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  “It’s a she,” he said wearily, sitting down on the couch as he cradled the puppy in his arms. “And she does appear to have poor taste in masters.”

  “No, she doesn’t.” Laurens sat beside him, careful not to touch, and looked earnestly into his eyes. “Please don’t go, Xairn. We can work through this—I know it.”

  “How can I work through what I almost did to you?” he demanded. “I had you pinned to the table, Lauren. I was about to rape you—do you understand that?”

  Lauren felt a rush of heat go through her at the memory of being pinned and helpless beneath his big body but she pushed it away. Surely what had almost happened between them shouldn’t turn her on, so she refused to think about it.

  “No you didn’t,” she said, shaking his head. “You never would have done that—you stopped yourself just in time. And anyway,” She felt her cheeks grow hot and she had to look down at her hands. “It…it wouldn’t have been rape. Just, uh, really rough sex.”

  “You weren’t ready for me. You were frightened.” He looked at her. “Don’t try to deny it, Lauren. I heard it in your thoughts.”

  “You…you did?” She put a hand to her throat. “But how…?”

  “I don’t know. Just as I don’t know how I was able to make that stupid male you used to employ stop in his tracks and come back to me when he was intent on running away this afternoon.”

  “You made Lorenzo do that?” Lauren whispered. “I thought he just didn’t want to lose face. That he came back to prove he wasn’t afraid of you.”

  “He was afraid all right,” Xairn said grimly. “I could feel the fear coming off him in waves. But he had to obey my spoken command—he had no choice.”

  Lauren shook her head. “But how? Why? I don’t understand. The only other person I know of who can do that is—” She stopped abruptly but Xairn finished for her.

  “My father,” he said grimly. “I appear to be growing more like him every day. Just as my dominant urges are growing stronger and stronger every day.” He ran a hand over him face wearily. “I’m changing, Lauren, and not for the better. Which is why I need to leave now, before I hurt you. Before I do something we’ll both regret forever.”

  “You’re not going to do that,” she insisted, trying to keep her voice firm, trying to make herself believe. “And besides, you can’t leave—not now.”

  “Oh?” he raised an eyebrow at her. “And why not?”

  “Two reasons.” Lauren ticked them off on her fingers. “First, a local girl was taken not far from here. I saw it on the news tonight.”

  Xairn frowned. “I’d forgotten about that but I saw it too, this morning. She looked—”

  “An awful lot like me,” Lauren finished for him. “Xairn, what if your father is still searching for me? What if he thought that girl was me?”

  He shook his head. “That thought crossed my mind as well but there’s no way he can find you—your DNA has been altered.”

  “But what if he’s looking?” she insisted. “Please, Xairn—you can’t leave me with this fear hanging over my head. Who else can protect me? Who else will even believe me when I tell them what’s going on?”

  She looked up at him hopefully. She hated to play the ‘please protect me, I’m a helpless girl’ card but there didn’t seem to be much choice if she wanted to keep him. And God, how she wanted to. She couldn’t let him go—just couldn’t.

  Xairn sighed deeply. “You’re right. I can’t leave while you may be in danger.”

  Lauren felt the knot of anxiety which had been building since he first ran out of the Sweet Spot loosen in her chest. “Thank you,” she said in a trembling voice. “Thank you for giving us another chance. And I swear we can work this out.”

  “No.” Xairn shook his head. “That’s not going to happen. I’ll stay here with you and protect you on one condition—no more physical contact between us. At all.”

  “None?” Lauren felt like someone had pulled the rug out from under her. “Seriously, not even casual touching?”

  “Casual non-sexual touching doesn’t work for me.” Xairn looked away from her. “I can’t help myself, Lauren. If I touch you—in any way—I want you. And, as I think I proved to both of us this afternoon, I can’t be gentle in my desires.” He shook his head. “If I can’t touch you gently then I don’t want to touch you at all. Do you understand?”

  “Yes.” Lauren’s heart felt like a brick which had sunk to the bottom of a muddy pond. Well, at least he’s staying, she reminded herself. And as long as he’s here with me, there’s still hope. Hope I can change his mind. Hope we can work through this and still be together. “I love you, Xairn,” she said, looking into his eyes earnestly. “If this is what it takes for you to stay with me, I’ll agree. I can’t promise to never touch you again but I’ll try not to, uh, provoke you the way I did this afternoon.”

  A look of mingled relief and regret filled his ocean-colored eyes. “Thank you. And thank you for not…not hating me. As I hate myself.”

  “You shouldn’t,” Lauren said softly. She wanted to hug him, to take away the pain she saw in his face. But that was forbidden now, so she contented herself with looking into his eyes. “I could never hate you, baby. And you need to be a little easier on yourself. You can’t change what you’ve always been overnight.”

  “I’m afraid I’ll never be able to change,” he said darkly. “Though the Gods know I would if I could.” He sighed and shook his head. “You told me there were two reasons I couldn’t go. What is the second?”

  Lauren smiled at him. “Because you can’t housebreak a puppy in space.” She pointed at the furry bundle in his arms. “Look, she’s proving my point right now.”

  “What? Oh!” he exclaimed, looking down at the spreading wet spot on the front of his shirt. He looked up at Lauren ruefully. “I guess you’re right.”

  “I know I’m right.” She nodded. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and then we’ll see if there’s a Petsmart still open. We need to get some food and a flea collar if this little girl is going to stay.” She looked more closely at the puppy which was still snuggled comfortably in his arms, apparently unaware that she’d just wet all over the one who had saved her. “What are you going to name her, anyway?”

  “Little One.” For a moment Xairn’s face lost its look of misery and he almost smiled. “Her name is Little One.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine

  “You’re sure about this?” Sophia looked at her uncertainly but Nadiah nodded her head firmly.

  “This is the only way. I need to see the dream through to its conclusion or that stupid Detective Rast will never believe me.”

  “I just hate to leave you to have, well, nightmares.” Sophia twisted her fingers together in obvious agitation. “It seems wrong to leave you alone when I hear you screaming.”

  “I’m sorry.” Nadiah laid a hand on her arm. “If it bothers you I can get a guest suite tomorrow. But I feel really strongly that this is what I need to do.”

  “No, no—we don’t want you to leave.” Sophia shook her head quickly. “I just…have a hard time letting someone be in any kind of pain if I can stop it.”

  “Just think of the pain that poor girl will experience if we can’t get to her in time,” Nadiah said darkly. “My fear is nothing compared to what she’s going to be going through if I can’t stop her abduction.”

  Sophia nodded reluctantly. “I suppose you’re right. Well, if you’re really sure…”

  “I am,” Nadiah said firmly, even though her heart was drumming behind her ribs. “Truly, Sophia.”

  “Okay then. Good night.” With one last uncertain look, Sophia closed the bedroom door, leaving Nadiah in the dark.

  She sank back on the warm, comfortable bed and stared up at the shadowy ceiling. She couldn’t explain where her sense of certainty came from—she just knew this was the right thing to do. Even if it meant suffering through horrible nightmares, she needed to see what the Sight was trying to show her. She had