At times in the past, when Elizabeth had lain with a man, she'd felt alone and disconnected, even in the middle of sex. With Ronan, she was connected, not just physically, but with a warmth that ran through her heart and through her blood.

She whispered his name, and he looked into her eyes, far gone in feeling. Elizabeth's body opened to his, and the same feeling came to her. They were whole, joined, like two streams of fire that ran together to become one.

And then Elizabeth's thoughts dissolved into pure feeling. The intensity of them crashed over her, erasing fear, pain, isolation . . . everything gone. She was with Ronan, shielded from the world, from everything but this joy.

She rose to her climax on a wash of white-hot pleasure, hearing her voice ring out, Ronan's joining it. They rippled together, Ronan riding her, his kisses hot and primal.

They loved for a long, long time, until manic heat slowed to loving warmth. They fell back to the bed, mouths meeting, hands moving, each taking and giving, until all was quiet, and they drowsed together on the rumpled sheets.

*** *** ***

A long time later, Elizabeth pried open heavy eyes to see Ronan sitting on the edge of the bed, staring at something in his hand. No, he was tapping something, which glowed. Elizabeth rubbed her eyes and saw that he held a phone.

"You're going through my pockets now?" she asked.

"This was on the floor." Ronan moved his thumb to scroll through lists of phone numbers. "Must have fallen out when we were ripping off each other's clothes. But this isn't your phone."

"I know that." Elizabeth traced the arcs of the Celtic tattoo on his back. "It's Julio Marquez's."

Ronan looked back and down at her, his eyes shining in the garish light from the phone. "And you have it, because . . ."

"I lifted it when we went by him in the parking lot. I thought it might be useful." She lay down again, keeping her fingertips on Ronan's back. "No, to be honest, I was being a pain in the ass. My way of spitting at him."

"I think you're right though--this will be useful," Ronan said. "Very. Julio makes a lot of phone calls. Most recently to someone named . . . Casey."

Elizabeth froze, her blood like ice. "Zach Casey," she whispered.

Ronan turned all the way around, getting on the bed with her again. "The guy you ran away from?"

"I told you, Ronan. Please." She closed her hand around his arm, feeling her fears pour over her. "Don't go near him. I think I'd die if I lost you."

Ronan clicked off the phone and laid it on the nightstand. "It looks like our friend Julio already called him. I'll make three guesses what he talked about."

"Damn him. Why can't he leave me alone?" Elizabeth wasn't sure if she meant Marquez or Zach, but it didn't much matter.

"He will," Ronan said. His voice held none of its usual banter, the humor he hid behind. "I'm willing to bet that this fight is Julio's dastardly plan to get back at you and at me. So I'm going to spring his little trap and bring along some secret weapons of my own. And I'll need your help, so don't come over all damsel in distress on me."

"I'm not scared for me; I'm scared for you," Elizabeth said.

Ronan went on, unworried. "I need to talk to Spike, and I need to talk to Sean. And I promise you, Lizzie-girl, after tomorrow, you won't need to be afraid anymore. Of anyone." He kissed her, the heat of their lovemaking lingering in him. "Do this with me?"

Elizabeth scrubbed her hand through her hair, making the red-streaked chunks stick out. "Goldilocks was pretty resilient, I guess."

"I heard she shacked up with the papa bear, and they lived happily ever after."

Elizabeth frowned. "I don't remember that version of the story."

"How about we discuss it? Sean's probably still up, but I hate to disturb his mate by calling him now. He'll wait."

"Discuss it how?" Elizabeth's fears didn't go away, but a pleasant warmth made them recede a little. She was safe from Zach Casey in Shiftertown, no matter what Zach or Julio might think.

"How about we bag the discussion?" Ronan put his hand on her waist and half rolled onto her, warming her like the best of blankets.

"Sounds good to me," Elizabeth said, and all conversation ceased.

*** *** ***

Saturday was the busiest for Elizabeth's store. Ronan wanted her to stay in Shiftertown, but Elizabeth refused to hide and miss her best sales day of the week. They were warned now to look out for Zach, she said, and again, she wasn't going to let fear ruin her life.

Ronan scented Elizabeth's adrenaline running high as she opened the store, but only innocuous human customers came into the store, followed by Glory and Rebecca, who took a long time over their shopping. Elizabeth knew she was being babysat, but she said nothing about it.

Spike and Sean came in through the back to speak to Ronan, but no one was doing any carpentry today.

"Sure, I can get you in to the Shifter fights," Spike said to Ronan. They stood in Elizabeth's office, door closed, Elizabeth out front with her customers and Glory and Rebecca. "Everyone likes fresh blood. But I never heard about a champion sponsored by Marquez. He can't be local. Did you get his name?"

"Julio didn't say." Ronan leaned on the desk and thought of Elizabeth curled against him in the night, her body fitting so well with his.

"Not good," Spike said. "You gotta watch yourself in these places, Ronan. The only rules are that you stay inside the ring and don't use a weapon. Other than that, anything goes. It's Shifters letting out their wild."

"You think I can't be a little wild?" Ronan asked with a mild grin.

"I think you haven't been in a long time. Escorting drunk humans out of the bar is different from going up against a tiger-wildcat who eats raw steak for breakfast and is dying for a fight."

"I bet he could win with just his breath," Ronan said. Sean chuckled.

"Take it seriously, Ronan. These guys are seasoned. If Marquez has a champion, it means he's won a good share of the fights. He won't be a walkover."

"I've watched a couple of these matches," Sean said. "I believe him."

"It's not to the death though, right?" Ronan asked. "I don't want to be killing a guy with a mate and cubs who need him."