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her to warm it up for him? He was lucky she actually fed him anything.
    “Thanks, Raven. I appreciate it.”
    Hell . “You’re welcome.” Now she was feeling guilty for the way she’d treated him? What was up with her? Her time of the month? No, at least she didn’t think so. She’d never been that great about keeping track. Look at Fox. That should have taught her, but then Fox was the greatest blessing she had in her life. He was the reason she got up in the morning. “Here.” She held out the plate of brownies. “Want one?”
    “Yeah, thanks.” Aidan took one off the plate and bit into it, making an appreciative noise. She remembered that sound. Just like that she was eighteen again and Aidan had his hands on her.
    He had magical hands. Knew right where to touch. How hard, how soft. When to push, and when to let her fly. She hadn’t been with a man since who could make her respond the way he had.
    She was older. Surely, sex with him now would pale in comparison. Teenage love was always built up to be more than it was. That had to be it. Nostalgic times when life had been easy, simple, happy.
    When her father had still been alive.
    She set the plate of brownies on the nightstand, no longer hungry. She scooted down on the bed and pulled the covers up over her head and tried with everything in her to put Aidan Harte out of her mind.
    She did a fair job of it until she fell asleep. Then her subconscious took over, the part of her who liked to dream of Aidan. It had been dreaming of him for the last twelve years and was damn good at it.

C HAPTER T HREE
    Aidan woke to find a pair of brown eyes regarding him from an inquisitive face.
    Fox.
    “Hey,” Aidan greeted, glancing to the other side of the bed. A lump was curled under the covers. In fact, the lump had stolen all the covers. Aidan cleared his throat and looked at Fox again.
    “Feeling better?” Fox studied him as though he were dissecting an insect not previously found. “You look bad.”
    “Okay.” Aidan rubbed his raspy jaw. A shower would do him good. A cold shower. Maybe Raven hadn’t stolen the covers. He probably kicked them off. It was hot in here. “Could you open a window?”
    “It’s like ten below outside.” Fox gave him a look, questioning his intelligence.
    “Sounds perfect,” he muttered. His head hurt and he needed water and the bathroom again. He sat up and the room spun before it settled back into place. He felt funky.
    “You look really bad,” Fox repeated. But Aidan didn’t hold it against him as the kid handed him a glass of water.
    “Thanks.” He drank the whole thing down and wished he had more. His mouth and throat felt like he’d swallowed a beach full of sand.
    “So, why does everybody hate you?” Fox sat on the edge of the bed, hiking one knee up.
    “You’ll have to ask them.” Aidan closed his eyes for a minute, hoping that would help his head. It didn’t. The door was open to the hallway so between the light out there and the one still on in the bathroom, there was enough to illuminate but not enough to hurt. He knew it was morning even though it was still dark outside. The sun didn’t rise this time of year until around nine-thirty or ten. And the darkness increased every day until the shortest day of the year. The winter solstice.
    “You don’t know why they hate you?” Fox lifted a brow. “I might be a kid, but I’m not stupid.”
    “I don’t think you’re stupid. Far from it. In fact, if it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead right now.” He didn’t know if he should thank Fox for that or not.
    “You know in some cultures, when you save a life, that life belongs to you.”
    “Son, you seriously don’t want to own my life.” He sure as hell had never wanted it.
    Fox seemed to pale.
    “But I do owe you,” Aidan continued. Dying from exposure, while snared in a trap, or being ripped apart by wild animals would have been a horrible way to die. There were many others much more pleasant. “Thank