“You need him, Rain. Even if you don’t have feelings for the guy, he’s the key to breaking your curse.”

Rain eyed her sister. The more she thought about it, the more she agreed with Snow; she did need Chase. Not to break her curse, though that would be a nice bonus. She needed him because life without him would be unbearable. If he thought they could make it work, who was she to tell him no?

“I suppose even seeing him once a week would be better than not at all.” She wouldn’t be able to go anywhere near his niece, and that thought made her heart ache. She loved the little girl, but seeing her wouldn’t be worth the risk. And the other werewolves… Chase would have to talk to them. Explain her curse. Her throat thickened. How could he possibly think she was worth the risk?

“The blue moon is getting close.” Snow wiped her hands on a towel and dropped it in the laundry bin. “But seriously, sis. You dig the guy. You get heart eyes every time you mention his name.” Her heels clicked on the tile as she strode to the cash register. “I’m taking my pay for the day and heading home. He’s coming over to talk to you. Please don’t be an idiot.”

“Thanks.”

Snow left through the back door, and Rain shuffled across the store to check the lock on the front door. Glancing through the window, she scanned the street. No sign of Chase. Would he even show up? Snow had said Emma already felt better by the time she’d left the hospital. Maybe Chase had stayed there all day. Or maybe he’d had to work. Dozens of reasons could have kept him away. This didn’t mean he’d given up on her.

It wouldn’t hurt to send him a text to see how Emma was doing. Glancing through the window one more time, she sighed and padded to the counter. Climbing onto a stool, she tugged her phone from her pocket and typed a message to Chase. How is Emma?

Seconds stretched into painful minutes without a reply. Maybe he’d decided she was right. That her curse was too dangerous.

The phone buzzed, and his response lit up the screen. Fine.

Her stomach sank. Fine. A four-letter word loaded with so many meanings. The user rarely meant its literal definition. In this case, fine most likely meant final. It meant, “Emma is good, but I don’t care enough about you to elaborate. You’re only worth one word, so leave me alone.”

The phone buzzed again. Look up.

She lifted her gaze to the window. Chase stood on the sidewalk outside, his phone in his hand. Her mouth fell open as she sucked in a breath. Maybe he did mean fine literally.

When she didn’t move from her stool, he scrunched his brow and typed something into his phone.

Her screen lit up. Can I come in? I’d like to talk to you.

She smiled and slipped off her stool, forcing herself to stroll to the entry when she really wanted to run. Unlocking the door, she opened it and stepped aside so he could enter. His warm, musky scent filled her senses, lightening her head. She locked the door and turned to face him, and the sadness in his eyes crumbled her.

She wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck. “I’m sorry.”

The scent of soap lingered on his skin, and his hair was damp as if he’d showered shortly before arriving. “Rain.” He held her tight. “We can work this out. I’m not letting you go so easily.”

She leaned back and placed her hands on either side of his face. As she looked into his hazel eyes, she saw the rest of her life reflected in his tender gaze. “You don’t have to let me go.”

The worry lines in his forehead smoothed as the tension drained from his body. His lips curved into a tiny smile, and she couldn’t resist. She took his mouth with hers, brushing her tongue to his. He tasted like peppermint toothpaste, and a deep rumble vibrated from his chest to his throat.

With his hands in her hair, he cradled her head and kissed her as if he were drinking in her essence. Held her as if she were the most precious thing in the world. He pulled back, searching her eyes as he grazed his fingers across her cheeks, running his thumb over her lips. “Luke told me you saw the demon. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine. We kept the doors locked all day. As long as Snow’s charm is intact, nothing can get in.”

He nodded, looking her hard in the eyes. “Next time, call me. I have a vested interested in your safety, and it goes far beyond wedding cake.”

She took his hands, lacing her fingers through his. “I will. Emma’s doing better?”

“She’s almost fully recovered. They’re keeping her overnight for observation, but she’s going to be fine.”

She swallowed the guilt that tightened her throat. “That’s good. Did you tell her it was my fault?”

“Bekah knows what happened. Emma doesn’t, but…” His eyes tightened in a pained expression. “My sister doesn’t want you around her until we can figure out a way to break the curse.”

“That’s understandable.” She chewed the inside of her cheek and dropped her gaze to the floor. It was a fitting reaction for Bekah to have, but the appropriateness didn’t lesson the blow. “Being with me will make your life complicated. Your pack might not even accept me.”

“They’ll accept you.” He hooked his finger under her chin, raising her gaze to meet his. “And I’ll deal with the complications as they come.”

“Are you sure it’s worth it?”

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life. I love you.”

His words hit her like a can of biscuits popping open in her chest. She couldn’t get her breath to flow in nor out as the sensation expanded, spreading through her body.

Chase loved her.

A mix of warm elation and frigid fear swirled through her core, making her pulse race. How could something make her feel so incredibly happy and freeze her in terror at the same time?

She loved him too. There was no other way to describe her feelings for this man, but love could make people do terrible things. If she had truly been in love with Isaac and not under a spell…

But it wasn’t like that with Chase. She felt real, raw, reciprocated emotions, and he deserved to know the entire truth about her past. The whole, horrible story. She shook her head. “Chase…”

“It’s okay.” He ran his fingers through her hair, tucking a curl behind her ear. “I know it’s too soon, and you don’t have to say it back. But you need to know…I’m not going anywhere.”

The emotion…the passion in his eyes made tears well in her own, but she blinked them back. She had to be strong; she couldn’t lie to him anymore. “It’s not that.” She doubled-checked the lock on the front door. “Come to my room. You might want to take those words back after you hear what I have to tell you.”

He gave her a quizzical look and followed her through the kitchen into her make-shift bedroom. She grabbed her robe from the chair and motioned to the seat. “You might want to sit down for this.”

He flashed his signature cocky grin, trying to lighten the mood. “Come on…it can’t be that bad.”

She raised her eyebrows, giving him her best you’d be surprised look without saying the words. No amount of banter could lighten the weight she was about to throw at him. Turning her back to him, she hung the robe on the tri-fold partition that separated the closet area from the rest of her bedroom. When she turned around, he sat in the chair and fisted his hands on his legs.

Rain lowered herself onto the edge of the bed, and her knee bumped his. “Sorry it’s so cramped in here.”

He lifted a leg, positioning it between her knees and resting his hands on her thighs. “Nothing to apologize for.”

Her heart thrummed, her throat tightening and threatening to choke the words she needed to say, but she had to say them. She took a deep breath and blew it out hard. There was no easy way to put this. No way to lessen the blow. “I lied to you about my curse.”

He straightened his spine, returning his hands to his own lap.

Crap. That wasn’t how she wanted to start. “I didn’t actually lie. I…let you believe a lie.”

He arched an eyebrow. “And that’s better?”

“No. It’s…okay. Here’s the truth. Isaac didn’t put the curse on me. The national witches’ council did.”

Confusion clouded his eyes. “Why would they do that?”

She lowered her gaze to her lap. “Because of what I did to him. To Isaac.” Tears collected on her lower lids. She tried to blink them back, but a single traitor escaped, dripping onto her jeans, darkening the fabric.

“Hey.” Chase gripped her hands. “I’m not proud of everything I’ve done in the past. Whatever it is, we’ll get through it.”

His touch gave her the strength to continue. “When I confronted him about the cheating and the energy stealing, I cast a spell on him. A terrible spell that wasn’t supposed to kill him…but I’m afraid it did. I broke the most sacred of all rules: harm no one.”

He squeezed her hand, urging her to go on.

“I don’t know if I was in love with Isaac or not. I know I was obsessed. Desperate for his approval. For his attention. My entire life revolved around him, and I thought that was what love felt like. But since I met you, I’m not sure, because I’m not obsessed with you.”

She looked into his eyes, waiting for a reaction, but he kept his expression neutral. Neither of them moved, and for a moment nothing but the sound of her trembling breath filled her ears. “The way I feel about you is completely different. With you, I feel safe. I never worry if I have your approval because you show me every day that I do. Maybe it’s because I’m older now and mature enough to not be so desperately dependent on a man. I don’t know. I’m getting off track.”

“I’ve got all night. Take your time.”

She nodded. “When I found out he was cheating and stealing my energy, I went into a fit of rage. I cast a spell, thinking I’d stop him from being with the other woman by making her reject him. It was a spell meant to hinder free will, and that in itself is worthy of my punishment. But what happened was way worse than making his girlfriend hate him.”

Chase moved to sit on the bed beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Supporting her. Giving her strength as she confessed the worst sin she’d ever committed.

“I wrote the spell so that the thing he loved the most would reject him forever, but the thing he loved the most wasn’t a person. It was his magic. His power. Since magic resides in the blood, his own blood turned against him. Rather than delivering oxygen and nutrients to his cells to keep him alive and healthy, it stopped flowing like normal. He deteriorated rapidly. The last time I saw him, he looked like he’d aged fifty years. His girlfriend found him and reported me to the council. By the time they arrived to give me my punishment, Isaac had disappeared. His girlfriend too. I assume she took him away, so he could die with some dignity.”

Chase kissed the side of her head, leaving his lips pressed against her hair, his body going still. She held her breath, waiting for him to respond. To move. To do something to break the endless silence that felt too much like rejection. Had he changed his mind? Could he take away his love so quickly after giving it to her?

“It was a terrible thing for me to do, and I’m not defending myself. But I honestly think he had me under a spell first. That he had hindered my free will. The way I felt about him wasn’t natural. I see that now. Now that I know what real love feels like.”

Aside from the subtle rise and fall of his chest, he sat motionless. What was he thinking?

“If you want to leave, I understand. You can walk out, and I’ll never bother you again. I’ll be devastated, but I won’t try to hurt you. Not that I could, since my powers are bound, but you know what I mean.” She was babbling. She needed to shut up before she dug this pit any deeper. “Please say something.”

He inhaled deeply, finishing the kiss as if he’d simply pressed pause while she explained. Then he slid off the bed and knelt in front of her, taking both her hands in his. “I love you. I will never walk out on you.”

“I killed a man, Chase. I killed a man because he was cheating on me.”

“He was also draining your energy. You saw the woman in the morgue; he could have done that to you. I don’t buy for a minute that you are capable of hurting someone on your own. I think you were under a spell too. It makes sense. He wanted to steal your magic, so he had to keep you close.”

Another tear rolled down her cheek. “What if I wasn’t? What if I am capable of hurting people?”

He wiped the moisture from her cheek with his thumb. “You’re the kindest, sweetest woman I know. Your past doesn’t define you. I am in love with the woman you are today. And the Rain that’s sitting here in front of me would never hurt anyone.”

She looked at the man kneeling before her, and her chest ached with the amount of love he’d filled her with. He accepted her—sordid past, curse and all—and he loved her.

He sidled closer, spreading her knees apart so his body fit between them. “Who knows? Maybe falling in love will be the selfless act that breaks your curse.”

She laughed. “As much as this feels like a fairy tale, I don’t think true love’s kiss is going to fix my problems.”

A sly grin curved his lips. “It won’t hurt to try.”

“No, I suppose it won’t.” She took his face in her hands, running her fingers through his beard, and pressed her lips to his. The warmth and gentleness of the kiss loosened the tension in her muscles. He ran his hands up her legs, gripping her hips as his tongue brushed hers. His beard tickled her chin, and the softness of his lips sent buzzing energy zipping through her veins.

He moved his hands to the small of her back, holding her close as he deepened the kiss, and she got lost in the moment. In the man. They could make this relationship work. He believed they could, and now, so did she.

Pulling away, she rested her hands on his shoulders. “Still cursed.”

He shrugged. “It was worth a shot.” He rose from the ground and settled onto the bed next to her. “Seriously, though. I will do whatever it takes to help you break this curse. Just name it.”

Her brow furrowed. Not if he knew what he’d actually have to do. And she certainly couldn’t ask him now—when she’d confessed to murder.

The heat from his body so close to hers warmed her from the outside, but the fact that he forgave her for her past chased away the chilling guilt she’d been carrying in her chest since she first told him about her curse.

She couldn’t ask him for his blood. What if he gave it to her and then he ended up in werewolf prison for the rest of his life? Or worse? She’d lived with the curse for seven years, and she could continue to bear it. She had to. “I know something you can do for me. It won’t break the curse, but I think you might enjoy it.” Leaning toward him, she glided her hand up his thigh, stopping half an inch shy from reaching his hip.

He closed the distance between them, lightly grazing his lips over hers. “Are we good now? Can I still call you mine?”

His breath against her skin raised goose bumps on her arms. “Yes, Chase. I’m yours.”

He kissed her, tangling his fingers in her hair as he traced his lips down her neck, across her collar bone, and up the other side, leaving a trail of tingling magic on her skin, lighting her soul on fire.

She wanted to give him everything. To show him the love she felt for him before she said the words. Tugging his shirt over his head, she ran her hands over his firm chest and pushed him onto his back.

He grinned, pulling her down with him as he moved to the center of the bed. She showered his face and neck in kisses, allowing his masculine scent to intoxicate her, reveling in the hungry sounds he made in the back of his throat.

With one more deep inhale, she sat up, straddling his hips and running her palms up his stomach. On his left arm, the tattoo sleeve ended at his shoulder, but on the right side, it spilled over onto his chest. A series of roses surrounding an intricate compass occupied most of his right pec.

She traced the design with her fingers. “Does this one have a meaning?”

He placed his hand on hers, holding her palm against his chest. “I was lost for most of my childhood. Being in the pack helped me find my way.”

She moved her hand to admire the drawing, following a trail of interwoven vines over his shoulder where they created a frame around another tattoo—a wolf head designed from a fleur-de-lis. “Is that why it’s connected to your pack crest?”

“It is.” He watched her with a heavy gaze as she ran her fingers over his tattoos. They were all beautiful. Intricate. Even without the ink, Chase had a body sculpted like a god. The gorgeous tattoos tipped his sexiness meter over the edge.

“Your friend is a talented artist.” She used her thumbs to toy with his nipple rings.

He sucked in a breath. “He is.”

She lowered her mouth to his chest, circling his nipple with her tongue before sucking the ring into her mouth. The sharp, metallic taste of the jewelry mixed with the slight saltiness of his skin, and his chest vibrated as he let out an aroused, “Mmm.”

He caressed her shoulders. “You found my weakness on the first try.”

She moved to his other nipple, sucking it harder as she tugged the other ring with her fingers. Another moan vibrated in his chest, sending her heart into a sprint. She loved that she could do this to him. Make him feel this way so easily. The pleasure it brought her to arouse him was palpable. This man was made for her.

She sat up and pulled her shirt over her head before unhooking her bra and tossing them to the floor. Lying on top of him, skin to skin, the tingle of his magic and the warmth of his body was almost too much to bear. “I’m sure there are other places you’d like to feel my mouth, aren’t there?” As she glided her tongue down his chest, she slipped her hand between their bodies to rub him through his jeans.

His response came out more growl than words.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She moved down his body, kissing, licking, and nipping her way to his navel. His stomach contracted as she reached the waist band of his jeans and undid the button.

He rose onto his elbows and watched as she slowly pulled the zipper down, the teeth coming apart one by one to reveal his dark-gray boxer-briefs. “You do that any more slowly, and I might explode.”

She yanked the zipper the rest of the way down and slipped her hand beneath his underwear to grip his dick. “There will plenty of explosions tonight, wolf man. Be patient.”

He grunted, his head falling back onto the pillow as she tugged off his clothes and dropped them on the floor. He had a sleek, powerful build, defined muscles rolling through his entire body, radiating a raw, primal strength. She sat back to appreciate his gorgeous perfection, her gaze traveling from his hooded, hazel eyes, down the length of him. He was thick and hard, and as a bead of moisture gathered on his tip, her mouth watered to taste him.

Taking his dick in her hand, she dipped her head and circled her tongue around the tip. He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth and fisted the sheets in his hands. Her own stomach tightened, a giddy sensation bubbling up to her throat, escaping as a giggle.

“Something funny?” He rose onto his elbows again, arching a brow over his passion-drunk eyes.

“I like the way you react when I touch you.” She held his gaze as she ran her tongue from base to tip.”

His eyelids fluttered. “I like the way you touching me feels.”

“Good.” She took him into her mouth, and he let out his breath in a hiss. The weight of his gaze settled on her as she sucked him, and she took him in as deep as she could before sliding up until only the tip remained in her mouth. The taste of him made her heart sprint, and she wanted…needed…to take him all the way. She moved her mouth down and back up again, caressing his shaft with her tongue, and he moved his hips in unison with her strokes.

His hand on her shoulder slowed her rhythm, and when he stilled her head with his other hand, she released her hold. He sat up, pulling her into his lap, taking her mouth in a kiss. Gliding a hand up her back, he flipped her around, tossing her onto the bed, covering her body with his.

His strength amazed her. That he could pick her up as if she weighed nothing and put her right where he wanted made her stomach flutter. This was a man who was used to getting what he wanted. Good thing they both wanted the same thing.

He sat back on his heels and removed the rest of her clothes, his pupils dilating with desire as he caressed her with his gaze. He kissed her stomach, massaging her inner thighs as his lips neared her sensitive center. Her core tightened, anticipation building, coiling in her stomach. She arched her back, silently begging him to taste her.

His chuckle sent a puff of warm air across her clit, just enough sensation to force a whimper from her throat. He rested his cheek against her inner thigh, his beard tickling the delicate skin. “You are so sexy, Rain.”

Her name on his lips. His breath teasing across her folds. It was enough to drive her insane. “Please, Chase.”

“Tell me what you need.”

“I…” Her voice came out in a breathy whisper. “I need you to touch me.”

He slipped a finger inside her, and she gasped. “Like this?”

“Mmm…taste me. Please. I want to feel your tongue.”

He moved his lips closer, a scant centimeter away from their destination. She could almost feel the smile playing on his lips as he made her wait, sweetening the reward. She’d take back everything she’d said about delayed gratification if he would just lick her.

The warmth of his tongue moved across her center, and she held her breath. When he reached her sensitive nub, the air left her lungs in a gush as tingling electricity shot through her core. His satisfaction vibrated across his lips, shooting another electric burst through her body, lighting every nerve on fire.

He knew where to touch, exactly how to move his tongue to drive her wild. He seemed to know his way around her body as if they’d made love a thousand times. When he slipped a second finger inside her, she couldn’t hold back anymore.

Cresting like a wave, her climax crashed into her, tumbling through her core, surging through her limbs. She cried out, arching her back as he continued to caress her, enchanting her senses until they were the only two people left in the world. Softly, slowly, he eased her down, gliding his tongue across her one more time before moving to lie beside her.

She rolled to her side, draping her top leg over his and taking his length in her hand. “You are the most amazing man I’ve ever met.” She nuzzled closer, kissing him gently before catching his lower lip between her teeth.

He rolled to his back, pulling her on top of him, his lip slipping from her grip. “You’re pretty amazing yourself.”

She straddled him, sitting on his thighs and stroking him. “You didn’t happen to bring a condom, did you?”

He closed his eyes. “No.”

She spread the moisture beading on his tip over his shaft, allowing her hand to glide up and down with ease. She needed him inside her. Making love. Becoming one. He knew her so well, but she wanted him to know all of her. Body, mind, and soul. “I’m on birth control.”

He opened his eyes and pinned her with a heated gaze. “Werewolves are immune to disease.”

Her stomach fluttered, her pulse quickening with longing. “Sounds like we’re good to go then.”

His mouth tugged into a sexy grin. “I suppose we are.”

Rising onto her knees, she guided him to her entrance, gasping as he filled her, his girth stretching her to a pleasurable ache. With her hands on his chest, she moved her hips, sliding up and down his length, each stroke shooting tingling energy to her womb.

He held her gaze, the look in his eyes so full of passion and love that she thought her heart might burst. Leaning forward, she rested her chest against his and kissed him, putting all of her emotions into the kiss, willing him to understand how much he meant to her.

He moaned into her mouth, and gripping her hips, he drove himself deeper inside her. She held still, allowing him to take her, giving herself to him as the overwhelming sensations of ecstasy drove her over the edge.

Her orgasm ripped through her body, shattering her soul into a thousand pieces that only Chase could put back together. He moved faster, his breath coming in short pants until he found his own release, and he held her tight, a low moan shuddering in his chest as he spasmed inside her.

Relaxing his grip, he glided his hands up and down her sweat-slickened back. She nuzzled into his neck, letting his intoxicatingly masculine scent fill her senses, relaxing her into a state of semi-slumber.

He was her wolf.

She blinked, lifting her head to look at him. Where had that thought come from? Though she’d always been aware of the duality of his being—even seeing him shift into his wolf form—she’d never thought of him as anything more than a man. But something about the intimacy they shared…the fact that she had finally given her whole self to him…created a strange bond she hadn’t felt before. Deep. Primal. It was nothing scary or obsessive. It was rather…comforting. Something about being here with Chase lying in her bed…it finally felt like home.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “You look confused. What’s on your mind, cher?”

Resting her weight on her right elbow, she placed her left hand over his heart. “I’m in love with you.”

He smiled and took her hand, bringing her fingers to his lips. “You just made me the happiest man alive.”

“And your wolf?”

He gave her a curious look. “That part of me has wanted you since the moment I saw you. The rest of me had to get over some misplaced anger issues first, but I’m all yours now. One hundred percent. I love you.”

“I love you too.” Her smile widened, and she moved to lie on her side, snuggling next to him and resting her head on his chest. “I like the way that sounds.”

“So do I. You’re way better than a goat.”

She laughed. “You’re not going to let me forget I said that, are you?”

“Not a chance.”

She traced her fingers along the cuts of his muscles, and he let out a contented sigh. She loved Chase, and he loved her. Did that mean she was his fate-bound? When he’d talked about them, he’d made it sound like a werewolf could fall in love with someone who wasn’t his fate-bound. If that were the case, what would happen if he met his fate-bound later? Would he stop loving her to be with the other woman? If Rain married him…if she was his mate…would he even be allowed to leave her?

A sickening feeling formed in her stomach as her mind spun with questions. If she was his fate-bound, none of them mattered, but…wouldn’t he have told her if she was? She could ask him, but what would she do if the answer was no? She’d rather not know in that case. He loved her, and that was the important thing. She’d deal with the fate-bound issue when and if it ever came up.

His stomach vibrated as a deep growl rumbled from inside him.

She lifted her head. “I guess we missed dinner.”

He chuckled. “And breakfast and lunch. I’ve been a little distracted today.” He kissed the top of her head. “You wouldn’t happen to have food other than cake in the kitchen, would you?”

She rose onto her elbow. “I do live here, you know. Of course I have food. No meat, but I can make a killer cucumber and avocado sandwich.”

He wrinkled his nose.

She rolled her eyes. “Try it. I’ll add extra cheese so it won’t taste too healthy.” Before he had a chance to protest, she rolled out of bed and put on her robe, cinching it at the waist. “You stay where you are. I’ll be right back.” She let her gaze wander over his magnificent body before turning and scurrying out the door. With Chase in her bed, she’d be back again and again. What a man. She grinned. Not gay, nor about to be married like she’d first thought. Lucky her.

Rain wasn’t the type of woman who normally pranced, but she felt so damn giddy, she couldn’t help herself. Happiness bubbled in her chest, its effervescence lightening her steps.

As she pranced into the kitchen and flipped on the light, her happy little heart got stuck in her throat. A man—or what was left of one—stood in the center of the room, toying with something in his hands.

Rain froze. Instinct told her to run or to call for Chase, but an icy flush of dread glued her to the spot, cutting off her ability to speak.

Ashen skin hung loose on the man’s bones, giving him the appearance of having recently crawled out of the grave. His aura, once dark-purple and sparkling with magic, had turned a murky shade of brownish-black, illness dampening even the bluish glow of life. Though his dark eyes had dulled to a death-like state, they were unmistakable.

She clutched her robe together at her neck and forced out a whisper. “Isaac.”

“Good evening, Rain.” His voice came out as a croak, and his lips cracked as they peeled into a smile, revealing his rotted teeth.

Her stomach tumbled to her feet. Her heart pounded against her ribs. This couldn’t be real. Isaac was dead.

“I think you’ve met my tulpa.” He gestured to a darkened corner, and a figure emerged from the shadows. Though human-like in form, its featureless face made it look more like a nightmare than a person.

Her mind reeled, thoughts spinning through her head like a tornado. She blinked, cutting her gaze from the shadow to her ex-boyfriend. “You…made a tulpa?”

“I couldn’t have done it without your help.”

“That’s not possible.” Finally able to move her feet, she took a step back.

He sneered, the skin around his mouth cracking farther until a blackish goo oozed from the wounds. “It wasn’t possible for you. The spell I had on you made sure you thought of little other than me. I, on the other hand, have had seven years of using nothing but my mind.”

She shook her head, trying to bring herself up to speed with the situation. She’d been right about his spell, but she hadn’t killed him. Now he stood in her kitchen, with a monster he’d created from his imagination, while Chase lay in her bedroom.

The blood drained from her head, making the room spin. Chase. Oh, goddess, she couldn’t let Isaac get to Chase. If she stayed quiet, maybe Isaac wouldn’t realize he was here. She could deal with her ex if he thought she was alone. She took another step back, and her body betrayed her, involuntarily glancing down the hall toward her bedroom. Faster than humanly possible, the tulpa swiped a knife from the block and pressed it to her windpipe.

“No yelling for your boyfriend.” Isaac shuffled toward her. “I’ve got plans for him too.”

She swallowed, and the edge of the blade scraped against her throat. The entity’s hand held the back of her head, and she leaned into it, willing herself to pass through it. The tulpa only existed in Isaac’s imagination. She closed her eyes and breathed as deeply as the cold steel against her trachea allowed. It’s not real. I can pass through it because it doesn’t exist. But the sharp metal pressing into her throat insisted on its reality. She opened her eyes. “How did you get in here? Snow set up a ring of protection.”

Isaac held her broken totem between his thumb and forefinger and nodded toward his creation. Rain shifted her gaze to the shadow, and its faced morphed into a wavering, watery resemblance of her landlord.

She focused on the tulpa’s aura—the same dull-gray she’d seen surrounding the thing posing as Ingrid. “You’re the demon.”

Isaac scoffed. “You’ve called me worse, love.”

“You set this up. You sent your tulpa here to break the circle of protection so you could get inside my home.” As her voice grew louder, the tulpa pressed the knife harder against her skin to silence her.

She clawed at the arm holding the knife, and her hands passed through it as if it were made of nothing. It moved its free hand to the side of her face. Though its touch felt cold, it was too solid to be a figment of Isaac’s imagination. She couldn’t convince her mind otherwise.

“Smart girl. But be quiet. I don’t want to alert your werewolf boyfriend to my presence. I’m not strong enough to fight him yet.”

Her stomach turned at the thought of him going after the man she loved. She had to protect Chase. “How did you find me?”

He clutched the edge of a countertop, and something thick and black oozed from a moss-covered wound on his wrist. “Surely, you’ve heard about the Miami witch that turned up dead in New Orleans? The one that was missing an eye?”

She cringed. “She had the gift of sight?”

“Eye, she did.” He attempted a laugh that turned into a muffled cough. “Get it? Aye like yes, but also eye?”

Rain hardened her gaze. How had she found his sense of humor delightful at one time? Oh, right, because he’d had her under a spell. “Who was she?”

His eyes brightened. “You’ll be happy to hear that was Giselle.”

“Your girlfriend?”

He let out a wistful sigh. “I never had to put her under a spell. She liked me as I was…until you did this to me. She stuck around for a little while, until she figured out I wasn’t going to recover.”

“So you killed her?”

“I needed to drain someone to gain enough energy to make the journey to find you, my love.” He shrugged. “She didn’t have the sense to run away from Miami like you did. I took her life for her betrayal.”

Rain narrowed her eyes. “And now it’s my turn?”

A look of regret flashed in his eyes before he scowled. “You owe me more than your life. I’m going to make you suffer. Good night, sweet Rain.”

The tulpa dropped the knife onto the counter and gripped the sides of her head. She struggled to free herself from its clutches as a dull ache spread across her scalp and her vision tunneled until two pinpricks of light remained.

Then darkness.