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"I can't explain it. It just felt like something was wrong. Like something was calling me back to you," he replied. "Looks like I was right."
For a few seconds, I couldn't formulate a response. What was I supposed to say to that, anyway? I decided not to even try, shaking my head. "Well, now that you're back and I'm alive, what now? Are you going to leave again?"
"No," he said quietly. "That's not an option."
"Why not?" I asked, afraid to get my hopes up that the answer had anything to do with me.
He frowned, as if it was a strange question. "I left because I thought I was a threat to the people I care about. You, Renata... I still think that, especially after what I did to you that night, but it's pretty clear there are bigger threats out there, and I can’t leave you vulnerable to them."
I swallowed hard, trying to process the fact that he counted me among the people he cared about. It was harder to stay pissed at him than I wanted it to be. "My sire is gone."
"And his pack will come looking for him," said Castor. "When they do, it's only a matter of time before they find you."
"How?" I asked. "And how do you know he even has a pack?"
His gaze darkened. "Because I recognized him," he said after a few moments of silence. "He was a part of the hunting party that killed my family."
I stared at Castor in disbelief, frozen for much too long. I was just having a hard time processing the fact that our fates had been entwined long before we met. I still wasn't sure what to call this thing between us, if it even had a name at all, but I couldn't help but wonder… was it destined to end as tragically as it had begun?
"Castor, I–"
"Come on," he said, taking my hand to lead me over to the bed. I wanted to say something, even though I didn't know what, but he clearly didn't want to keep talking about it, so I gave in. "The doc is right. You need to rest."
I climbed into bed, trying not to think about how much it smelled like him. And hoping he wouldn't somehow notice the fact that I'd spent more nights in here curled up around his pillow since he had left than I wanted to admit.
He paused, glancing down at something by the headboard. He pulled out the white tank top I must have taken off at some point in the night and raised an eyebrow. "Have you been in here since I left?"
"No," I mumbled. "I've never seen that before."
"Oh, really?" he challenged, another glimmer of amusement in his gaze as he put the shirt to his face and breathed in. "Then why does it smell like you?"
My face grew hot once more and I snatched the shirt from him. "Stop that."
"You're cute," he said, getting into bed with me. I moved back as he climbed on top of me. The amusement in his eyes darkened to something else as his gaze swept over me. "I missed this."
"Missed what?" I asked, suddenly breathless as I looked up at him.
"You," he answered, leaning down to kiss me as he took me into his arms. "Kissing you. Touching you. Your scent. Everything..." His breath was a cool whisper against my skin as he lowered his face to my throat, pressing a kiss to the mark. I braced for it to hurt, but even though it probably should have, it didn't. Maybe I was just too desperate for him to touch me to care.
"I missed you, too," I murmured, digging my hands into his hair. The inky strands were silky and smooth as they slipped through my fingers.
"Still?" he asked, frowning as if the answer troubled him. "I hurt you..."
"You leaving hurt me," I told him, running my hands down his chest.
His gaze softened, but he still seemed confused as he shook his head. "Why?" he finally asked. When he saw my confusion, he clarified, "Why do you still want me? I've been an asshole to you from the beginning."
"Well, yeah," I snorted. "But not always. You have a gentle side, too. Sometimes."
"Loyal little dog, aren't you?" There was affection laced in his taunt, and he leaned down, pressing his forehead against mine.
"So I'm wearing you down?" I asked dryly, taking his face in my hands.
He looked down at me, that faint but devastating smile on his lips. "You could say that." He kissed me again, and I melted in his arms.
I had woken up feeling normal, but that familiar heat crept back into my veins the more he touched me, and I found myself grinding against him.
Castor moaned against my lips, and even though he broke the kiss, I felt a thrill just knowing I was capable of eliciting that kind of response within him. "Eddie… you need rest."
