He reacted immediately, pulling out. She flipped in his arms until she faced him. Whatever she saw in his expression caused her to fling her arms around his neck and cling to him.

He couldn't speak. In her head, he whispered, I want to take back every ugly thing that ever came out of my mouth. I'm so sorry, Melisande.

He sank down to his knees. She came down with him.

I'm so sorry too, she told him. I got pissy because my feelings were hurt, and my pride was wounded. I didn't fight for you, and I should have. I promise you now, I'll always fight for you. I'll never let you fight alone again. Never.

He could barely comprehend what she was saying. It almost didn't matter. He would be happy to listen to her read the phonebook.

She straddled his hips and guided him back inside her. She whispered, "We have all the time in the world now. Nothing else matters."

He took her mouth, kissing her as deeply as he could. He was desperate for her. The power of what he felt for her eclipsed everything else. He was probably leaving bruises. Jesus, he needed to get a hold of himself and ease up. She was the light of his life. He couldn't continue to act like such an animal.

Then she ground against his pelvis and shook all over. She clawed at him and bit at his neck and jawline, and she was so gleefully savage about her own climax, he forgot everything that had just run through his mind, gripped her by the hips and exploded into her tight, welcoming sheath.

Afterward, he realized he was breathing heavily. Fine tremors shook through his muscles. She rubbed her cheek against his, nuzzling him with her eyes closed.

"You know what I miss?" she whispered. "Lake Tahoe. You remember how beautiful it was that winter? We closed out the world."

"I bought the cabin we stayed in," he confessed.

Her head snapped up, eyes flaring wide. "You own it?"

He nodded as he smoothed her hair off her forehead. "I never use it. I keep thinking I might go up there. Take some time off and see if I can remember how to fish. Then I've never gone. Why should I bother to learn how to fish? It's not like I can eat them. And something or other keeps cropping up. Truthfully, I didn't want to go back without you."

She took his hand and kissed the palm. "Let's go. Soon as we get done dealing with stupid Justine and all the stupid problems she's caused." She frowned. "Unless the cabin's a dilapidated mess by now. After all, it's been a long time."

He waved that away. "There's a caretaker that keeps up the property. I sank some money into some renovations not that long ago. Every once in a while they ask if I'll rent it out, but then I think again about going up there, so I always tell them no." He smiled into her eyes. "We'll go as soon as we can."

She smiled back. "You can relearn how to fish, and I'll eat them." She frowned. "Wait, let me revise that. You can relearn how to fish and clean them, and I'll cook and eat them. How's that?"

He laughed. "You've got a deal."

Then his smile faded. "This time we're going to do it right. We'll learn how to be with each other again, and we won't let anybody else come between us."

Leaning forward, she pressed a kiss on his shoulder. "And we'll make love in front of the fireplace all night long. I'll take a pile of books that I've been meaning to read forever."

"I'll watch sports on TV," he said.

They looked at each other. Grinning, she shook her head. "No, you won't."

Chuckling, he replied, "You're right. I probably won't."

Stroking her thigh, he thought ahead. He needed to contact the caretaker to make sure the cabin was cleaned. Maybe they would also stock the kitchen with food.

He knew that he and Melly were glossing over many challenges. The truth was, many people were going to dislike their liaison now just as many as had disliked it before. Some people in the Nightkind demesne would be looking to take advantage of a closer relationship with the Light Fae in Southern California, but several would oppose it. Saboteurs were likely.

But they would make it work. They had to make it work. As he had said before, he would fight the world for her. He might not be able to leave the Nightkind demesne, but as long as Melly could tolerate that, they could make a life for themselves.

His new phone buzzed. Giving her a quick kiss, he eased away, and they both climbed to their feet. He dug into his pocket, pulled out the phone, and checked the screen. Xavier had texted him.

He told her, "Xavier's downstairs."

She nodded, looking unsurprised. Moving quickly, they both cleaned up. Julian straightened his clothes, while she dressed again. Just as he was about to open the door, she paused.

"You go ahead," she told him. "I have something I need to do first."

His mind had leaped ahead to the search, so he kissed her. "Join us when you can."

She nodded. He left, loping down the stairs. It was past time to locate and stake Justine, so they could get on with their lives.

As soon as Julian had left, Melly walked over to the armchair and collapsed into it. As she did so, the metal shutters on the bedroom windows quietly eased up, revealing the bright, sunny day outside. The shutters worked as discreetly as the rest of the household. Julian had a full house of attendants, but they were well trained and unobtrusive. The only attendant she had seen so far was Gregoire.

Now that she was alone, without the buffer of Julian's powerful presence to focus on, all the many emotions she had been avoiding came crashing in.

Desultorily, she inspected the food tray again and nibbled on cheese and a few grapes as she worked to collect her thoughts. While she appreciated everything Julian had said earlier, she honestly didn't know if she could look Bailey in the face without plunging into a heated confrontation.

And she didn't have time to reflect and settle on a course of action. Bailey was due to arrive within the next half hour.

At least, Melly could settle one question right away. Taking her phone, she tapped out her mother's number.

Tatiana answered on the first ring. "Melly. Are you all right? Has Bailey arrived?"

"No, not yet. She'll be here soon." Melly was gripping the phone too tightly again. "Mom, I have to ask you something. I know it's going to seem like it's coming out of nowhere, but... did you have anything to do with Julian's and my breakup?"

"Did I what? I would never do anything to hurt you like that. If I felt like you shouldn't have been with Julian, I would have told you so directly." Her voice hardened. "He isn't trying to claim such a thing, is he?"

"No, not at all." Tatiana was not above manipulation if it suited her purposes, which was why Melly had to ask her, but it was really good to hear the sincerity in her mom's voice. Relief made Melly feel lighter and more clearheaded. She rubbed her forehead. "We recently discovered some things, and I just needed to ask. I hope I didn't hurt your feelings."

"Don't concern yourself with that. What things did you discover?"

"I'll have to explain everything later. Right now I don't have time." She paused, thinking. "How did you feel about Julian when we were together? You never said anything at the time. I know you've been really angry with him."

"He hurt you badly, and I never forgot or forgave that. But when you originally got together, I was guarded yet willing to be open-minded about the prospect. As long as he treated you well, and you were happy, I could be happy for you." Her mother's voice turned dry. "And, of course, there were potential advantages."

Biting back a smile, she said, "Of course."

"Are you and he involved again? Because if you are, I have to tell you, he has got to work damn hard to make up for everything that happened."

"I'll make sure he knows that," she told her mother. "And yes, we are romantically involved again. Please try to keep an open mind. We were manipulated into breaking up. What happened before wasn't all his fault."

Tatiana's voice turned cold and crisp. "Not true. You are my daughter. I raised you, and I know better than anyone what a good and generous heart you have. He should have had faith in you, no matter what."

"Thank you," she murmured. It was clearly going to take some time to build some bridges.

"I will say this much." The reluctance in Tatiana's voice was clear. "When we discovered you were missing, and I called to ask him to come, he did so without hesitation. And as you said, he tried to exchange himself for you, so I'll grant him a small amount of leeway. Very small, Melly. Very, very small."

"Understood." She smiled. "Listen, I'd better go. I'll talk to you soon, okay?"

"All right, darling. Be safe."

"I will."

Disconnecting, she blew out a breath. At least her immediate family hadn't conspired together to take a wrecking ball to her love life, so there was that.

No, she was beginning to think that Bailey might have acted on her own. Hotheaded, impulsive Bailey who lived hard, broke the rules, and who had once called Julian a bloodsucking boneheaded bastard.

Had Ferion been a willing participant, or had he thought he was just playing a little sex game when Bailey whipped out a wig?

Oh, that was downright skeevy. Melly made a face. She was going to have to break her fist on his face too, the next time she saw him.

Slipping on the slender, new house shoes that Gregoire had purchased for her, she took one more bite of cheese and headed out of the suite.

Following the sound of voices, she made her way through the downstairs level to Julian's study. The room was darker than the rest of house, heavy on traditional decor, with wood paneling, oak floors, an imported Persian rug and a massive mahogany desk. A small sitting area with plain, cream furniture took up one end of the room.

As she entered, she found Julian and Xavier leaning over a street map that had been spread out on the surface of his desk. A young, dark-haired human woman with striking, angular features sat in the sitting area, listening to the men's conversation with an intent expression.

After giving the unknown woman a curious glance, Melly focused on Xavier and Julian.

Xavier was the perfect example of how looks could be deceiving. While he appeared to be a pleasant, somewhat nondescript young man in his early twenties, in reality he was a Powerful Vampyre at least four hundred years old, a gentleman to his core, and a deadly fighter.

Beside Julian's larger, more muscular build, Xavier appeared almost delicate to Melly's eyes. It was another deception. His slim build contained a steely strength.

The occupants in the room looked up as she entered.

She went straight to Xavier, who stepped forward to give her a hug. He told her, "Melly, I am so glad you're all right."

She took note of how stiffly he moved. Normally he did everything with a liquid, panther-like grace. She tightened her arms around him with care. "I feel the same way about you. Thank God you're all right."

He gave her a small, grave smile. "I'd like you to meet Tess. She is my..." His voice trailed off, and he looked at the woman in some consternation.

Tess raised an eyebrow at him. Her intelligent expression turned humorous. "Your girlfriend?"

He laughed. "Yes, she is my girlfriend."

Melly's gaze lingered on his expression. Despite the evident pain of his condition, and the serious reasons why he had come to Julian's house, he was lit with happiness.

She told Tess, "I'm delighted to meet you. Anyone who is important to Xavier is important to me."

The other woman gave her a shy smile. "Thank you. I'm delighted to meet you too."

"Tess saved my life," Xavier said. "If she hadn't known what to do and acted so quickly, the poison would have killed me."

"All the more reason to welcome you," Melly told her, returning her smile. Having finished with the pleasantries, she turned to Julian. "What do we know? How is the search going?"

His hard face was tight with frustration. "Too slowly," he growled. "The only thing we've achieved so far is keeping pressure on her at least I hope so. The problem is, whenever I make a countermove against her, she escalates to doing something else. Each time it gets more extreme. The last time she kidnapped you."

"What about the helicopter you heard?" Melly asked as she looked from one male to the other.

Xavier shook his head. He said in his quiet, pleasant voice, "We've confirmed at least a dozen helicopter flights today alone. We're looking into each one, but that takes time."

Julian planted one fist on the top of his desk. "The one great advantage that any criminal has is that they can move quickly. Investigations take time. The fact is, we aren't going to get her with the citywide search. It's logical, methodical, and it's not moving fast enough. We have to get in front of this. We have to make an intuitive leap to where she is going next and be waiting for her when she gets there."

Closing her eyes, Melly pinched the bridge of her nose in an effort to think. Then she looked at Julian. "Justine said it, down in the tunnels. It's all about you. Everything she has done has been about you."

"Well," he replied dryly, "it might have sounded good in theory, but she said that to needle me, and it isn't exactly true."

Suddenly Tess spoke up. "What she really wants is power. Every time someone acts to check her behavior, she lashes out. Xavier was surveilling her, so she killed his operative and tried to get rid of him as well. Same thing with Julian. Even killing all of her attendants was a massive, monstrous fuck you." The human looked around the room. "I mean, come on. How likely was it that she let something slip that one of them would have overheard?"

"Can't argue with that," said Julian.

"Miss Melisande," said Gregoire from the doorway. "Your sister and the Light Fae troops have arrived."

Melly pivoted on one heel. Until that moment, she'd honestly had no idea how she was going to act, but maybe she'd only been fooling herself, because something switched in her brain, and everything became crystal clear, as if etched in ice.

"Thank you," she said to Gregoire. "Please show Bailey to the library. I'll be there momentarily."

Telepathically, Julian asked, Want me to come?

She glanced over her shoulder. I've got this.

He assessed her with that wolflike gaze of his, then gave her a nod. If you need me, I'm here.

At that, she had to smile. She told him, I'll always need you.

His face gentled, then Xavier called his attention back to the map.

Watching them, she came to an abrupt decision.

Come to think of it, she wasn't going to wait for Gregoire to show Bailey to the library. Melly would already be there, waiting for her sister to arrive.

Sixteen.

W.

hen she reached the library, she headed straight for the liquor cabinet.