Sera woke to the incredible, almost erotic sensation of someone gently, tenderly teasing the corner of her mouth with their lips. She knew instantly it was Dev. No other could pull her out of a state of deep sleep by simply touching her only with his lips, she was sure of it, the insistent licks and nibbles teased her mouth open for his eager tongue. Eyes still closed, Sera cradled Dev's body with her own, running her palms down his smooth back, holding back an inner smile at his shiver.

Dev pulled back finally, reluctantly, and both were staring deep into the others eyes panting, Dev leaned down so that his forehead rested on Sera's. Damn, he was in deep! When had he ever felt like staying with a woman after sex? To just watch her sleep peacefully, running a hand through her silken hair, loving the way it played through his fingers, or to run a hand over the smooth skin of her hip.

Sera's smile was a little shy as she stared up at him and he felt his heart do a sickening lazy drop into his stomach and warm him. He'd never felt this way about a female before, human or otherwise and it was terrifying. Terrifying and exhilarating and many other things he right then could not put a name to, with her watching him in such way. He wanted to say something glib and flippant, to break through this air of anticipation they both seemed to be held in, but instead he breathed her name and brushed his lips over her small ear. She shivered.

Sera tried to force her breathing to slow and her pounding heart to calm but it was useless, she had just experienced the heights of pleasure, hours of lovemaking. Altering from borderline pain and pleasure rough, to hot and slick and just a little bit dirty to heart-stopping-tear-jerking tender and she had loved it all. And now in the darkest hour; the one before dawn, where in the wildness it was a dividing line between two worlds almost, an indeterminate state before time and sound exists, she lay in the arms of a man who's eyes though slightly confused, weary and maybe a little bit scared were still gazing at her as though she were infinitely precious to him.

It almost made her cry. Almost.

"I -" Sera began to speak and Dev unconsciously tighten his arms around her, protectively, possessively. She cleared her throat. "I should get back to my room."

Dev didn't loosen his hold, he didn't flip nonchalantly on to his back and give her a seductive wink, secretly glad to be rid of her. He was uncertain and nervous and it bothered him. Normally after he had finished having sex with a human woman, they would lay exhausted and limp for at least an hour it was the usual aftermath when having sex with a were; they were highly sexual creatures, then they would fall in to a deep sleep. And when they were awake as Sera was now, they would gaze at him in awe telling him that they had never known a man that had as much stamina as he did. Sera had rivalled his stamina and enthusiasm like one of his own kind, and right then when he would typically be giving the woman his we-had-fun-and-I'll-call-you speech, Sera seemed to be about to give him one of her own.

He didn't like the way he was feeling at all. But he swallowed the protest and forced it back down his throat, he was tired and he needed rest, it wouldn't go down very well if she woke up beside a bear, for as a Katagaria he shifted to his natural bear form when asleep.

"Yeah," was all Dev could manage to say.

"Well … you kind of need to get off me then."

The only problem was Dev was having serious trouble forcing himself to leave the warm wet haven of her body, she shifted beneath him adding to his reluctance. Dev ground his teeth preparing for cold air to wash over him, the evaporation of her body heat from his own skin; he slid out of her. Preparation didn't help a damn with the sudden lurch in his heart, he was left feeling bereft and by the look on her face so was she.

Sera shimmied out from under him and off the bed, she stood up feeling deliciously sore and supple. She hurried about collecting her clothes and yanking them on, consciously avoiding looking at Dev, who sat up and studied her with those sleepy, sexy, forlorn eyes. His hair was messy and his skin flushed, the white sheet pooled around his waist complimenting the delectable colouring of his skin. Sera had never wanted to stay and be with someone so much in her life, and it was only her iron will that stopped her from caving in and going to him and begging him to take her again. And again.

But because she felt that way she refused to stay a moment longer, now was time to leave, not just his room but the Sanctuary, in fact to hell with it she would have to leave New Orleans. Sera wasn't safe with this man after tonight and he in all honesty wasn't safe from her.

"What's that?" The sharpness in Dev's voice forced Sera to stop dressing. Before she could move back Dev, still sitting, reached out and shackled her wrist and jerked her forward, leaning into her to examine her right hip bone. Sera almost cursed aloud, she had forgotten in the heat of their passion and the tenderness of its aftermath to hide her body marks. Not only did she have a number of faded white scars but more damning then that was her tattoo. Sera forced herself not to gulp and pasted a look on her face that said inquisitive/puzzled but absolutely innocent little me.

Dev run his hand over the tattoo and flicked his gaze up to hers, his eyes were guarded and suspicious. She couldn't blame him, her tattoo was a miniature version of the one the Katagaria Strati warriors intentionally mark themselves with as a show of their devotion to their people and willingness to kill those that threaten them.

Sera had noted the larger version on Dev's left shoulder blade along with his silly Dark Hunter, double bow and arrow tat. She had seen the mark of Artemis on him and knew immediately that it was a fake, it made sense given his goofy sense of humour (which she admitted attracted her deeply) coupled with the fact that no self-respecting were Arcadian or Katagaria would ever become a Dark Hunter. Though there were rumours of one in Seattle but who knew the truth of that …

"I saw it on a guy I worked with, back in my bar job in London," Sera lied convincingly, covering the scent of her lie and her fear effectively; one thing she could pull of was covering her scent. "He was a really cool biker type. He came from all over the place, we both worked the weekend shifts on a bar in Soho. Its kind of famous for nightlife in London, Soho I mean .."

Sera trailed off recognising she was babbling. Dev stared at her for a moment, she knew he was trying to scent a lie, he could sense none. He merely rubbed his thumb longingly over the small intricate circle with a feather entwined in the artistic swirls. His hand moved to Sera's scars that he hadn't noticed before.

"What happened?" Dev asked his voice hoarse, she watched his eyes travel along her side and to her thigh, his hands traced the fine ones on her back and Sera held back tears and a wince. Why was everything suddenly so painful to think about?

"My parents aren't as kind as yours, Dev," Sera said and moved away from him, he let her skin slide through his hands.

Once dressed Sera had every intention of walking to the door without a backward glance, but she looked at Dev and she knew she couldn't. No matter how frightened she was at that moment, she wouldn't do it. Not to this bear who had given her so much pleasure tonight and since her time at the Sanctuary had made her unconsciously, so happy. She knew she would miss him and think about him often, until there was another. If there could ever be another …

"Thank you, Dev," Sera whispered, after stopping in front of him and laying her palm against his stubbly cheek. "You made everything feel special tonight."

Dev gave her a breath taking smile that didn't quite light his eyes, he gripped her hand and brought it to his lips, placing a loving kiss in her palm. It sent heat spiralling through her body and her heart.

"You are special, Cherie. More then you know."

Sera wanted to cry. And she wanted to stay. But she wanted a lot of things in life and those just added to her list. Sera gave a sigh that was almost a sob before removing her hand and moving swiftly from the room.

Dev stood at his window and pretended to watch the dawn. He was exhausted both emotionally and physically, he didn't really want to admit to himself that he was missing Sera already, that he would have done almost anything to fall asleep beside her like a human male. He had never wished to be anything other then what he was before, he was proud of what he was, but suddenly he felt like he was paying a tremendous price for what fate decreed him to be.

Shit, he didn't know when he had ever been this mixed up. He nearly fell out the bed when he had seen the Strati tattoo, he had froze, literally gone cold but he hadn't smelt a lie from her, obviously he wasn't the only Were she had been in contact with, the thought made fangs lengthen in his mouth. He forced the rage away and exhaled slowly, the tattoo had seemed like a omen that she would be his mate, that dangerous hope that had been buried long ago flared to life, then he remembered she was human. It wasn't possible. Then those scars, his heart clenched once again and he heard the echo of her soft words about her parents and again that rage that made his vision disappear in a haze of red came. So many things didn't add up about Sera but so many things about her fit with him, like lost pieces … Another first for that night was Dev wondering vaguely whether he should hunt up Wren the Were tiger/leopard mix that had fallen hard in love with a human woman, Maggie, who hadn't been his mate. Never the less Wren had loved her as if she were his mate and by some freaky twist of damn good luck they had become mated and Maggie had mysteriously become a were

-tiger. Could the self same thing be happening to him?

On the heels of that thought like some sort of cosmic prank or practical joke, (he almost expected Ashton Kutcher to come out of the closet telling him he had been Punk'd) Dev's palm began to burn. A burn he'd heard much about from his mated brothers but never experienced, he gasped and raised his tightly clenched fist level to his face and slowly opened it. His heart stopped at the sight of the swirling geometrical pattern forming there, it took a few minutes for him to register what he was seeing. It wasn't possible! She was human! Questions and thoughts collided and jumbled in his head, leaving him in a trance. One clear thought pushed through the confusion - he was mated. Forget the how's, what's and why's, he had been granted a wish he had been yearning for, for most of his adult life. A low rumbling of a motor cycle engine broke into his trance.