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  “Then at least you’ll know,” she said firmly. “The main thing is to find out. You can’t keep living like this, hon—you have to find out one way or another so you can get on with your life.”

  I knew she was right but still, it was one of the hardest things I’d ever contemplated doing.

  “If Victor rejects me,” I said. “If he doesn’t want me anymore, Addison…I don’t… don’t know how I’ll stand it.”

  “If that happens, I’ll be there for you, roomie.” She reached over and gave me a hug. “Just like always, okay?”

  “Okay,” I whispered and clutched the small box containing the pearls. “Okay, Addison, I’ll do it. I just hope I won’t regret it.”

  “You won’t.” She hugged me harder. “It’s going to be okay, Taylor. I don’t know how, but all of this is going to work out all right.”

  “I hope you’re right,” I said, hugging her back. “God, I really hope you’re right.”

  Chapter Twenty-nine—Victor

  The sound of the doorbell caught me by surprise. I wasn’t expecting anyone that night. Hell, I wasn’t expecting anyone ever again. I was a pariah to the local pack now and I couldn’t exactly hang out with any of the humans I worked with—they were all my employees. And besides, humans don’t get us. Not really.

  Of course, it could be Pack Master Wainright, coming to get vengeance for LeeAnn’s death. I didn’t remember killing her—just like I didn’t remember killing Celeste—but I knew from talking to Corbin that I had. I’d had plenty of provocation with LeeAnn but it still made me sick to think of what I’d done while in my cursed form. Celeste though, that was a different matter. I was glad that bitch was dead—in fact, I only wished I could kill her again and remember it this time, so I could really savor the experience. She deserved everything she got and more.

  The doorbell rang again. Could it have something to do with Celeste? I supposed the vampires I had orphaned by killing her might be after me, but somehow I doubted it. She hadn’t exactly been the best mistress to them. In fact, if she’d treated them anything like she had Taylor…

  I shut that thought down quick, before it could invade my brain and make me feel worse than I already did. I’d been missing Taylor something fierce in the past week but I hadn’t been able to face her. I guess I was hoping that the branding scar I’d gotten the night of the full moon would somehow heal itself or at least get a little less unsightly. But it was still as ugly as ever. I went to work with it and my crew were smart enough not to say anything but I could feel them looking. As for facing Taylor that way…well, I just couldn’t.

  The doorbell rang a third time.

  “All right,” I growled. “I’m coming.”

  Persistent son of a bitch, whoever they are.Probably Wainright. Even though he knows LeeAnn brought it on herself, he’s still going to want retribution. Well, let him come. If he honestly thinks he can take me in a fair fight—

  My thoughts were cut off abruptly when I opened the door and saw Taylor standing there. My first impulse was to pull her close and hug her but I stopped myself. She’d seen my beast—I couldn’t just go lunging at her like that. My second thought was to keep her from seeing my face. I kept my left side to her as I opened the door a little wider.

  “Hi,” she said timidly. “I hope you don’t mind me dropping by without calling first.”

  “No.” I cleared my throat. “No, of course not.”

  “I brought you these.” She handed me a box.

  “Thanks.” I took it. Inside were my mother’s pearls. I felt like someone had just dropped an anvil on my heart and crushed it flat. Great, she was here to say goodbye.

  Only she wasn’t going. In fact, we were just standing there staring at each other like a couple of mute fools.

  “I…um…I also wanted to see how you were,” Taylor said at last. “Can I…could I come in?”

  “Uh…now really isn’t the best time—” I started, and then realized I sounded like an absolute bastard. She’d lived with me for almost a month—we’d been blood-bonded—and I wasn’t going to let her in? I couldn’t do that. “Um, I mean, come on in,” I said, taking a step back.

  “Thanks.” She nodded uncertainly and stepped past me into the house. Her sweet, feminine smell did things to me, making me instantly hard, but I pushed my desire down desperately. There was no point in wanting her. Not now.

  “The place looks good,” she said, surveying the kitchen which I had repainted in her absence. Not like I really needed to but I had already finished up the rest of the house and I had to have something else to keep me busy.

  “Got the upstairs finished too—finally,” I said gruffly. “I mean, I should have done it earlier. I just never seemed to have time before…”

  “Before I moved out,” she finished for me. “Look, Victor, about that—” She turned to face me and I moved quickly, putting my left side to her again, pretending I was studying the cabinets.

  “Yeah?” I said trying to sound casual.

  “I just…I want you to know I feel bad about how things, um, ended between us.” Her voice sounded tight but it was clear she was determined to get it all out. “I mean, I’m not exactly sure what happened. All I know is that I was so far gone that night into… into heat…” She cleared her throat and her cheeks got pink. “Anyway, I sort of lost all control. So if I did something that hurt you, or if I made you do something…something against your will, well, please know that was never my intention and I’m so, so sorry.”

  She looked up at me, her big eyes filled with anxiety and shame. Emotions that by all rights, I ought to be feeling. I frowned. So Addison had been right—Taylor did think she’d forced me in some way.

  “You think you hurt me?” I asked roughly. “Taylor, you saw the thing I turned into. You saw how strong I am—and even in this form, I still have some of that strength. There’s no way you could have hurt me or forced me to do something I didn’t want to do. Even when you were in heat.”

  She looked at me hopefully.

  “Really?”

  “Really,” I said.

  “Oh, well…” She cleared her throat. “That’s a, uh, relief then.”

  “And anyway,” I went on, determined to get it out. “You’re not the only one who lost control. I was…pretty wild myself. That’s why I was so upset—I was sure you’d hate me after we were done. When you came back to yourself.”

  “I don’t really remember the, uh, act itself,” she said. “What I mostly remember is feeling like I was…was empty inside and begging you…” She looked down at her hands. “Begging you to fill me,” she ended in an embarrassed whisper.

  “I filled you, all right,” I said, more sharply than I had intended. “I wasn’t gentle about it either. That’s what had me so ashamed I couldn’t even fucking look at you afterward. I mean…” I ran a hand through my hair. “The moon was almost full and I was going crazy from my damn curse and the way you smelled so fucking hot, but that’s no excuse. There’s never going to be an excuse good enough for what I did.”

  “Well, maybe…maybe that was what I needed.” She looked up at me. “I’m a vet, Victor. I know it’s not exactly a gentle experience when animals breed. In fact, it’s often rough and violent and I was in heat.”

  “None of that matters,” I argued. “I should have done a better job holding myself back. Especially when I knew what that bitch Celeste put you through.”

  “Right. And if you didn’t know, she made sure to tell you the other night, didn’t she?” Taylor said bitterly. “She really rubbed it in.” Two spots of color appeared high on her cheeks and her eyes were suddenly bright with unshed tears.

  “Hey…” I couldn’t keep my hands to myself anymore. I cupped her cheek and looked into her eyes. “Hey, what is it, baby?”

  Taylor pulled away from my touch.

  “I just…I didn’t want you to know that about me. What she did to me. What she let other people do.”

  “I already knew abo