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never touch me again. And the rest of you can stay the hell out of my life.”

Chapter Seven
     
    Sasha didn’t even try to stop the tears from flowing. She’d trusted Maddy and Selene for so long. They’d been more than friends, they’d been family. Since meeting at a party nearly fifteen years ago, they’d connected in a way that Sasha had never thought possible. And since they’d all been in different professions they hadn’t had to deal with competition amongst each other. They’d been able to like freely, enjoy life, and enjoy each other. Sasha had relied on them, loved them, and had protected them with fierce loyalty. Sure, she could admit that their secret wasn’t one she would’ve believed under normal circumstances, but all they’d had to do was show her proof the same way they did today. If Pietr had saved Selene’s life by converting her, or whatever, then he was good in her book. She would have stood beside them.
    And if they’d told her she never would have made herself look like a fool for Cirro.
    She wouldn’t have thought there could be something between them. She would have stayed away from the house as much as possible, tried dating more, anything. She would have fought tooth and nail to not nearly fall for the man, and just watched him in silence. Watched him play with Alexios like a proud uncle. Watched him laugh, on rare occasions, with Pietr, or practice combative arts with his men. Men she now realized must be leopards just like the others. It was too much. With Ice wanting her dead she had been ready to leave her life behind to keep everyone safe. Then Cirro had come to her rescue and she’d thought that she’d be safe, that she wouldn’t be hurt. But sometimes emotional hurt could cut deeper than a knife.
    She grabbed her bags as quickly as she could. She needed to get away, to think. She’d never turn her friends in, no matter how pissed off she was at them, but she could stay here. What hurt most of all? That Cirro had felt their connection from the beginning and hadn’t wanted to give in. She remembered Pietr’s words. He’d said that Cirro would have been powerless to deny her when she was in need. If that was the case, that Cirro had made love to her only to appease her, he’d made love to her because the animal inside of him told him that’s what he needed to do to make her happy. He hadn’t wanted to touch her.
    God, she’d been so stupid.
    “You’re not leaving,” Cirro hissed, standing in the door of his bedroom to guard her escape. His attire was different today. He wore a white T-shirt with black slacks. His black harness straps for his guns was stark against his white shirt. He looked like a detective, and she’d come across plenty of those. Camouflage, she realized. He’d dressed to appear as if he was supposed to be walking in her house and looking around. He’d left before she’d woken up, and Selene had told her it was because he went to go search her house. She’d felt protected, cherished even. Now she saw it for what it really was, a way to get the hell away from her. That’s all.
    “I am walking out that door. And you can’t stop me,” Sasha argued.
    “You know I can. I could lock you into this room and make sure you never leave,” Cirro said, his blue eyes narrowing.
    “Why? You don’t want me here. I don’t want to be here either.”
    “ Énteka —”
    “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare! You haven’t wanted me. I know all about you not wanting a human as your mate. Don’t lie to me.”
    “I wouldn’t. I didn’t want a human mate. You are fragile. You can’t heal wounds like a leopard. You grow old and die long before I would even show signs of aging. And for a leopard there is only one mate. Long after you die, I would only be a shell of a man. I’d be a husk that only wanted death, if I didn’t follow you the moment you took your last breath. So, no, I didn’t want a human as my mate. That wasn’t personal. That’s just