Dagan stood on the dimly lit balcony, the dissonance of night insects replacing the roar of traffic from the city. How many more hells would he have to endure before he found a modicum of peace?

With Inara’s sudden appearance and her asking him to forgive Týr, but then refusing to say where she was and telling him that Lucifer was her mistake? What the hell did that even mean? And with the threats to his mate, who could be taken from him…his sanity hung by a thread.

He had to go find Shae. Needed her. Only her presence calmed the madness taking over his mind. But if she saw him like this, punctured with holes and bleeding again, it wouldn’t go well. He pulled his blood-drenched shirt away from his wounds, teeth clenching at the spiking pain.

As he opened the French door into his room, a shift in the air had him glancing back. Kaerys took form. He bit back a curse. “What do you want?”

Her dark eyes glittered hungrily, sliding over him. “I, er, saw you get hurt.”

Anger buzzed through his veins and roared in his head, he barely heard her. “You’re stalking me?”

“I missed you, so yes, I followed you, hoping you’d get over your snit...” She glided across to him, a sultry smile on her lips. Flicking back her brown hair, she swiped a fingernail over her neck. A thin, red line appeared. Blood seeped. Rich and decadent, the scent drew him. His incisors throbbed.

“Come, Dagan. Take. You need me, but you know what I want.”

He was so sick of this shit. Her games. Keeping his breathing shallow, he pivoted for the door. “Leave.”

“What?” Shock resonated in her voice. “It’s been several weeks, Dagan. Just how long can animal blood sustain you? You should be grateful I’m looking past your callous disregard of me.”

Callous disregard? The last time he saw her, he’d been hurt, exhausted, and only wanted to feed and rest. But she’d refused, miffed at whatever he’d supposedly done—wait! That’s right, he didn’t want to fuck her. Hell, he hadn’t wanted her in that way for decades.

“I feel your hunger. Now take me,” she ordered, impatience tainting her tone.

Best to get this over with. He leaned a hand on the doorjamb, his gaze hard. “We’re done. Have been for decades. This arrangement between us is over.”

“What? Why would you say that?” She narrowed her eyes. “Oh, I see, you’re making me pay because I didn’t come when you called recently. Very well, I’m chastised. Besides, animal blood isn’t going to help you now. It’s been way too long, you’re famished.” Her gaze skimmed over his sweaty appearance and blood-drenched clothes in distaste.

He’d fed from Týr earlier, and it had tamped down the thirst. Except his starved psyche nailed him like a fist in the gut, demanding her energy-giving blood. His fangs ached. But Shae’s smile when he’d finally claimed her filled his mind and was imprinted on his heart. She was all that mattered to him, the light to his darkness.

“Look, I’m grateful you came when I called you through the centuries. But I’m mated now.”

“What?” Her mouth fell open. “Mated? Why would you do something that foolish when you have me?”

Yes, because she was so fucking good to him, taking away his dignity, making him crawl just to eat.

Shae made him feel many things—anger, frustration at her stubbornness that he wanted to shake her at times—and, hell, she could give as good as she got when angry, but not once did she belittle or demean him. More, it was the way she smiled, the way she looked at him, like he was her entire world… She made him whole again.

Kaerys’ glared at him. He held her stare. Though she didn’t deserve his honesty, he gave it anyway. “It’s a soul-joining.”

“What?” she blinked, fury brightening her eyes. Darts of power pierced him like needles before fading. Then she waved his comment aside and smiled like Bob finding a bowl of cream. “It doesn’t matter. You didn’t choose her like you did me. I mean, your sire didn’t want your mother either.”

She dared compare him to his old man? He ground his teeth, struggling not to let his temper erupt.

“Dagan, we were betrothed once. Even though you broke it, I waited for you for centuries. Then I found you again when Michael called me. I gave you a way out. She obviously cannot fulfill this—your most vital need.”

“I don’t care. Just go.” He entered his room, relieved that she couldn’t follow with the wards in place. Hedori was ever vigilant in changing them weekly.

“Aaargh!” She stomped her foot, finding her way obstructed. “This isn’t over.”

It was. Dagan didn’t bother repeating himself. He headed for his closet to change his bloodied shirt before he went after Shae.

* * *

Panting like a landed fish, Shae drew to a halt just past the lake near a wooden bench, hands on her knees, gulping in copious amounts of air. The moon peering from behind thick rainclouds cast a silvery light over everything.

“Coming?” Elytani asked, swiping the sweat from her brow, reminding Shae that she hadn’t been able to go for a run alone. Hell, she hadn’t cared. She needed to work out her anger and helplessness at seeing her traumatized mother.

“In a moment.” She inhaled another lungful of air. “Go on, I’ll catch up in a minute.”

Since they were close to the castle, Elytani nodded and jogged off. Gah, immortals and their insane stamina! She drank more water from her bottle, then reached down and rubbed her burning calf muscles. Her thoughts back on her mother, she hoped she’d get a few hours of sleep at least. With her memories of her time in captivity blocked, it terrified Shae what might occur when they returned.

“Excuse me.”

At the strange voice, Shae straightened and frowned at the tall woman approaching her in a dark green, tunic-style dress that hugged her curvy figure. She could only be another immortal. Silky, cinnamon-brown hair framed her striking face and flowed down her back. There was something vaguely familiar about her.

Shae swiped away a strand of hair that stuck to her sweaty brow, suddenly feeling too grubby in her knee-length black tights and gray tank.

Dark brown eyes skimmed over her in disdain. “We must talk.”

“About?”

“You are Dagan’s mate, no?”

Her spine stiffened. She narrowed her eyes. “I am. Who are you?”

A knowing smile crossed the other woman’s face. “I introduced myself to you in the mountains.”

What the hell was she talking about? Then it clicked. “The dream—you!”

“Indeed. I’m Kaerys, goddess of chaos. His betrothed.”

“Really?” Shae countered. “Yet, he mated me.”

Kaerys flicked her comment off with a wave of her hand. “It means nothing. He knows that better than anyone.” Her expression hardened. Power rolled off her and stung Shae like pinpricks. “Because of you and some noble self-oath he’s taken, he now suffers, and will continue to hunger since he refuses to feed from me.”

Her stomach twisted into an excruciating knot at the woman’s words, but it didn’t stop her. “So you’re saying you’re willing to be a donor for him without demanding more?”

“Why would I do that? He’s mine. My betrothed. He stayed faithful to me through the ages.” She stalked up to Shae, her dark eyes steaming with hostility. “But now, because of you, he’ll soon be at mortal strength. With his honor so ingrained, he’ll continue fighting never-ending evil until his last breath. Yes, human, he will die because you are selfish.”

And that struck her in the chest like an arrow as her fears were given words. Because everything the witch said was true. She was nothing but a liability. And because of her, Dagan would lose so much. He could…die.

Oh, God! Her knees buckled. The bottle fell from her hand. Shae grabbed the backrest of the bench, tears blurring her eyes.

“I’m glad you see sense, human—”

“What the hell are you doing here, Kaerys?”

At Dagan’s roar, Shae glanced back. His chest heaved, like he’d run all the way to her. He probably had, but she could barely think straight at the dread seeping through her.

He could die, the words ricocheted inside her head.

The goddess cast him a sultry smile. “There you are, my love. After we parted, I thought it only fair to find her and explain the way things are.”

What? He’d been with her? No-no, she rubbed her burning eyes.

“Shae—” He grasped her arms, making her look at him. “Whatever she’s implied hasn’t happened.”

Shae struggled to get her thoughts away from the yawning chasm that would reel her into darkness. “Then why?”

Those yellow eyes flared with suppressed fury. “She’s been keeping track—”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Kaerys burst out, stomping closer to him as if to break their intimacy. “I came because you’re hurt. Again.”

“Shut the hell up, Kaerys!”

“What?” Shae hurriedly searched his black t-shirt but couldn’t see anything. She grasped the hem of his tee. He caught her hands, his lips compressing. His usually sexy bronze skin appeared pallid and stretched taut over the bones of his face. And she knew. “You’re hurt.”

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t.” She pulled away, feeling as if her heart would shatter. “Everything she said is true anyway. I-I can never give you what you need. Only she can. You even stayed with her through the millennia.”

The hard set of his features realigned into one of frustration. “Because it was easier. For that reason alone and no other!”

“That’s what you think,” she whispered. “For her, it was a commitment.”

As illogical and painful as it was, she would have far preferred if he’d gone to different women. Then this goddess wouldn’t be gloating at how he’d stayed faithful to her through the centuries.

“The others wouldn’t come when I requested. They…they were scared of me, of what I’d become and done.”

At the deadness in his eyes, the self-loathing there, confusion overtook Shae’s unhappiness. “How would they know any of this if they didn’t…” She broke off, her gaze zipping to the smirking woman standing a few feet away. “You bitch! It was you! You turned them against him!”

Kaerys’ smile vanished, replaced by an innocent look. “I didn’t. The first time when I sought to help Dagan, he-he ravaged me…”

A dark red stained Dagan’s face. His gaze flickered away. Anger swept through Shae like a gale force. He’d told her he had no control in those early days. She, more than anyone, knew just how tightly leashed his restraint was now, helped by those sedative cigars he smoked so he wouldn’t hurt her—wouldn’t hurt anyone.

“It took me days to heal. You know it’s true, Dagan,” Kaerys told him. “The others saw my ruined throat. It’s why they wouldn’t come.”

Shae’s power battered against her mental shields for release, to avenge him. She hung on by a breath. “You’re a damn goddess, you couldn’t self-heal?”

“Not from what he’d done. But it didn’t matter to me, I loved him, I still do—”

“Love?” Dagan’s cold gaze flashed to Kaerys, his handsome features like stone. “What you love is the excitement, the thrill of knowing you’re fucking a dangerous creature born from the horrors of Tartarus, one who could tear you apart in a single heartbeat,” he said, tone flat. Emotionless. And all the more lethal for it. “I let it slide because it suited my purpose. You were never faithful to me, not that I asked you to be.”

“How dare you?” she cried. “I remained loyal through the ages!”

“Really? Then explain Nab, Astor, and Caelif to me? Those were the latest ones in a long list. And Michael? You told him I was too dangerous to be allowed among mortals? Did you think he’d boot me out of the job so you could have me at your mercy?”

Her mouth opened then shut. Color drained from her face. “How…what, I don’t know what you mean. Yes, I spoke to Michael. I was concerned—”

“Cork it, Kaerys.” A cynical smile rode his mouth. “I have the gift of touch. I see things…incidents when I touch someone’s possessions. You didn’t know that, did you? And you left your trinkets from your lovers behind a few times. But I digress. Yes, my sire was a whoring bastard. He didn’t care about the sanctity of his mate-bond. Unlike me. She…” He pulled Shae close again, pressing her against him, his mouth caressing her head. “I took one look at her, and I knew she was mine.”

Shae froze, her heart pounding like a Ping-Pong ball against her ribs at his confession. Yes, Dagan cared about her, wanted her, but it was the first time he’d said something like this.

He glanced at her. Despite his coldness, his eyes blazed with a deep-seated emotion. “Hell, you drive me crazy at times, Shae-cat, but this heart of mine beats only for you.”

A smile trembled on her lips, warmth replacing her pain. And she fell deeper into him.

“Aaargh, you males are so foolish!” Kaerys stamped her foot, her face flushed in rage. “When you find she cannot fulfill you and you come crawling back, I will make you beg before I accept you.”

“Fuck off, Kae, before I really lose my temper—”

“You ungrateful wretch! After all I’ve done. You will pay for that!” Power crackled in her.

Dagan shoved Shae behind him just as Kaerys flung out her hands, a sizzling shard of light arrowing toward him instead.

“No!” Shae dashed in front of him, her own power unleashing, shattering through her mental shields like lightning. “Don’t you freakin’ dare! I’m so sick of your damn shit—for everything you’ve done to him!”

The winds started, picking up speed around her in a tempest, a red haze stealing her mind. Then, everything slowed down. The goddess’s bolt of power distorted into a shower of blue sparks. If she wanted, she could flick each firefly gleam away. Instead, the power slid straight into her and continued to flow…

From a distance, a disembodied shriek echoed. “She’s gone crazy, she’s draining me. Dagan, stop her!”

“Shae, lock down your mind shields,” Dagan yelled, his voice rife with panic. “C’mon—c’mon, baby, shut down, now!”

Feeling as if her mind would explode at the energy roiling inside her, Shae grabbed her head, struggling to re-erect her fallen shields. Suddenly, the link between her and the goddess snapped.

Kaerys went flying to land hard on her back some distance away. She lurched to her feet. “You won’t get away with this! The law-keepers will know about you and this mortal.” In a furious shimmer, she vanished.

Threat’s gone…gone... The words resonated inside her head. As her conscious mind flew back into her, her knees buckled. Powerful arms gathered her and lowered her to the grass.

She opened her eyes and stared into anxious sun-bright ones. Something warm and wet dripped down her mouth. Hastily, she sat up and her head swam. Clenching her teeth against the dizziness, she tugged free the hoodie she’d tied around her waist and wiped away the blood. Her gaze rushed to his. “I’m sorry.”

His eyes glowed a yellowy red when his darker side came to the forefront. But he just shook his head and hugged her. His hoarse voice muffled in her hair. “Never do that again. I don’t think my heart would survive it.”

“I got mad. She would have hurt you.” She pushed away from him and swiped her nose again.

“Lie back and keep your head up until it stops—”

“Allow me.” Another voice surprised them both. Týr crouched beside them. She had no idea he’d been there. He held his hand above her nose, and a blue healing light coalesced into her, stopping the flow.

“Thank you,” she whispered in gratitude.

“I’m glad I could help.” Týr lowered his hand. “I came by to make sure things were okay when I didn’t find you on the roof. Caught the tail-end of the drama—” He nodded to where Kaerys had been. “Good job, Shae. You terrified the hell out of that female.”

She smiled, but her anxious gaze flicked back to Dagan. Before she could ask him about his new injury, he said, “This power of yours is different.”

That derailed her thoughts. She frowned. “I felt the same as I did in the alley the first time…only stronger. This time, I could see everything in slow motion, see her power as it headed for us… Then I stopped it. Right?”

“No. You absorbed her ability.”

“What?”

“It seems you have quite a unique capability.”

What? Stealing another’s—an immortal’s—power? Christ! She could barely handle her teleporting. Worried, her gaze darted between Dagan and Týr. “Does this mean I’m psionic?”

Dagan rose and helped her to her feet. “It’s the only thing that makes sense. Your powers appeared a few months after the first psi rose, as stated by the Watcher’s prophecy—that once the Healer awakened, the rest would soon follow. And no ordinary mortal would have those kinds of abilities.”

Týr nodded in agreement, pushing to his feet. “Echo can confirm that. She can see auras and knows a psi from a normal psychic—something about the color.”

A shiver slid through her like some kind of precursor. She rubbed her arms, thrusting away the thought, recalling something else the goddess had said. “Dagan, what did Kaerys mean when she said she’d send the law-keepers after us?”

His expression hardened. “She thinks the law-keepers will execute us since immortals and mortals aren’t allowed to mate and soul-join. She has no idea you’re a psi and that she’s wasting her time.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem anyway,” Týr said, flanking her other side as they headed for the castle. “Blaéz got The Morrigan’s promise. We should no longer be affected by the Absolute Laws.”

“So we’re safe then?” she asked, pressing her fingers to her churning stomach.

Dagan glanced down at her, his ashen features softening. He put his hand on her waist, his thumb stroking the inch of skin her tank top exposed. “Yes.”

Shae inhaled deeply. God, she hoped he was right.