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"I think it’s because she’s in the et to her"

"You’re probably right Jon’s already so protective of her"

"Hmm" He kissed the curve of her neck "We keep an eye on them they’ll be okay Look at us," he teased, "we tried da wonderful, but weelse

His leopard scented her quiet distress "Baby, I can’t read your mind But I know you’re sad"

"I wishI wish I’d waited for you," she said without warning, her anguish so raw it crashed into him with the force of a tidal wave "I knoe’re okay now, but I wish I could wipe out the past I wish Orrin hadn’t tainted me before we ever met"

"Don’t" His voice came out harsh when he wanted to be tender for her "Don’t hurt that way And don’t you dare consider yourself anything less than perfect" God, she was sunshine and heart, light and beauty How could she i else? "You are theI’ve ever dared to touch"

Her hand fisted against his "But what about what I did? You must think about it," she insisted, voice thick with tears she refused to shed "You ry sometimes"

"I did Before" He’d been a fool, unable to see the truth "Before I realized that you’re , can come between us" Not even death If she went, he would follow

"How can you forget?" she asked in her stubborn, determined way, the same way she loved him "You were so mad - "

"It wasn’t easy," he admitted "But I’m not stupid I finally realized that what you did, the life you led, hat brought you back to ood little Larkspur, you’d probably have asped, obviously horrified "I would not"

"No" His tone turned serious "Because you were ry anyry with the other half of my soul?" he asked, his tone so tender it tore little pieces out of her heart "I have a te brood But even if I act pissed, even if I snarl, it doesn’t mean I love you any less Your soul shines, Tally, and I’lad it shines forhonesty of his statement So, innocent to the depths of her soul "You sure can talk pretty when you put your lad you’re mine - I know you’ll always be there for ht and she knew he’d understood Never again would she wonder if he would one day leave her His devotion humbled her, made her deterotten memories Then he said, "Forever, Tally," and her heart broke

"Clay, what if - "

"Don’t say it" He squeezed her hard "We’ll talk about it after we see the specialists The first appointht repri his unspoken pain in the way he refused to discuss the subject "Don’t you dare shift again," she ordered, wondering if one lifetih to love Clay all the ways she wanted to love hinore the fact that I’m sick"

"You don’t smell sick to me," he snapped

Neither of them spoke for a second, then they both spoke at once

"I don’t?"

"What the fuck?"

She wiggled in his arh that she could turn around and shimmy up to take a face-to-face position with hi before"

"Yeah, you did" He frowned and nuzzled at her, this tiue flicked out to taste her pulse "It’s gone Nothing, not even under the surface"

Talin’s eyes were huge as he ain "Remission?"

"No, this is deeper" His beast was convinced of it, took another sip of her scent to confir better?" Her hands clenched on his shoulders "No, this kind of disease doesn’t disappear on its own It’s a degenerative condition"

Clay’s beast was roaring at hi him to remember "Re too hard to reply It was so the cat had understood, though the

Talin bit off a cry of surprise as she sprawled off hi for and pulling on his jeans