“My love—”

“Misha, I’m not your love. You know this.”

I turned to wash my face in the sink, only to freeze at the sight of my reflection. My nose angled somewhere near my right cheek and the obscene amount of swelling distorted my features. Dry blood caked my face and long hair in thick streaks, and a cascade of bruises darkened my golden skin with ugly tinges of blue and purple. Anara had bashed my face in with the might of his hatred. I instinctively ran my hand over my belly, grateful my child had been spared from his wrath.

The throbbing in my face and the relentless pounding in my head intensified as I relived the moment of the assault. The day had taken an array of unexpected turns, from the first moment I’d sat on the exam table until I’d opened the door to find Anara waiting for me. The disastrous outcome struck my battered body with a final blow, releasing my pain and terror in one mangled sob. I wasn’t one for hysterics, nor did I want to be. I gritted my teeth so my tears ran silently and focused on that tiny heartbeat in order to calm.

Misha stepped next to me. Tension and fury darkened his beautifully masculine features. He turned on the water and soaked the washcloth gripped in his hand, then gently passed it over my face. “Whoever did this shall suffer,” he promised.

A screeching of tires followed by the furious growls of my mate had me jerking away. “Get out of my way before I kill you.” Hisses and growls followed Aric’s threat.

My sister Shayna’s urgent voice surged over the chaos as she pleaded with her husband. “Koda, don’t! This isn’t helping Celia.”

My other sister, Taran, also made her presence known. “I will jolt the shit out of anyone who starts a fight. Tim, where the hell is Celia?” she demanded of Misha’s bodyguard.

“She’s in the bedroom with the master,” Edith taunted. “They’re busy.”

Of course, since the universe hated me, Marvin Gaye now sang “Sexual Healing.” Tim, although not my biggest fan, took charge. “Let Celia’s sisters through, but no one else shall pass.”

Aric’s growls cracked through the air like static. “Celia is my mate. You will not keep me from her!”

“She’s my master’s bride—”

A loud sizzle followed pained grunting.

Shit. Taran had just fired her lightning at Aric. Under other circumstances I would have ripped into her.

Anger riled Gemini’s inner wolf and deepened his typically calm tone with an edge of anger. “Taran, I won’t allow you to release your frustrations on Aric.” Koda and Liam growled, furious Taran had attacked their Leader. “Nor will I allow threats upon my mate,” Gemini snarled at them.

Taran ignored all of them. “Perhaps you didn’t hear me the first time, Aric. I said I will jolt the shit out of anyone who starts a fight!”

“Damnit, Taran—”

“Aric, this bullshit with you and the vamps isn’t helping Celia—stay here. Shayna and I will check on her.”

“That’s right. Stay, boy—” Liz didn’t finish her insult. She was too busy screaming from whatever Taran zapped her with before she and Shayna barreled into the house.

I turned to Misha. “I don’t want to see Aric. Please ask him to leave—nicely.”

Misha angled his head, surprised by my request. Given that he hated Aric, I didn’t need to ask twice. My sisters stumbled into the bathroom, where he had directed them on his way out. They screamed when they saw me.

Aric’s growls returned full force. “What’s happening?”

Shayna veered back toward the stairs. “You have to find Emme. Celia’s in really bad shape!”

Taran approached me slowly, like she’d never seen me before. “Son of a bitch, Celia. What did this to you?” She reached to touch my face, only to yank it back as if it stung.

Tears streamed down Shayna’s cheeks. I didn’t want to lie to them, but I had to keep them safe. “I swung by the house to get some things. A pack of wolves broke in and attacked me.”

Taran clasped her hand over her jaw. “Shit. Did you kill them?”

I lowered my head. “No. I was no match for them.”

Taran took in the mangled mess of my face. “How the hell did you get away?”

I was a horrible liar. “I didn’t, they left me there when they were done.”

Shayna’s slender frame hunched and her long, silky black ponytail seemed to droop. She wiped her blue eyes on the sleeve of her white tunic. “Why would they just leave you like that?”

“You mean instead of just killing me?” I hated scaring them, but I wanted them to stop talking. I shrugged. “I don’t know, I guess because they could.”

Sleet splattered against the window and skylights, but it did little to muffle Misha and Aric. Damn, they were both furious. And Misha carrying the scent of his arousal from his snack time with me only made matters worse.

“What did you do to her?” Aric demanded.

I could almost picture Misha’s wicked smile. “Tending to her wounds required me to taste her, and so I did.”

There was some scuffling and growling. The wolves were struggling to hold back Aric. “Aric, listen to me,” Liam grunted. “Celia was still bleeding when we arrived.”

“I’m not leaving until I see her.” Aric’s deep timbre rang with anger, but Liam’s words appeared to have stopped him from killing Misha. I was surprised Misha didn’t rub his feasting more in Aric’s face. Maybe he didn’t want to upset me…or maybe he preferred that Aric jump to his own conclusions.

“Celia does not desire your presence, canine. Can you fault her? How many times have you reduced her to tears?”

A stillness grew over the worsening weather. “Those times are behind us,” Aric growled. “Whether you like it or not, my future lies with her.”

Aric wasn’t leaving. I had to make him go before Misha did. The wolves were deadly, but so were the vampires. And Misha’s house was full of vamps ready to kill anything that threatened their master. I clutched the towel against my chest, shaking from what I knew I had to do. I moved away from my sisters who carefully worked to dig the shards of glass from my back. I barely felt the tugs and pulls. Fear and regret had numbed me to any physical pain.

I cleared my throat when I reached the open bedroom door and tried to speak as loudly as possible. “I don’t want to see you, Aric. You need to leave.” And if you don’t, you’ll die.