This time, he followed her, roaring as he thrust a final time.

He collapsed on top of her. As weak as she currently was, she lost her balance and fell into the floor. But just before contact, he pulled from her and rolled, taking the brunt of the impact. He cradled her in his arms, giving them both a moment to breathe.

When her heartbeat finally calmed, he cleaned her, picked her up, and carried her to bed. She wanted to bask in the afterglow with him, and talk—probably to the point of annoyance. She couldn’t summon the energy.

Though she’d never thought to be happy again, she was. And the man she’d once thought was nothing more than bang-and-bail material was responsible.

Miracles really did happen.

* * *

ALMOST TEN CENTURIES’ worth of habits completely broken?

It should be impossible, Thane thought. But then, he hadn’t known what he’d been missing. Ecstasy without the horror of guilt.

It was wonderful.

It was terrible.

The entire course of his life had just shifted, and he wasn’t sure how to proceed.

Perhaps Elin sensed the change in his mood. From satisfied to uncertain. She roused from her relaxed state, mumbling, “When did you get the piercings? And why did you get them? Seems so unlike you.”

Hoping to distract him? “About fifty years ago. I did it for the pain, which was very like me at one time.” He paused. “Can you feel them inside you?”

“Yes,” she admitted shyly, pushing damp hair from her brow.

“Did you like them?”

Her gaze briefly met his. “So much it scares me.”

Perhaps he was not alone in this. Perhaps she was just as confused.

He locked his hands behind his head. His palms were still burning. At first, he’d thought the heat came directly from Elin. And most of it had. Even though she was a halfling with latent immortal abilities, her temperature would always rise with her arousal. The more stimulated she was, the hotter she would become.

Terrible of him, but he liked that she’d given him something she hadn’t given the husband.

But the heat had also come from him, he realized now, shocked to see the soft, azure glow her skin possessed. His essentia had finally sprung free.

The chemical seeped from the pores of Sent Ones, allowing them to mark their territory and warn other predators away. Like dogs. Seemed appropriate.

Some Sent Ones produced it from birth. Some developed it after reaching immortality. Others required a life-changing event to trigger its release. He must be among the latter, because Elin had certainly changed his life, and this was the first time he’d ever seen evidence of it.

He’d thought he would have a choice in the matter, when finally the day came, but this had happened unbidden. Yes, he was thrilled to have branded Elin. She was his. But he was also uneasy. The timing was off. They hadn’t settled their future. She hadn’t promised to stay, was still determined to leave him.

“You tensed,” she said, the uncertainty in her tone making his chest ache.

Ache? Him?

Who was he?

She gulped. “Regrets already?” she asked, hesitant.

He couldn’t give her the truth. Because, in a way, he did regret. She was it for him. His one. His only. What they’d done had strengthened the bond between them. And yet, still he could lose her.

“What of you?” he croaked. “Do you have regrets?”

Silence greeted him.

Silence filled with a growing sense of inner torment.

“You just answered my question with another question,” she said. “I may be a few peas short of a casserole, but I’m smart enough to know what that means. You do regret. You just don’t have the balls to say it.”

“Elin—”

“I think...I think I’m going to my room now. No, don’t try to stop me.” She gave a bitter laugh. “Or were you going to tell me to hurry?”

He’d offended her, offended her badly, and hated himself for it. “You don’t understand.”

“Sure I do.” She lumbered to her feet, wobbled as she dressed. She looked down at him, and whatever she saw upset her further, because she sniffled, as though fighting tears. “Let’s just take a breather from each other, okay, and in a few days we’ll decide where we want to go from here.”

He reached for her, frantic to draw her back into the fold of his arms, but she sidestepped him. Footsteps sounded, and then he was alone in the bathroom.

He scrubbed a hand down his face, remembering the day, not so long ago, when he’d left the Harpy in bed. She had wanted comfort from him, and he had paid her instead. Left her. Made her feel this way?

He was utterly unworthy of affection.

Of course Elin regretted what they’d done.

He should return her to her world. She could live the life she planned.

He closed his eyes, shook his head. Elin had done more than shift the course of his life. She’d changed him, and it was no longer pain he was addicted to, but pleasure. Not just the best sex of his life, but her. Her very presence. He wouldn’t be able to survive without her.

For better or worse, he had to keep her.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

WHAT KIND OF weird world have I entered?

First, Elin knew she should be ashamed of herself. She’d slept with the man who’d once tossed her to the curb.

Hello. He also saved me from demons.

Whatever. The man had tensed up moments after the deed was done, dismissing her with a body language she’d had no trouble deciphering, making her feel utterly disposable.

Maybe it was as startling to him as it was to me, and he needed a moment to come to terms with what he was feeling.

Whatever! Rational thought sucked.

So, moving on.

Afterward, her roommates had pestered her for details about her overnight visit with Thane. That had been expected, but Elin had admitted to nothing. How could she answer the girls when she couldn’t even answer herself? She was a mass of confusion.

What hadn’t been expected? The way her customers treated her during her evening shift.

Men and women stared at her as if she had grown horns and a tail. But when she asked for drink orders, she was politely refused.

No, no, more than one patron had said. Let me get you a drink.

“I give up,” she said, tossing her tray on the bar. “I can’t figure out what’s going on.”