall in a torrent from her eyes. I don't move. Nor do I lessen my scrutiny of her. I need to know where she's coming from and what her end game is, so I can properly defend myself.

"How do you know that name?" I ask again, not bothering to hide my anger or irritation.

"From you." She says much more composed than I thought she'd be. She lifts her head high and sticks her chin out. "You've called her name in your sleep. More than once."

Fuck. I run my hand through my hair. I must have told her everything in my sleep. That's why she didn't even bother to ask me about last night. She already fucking knows.

"What else did I say?"

She shakes her head. You called her, and you called me. That's all I know. But she's the reason for the tattoo isn't she? She's the reason you're so hard on yourself. Things didn't end well and you blame yourself."

"Things didn't end well?" I force a haughty laugh from my mouth. "They didn't end well? Yeah, you can say that. Let me tell you how not well they ended. Luna's dead."

Selene's shocked. I see it in her eyes and at how hard she swallows. I give her credit though, she's not running. Yet.

"I'm sorry."

"You're sorry? What are you sorry for? For getting knocked up? For doing it on purpose? Or for sticking your nose where it doesn't belong?"

"I'm sorry you're hurting. I'm sorry you never gave me a chance to help you. Most of all, I'm sorry I fell in love with you."

Right back at you babe.

"Then you'll get rid of it?" I ask, knowing that's the only decent thing to do. For all of us. Including the thing growing inside her.

She shakes her head. "No."

"So I don't get a fucking say at all? You lie, and now I'm on the hook?"

"I didn't lie." Her voice rises. "It's from the antibiotics. Sometimes the pill doesn't work when you're on them. And I don't recall asking you for anything."