Embrace the Night

9

Chloe blinked blurry eyes, unsure exactly what was wrong, but knowing something had changed. It took her a moment to realize the car had stopped moving. A rush of air and squeak of hinges announced the opening of the door across from her. Ophelia stirred from where she’d curled herself around Alex’s head, half her body draped across his neck and shoulder and the other half on Chloe’s leg.

She turned her head to watch Merek wrap the space blanket tightly around Alex before he hoisted the teen up and over his shoulder. Alex did little more than groan, but the confirmation that he was stil breathing was oddly reassuring. The weight of his head lifting from her leg made her limb tingle, and she flexed her toes to get her circulation going.

Picking up her familiar, she opened the other door and slid down to let her feet touch the cracked cement of a parking lot behind a cheap-looking motel. Except for a few feeble lights, the lot was shadowed and dark. Probably best considering the shape the SUV was in. Stil , standing around in the gloom made chil s run through her. She tried not to look at the bul et holes gouged into the side of the SUV, tried not to think about how endless the night seemed with only a few overhead lights to guide her way.

The muscles in her legs protested when she hobbled around the end of the car, one of her calves cramping so hard she hissed out a breath. Merek glanced at her sharply. “You okay?”

“Fine,” she lied. “Where are we?”

“A few hours over the border into Idaho.”

Hugging Ophelia tighter, she tried not to limp. “Which room are we in?”

“Numbers seven and eight. They have an adjoining door.” He dangled two sets of keys from his index finger. She snagged them and led the way to the nearest room, unlocking the heavy door and pushing her way in with one shoulder.

Feeling along the wal by the door for the light switch, she relaxed a little when the room flooded with brightness. She held the door open for Merek and watched him bypass the two double beds to deposit Alex in the bathroom. The pipes rattled in the wal as he turned on the water. Out of habit that Merek had dril ed into her, she shut and bolted the door and then closed the curtains as tight as possible so no one could see in.

Then she went around and turned on every single lamp in the room and opened the adjoining door to do the same in the second room. This one had only a king-sized bed. “I’l stay in there with Alex, and you can have the big bed in here. Then your legs won’t hang off the end.”

“Thanks,” he said as he appeared in the doorway. “I’m going to bring in what I can salvage from the car.

Why don’t you—”

“Get Alex hosed down so when you come back you can carry him to bed?” She slid past him to do just that.

“Yeah.” He’d never sounded so weary, and her heart clenched. He was as covered in gore as she was, and she stared at the gruesome sight he made for three ful seconds before she shook herself and kept moving. He glanced down at himself. “Don’t worry. The clerk won’t remember me or anything about us.”

“Those memory spel s sure do come in handy sometimes, don’t they?” She had to force herself away from the desire to cling to Merek and make sure he was al right. To hover over him, grab him, and hold on tight. If something happened to Alex or Merek and she was left alone . . . Her bel y jolted at the punch of pain and panic that thought caused. No. She could not— would not—lose either of them. She refused to even consider the possibility, despite what had happened tonight.

As if he understood her need to hold him, Merek caught her around the waist and pul ed her close. She shouldn’t let herself lean on him, should pul back instead of letting him draw her in. It would only make it worse if she cared too much, but he ignored the filth coating both them and pressed her to his side. She caved in to her need and rested her head on his shoulder. Reaching up, she cupped his jaw in her palm, stroking her thumb over the rough stubble there.

He tilted her head back and kissed her. The heat that always bloomed between them fil ed her body, and it was the first time she’d felt warm in what seemed like forever. She suckled his bottom lip, and he groaned, burying his hand in her hair. He nipped at her lips before sweeping his tongue into her mouth.

Her body liquefied at the deeper intimacy, her sex clenching, nipples tightening, skin sensitizing until the rasp of his beard against her face was pure eroticism. His fingers cradled her head, his big body a welcoming fire that tempted her. It was so sweet, tears stung her eyes, and she felt that weakness try to overtake her, the need to desperately hold on, and forced herself to stumble back, away from the solid warmth he provided.

“I’m going to check on Alex before the tub overflows,” she gasped and fled.

Skittering into the bathroom, she snatched up a thin washcloth from the pile on the vanity, and knelt beside the bathtub Alex was sprawled in. His long legs were bent awkwardly, and the water had already turned bright pink from the blood on his skin. Gingerly, she peeled the soaked bandage away from his side and tossed it in the garbage can. She wet down the cloth and wiped away as many of the rusty blotches from his skin as possible. Then she drained the tub and refil ed it before she grabbed another washrag.

She noted his skin tone looked better, not as deathly pale. His breathing was deep and even in true sleep, and the area around the wound looked pink and healthy, not enflamed or hot to the touch. Good. He was healing nicely. If things continued along this course, he would be back to normal by morning, without even a scar to remind him of the shooting. A physical scar, anyway. The kid had far too many internal scars, and she feared this would add one more. She sighed and scooped water up to rinse the shampoo provided by the motel out of his hair.

“Everything’s in the room, and I fed the cat.” Merek came in and set the first aid kit on the counter as she pul ed the plug on the drain again. “Just in case he needs another bandage.”

“Thanks. I don’t think he does, actual y. Toss me a few towels and help me dry him off.” A sheet of thin white terry cloth draped over her shoulder a second later, and then Merek wedged himself in next to her to lift Alex up and towel him down. When he was relatively dry, Merek picked the teen up as gently as he would a newborn and carried him into the room to tuck into bed.

The front of her shirt was soaked, and pink droplets hit the carpet in a steady stream. She winced. “Man, I wouldn’t want to be the maids who get to clean this room in the morning.”

Merek left her standing beside the bed, picked up his duffel bag, and went into his room to change clothes. When he came back he nodded to her smal est suitcase. “This is the only one that survived. Go into the bathroom, strip down, and hand me your clothes. I’m going to take the towels and our bloody laundry with me when I torch the SUV.”

“T-torch the SUV?” she echoed blankly. She knew what he was saying should make sense to her, but it didn’t.

Merek reached out and caught her chin in his hand. “Sweetheart, Alex told me Luca said vampires can track the scent of our blood. We were leaking a hel of a lot of it, so depending on how sensitive they are, they might find the SUV pretty easily.”

“It’s soaked with Alex’s blood.”

“Yeah. We’re ditching the car. I’m going to take it outside of town, burn it, dump it in the river we passed, and hope that throws them off a bit. I’l do what I can to mask my scent on the way back.” He returned to his room for a moment and came back with a revolver. “I’m leaving this with you. Anyone but me tries to come into either room, and I want you to use it. Understood?”

A jerky nod was the best she could do as she accepted the heavy weapon. “I ran over a man today. If that’s not proof I’m capable of hurting people before they hurt me, I don’t know what is.”

“Good girl, and thank you for saving my ass, too.” He ran a hand down her hair, which had been a windblown, tangled mess before he’d kissed her.

She gestured to the sleeping Alex. “You saved ours first.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” He flashed a brief grin. “Go take a quick shower. Then I want your clothes and al the dirty towels.”

Picking up her suitcase, she shuffled into the bathroom, and obediently scrubbed herself clean in the fastest shower of al time. She’d have liked to linger and pamper herself under the hot stream of water, but instead winced as the soap insinuated itself into al the little scrapes and bruises on her skin. Drying off used the last of the thin towels, and she was in a pair of yoga pants and a shirt under a minute later.

“Be careful,” she whispered and handed Merek everything from the bathroom, including the bloody bandage she’d fished out of the garbage.

“I wil .” And then he was gone.

Not letting herself peek out the curtain as he drove away, she set the revolver on the nightstand and pul ed up the one chair in the room next to Alex’s bed. He looked better, but he was bound to now that he wasn’t covered in his own blood. She didn’t know how long she sat there in tense silence, watching over Alex, feeling grit burn her eyes, listening for any noise outside. An eternity.

She jolted when the doorknob rattled, snatched up the gun, and held it at the ready. Relief made her wilt back into her chair when Merek’s voice came through. “It’s me.”

He was even filthier than he had been, dirt and sweat making streaks down his face. His gray eyes stood out in pale contrast. Exhausted strain made brackets around his mouth. “I’m going to clean up, get a few hours sleep. We’l take a cab to the smal airport here, which opens at seven in the morning. We’re going to be on the first flight out. I don’t care where it’s headed.”

“Okay.” She stared at Merek for a long moment, drinking in the sight of him. Some of the tension inside her eased at having him back with her. She knew that was dangerous, but they’d gone so far over the line tonight, she didn’t know if they’d ever get back to safe emotional ground.

His stride wavered a little as he walked into his room. Frowning, she hurried after him, shut the adjoining door so their conversation wouldn’t disturb the sleeping wolf, and fol owed Merek into his bathroom. He was gingerly tugging his shirt away from his arm, and it was then that she realized he was injured.

A long gouge ran up the length of one bicep and came to a ragged stop just above his elbow. It was ugly, swol en, caked with clotted blood. A trickle of red ran down his arm. “It broke open again on the way back.”

“Oh, gods,” she choked. “How bad are you hurt? Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt?” This, after everything with Alex, was too much for her. It piled on top of her until she felt moisture wel ing up in her eyes.

The pain, the gut-wrenching terror, the exhaustion.

“Sweetheart—”

“Gods.” A tear slipped down her cheek, something deep inside her crumpling under the force of her fear.

“How the hel did this happen? This can’t be real. I’m just a scientist. I don’t . . . I don’t hurt people, I don’t . . .

Alex was shot, for gods’ sake. I had to pul a bul et out of my godson’s gut.”

“Look at me, ” Merek ordered, cupping her face in his hands. “Take a deep breath.”

She sucked in a breath, and her chest hitched on a sob, but she locked her gaze on his dirt and blood-streaked face. The dried crimson stains did little to calm her, but she swal owed and forced herself to get a stranglehold on her control. Blinking away the tears stil clinging to her lashes, she let the air ease out of her lungs. “Okay. Okay, I’m calm.”

“Good.” He stroked his fingers down her cheek, and she leaned into the comforting touch. “I know this is nuts, honey, and nothing I can say wil make it less so.”

“I know.” She sighed. “It just . . . hit me al of a sudden.”

“That happens.” His smile was crooked. He dropped his hands and yanked his T-shirt over his head.

Even the blood crusted on his skin didn’t stop her mouth from watering at the sight of al that naked flesh. He unsnapped his fly, the hiss of his zipper loud in the smal bathroom, and then he was deliciously nude. “Once our flight takes off from here, we’l take a bunch of connections and bounce around different cities before we get off. I don’t know how or if they can track us from one plane to the next, but I doubt it.”

She thought about what she knew of vampiric hypersenses and tried hard not to stare at Merek’s sculpted ass. “It doesn’t seem feasible, no.”

To give herself something else to do, she leaned to the side and plucked up one of the threadbare hand towels provided by the motel, hosed it down in the sink, and started dabbing at his arm.

“Good. We’re not risking it though. We’l keep moving.” He flinched, but angled himself to the side to give her a better look so she could clean him up.

Pressing her palm over the wound, she closed her eyes and pul ed up the dredges of her magic to disinfect and heal the ugly gash. She felt the flesh close under her fingers, but the effort sucked away the few reserves of strength she had. When she opened her eyes, she saw the skin was stil swol en and pink, but it was as healed as she could get it. Wolves and vampires had magical healing abilities that left no scars, but unlike Alex, Merek would be physical y marked by this night forever.

The muscles flexed as he tested his arm. “Nice. Much better than I could do. Thanks, Doc.”

“Anytime.” She tossed the towel down and laid a hand on his chest, just to feel the vital warmth of him. He was here; he was alive. They were al okay. This time. Her fingers moved in circles on his skin, stroking unconsciously as she absorbed the reality of him.

Slanting her a sinful look that was her only warning, he looped his good arm around her waist and swung her into the bathtub. “Keep me company while I shower. Strip.”

“Are you sure you’re up for that? I mean, your arm stil has to be sore, and you must be bone tired because I know I am.” Her mouth snapped shut when he just took her hand and wrapped it around his hardening erection. She grinned a little. “I guess you’re up for it.”

“I guess so. Not enough energy left for any pleasure spel s, so we’re doing this the Normal way.” He shook his head, his smile rueful. “I’m half-dead, and I stil want you.” And then he dropped his mouth to hers and al but inhaled her. The desperation in his touch reached down deep inside her, and her own chaotic emotions imploded.

She shoved her tongue into his mouth, drowning in the taste of him. He tugged at the hem of her shirt, pul ing it up. The time it took to break the kiss and get her top over her head annoyed her. Her arms twined around his neck while he lobbed her shirt at the vanity, and she stood on tiptoe to press herself against his long, hard body. His teeth grazed her neck, and her pussy fisted, dampened, pulsed with want.

The pipes squealed in the wal , and Merek twisted so he blocked the initial blast of icy water. When had he turned on the faucet? Did it matter? She held on to him as he maneuvered them around until her back pressed to the wal , the tile cool on her flesh, and she gasped. Beads of water soaked through her clothes, trailed down her legs in a sensual caress.

Big hands cupped her hips, fingers hooking in the waistband of her pants to work them and her panties down. She kicked them away, impatient for the ful length of his naked body against hers. The pleasure of it made her arch. Closer, deeper, yes.

The hair on his chest stimulated her nipples; the heat of his skin set her on fire. She stroked her fingers over him, needing to touch as much of him as she could reach, to assure herself that he was safe and whole. He bent her backward over his arm and closed his lips over her nipple, flicking the taut crest with his tongue, sucking it deep into his mouth.

A mew erupted from her mouth, and her nails dug into his chest as she tried to communicate her craving.

He merely switched to her other nipple and offered it the same erotic treatment. Her body undulated against his, but it only served to make her burn hotter.

The water trickling down her flesh made her shiver. His lips sipped at her skin, her col arbone, her throat, her jaw, her nose, her eyelids. His hands moved over her body much the same way hers slid across his rougher flesh . . . a reassurance, a reverent worship.

“Chloe,” his voice was a breathless whisper, and the look in his eyes was so hot and tender, it made her heart stop.

And then utter panic hit.

No. She could feel it, the last of her defenses beginning to crack and crumble. A sob caught in her throat.

She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t need him. Not like that. Not permanently. She refused. She would never, ever need anyone like that again. Not so much that losing them would shatter her.

Jerking back, she tried to rip herself from his embrace. Her hormones screamed a protest, but her mind knew better. Stumbling back, she tangled in her wet clothes and slipped on the slick tub. She would have fal en if Merek hadn’t grabbed her, spun her so her front was plastered against the tile wal .

He pinned her there, his heavy weight keeping her upright. “Too late to run now, sweetheart.”

She hated that he might be right. Gods help her, but he felt good, amazing, perfect. His hand drew back and smacked against the fleshy part of her upper thigh, and she jolted, al her tight, twisting emotions snapping. His hard body made hers melt, made her thoughts dissolve and swirl down the drain with the water. There was only Merek, only this moment. The future didn’t matter; the past was nothing. The present was everything. The present was—“Merek.”

“Chloe.” He kissed the nape of her neck, nipped at it.

Her heart hammered in her chest, blood pumping through her hot and fast. Flattening her palms to the shower wal , she sighed at the mix of incredible sensations. The thick steam in the air, the hot water, his slick skin sliding against hers. His hard muscles pressed to her back, and she arched her ass to rub herself against the heavy arc of his cock.

It was too much, and not enough. She wanted more, and knew she couldn’t have it, couldn’t even ask for it. How could she defend herself against herself? Those unruly, incendiary emotions she didn’t want wrenched at her insides.

Wrapping his arms around her, he fil ed his hands with her breasts. She moaned when he tweaked her nipples. He circled them with the cal used tips of his fingers until they were so stiff she thought she’d scream. When he pinched them hard and rol ed them between his fingers, she had to bite her lip to keep from doing just that. So good. It was so perfect. He knew just how to touch her, just how to play her to make her give him anything and everything he wanted. Moisture burned her eyes while lust and craving clawed at her like wild things.

One of his hands moved to fol ow the slide of water droplets down her bel y until he toyed with the soaking curls between her thighs. She let her head fal back against his shoulder, closing her eyes to savor the streaking ecstasy. If tears mingled with the water on her face, she hoped he didn’t notice.

Those wicked fingers dipped in to stroke her clit, and her hands slithered down the slick wal until she could latch onto his forearm, pressing him deeper into her sex.

“More,” she pleaded. “Please, more.”

Two big fingers pushed into her pussy, and her muscles squeezed around him. His groan vibrated against her back. “So hot and tight for me, sweetheart. So creamy I can’t wait to get inside you.”

“Don’t wait.” Her head rol ed on his broad shoulder, and she squirmed when his cock slipped between the globes of her ass.

He hummed in his throat and began pumping his long digits into her, adding another and another until she was stretched to the limit. Her wetness increased each time he fil ed her, the slide so exquisite she thought she’d die. She gasped for air, the thick steam making it that much harder to breathe.

“Inside me.” Another tear glided down her cheek. “Now. Please, now.”

“Soon.” He kissed the side of her throat, suckled the sensitive spot that connected her neck and shoulder.

It excited her more that she knew he’d fuck her when he was damn good and ready, no matter how she begged or teased. It was why she liked pushing his control, even as she utterly relied on that same quality.

The shower pounded down on them, the hot water nothing compared to the heat they generated. It sealed them together, made their skin slip and slide in an erotic dance that sent her pulse tripping. His hips bucked until the head of his cock nudged his plunging fingers, just barely stroked the lips of her pussy. Her nails dug into his arms, desperation beating through her.

He froze behind her, al movement jerking to a stop, and his breath erupted in a painful hiss. “Arm.”

“Oh. Gods.” Her fingers relaxed, and she jerked her hand away, regret washing through her. She turned her head to kiss his shoulder, her hands petting his skin in apology. “I’m so sorry.”

A rusty chuckle answered her. “Yes. Kiss me, lick me, touch me. Show me how sorry you are.”

Reaching around to grab the outsides of his muscular thighs, she grinned a little. “I’d be happy to kiss, lick, touch . . . or suck any part of you. Because I’m real y, real y sorry, of course.”

“Of course.” He bit the side of her neck just hard enough to make her jolt. Her insides clenched, and she whimpered when he withdrew his fingers from her greedy sex. “Later, I’m going to let you suck me hard, but right now I need inside your sweet little pussy so bad I’m dying.”

His fingers pul ed her slick lips wide, held her open so his cock could spear into her pussy. One of her hands reached back to sink into his wet hair, and she twisted her torso enough that she could draw him down for a kiss. A shudder racked her body as his fingers toyed with her clit, tugged at her plumped pussy lips to emphasize just how wide he stretched her. He was big and hot and hard, and she screamed into his mouth when he pinched her clit.

It was perfect. Her throat closed on the need to cry, and she tightened her fingers in his hair as she ravaged his mouth, wanting him as close as he could be. Closer, after the terror of this evening, she needed al of him. He buried himself deep inside her, and it didn’t feel like enough to satisfy her craving for him.

Nothing ever could, and she sobbed against his lips.

He released her mouth. “Shh. Shh. It’s al right, sweetheart. We’re al right. I’m here. You’re not alone.”

Something so huge and beautiful it scared her to even acknowledge it expanded in her chest until she couldn’t breathe, could only hold on to him and hope it would never end, that it would always be this good, this sweet, this intense. Those weak, damnable tears continued to escape, and she couldn’t stop shuddering as the jumbled emotions col ided with the inexorable, rising tide of ecstasy.

“Merek,” she gasped, clamping her inner muscles on his cock.

He groaned; his hips rammed deep, slapping against her ass, driving her into the slippery tiles. “Chloe.

My Chloe.”

Fiery tingles broke down her limbs, and she felt orgasm building deep inside her. Moans spil ed from her throat every time he entered her. He rubbed her clit in time with his thrusts, hard and fast, the movements designed to shove her past her endurance.

He changed the angle of his penetration, and it was so right it sent her spinning. The breath froze in her lungs as her muscles gathered into one enormous pulse of pleasure. Her channel locked tight on his cock, and his hoarse groan and deep shudder told her she’d dragged him over the edge with her. Her fingers bunched in the wetness of his hair, holding him close as her pussy throbbed around him in waves so powerful she sobbed again. His hot come flooded her, and he rol ed his hips, thrusting stil deeper into her slick sex. She sagged against him, shutting her eyes as the physical and emotional storm swept through her, changed everything in its path, and left her drifting in its wake.

He stood there with her until the water turned chil y, his big hands stroking over her skin, cupping her breasts, her hips, the curve of her bel y. Somehow he knew she needed the closeness as much as she’d needed the sexual release he could give her. Maybe he needed it too, because he didn’t stop touching her even after his cock softened and slid from her body. He planted light kisses everywhere he could reach. He crooned to her, a soft wordless rumble of soothing comfort and assurance.

She stirred when the water turned off, felt like she was floating as he lifted her into his arms. “How long do we have until we have to catch our flight?”

Setting her on the counter, he ignored her gasp as the cold tile touched her bare backside. The sharp contrast with her hot, over-sensitized flesh made her shudder. He grabbed a towel and dried her, his touch gentle. “A couple of hours, maybe.”

“Okay.” She took the terry cloth from him and worked on her hair. “How did they find us today? Was it the blood tracking?”

He pul ed another towel from the stack and swiped at the moisture on his skin. “No, they put out a reward for us in the Magickal community, and the elf who ran the campgrounds turned us in.”

“Asshole.” Her jaw clenched so tight the muscles twitched, her teeth grinding together as she fought the desire to hunt the bastard down and hurt him. Bad.

Merek looked away, shrugged. “He’s dead. They kil ed him.”

That gave her pause, and she managed to wrench open her locked jaw to growl, “I wouldn’t have wished him dead, but considering the danger he put us in and what happened to Alex, I can’t say I’m sorry.”

“I kicked him when he was down.” He wiped the towel over his face and then scrubbed at his hair.

She blinked at him. “Seriously?”

“I needed a distraction.” His tone was defensive, but the look on his face was completely unrepentant.

Again, she just blinked. “I’m not sure if I should laugh or be horrified.”

He wrapped the towel around his waist. “A little of both probably isn’t out of line.”

“Al righty, then.” A grin broke across her face as she hopped off the counter to pick up her discarded shirt. Then she remembered that her yoga pants hadn’t fared so wel . “Um . . . you’re going to need to go get me some clothes from my room. I can dry these magical y, but not that fast. Not after al I’ve burned through tonight.”

“Okay.” He dropped a kiss on her mouth, came back for another quick taste, and then pul ed away with a rueful smile and a shake of his head. “Be back in a minute.”

“Thanks.”

The last thing Merek wanted was to go rooting around in Chloe’s bespel ed bottomless suitcase looking for clothes. He’d rather keep her naked, wrapped in his arms, while he got the only few hours of sleep he was likely to get for some time. His eyes burned with fatigue, and he shut his mind off from the fact that she’d tried to pul away from him in the shower.

Why it pissed him off so badly that she would want to put any distance between them, he didn’t want to contemplate. He was too fucking tired to contemplate anything right now. He just wanted a bed and Chloe to share it with him. Shucking his towel and leaving it wherever it happened to fal , he jerked on a pair of sweats and a shirt from his duffle.

“Damn it, Ophelia, I don’t want to hurt you. Get out of the way.”

A deep snarl that he wasn’t sure was from Alex or the cat sounded clearly through the door joining the two rooms. Merek eased it open to see a ful y dressed and alert Alex facing down a pissed off cat who stood, back arched and hair on end, directly in front of the exit.

Bloody scratches were already healing themselves on Alex’s hands and arms, so he’d been tangling with the familiar for at least a few minutes, if not longer.

“Going somewhere?” Merek kept his voice mild, his arms crossed over his chest.

The teen inhaled sharply, surprise flaring in his pale eyes as he whipped around. Then his jaw flexed, and he pul ed his backpack over his shoulders. “Yes.”

Merek shook his head. “You can’t do that.”

“What the hel do you care?” Frustrated rage flashed across the teen’s normal y impassive face. “This way you can keep Chloe safe. I’m a liability.”

Merek pushed away from the doorjamb and crossed to plant himself directly in front of the wolf. “We al have things about us that make us liabilities. We learn to work with our limitations.”

Shaking his head hard, Alex sent a fulminating glare toward Ophelia. “I won’t be responsible for another —”

“It wasn’t your fault your mother died, any more than it would be your fault if Smith’s men kil ed Chloe.” No, that was a responsibility that would fal squarely on Merek’s shoulders if he failed to keep her safe.

“If you guys had spent a few more minutes in the shower, I’d have been history.” A huff of breath that sounded close to a sob emerged. “Damn cat.”

He closed his hand tightly over Alex’s shoulder. “You can’t do that to Chloe. She would never forgive herself. Ever.” Merek knew enough about her now to know how true that was. “She’d tear off and go searching for you herself, and Smith’s men would catch up to her in under a day.”

Alex shut his eyes, but not before a sheen of moisture showed. “I can’t stay.”

“Can you honestly do that to her? Just walk away and never look back?” For a moment, the young man’s future wavered before Merek’s eyes, superimposing over the boy before him. A tal man, smiling down at a woman holding a wolf cub in her arms. Then another flash of the same man, sitting alone in a darkened room, bitterness poisoning his expression. Different possibilities? Different events in the same time line?

The images disintegrated before Merek could tel .

Those green eyes locked on his face. “Can you? Isn’t that what you’re going to do if Luca ever closes the case and we get out of this?”

“I’m not the kind of guy who’s into hit it and quit it with his women. That’s not my style. I don’t play those kinds of games.” But that wasn’t the whole story. He’d gone into each of his relationships since his wife’s death knowing when it would end and how. His heart had never been involved, and though he’d cared for the women, he’d known there would be no deeper demand on his time or emotions than he’d already foreseen.

With Chloe, everything was different.

Merek sighed and dropped his hand from the kid’s shoulder. What the hel did you say to a kid who’d been dragged away from his life, had a bul et dug out of him, didn’t trust men for shit because his dad was an asshole, and said asshole dad had disappeared without a backward glance? Merek had no fucking clue. He didn’t even think there was a right thing to say. “Look, I know your dad bailed on you in every possible way after your mom died, but—”

Alex cut him off with a snort.

“But if I was real y looking to dick someone around or to score an easy lay, this isn’t how I’d do it.”

“Yeah, I guess not.” Alex shoved a hand through his dark hair and looked away.

Merek sighed and waited for those green eyes to meet his again, too damn exhausted to care if he put his foot in this one. “I get why you don’t want to trust me, but I’m not your father. I’m in this until the end. I’m not going to bail on you when the brown stuff splatters. I haven’t yet, and I won’t.”

“It’s not just you or my dad or anyone else, it’s . . . shit.” The wolf sniffed and scrubbed at his bloodshot eyes, grief and guilt ripping through the façade of indifference. “I was completely useless back there. I couldn’t help either of you, even if I hadn’t been shot. Not against a ful -grown vampire or Fae or . . . hel , not even against another wolf.” His hands lifted, flexed until the muscles in his forearms stood out. “Some of it is instinct, you know? Just being a wolf. But I know computers, electronics. Aside from the instincts, I don’t know shit about guns or spel s or fighting.”

“I can teach you to defend yourself. Even against spel s, even though you can’t cast them like I can.” He gestured to the door. “If you don’t bail on us, that is. I can help you hone those wolf instincts even more.”

Wariness and old pain flashed in the boy’s eyes, but it wrestled with the desire to believe. “Why would you do that?”

Nothing but sheer honesty was going to keep this from turning into a total clusterfuck that Chloe would never forgive him for, so Merek laid it out there. “Because I can. Because I’l take any edge I can with protecting your godmother. Because I like you, and you need to know how to save yourself when the time comes. And, yeah, you might have been someone who was just along for the ride because I wanted to keep an eye on Chloe and she wasn’t going anywhere without you, but you’re a good person. There aren’t a lot of those in the world.”

“Don’t I know it.” Alex rubbed his side where the bul et had struck, his ancient, weary eyes meeting Merek’s. They searched his face for a long time, looking for gods knew what, but Merek met his gaze without flinching.

Final y, his face guarded by his usual inscrutable mask, Alex nodded. “I’l stay.”