His anxiety was mounting as he sat in the waiting room, studying his hands.
 Aiden would be blind not to notice the stares he was getting from other patients as he waited for Audrey to finish with Dr. Pierce, but he was far too distracted to care.
 His mind was only on what his daughter was saying to the woman just beyond the door. A part of him wanted to burst inside and call an end to the session but of course that was just stupidity talking.
 Audrey knows the dangers, he tried to tell himself, but he could not forget the fact that she was only eight years old.
 What did we know at her age? He thought nervously, his sea-green eyes darting around the jovially decorated lobby. What did Xander and I know about how to handle our ‘talents’, and who we could talk to about them? Obviously, there had never been an inclination to speak with their adoptive parents – abusive assholes that they were. He wracked his mind, trying to remember ever being so young.
 Aiden wondered if him and his brother would have spilled their secrets if a caring adult like Dr. Pierce had tried to talk to them. Maybe, he thought. But he remembered that they always seemed to know that they couldn’t talk about it – like it was just part of them, to keep the secret. Maybe that’s because we had each other to talk to though. Audrey doesn’t have a sibling…or a twin.
 He looked up again, catching the accusing eye of a woman sitting across from him.
 They think I’m Xander, he thought, a familiar anger growing in him. He had hoped that moving towns would have alleviated some of scrutiny, but that had been wishful thinking. As long as they stayed in Maryland, he and Audrey would forever be linked to the double murder, no matter how much they tried to maintain a life of normalcy.
 I should have taken her out of here. Things will never get better, no matter how much time has passed. As long as I hold onto this last name and face, there will always be a connection. 
 It didn’t matter that Aiden sported a full head of black hair and no visible tattoos; his face was identical to the convicted killer who was his twin.
 But if he left, it meant leaving Sarah also and that was something he could not bring himself to do, not when all of this had been thrust on her; the horrible parents, the brothers who could do strange things that she wasn’t allowed to talk about. And if he had her transferred, it would be just like starting all over again, no matter how carefully they read her records.
 But maybe she needs a second opinion, Aiden reasoned. Maybe there is another way - other than electroshock therapy.
 He was not looking forward to the trip to Catonsville the following day, but it had to be done. Sarah deserved to know what was coming and why.
 She doesn’t deserve any of this.
 “Mr. Van Hoyt?”
 He raised his eyes as Dr. Pierce exited the back room, Audrey in tow.
 Forcing a smile, he rose to his feet.
 “How did it go, pumpkin?” he asked. His daughter shrugged indifferently and moved past him to flop onto a plastic chair.
 “I thought you and I could chat for a moment,” Dr. Pierce said, and Aiden nodded in agreement.
 “Of course.”
 “There are some books and coloring books over there if you want, Audrey,” the psychologist told her. “We won’t be long.”
 Audrey muttered something which Dr. Pierce could not have heard but Aiden did, and he scowled warningly at her.
 Watch your mouth, he told her silently. Her pout only deepened as she folded her arms over her chest, but she didn’t respond.
 “Right this way.”
 Aiden followed her into a tastefully decorated office and he could see the appeal it would have to children.
 It was a fun room with bright colors. Everywhere he looked, there was something to see; teddy bears, dolls, artwork and crafts.
 He looked around, unsure of where to sit, noting only a child-sized table and a loveseat, neither which seemed appropriate for a professional meeting.
 She saved him from having to ask and gestured at the sofa.
 “I just wanted to follow up with our first session,” she told him, and Aiden nodded, the anxiety returning in a wave as he perched on the edge of the sofa.
 “Did she say anything?” Aiden asked before he could stop himself. He wished he could snatch the words back from the air where they landed.
 The doctor’s intelligent eyes researched his face as if she was trying to memorize the details for later and Aiden caught her gaze.
  To his surprise, she blushed and looked away, clearing her throat lightly.
 “She resents having to be here,” she began. “But that’s to be expected. Any child in her position would fight this.”
 Aiden knew the words were supposed to be a comfort, but they only fueled his guilt.
 Audrey has something else to be angry about now, he thought, trying not to display his emotions.
 “But after about half an hour, I think Audrey realized that I am not here to judge her or fill her with platitudes and she began opening up to me.”
 Aiden was sure his back was going to snap, his spine was so rigid.
 “Did she?” he asked nonchalantly. “About what?”
 Dr. Pierce shrugged, leaning her deliciously full rear against the desk and inadvertently, Aiden found his eyes glancing to the curve of her waist.
 “School mostly,” she replied but she did not elaborate, despite Aiden’s inquisitive stare.
 “And?” he encouraged.
 She smiled and lowered her eyes again.
 “I want this to be a safe place for Audrey,” she explained. “A place where she can express all her emotions without fear of reprisal.”
 “She doesn’t fear reprisal from me!” Aiden snapped defensively. “I never punish her!”
 The psychologist smiled patiently.
 “I know,” she replied quietly, meaningfully. “She has little in the way of boundaries or discipline and as hard as it might be for you to enforce rules, given her history of loss and…”
 She trailed off as if she realized she had said more than she intended.
 “And what?” Aiden demanded.
 “Nothing,” she said quickly. “I am suggesting that you should enforce her punishments, no matter how hard it might be for you. If she feels like she can get away with too much, she will continue to push and sometimes, that can go too far. At her age, her brain is still developing. Her impulse control is poor and if she has too much leeway…”
 An image of Xander automatically popped into his mind and Aiden’s blood ran cold.
 What did Audrey tell her?
 He gazed at her face, hoping to read any indication of what his daughter may have said but Dr. Pierce’s face remained stoic.
 A combination of worry and desire tickled his gut as he stared at her.
 She’s so beautiful, he thought, his eyes trailing over the lines of her perfectly carved face and resting on the sweet pink of her lips.
 I wonder if her other lips are the same shade.
 The thought was so unlike one he would usually have, for a moment, Aiden wondered if his twin had not taken him over.
 But the rush of heat building in his groin was not due to anything but the feelings Sage seemed to bring out in him. The attraction he felt toward her was undeniable and growing exponentially, it seemed.
 You can’t sleep with your daughter’s therapist, he told himself, wanting to slap his own face at the insanity of the idea.
 As if he didn’t have enough to worry about without bringing more issues into his life.
 There was no room for another woman to get close to him. Hiding who he was from Jamie had been hard enough, even though he had not used his abilities in years.
 When Audrey had begun showing signs of her own powers, Aiden had pulled double duty, running interference as his daughter struggled to control herself in her confusion.
 I can’t let her secret out any more than I can let mine go, he thought, shoving the hard-to-ignore concept of Sage ass-up over the arm of the loveseat while he thrust into her from behind out of his mind.
 The bulge in his pants was unmistakable and Aiden discretely adjusted his raincoat, rising quickly to turn his body.
 “Anything else I should know?” he asked, suddenly needing to escape before he was caught, ready to burst out of his pants.
 “One step at a time, Mr. Van Hoyt,” she told him, pushing herself off the desk and coming toward him.
 Fuck, she’s only getting me harder – and she isn’t even trying, he thought, annoyed with his own cock and its insistence to be a pain in the ass, willing the tell-tale rod in his crotch to stay hidden.
 “Call me Aiden,” he told her and before he could stop himself, he turned to look at her. “I want to take you out to dinner.”
 Her mouth parted in surprise and Aiden almost closed his eyes, waiting for the rejection which would follow.
 Of course, she can’t have dinner with me! He thought, furious with his lack of self-control. What the hell is wrong with you? All the stress is getting to you.
 “I would like that,” she breathed, and it was Aiden’s turn to be shocked.
 “Good,” he said slowly. “I’ll…call you?”
 She nodded, her own face appearing as dazed as he felt.
 He waited for her to provide a private phone number and after a second, she seemed to clue in, abruptly turning back to her desk to scrawl her number onto a piece of paper and hand it to him.
 “That’s my cell…and my home,” she told him, a slight crack in her voice.
 If we both know this is so wrong, why are we doing it? He wondered but it didn’t mean he was going to be the one to blow the whistle on it.
 Maybe if we just screw once, we’ll get this attraction out of our system and carry on with our lives like normal people, he reasoned, but there was something else going on, something he didn’t want to admit to himself.
 Aiden wanted to keep Sage close in case she uncovered the secret he had worked so hard to hide over the years.
 But which came first? The attraction or the need to protect my daughter?
 Aiden again tossed the doubt aside, wondering why he always second-guessed himself.
 “I’ll…wait for your call?” she half-asked and he smiled, nodding.
 “Are you free for dinner tonight?” he decided suddenly. Her bright blue eyes widened, and she nodded. He noticed the pulse in her throat leaping, and it caused another surge of heat to flow to his dick.
 “Yes,” she breathed without hesitation and Aiden’s smile grew.
 “Then I’ll call you to find out where to pick you up.”
 He turned to leave but Sage’s voice stopped him.
 “Aiden…”
 “Yes?”
 “We need to keep this very quiet,” she told him in a low voice. “Audrey can’t know. Nor should anyone else.”
 He nodded slowly.
 “Dinner in the city then?” he asked lightly and she visibly exhaled.
 “Yes,” she answered gratefully. “That would be perfect.”
 Aiden opened the door, a slight flush on his face.
 “Why are you smiling like that?” Audrey asked, instantly suspicious.
 “Hmm? No, I’m not grinning,” he replied, but he had a hard time not thinking about what Sage Pierce looked like, naked and writhing.
 “I wouldn’t smile if I were you,” Audrey pouted as they waited for the elevator. Aiden glanced back casually to see if the doctor was still standing in the doorway watching.
 She was.
 “Oh? Why not?” Aiden replied, offering Sage a smile.
 “Because I told her about my power. She knows about us both.”