All of these characters belong to the amazing Karen Marie Moning. I own nothing and Barrons would tell you he can't be owned, if he decides to tell you anything…

Have I mentioned how much my beta Indigobuni rocks?


Still. She was so damn still. Finally.

She had been moving non stop since I first saw her at the abbey. Hands, lips, legs everywhere. Touching, licking, rubbing. No wonder I almost lost it. Any man would and be glad of it.

I traced her face with my fingers. I had raked her face and body with my eyes many times, but it was rare that I got to touch her like this. Softly, gently. Committing to memory the contours of her cheeks, the fullness of her lips, the delicate arch of her brow. If she were awake and aware, what would she say. I smirked.

She was always trying to label me, define me, find the similarities between us, while I constantly tried to point out our differences. She thought she had begun to understand our differences. She only knew the half of it.

Her beast was asleep now.
Mine was alive and raging.
Pacing a fucking hole inside my chest.
It wanted out.
It wanted her.
It always had, from the moment she stumbled into my world. All blonde and pink with that wide-eyed innocence.
But there was something deeper behind those beautiful green eyes.
We recognized something in her she had yet to recognize in herself.
It frightened her and excited her.

I smoothed her hair back and pulled the blanket up higher. I cradled her to me, closing my eyes relaxing in that moment.

I don't want to let her go. The beast roared within me.
The man in me knew better. Staying with me is dangerous.
I can protect her from all of that.
We didn't protect her from this.
Look at what happened when we left her alone.

I snarled inwardly at my beast.

Touché my friend. Touché.


She started to stir as we arrived at our new home. Home. One of our last conversations had been about home. She had been lonely and wanted me to come home. How did this once innocent young girl from across the ocean find a way to crawl inside my heart and set up a home there?

I told her not to build her world around me.

And yet, I came home. And we'd had one of our better fights. A classic. Right down to the pink cake smashed onto the ceiling, her flat against the wall with my body pressed up against hers and my hand wrapped tightly around her throat.

She got me a fucking birthday cake. My chest tightened at the memory. It was pink, and it was definitely more for her than for me, but still ...

I wanted her to tell me she cared. But she couldn't. Wouldn't. Why the fuck did I care? My beast snorted at me. That bloody beast and I fought about her constantly. Hell Ryodan and I fought about her. But in this moment, now, I could care for her as I liked. No one would dare judge me either way. The beast inside me was calm and Ryodan was letting things go, for now.

Here I was bringing her back, again, from near death. I had sworn to protect her and I had failed. Several times. It was in those moments, usually right before what I expected to be her death that I allowed myself to hold her. In those moments, my beast and I were at peace. We both knew this was unwise. I was constantly pushing her away while wrapping an invisible chain tighter around her. I wanted her bound to me, but I wanted her to choose that for herself. Even though I was sure I would be the death of her.

From the shadows I had watched her eat that fucking cake. She had wiped away a few tears that slid silently down her face. She was right. I was a jackass. But letting her get that close to me was dangerous for both of us. She had no idea what my men were capable of. Are capable of still.

But now I would give anything to have her look into my eyes and remember me.

Come on Mac, fight with me. If you only knew the real reason I always came after you and would always save you.