“Taran, don’t go,” Shayna called after her. “We don’t know what’s happening.”

Taran slammed the door behind her. I slumped to the bed exhausted. I didn’t like fighting with her. And I knew she was angry about my assault. But she was also hurting from her own turmoil and it had begun to cloud her judgment.

Emme sat next to me. “She’ll be back. I’m sure of it.”

I didn’t agree. Taran was angry and feeling alone. I could relate. Aric was my fiancé and we weren’t even allowed in the same room together. For heaven’s sake, how much more drama could there be in one night?

I propped myself up on some pillows and glanced at the flowers Shayna had brought. She’d filled an ice bucket with water and placed the bicolored pink and dark red roses inside. They were gorgeous and yet they made me sad. Aric didn’t owe me an apology. Something else did. And that something would pay if I could get my hands on it.

I stood abruptly and tried to prepare for bed. It was three in the morning when I finally crawled under the sheets and almost six when I crawled back out. I couldn’t sleep, haunted with the memories of my past abuse and the assault. Every time I closed my eyes I relived what I had been forced to endure. The memories were graphic and brutal. I recalled every detail—the lighting in the room, the smells, the sounds, and the horrible feeling of helplessness.

I brushed my teeth, threw on a sports bra and shorts, and left to check out the first floor gym. When I opened the door I found Aric sitting against the wall opposite my room.

He stared back at me with sad eyes encircled with dark shadows. It was him—really him; his aroma of water crashing over stones greeted me with tremendous warmth.

I forced my hand from the door handle and sat against the wall across from him.

“Hi,” he said quietly.

“Hi, wolf.”

He pulled a knee forward to lay his forearm over it. “I couldn’t stay in my room,” he said. “I needed to know you were safe.”

A single tear slid down my face. “Thank you,” I whispered.

Aric inspected me closely. “I don’t want to ask, but I need to know. Are you afraid of me?”

He could have scented my fear from down the hall. My gaze dropped to the carpet. Gold diamonds trailed along the dark burgundy loops. “It’s not that I’m afraid of you,” I answered honestly. “But I am afraid of what this entity could do through you. Your soul wasn’t who hurt me, but your body still did.”

He lowered his head. “I hear what you’re saying,” he said quietly. “Damn, Celia. What’s going to happen to us?”

Aric was a mess. Hell, I wasn’t much better, but I would be damned if I was going to let anything destroy what still existed between us. “Nothing,” I answered him. He looked up at me, unsure what I meant. I swallowed the huge lump in my throat. “I’m not leaving you, Aric. We just need to stop this thing.” I didn’t want to elaborate, knowing it would only upset him further, but I felt he should know. “Listen, what happened last night brought up a lot of bad stuff from my past. I thought I was over it, but now it’s haunting me and keeping me awake.”

Aric was suddenly sitting next to me. I startled, surprised. I’d only just blinked. “I’m sorry,” he said quickly. “Don’t be frightened. My wolf is just going crazy without you…and so am I.”

I knew what he meant. If it was up to my tigress she’d be leading us back to his room. “I know.”

His stare seared into mine. “Whatever it takes, whatever I have to do, I’m going to stop this thing. Nothing will keep me from taking you as my wife.”

Aric’s words made me smile through my tears. Despite my reservations and fears, I knew he loved me, and that no matter what, I wasn’t alone. I leaned my head against his shoulder when he draped his arm around me. His heat stroked gently against my skin. After a few deep breaths of his scent, my eyelids drooped, feeling heavy. His presence brought me a sense of calm so strong, I fell asleep against his shoulder.

For a long time there was only darkness…until the screams began.

I woke abruptly, unsure what was happening, in time to see Aric racing down the hall toward Shayna and Koda’s room. I bolted after him as the screams grew louder and more distressed.

Aric smashed through the steel door like it was made of thin packing foam. Almost immediately the metallic scent of blood filled my nose. We scrambled toward the bedroom and toward the shrieks to find Koda on top of Shayna, forcing her down to the bed.

Blood soaked the sheets and smeared the walls. I’d barely registered what was happening when Aric tackled Koda to the floor.

I leapt onto the bed, reaching for my sister, who was splattered with blood. “No!” Koda growled. “It’s not Shayna!”

Koda’s warning came too late. I stared down at my chest where the blade of Shayna’s sword had disappeared.

Chapter 23

I don’t remember much of anything. Everything came in bits and pieces. Aric was screaming for Emme. Shayna was sobbing. And there was pain, lots of sharp, aching pain drilling through my chest and into my back. I remember feeling cold and damp and so alone.

You’re not alone, the voices whispered.

“Baby, stay with me,” Aric pleaded. “Emme’s here. She’s going to help you.”

I knew Emme was there, I heard her scream before I felt the familiar touch of her small hands against my face. I sort of recalled her soft yellow light before everything turned black.

Gradually, light trickled in and I found myself in a dark room with Ray and Joe, the boys who had hurt us when we were in foster care.

“We’ve missed you, Celia,” Ray said.

I scanned the room I’d been forced to stay in. Sickly green paint covered the plaster walls. There were no doors, no windows, no escape. My heart pounded into overdrive, forcing adrenaline quicker through my bloodstream.

“You’re not real,” I bit out through clenched teeth. “You’re dead, you’re dead!”

Joe stood and pointed to the opposite corner. “No. They are.”

On the floor lay my mother and father, their bodies pumping the last of their blood through giant holes in their chests. Surrounding them were the gang members who’d shot them, their sawed-off shotguns raised and pointed at me.

You’re not alone, voices said.