“Baby, I—”

“Did you find anything, Danny?” I spoke to Danny, but by that point I’d twisted enough to face Bren. Bren could’ve laughed, or joked, or asked Aric for details about his indiscretions. But he didn’t. He sensed my hurt, and he didn’t like it. That was the great thing about Bren. All kidding aside, he really cared about me.

“You okay?” he mouthed.

My clenched jaw screamed no, and that I was in over my head with Aric. Bren made a motion to stand, but it was Danny who actually saved me. He cleared his throat hard enough to make him cough into his hand. “There is something here. Daemonium consanguineis loosely translates into demon kin from Latin to English.” His finger traced along the passages as his mind worked to translate the words. “It’s believed a new breed of demons will arise from hate and dark magic. These demon lords, for lack of better terms, will possess the ability to cross between hell and earth without limitations, but that’s all it says.”

Oh, is that all? Every muscle in my body saluted in tribute to our impending deaths. One by one, the wolves entered the house and took a seat around Danny. Emme squeezed Liam’s hand. “What is it, Lee?”

Aric swore beneath his breath as the wolves explained what Danny had just surmised. He leaned forward, resting his elbows against his knees. “Does it say anything about how you stop them from rising?”

Danny’s finger continued to travel along the page. He stopped suddenly and shot his finger back to where he started, his eyes widening as they darted back and forth. “No. But it does say the rise of these demons follows a significant change in the supernatural world.”

“Like what?” Koda asked.

Danny slowly met my stare. “Such as a vampire becoming whole once more.”

Taran threw her hands in the air. “For shit’s sake, Celia. Why the hell did you have to go and return Count Hotness’s soul?”

I stood, growling. “If I had any clue that biting Misha would bring about the rise of freaking unstoppable demons, trust me, I would’ve have gotten defanged.”

Every head shot in my direction. Aric rose, his anger permeating through our family room like a tidal wave. He spit his words out like flaming arrows. “You returned that a**hole’s soul?”

“How the hell did you do that?” Liam asked, his amber eyes round with apparent shock.

“Forget how,” Koda growled. “Why the hell did you do it?”

I wanted to scream. “Oh my God. It was a total accident. He pulled a piece of railing impaling me. It hurt, and I reacted by biting him. Apparently I’m some kind of . . .”

“Dantem animam,” Emme clarified. “A-a-according to the vampires, it’s a rare ability to stimulate the return of a vampire’s soul.”

“We know what it is,” Aric muttered. His fists clenched at his sides. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

I shrugged, not comprehending why Aric appeared so betrayed. “In balancing life and death at once, Misha becomes more powerful, and therefore a threat to other masters. We agreed not to say anything so he wouldn’t become a target.”

“But Dan knew.”

Catholic guilt had a way of pointing a chastising finger at the most inopportune moments. “Yes, Aric. He and Bren both knew.”

Shayna tugged Aric’s sleeve. “We didn’t really know you guys yet when it happened. Danny and Bren were the only ones we could turn to to make sure nothing dangerous had happened to Celia in the process. It wasn’t anything personal, Aric.”

Aric’s features tamed as he took in the hurt settling across my face. He lifted my hands and kissed them. “I’m sorry. I’m not angry at you. That leech is one we watch closely. I like knowing everything he’s into . . . and anything that can make him more powerful.”

“Especially if he’s the one bringing forth the demons’ rise,” Koda rumbled. Koda didn’t waste any time to turn the tides on Misha. I didn’t like getting ganged up on. And I didn’t like Misha being the go-to bad guy. “Misha is not involved in the shift of the demon realm. He’s not, Aric,” I insisted. “You saw him today. That thing that possessed him left him drained and vulnerable. No way would he risk his soul by associating with hell’s minions.”

Aric gathered me to him. “I know. As much as I’d like to find the source, I know it’s not him.” I tensed against him. “What’s wrong, Celia?”

“What if I did it, though? What if I somehow caused this mess to occur?”

“You couldn’t have, sweetness. Your heart’s too pure to cause something so vile.”

I wasn’t so certain.

Gemini rubbed his goatee. He hadn’t liked Taran’s “Count Hotness” reference, but his response had nothing to do with Misha. “Celia, you didn’t cause the demons to rise. Things have been brewing in the dark realm for quite some time. And from what Dan said, it preceded such an event. Correct, Dan?”

Danny nodded hard enough to make his curls bounce. “Oh yeah, absolutely.”

Aric slipped his arm around my shoulders. “The supernatural world we inhabit is also changing rapidly. We have more lones now than ever, and Genevieve’s coven has reported a rise in dark witches. My guess is that it started with the shift in the demon kingdom.”

I fell against him. Knowing I wasn’t the cause of an apocalypse made me feel better. I’d screwed up more times than I could count. But kick-starting Judgment Day and revving it into high gear trumped the list of major “F” ups.

Liam ambled slowly to Aric’s side, his features set deep with regret as they took me in. “We should contact the Elders,” he said quietly.

Aric nodded. “I’ll call Martin.” He walked outside to stand on the porch, the weight of protecting the earth tangible against his shoulders.

Bren slung an arm around me. “Listen, Ceel. I don’t like this shit going down. And I really hate you girls getting involved. But if I can help, you let me know, okay?”

“Okay, Bren. Thank you.”

Aric’s Warriors watched him carefully. As a lone, Bren wasn’t well received by pack weres. But as our friend the wolves had shown him some respect. Gemini gave him a stiff nod. “Your offer is appreciated by our pack,” he said quietly.

Other than a nod in return, Bren failed to answer him. “Come on, Dan. You ready to roll, or is there more fun news you’d like to share?”

Danny shut his book and stood, waving good-bye to everyone as he exited. I followed them out to the car, passing Aric, who was leaning against the porch beam. His tone was serious yet respectful, lacking the anger he’d demonstrated when speaking to Anara.

Bren tossed Danny the keys to his 1971 blue Ford Mustang. “You wanna drive?”

“Sure, I do everything else for you. Why not be your chauffeur, too?”

A slow grin eased across Bren’s face. “What are you so pissed at, princess?”

Danny shoved Bren’s arm, stumbling when the contact threw him off balance. Aside from Koda, at six-five, Bren was the biggest wolf I’d ever met. Danny might as well have shoved the Sphinx. He frowned. “You weren’t very nice in there. If it weren’t for that sweet toothless girl, we wouldn’t have the knowledge about the demons we do. She’s the one who, um, suggested the book. You know, afterward.”

“You mean after you banged her against the Encyclopedia Britannica?” Bren threw back his head with laughter at Danny’s mortified face. He patted his best friend’s back, careful not to send Danny flying. “I’m sorry, Dan. I shouldn’t have made fun of that toothless chick.”

Danny’s scowl relaxed. “Well, thank you because—”

“She must’ve given the best head ever.”

Danny’s deep blush told me that yes, maybe she had. I hugged them both good-bye and watched them pull away from the curve. Something clicked in the thick brush behind my neighbor’s house, and I thought I caught a flash of light. I angled my head and took a whiff to see if I could sense anything. But the tap against the phone screen alerted me that Aric’s talk with his Elder had ended.

I walked back to my house, where he waited at the top of the steps. He watched me as he shoved his iPhone into his back pocket. Gemini had brought him a pair of jeans and a black T-shirt upon his arrival. I wished then Aric had kept his sweatpants on, and nothing more. I longed to see the rippling muscles of his chest and to lie against him. I also wished I could have told him so, but of course I didn’t have the guts. “Hey.”

“Hi, sweetness.”

We said nothing for a few beats, yet I wasn’t ready to return inside. After all, we hadn’t been alone since we’d arrived. So I walked up the steps and took a seat on our wide porch swing. Aric lowered himself beside me and gently pulled me to him. I sensed his hesitancy. Perhaps he couldn’t anticipate how I’d react given Liam’s oh-so-honest recollection of his love life.

“Your conversation with your Elder seemed to go better this time.” The rhododendrons rustled beneath us, and a small bird returning to his nest chirped as it flew from the back of the house. Twilight had long since come and gone. Now nighttime ruled the land.

Aric nodded. “That was Martin, the Alpha of our Elders.”

I leaned against his hard chest. My nose took in his scent of water crashing over stones and how it blended into the soft cotton fabric of his shirt. “So there’s an Alpha of Alphas?”

Aric chuckled. “I guess you can say that. Native American and were traditions require each pack to be governed by Elders. They consist of an Alpha, a Beta, and an Omega. Martin is a strong and righteous Leader. I’ve known him my whole life. He was my father’s Warrior and one of the few non-pures powerful enough to hold the position of Elder.”

I stilled. Martin came from a family of humans and wolves. The knowledge gave me hope. “Is he more understanding of . . . us?”

Disappointment broke through Aric’s typically confident tone. “No. He’s encouraging me to sever all contact with you.”

I squeezed my lids tight, preparing for the brunt of the pain and the holding back of the tears that threatened to fall. “Does this mean things are over between us?”

Aric straightened in his seat and cupped my face with his hands. “You asked me before if I spoke French.” He smiled softly at my nod. “Then I’d like you to hear me now. Tu es belle. Je ne te laisserai pas partir.”

My gaze dropped. The language was lovely and heated my cheeks. But I still didn’t know whether our time had drawn to end. “Tell me what it means.”

The shadows caused by the dim porch light strengthened Aric’s features, yet his expression remained soft as it took in my visage. His light brown irises flickered, giving away the intensity behind his words. “It means you’re beautiful. And that I won’t let you go.”

There were certain moments that would forever be ingrained in my mind. In my soul. In my heart. This was one of them. And I knew then my life would never make sense without Aric. Our lips met. Our bodies touched. And something ignited deep within me . . . and within him.

Aric gripped my h*ps and lifted me to straddle him. We kissed long and deep, our lungs shrieking for air as we broke apart. I dared to nibble across his jawline and, urged by my beast, to feel him. He groaned, his hands slipping into my hair. His head fell back as my teeth found a new spot to play. “My Celia,” he growled.

I reached the perfect little groove, just behind his left ear. It throbbed and begged me to taste it. My tongue listened and—

Aric jerked beneath me, fully aroused. I didn’t know what I was doing, but it worked. So I abandoned my inhibitions and listened, really listened to what his body begged mine to do. My lips traveled against his neck, sucking, taunting, leaving little marks that faded too quickly and demanded more of my time. My hips, oh God. They swiveled and circled over his lap, pleading with his body to respond to mine. It did. The hard bulge of his erection pounded through his jeans, making me whimper and quickening my motions. He grunted and arched his back. It was all I could do not to unbutton his pants.

Aric tugged my T-shirt free of the waistband. A hand wandered beneath my shirt and latched onto my breast, rubbing, pulling, pinching. I wanted to scream. The ache he caused within me seemed unbearable. But when he unfastened my bra and his hot palm touched my burning flesh, I wrenched back as if scorched. No, not scorched . . . stimulated.

“Aric.”

Aric yanked me to him, driving his tongue deep in my mouth. His heart pounded against my chest. A sharp, stabbing pain hit my groin, and I started to imagine him touching me in all the right places. Never had I wanted anyone more.

I tried to stop from groaning, but I couldn’t. Every time my tongue met his, waves of pleasure consumed me. My sound effects drove him wild. He growled, lifting me and stumbling across the porch with my legs fastened around his waist. The swing slammed against the siding, cracking it, but I could give a damn.

We fell against the wall, barely able to keep upright, besieged with the urge to lie down. My ni**les hardened against his muscular chest as he rubbed his body harder against mine. “I want to be inside you,” Aric murmured between intakes of breaths. “I want to wake up with you na**d in my arms.”

His arousal was so strong I could taste it. I couldn’t speak. I couldn’t catch my breath. All I knew was Aric and how much my body needed him.

CHAPTER 9

Aric fumbled to open the front door. I briefly heard Taran yell, “Holy shit!” just before he raced us upstairs.