now.â
âWhat
is
the point?â He was still holding her hand.
She considered her words carefully. âThere have been many times in the past seventy years Iâve wanted to give up. Sometimes the struggle just seems so overwhelming, like I canât take one more day. Some days I have to dig deep, and I survive for three reasons: First, Tarron would be devastated and I canât leave him with that burden. Heâd blame himself forever, perhaps even follow me,and Iâm not going to let it happen. Second, the bastards who ruined my life would win, and thatâs not acceptable, either.â
âThose are damned good reasons. And third?â
âThereâs always a tiny bit of hope inside me that Iâll find happiness again,â she whispered. âWhat if I took myself out of the game too soon, when I only had to wait a little longer?â
âHow come you make so much sense?â He tried a smile, but it didnât quite materialize.
Reaching out, she touched his face. She loved the manly stubble against her fingers, his lips and cheekbones. Even more, she was drawn to the kind, genuine man behind the steely demeanor. âI can see how sad you are, Nick. How weary. Whatever Carter did to you, I suspect thatâs not the only reason youâre feeling down.â
âYouâre right. Itâs not. Itâs just the latest in a string of blows.â
âAnd yet youâre still here. Donât you see? You donât
really
want to give up, or you would have by now. Youâre a bit lost, but youâre going to find your way.â
âYou seem sure about that.â
âI am,â she said with growing confidence.
âAnd I thought
I
was the Seer.â
Then Nick gave her the first honest smile sheâd seen since they had met, one that reached his eyes, and it completely transformed his face.
Sweet gods, heâs beautiful!
If sheâd thought him handsomebefore, now she just about swallowed her tongue. Her long-neglected libido stretched and awakened, purring like the engine of a Ferrari ready to burn rubber.
With regret, she reined herself in. Neither of them was ready to move fast, were they?
âWould you like to go for a walk?â she asked.
âThatâs the best idea Iâve heard all day.â
Nick lifted the right cuff of his jeans and sheathed his knife in the holster strapped to his ankle. Then he stood and helped her up, letting his hand remain wrapped around her smaller one for a moment before releasing it. She felt the loss of his touch immediately, and craved more. She would have to content herself with his nearnessâfor the time being.
âTell me about your family,â he said. âI got the impression thereâs only you and Tarron in the coven?â
âYes, but we have a younger brother, Adrian, who lives in England. He doesnât prefer coven life; heâs sort of a loner. He works for the Secret Service and loves it.â
Nick whistled in appreciation. âIâm impressed. Do they know heâs a vampire?â
âOnly his handler and one close friend. Everyone else is discretionary, on an absolute need-to-know basis. Heâs good at his job, a real badass.â She shot him a grin. âSort of like someone else I know.â
âNot so sure about that.â But his expression was pleased. âAnyway, you sound very proud of Adrian.â
âI am. I was blessed with wonderful brothers.â
âWhat about your parents?â
âThey died long ago, right after I reached puberty,â she said wistfully. âEven though there were so many dangers that existed back then from human hunters, rogue shifters, and other paranormal creatures, thatâs not what got them. It was a simple accident. A log shifted and rolled from the hearth in the night and our little cottage went up in flames before we knew what was happening. They couldnât get