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present her faith in her own intuition was in short supply.
    “Did you betray Gabriel? Is that why you feel such guilt over Ari’s death?”
    “Guilt? You think I what, fucked Gabriel’s mate and once he discovered the truth he killed her?”
    Blue eyes filled with rage centered on her, making Tory want to slink off into a corner and hide. It took every ounce of fortitude to hold her ground, to shrug her shoulders nonchalantly like the prospect of Michael’s affirmation wouldn’t destroy her.
    Michael took a deep shuddering breath, rolling from his lounging position on the bed to sit on the edge of the mattress. Elbows centered on his thighs, his hands ripped through his hair before coming to rest on the back of his neck, his gaze locked firmly on the floor. “You know nothing of mates,” he stated quietly. “But soon that will all change.”
    Michael’s head lifted and Tory read the promise in his eyes. She turned to flee, only to be caught in the steely grip of his arms wrapping around her, her back braced against his chest. Squirming in an attempt to gain her freedom only seemed to make him more determined to keep her prisoner. His hold tightened as a set of teeth sunk into the tendons where her neck met her shoulder. The bite wasn’t hard enough to draw blood but it drew a primitive instinct in her and Tory relaxed against him with a shudder.
    “I do feel responsible for Ariadne’s death,” Michael whispered, his lips gently kissing away the sting of his bite. “But not in the way you think, love.”
    Michael’s arms slid away from her. He stepped back and, with some reluctance, Tory allowed him to turn her. She wasn’t entirely certain she wanted to face him, afraid of what she would read there. It would take an idiot not to have noticed the guilt smoldering in his blue orbs every time Ari’s name was mentioned.
    His hand caressed her cheek, leaving a trail of goose-bumps as his fingers slid slowly down her neck and arm, stopping only when he reached her hand. Entwining their fingers, he led Tory to the bed, giving her arm a quick tug, sending her tumbling to the mattress next to him. With his body turned toward her, Michael drew her palm to his lips, placing a kiss in the center before pinning her hand over his heart.
    “Many factors led up to Ariadne’s death, so I will only give you the basics. But none of it had to do with betraying Gabriel. When Gabriel asked that I allow her to be trained as one of my hunters, I agreed for purely selfish reasons. The lifespan of a human hunter is not long and in the woman’s death, I saw Gabriel’s freedom.” Michael gave a harsh bark of laughter. “How naïve I was thinking Gabriel would continue on as if she had never existed.”
    The look of anguish on Michael’s face shattered the place deep inside her where fear and distrust had long resided. She cupped his cheek with her free hand, exalting in the way he leaned into her touch as if she had the power to heal him. It would only be fitting since he’d managed to free her from the baggage she’d been carrying since childhood.
    “Hunting demons is a dangerous business. You can hardly be blamed for Ari’s death.”
    “It is not her death putting a wedge between Gabriel and me. It’s what I said later, the callous words I spoke for which he has never forgiven me. And I cannot blame him.”
    “What did you say?” Tory probed gently, but Michael only shook his head.
    “I do not want you to hate me too,” he whispered.
    “That will never happen,” she stated, her voice filled with absolute conviction. She didn’t think there was anything he could say to change how she felt about him. Not that she wanted to examine too closely what her feelings were. Tory wasn’t ready to admit them even to herself.
    Unable or unwilling to meet her gaze, Michael stared down at their joined hands and Tory thought he wasn’t going to respond. Then he spoke, so softly Tory had to strain to make out the words.
    “I