“There is no ‘if.’ I do care about her.” Koda’s brow softened at his words.

I shook my head. “Then don’t presume she’s another one of your trampy one-nighters.”

Koda swallowed with great effort. He probably ingested a few prongs. I glanced at his fork. Yup. He did. “What if you’re wrong? What if—”

Shayna’s footsteps silenced him instantly. By the way her soles scraped against the thick white carpet, I knew she hadn’t bothered with shoes or socks. She walked down the back stairs with her arms circled around her body, seemingly heartbroken. It wasn’t until she caught sight of Koda that the usual skip to her step returned. Her ponytail flicked behind her as she wrapped her pencil-thin arms around Koda’s gigantic shoulders.

She kissed his cheek. “I was worried you’d left, puppy.”

A deep shade of red erupted from Koda’s neck to his face. But I didn’t think it was because she’d called him “puppy.” I gave him my best “I told you so” expression, but decided to spare the big guy from further humiliation. After all, I did belt him in the schnoz.

I pointed to his plate. “Koda was hungry.”

Shayna swept a section of his long black mane over his shoulder. “Why didn’t you wake me? I would have made you something.”

I could almost see Koda’s inner wolf panting back excitedly. He pulled her onto his lap and cupped her face. “I didn’t want to bother you, baby.”

I left the table to pile food on my plate the moment their lips met…and nearly jumped out of my skin when Liam appeared. Naked.

“Can I have some sausage?”

I shoved my plate in his hands. “Here. Take mine.” I turned my back on him and concentrated hard on mixing more batter.

“Why is your face all red, Celia? You hot or something?”

“Liam,” Koda growled. “Go put on some clothes.”

Liam spoke between chews. “Why? It’s warm in here.”

“Because the girls weren’t raised among beings that are frequently na**d.”

Understanding spread across Liam’s boyish features. He shook his head. “Celia, you have to get over your modesty. The body is a gift. Here, take off your clothes so you can see how freeing—”

I threw my spatula in the sink. “Go upstairs, Liam. And don’t come back down until you put on some damn pants!”

Liam frowned. “But what about Emme? She’s probably hungry, too. We’ve been making love all night and—”

I threw more food on a plate and pointed up the stairs.

Liam kissed the top of my head. “Thanks, Celia. You’re a good egg.” He stopped at the base of the stairs. “Still, do yourself a favor and take off your clothes sometime. It’s quite refreshing.”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. “I’ll take your word for it, Liam.”

Shayna buried her face in Koda’s chest, laughing. When she finally calmed down I placed a plate in front of her. She and Koda ate together, feeding each other from time to time. Koda had seconds, then thirds in the time it took Shayna to finish her first meal. He frowned at her. “Aren’t you going to eat more, baby?”

She grinned. “I don’t have Celia’s metabolism. Trust me, this is more than enough.” That’s when she noticed I didn’t have a plate in front of me. “You’re not eating, dude?”

I sipped on my tea. “I’m not really hungry.” It wasn’t a lie. Preparing the food had been more therapeutic than a desire to eat.

“But you made all this food.”

“I’ll have something after my run.”

They rose together and started to pick up their plates. I took the dishes out of their hands. “I got it.”

Shayna watched me. She knew I was upset and probably needed the distraction. “Okay, Celia. If that’s what you want.”

Koda leaned into her, placing his arm around her and pulling her close. I nibbled on my bottom lip. “Yeah. It’s what I want.”

Shayna wrapped her arms around Koda’s waist and grinned. “Do you want to go back upstairs?”

Koda kissed the top of her head. “I’ll be right behind you.” He watched her walk up the back stairs until she disappeared. “I’m not good at saying thank-you, Celia, but…thank you.”

I smiled weakly. “You’re welcome.” I stopped him when he headed toward the steps. “Koda…just be good to her. Okay?”

Koda nodded, his tumultuous dark eyes probably seeing a lot more of my sadness than I wished. “I owe you. Big-time.”

I gathered the dishes quickly. Another few moments passed before I heard his large feet amble up the stairs.

The doorbell rang a few minutes later just as the shower went on in Emme and Shayna’s bathroom. I tossed the dish cloth I was using to wipe down the table into the sink. It was only seven in the morning. I hurried to the door before the bell woke Taran, and just about died when those brown eyes I adored blinked back at me through the glass pane. My hands shook as I unlocked the bolt and turned the knob, sadness dissolving my resentment. God, it hurt to see him, knowing he couldn’t be mine.

Aric’s grin faded when he caught my expression. “Hey, Celia,” he said quietly.

“Hi.” I sighed. “What are you doing here, Aric?”

Aric leaned back on his heels, crossing his arms over his thick gray sweatshirt. “Koda called. He said you needed a running partner.”

CHAPTER 27

“I’m sorry, but you’re mistaken. I’m not going for a run.”

His eyes skimmed down my tight white T-shirt, sweatpants, and running shoes. “Did you just come back from a run?”

“No.”

He rested his back against the doorjamb. “You’re not going for a run or you’re not running with me?”

My averted gaze answered for me.

Aric pushed his hand through his hair. “Celia, what the hell is going on? You refuse to talk to me and now you’ve blocked my calls.”

Knowing my actions hurt him bothered me more than it should. I was doing the right thing, damn it. It shouldn’t have been so hard. “I can’t have anything to do with you.”

Aric leaned toward me, his jaw tightening. “Why?”

Was he kidding? “You know why.”

Aric frowned until understanding brightened his irises. “I see. I just didn’t realize it would matter to you.”

If he had slapped me then, it wouldn’t have offended me as much as his words. What did he take me for? The very slut Mrs. Mancuso believed me to be? “Well. It does. Forgive me for having morals.”

The expression on Aric’s face reminded me of those talk show guests who just found out their wives had been sleeping with their fathers. So not right. How was I the bad guy?

Aric’s voice cut through me. “If I can ignore this whole damn thing, why can’t you?”

Aric gawked at my slack jaw as if a leprechaun danced a jig across my tongue. “Oh, my God. How can you be so callous? This is a child we’re talking about.”

“A what?”

Emme’s screams halted my “get the hell off my porch” tirade. I bolted up the steps and crashed through her door, racing into the bathroom separating her room and Shayna’s. Liam’s blood ran in a red river along the green marble tile. Deep claw marks cut into his arms and back, revealing the shiny white of his bones. He stood in the corner, far from the window, protecting Emme’s na**d body with his own and snarling over his shoulder.

The scent of decomposing, burning flesh made me gag as it scorched a path through my nose. Koda stood glaring toward the window dressed only his jeans, and holding a hand out to keep Shayna back. He growled with enough menace to stand my neck hairs on end. “You’re not allowed in, bitch.”

That’s when I saw her: a savage, na**d, infected vampire perched on the window. Her bulging arms didn’t match the green of her face. Instead they blistered and sizzled, charred from the sacred aura protecting our home. She’d tried to get in uninvited. And while she managed to hurt Liam, her efforts had cost her.

Aric’s body heat warmed my back. “Koda, keep her in your sights.” His voice sounded more wolf than man. “I’ll go around back.”

Most severely infected vampires lost their reasoning, but this vampire wasn’t too far gone. She understood Aric loud and clear, and bolted with a hiss.

Oh, no, you don’t.

“Celia!”

I ignored Aric’s roars and dove through the window, changing before the strong paws of my beast hit the cold grass. A blur of green streaked into the woods behind the house. I charged after her, pushing my legs into the dry pine needles and up the incline of the small mountain. The large paws of two wolves thundered against the earth behind me.

I focused ahead, inhaling deeply to track the scent. Her long, lean legs propelled her like a jet and I quickly lost sight of her. But I wouldn’t lose her aroma. My God, beneath the scent of crispy flesh smoked the sickness of the bloodlust. It reminded me of the ailing surgical patients I cared for when I first graduated. The illness permeated through their skin, masking their natural—

Oh…no. My eyes widened. The bloodlust did cloak her natural aroma, but it didn’t extinguish it completely. I knew who she was, and the recognition fueled my anger. The cool breezed whipped back my whiskers as I pushed myself faster. I couldn’t lose her. I had to find her.

I skidded to a stop at the subtle scratch of tree bark and the sudden disappearance of her scent. The bloodthirsty psychopath had scurried up a tree.

But which one?

I panted while my eyes searched the cluster of trees she’d led me to. The sun beamed through the thick branches, casting moving shadows as the firs swayed chaotically in the increasing breeze. Oh, yeah, this predator hadn’t lost her ability to strategize.

A single pine needle dropped to the dense forest floor, alerting my tigress to haul ass. I jerked out of the way, narrowly missing getting body-slammed by a clawed and hungry sadist. She landed in a crouch, thick, sharp nails out, and torn rags for clothing.