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When Nix had said Chloe would be gone, had the soothsayer one, as inlost? His chest constricted, strangling his breaths for an entirely different reason

"Whiskey," he bit out

Frowning, she handed it to hiether on the floor in the goddamned pantry "You think I could be off the hook ifto me at all?"

"Oh, yeah, because you think you'd have to follow me But never fear, I'm sure that only applies to beloved et a pass"

"You belong with me," he said simply

"Tell me why I should stay Why shouldn't I run, now that I's "Because I will catch you"

"Ugh-you could not suck worse!" She was shaking beside hi's wrong He pulled on the collar of his loose T-shirt, puzzled by how tight it felt around his neck Allwhere I assessa lay of where I a my field position, the most important one of my life"

"And what have you deterether So it's in your best interest to cut ties with me" He opened his , but she continued, "Don't worry, I don't expect you to let o Because you're not a fairso badly?

"In that case, what do you plan to do with aze "You can keep me here for centuries, and at the first opportunity, I will blaze Do you understand me? I will always look for a way out-because you will never change"

"You speak of change as if it's easy! I'm nine centuries old! I doona alter ht"

"At least it's possible for you-I can't change Ever I can accept your beast, but you can't accept things in me that I can't control?" She squeezed her tereen with anguish "I can't sit around here and let you convincebut an evil, worthless succubus I won't do that"

When her eyes filled with tears, his widened

"You'recrying?" He gazed at her in astonish invincible She'd acted unaffected by his barbs "This is twice," he said inanely

He'd never had a"Chloe, look at me"

When she buried her head in her hands and started sobbing, his stomach felt torn apart, as if he'd been stabbed and the knife was steadily turning in his gut

Twisting with no end, like the second hand of a clock Tick, tick, tick

"Get used t-to o"

MacRieve pulled her hands fro hiretted causing him pain

"I canna, Chloe"

She ran her sleeve over her daure out a way to make this situation better for both of us But I can't shoot for a net that I can't see"

His eyes were stark There was clearly so le in the dark than share any of it

"Damn it, answer , she snatched the bottle fro it from the pantry It shattered in the next room "What-did-I-do?"

"NOTHING!" he roared

"Then for God's sake, why are you treating azed away

"No, don't you look away!" Cla her hands into his hair, pulling him back to face her They stared into each other's eyes, both out of breath "Tell e toward your species I know I've been taking it out on you But I doona kno to stop!"

Did that an to burn inside her She released hi "What happened to you? Tell me"

With a wary nod, he parted his lips He see to answer her-but only his breath whistled out

"MacRieve?" What was going on here? He was a powerful, courageous immortal Yet he'd been rendered mute by whatever had injured him in the past

He pulled on his collar "I cannabreathe" His voice broke low "Icanna"

Rising unsteadily, she otta have a net to ai

That spark guttered out With a last glance, she left hi alone

I want my mate

As Will walked the halls of Conall early into the ht kept surfacing

He didn't want to sleep alone, to wake up alone Chloe had gone to bed hours ago, all but passing out froone to join her, she'd shaken her head warningly, as if to say Do it and die

He'd been so busy thinking about how he'd been injured that he hadn't considered-or cared about-how vulnerable and hurt she'd been

All those years ago, he'd categorized Ruelle's tears as antics In truth, they'd been tactics

Chloe's tears had been raw and real And she'd told hiet used to them

He assessed his own "field position"

-Watching Chloe cry had hurt him worse than his recent tortures, had taken more from him than Dixon had

-He'd rather die than cause Chloe ain, it should be because of pleasure Would he ever see that?

He returned to the hearth, stirring the eet right? Nix had said, "Bury your past, or it'll bury you" He knew burying his past wasn't possible It was too much a part of hiht accept a life with hiive her his all Yetthen Munro Bracing himself, Will answered

"I was about to take the lads out to Erol's," Munro said in a ht I'd check in first"

Fearing the worst? "We arrived without incident She sleeps now, or I'd let you talk to her She enjoyed her new clothes and was grateful for thee You think I should remain here?" And where the hell will you be? Will's recent iest span they'd ever been separated

"Iapart from you"-that ot your fee our fa whoever found his mate first should live there This is your chance to reclaim your home-and your past"